After a few weeks of chaos, I’m feeling motivated to get back into a routine. Making a meal prep breakfast, like these Chocolate Overnight Oats, definitely makes sticking to a routine a lot easier. Overnight oats are ideal for getting into a morning routine because the whole batch only takes minutes to make, and then I have a grab-and-go breakfast for the next few days. And I promise you, when you make these chocolate oats, you’re going to look forward to eating them every day.
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“Perfection for this oat and chocolate lover! I’ve made too many oats recipes to count and in general overnight oats are not my thing. These however are like enjoying a chocolate dessert for breakfast without the guilt because the ingredients are so wholesome! Will definitely be making again.”
jenny
easy chocolate Overnight Oats recipe
As you may have realized, I am a huge fan of soaking my oats overnight for breakfast. Not to mention, I love chocolate too! So, I decided to create this version of oats with two of my favorite foods. Rolled oats soaked in milk with cocoa powder and a touch of brown sugar make for the most decadent healthy breakfast you’ll eat. And, because I can never get enough chocolate, I like to sprinkle a few chocolate chips on top, too.
Recipe Success Tips
- Omit the chia seeds if needed. I added chia seeds because I love the extra dose of fiber, but I know a lot of people don’t like their somewhat gooey texture. You can omit them or use flaxseed. The overnight oats may not be quite as thick, but they’ll be every bit as delicious!
- Enjoy warm or cold. You can eat these cold or heat them in the microwave.
- Toppings are optional. I love topping my oats with nut or seed butter, sliced bananas or fresh berries, coconut, or walnuts, pecans, or almonds. You can also eat them plain.
- Use old-fashioned oats. In my opinion, these are the best. They soften quickly but still have a ton of texture, so the mixture doesn’t get too gloopy. Instant oats have very little texture once soaked, so your overnight oats will turn out very mushy and gluey. Steel-cut oats require a longer soak time and may need more liquid.
- For thicker oats. Swap a portion of the milk for Greek yogurt.
- Don’t have individual containers? No problem, transfer the oats to one container and scoop out each serving. Make sure to stir it really well each time because the chocolate tends to sink to the bottom.
Chocolate Overnight Oats
Cost $2.22 recipe / $0.55 serving
Ingredients
- 1⅓ cups old-fashioned rolled oats ($0.45)
- 2 Tbsp chia seeds (optional, $0.30)
- 2 Tbsp unsweetened cocoa powder ($0.22)
- 2 Tbsp brown sugar ($0.06)
- ¼ cup mini chocolate chips ($0.64)
- ¼ tsp salt ($0.02)
- 1⅓ cups milk ($0.28*)
- ½ tsp vanilla extract ($0.25)
Toppings
- nut or seed butter
- sliced bananas
- coconut
- walnuts, pecans or almonds
- fresh raspberry or strawberry jam
Instructions
- Combine the oats, chia seeds, cocoa powder, brown sugar, chocolate chips, and salt in a bowl.
- Add the milk and vanilla extract, then stir to combine. Allow the mixture to sit for about five minutes.
- Divide the oat mixture between four resealable containers. Close the containers and refrigerate overnight or up to five days.
- Stir the oats just before enjoying. Eat cold or warm them up in the microwave.
See how we calculate recipe costs here.
Notes
Nutrition
Have you tried this recipe?Mention @budgetbytes or tag #budgetbytes on Instagram!How to Make Chocolate Overnight Oats Step-by-Step Photos
Combine the ingredients: Add 1⅓ cups rolled oats to a bowl along with 2 Tbsp chia seeds (optional), 2 Tbsp cocoa powder, 2 Tbsp brown sugar, ¼ cup mini chocolate chips, and ¼ tsp salt. Add 1⅓ cups milk (any type of milk you like) and ½ tsp vanilla extract.
Stir: Stir the ingredients together to combine, then let the mixture sit for five minutes. The mixture will thicken slightly in that time, making it easier to get an equal ratio of solid and liquid when you divide the mixture into containers.
Divide: Divide the mixture between four containers (about ¾ cup each). Cover the containers and refrigerate overnight.
Serve: After soaking overnight, the mixture will be much thicker, so give it a good stir before eating to redistribute the cocoa powder. Then enjoy that chocolatey goodness!
Serving Suggestions
I love topping my oats. When I have time to scrounge through the pantry and fridge, I pull out coconut, nut butters, nuts or seeds, or whatever else I can find and sprinkle it on top. Sometimes, I’ll even layer the oats with fried apples for an even more decadent breakfast.
To help keep me going, I’ll prepare a nice tall glass of cold brew so I am awake and alert. When I have more time to linger and enjoy a relaxing breakfast, this comforting golden milk is my go-to.
Storage
Overnight oats will stay good in your fridge for about 4-5 days, so I always limit my batches to 4 servings just to give myself a little wiggle room.
Hey is the calories listed at the bottom with the chia seeds or without?
With!
This worked great to bring to work as a cold meal in a heat wave. The grocery store was out of unsweetened cocoa powder, so I used some hot cocoa mix and omitted the brown sugar. I also used ground flaxseed instead of chia because that’s what I had. Delicious. Recipe seems very flexible and open to substitutions/additions.
My first time trying a recipe from budgetbytes. This is so great!! The chia seeds are a great addition. I just refrigerate it all in one bowl since I don’t have that many containers. I used banana slices as my topping of choice – it covers up the ‘dry’ texture of the oats that I don’t really like (but I’m too lazy to toast them, so banana slices it is lol).
Love the idea of including chocolate to the breakfast
Nice!
Excited to try this! Another hack to make overnight oats thicker if you don’t have chia is to swap some of the milk for Greek yogurt or skyr (can use for 1/3 to 1/2 of the milk depending on how thick the yogurt you’re using is). If you’re using dairy based Greek yogurt this also bumps the protein per serving up quite a bit.
Thanks for the recipe and thanks for your comments at the end.
Who doesn’t like chocolate for breakfast?. This is delicious and I will definitely make again. I didn’t have any chia seeds but will try them next time.
I made this and it was delicious. However, I got four roughly 1/3 cup servings – definitely not four 3/4 cups servings the recipe says. I can’t figure out where I went wrong. Any suggestions?
Without having been there cooking with you, there’s not much I can say. Speculating, it sounds like something wasn’t measured correctly, as the milk alone is 1 1/3 cups. Good luck!
Definitely does not make 4 3/4 cup servings. Barely 1/2 cup
I highly recommend toasting the oats before making the recipe! It removed the raw flour taste :)
Really yummy otherwise ^_^
ooh, thanks for the tip! you’ve put a name and solution to the thing that’s put me off overnight oats I’ve tried in the past. “raw flour taste” :)
I too only got two servings of 3/4 a cup.
SO good! I modified a bit: used unsweetened almond milk and added 1TBSP of peanut butter powder and a tsp of MCT powder. My kids inhaled it! Topped with some coconut whipped cream and strawberries.
I bought the ingredients to make this over a month ago and decided to try it out last night. Eating them this morning, I am mad that I waited so long!!! Delicious and filling, the chia seeds add a nice texture. Also the perfect amount of sweetness. I subbed almond milk and they turned out perfectly. Beth never misses.
Perfection for this oat and chocolate lover! I’ve made too many oats recipes to count and in general overnight oats are not my thing. These however are like enjoying a chocolate dessert for breakfast without the guilt because the ingredients are so wholesome! Will definitely be making again.
This recipe looks delicious! Just served up this recipe for breakfast and noticed that I had given only 4 stars when I should’ve given 5! My but it was delicious and so very simple. Really took my breakfast to the next level! Thank you
I love this recipe and want to try to but do I have to separate them? I’m not sure i
I have enough containers:)?
You could refrigerate it all in one bowl or container and then just scoop some out every morning. :) Just make sure to stir it really well each time because the chocolate does tend to sink down to the bottom.
Have made a few times with ground flax seeds instead of chia, that’s what I have in cupboard. Have made with both dairy milk and almond milk. Added chocolate chips and omitted. Even added chopped banana right before eating. Every way has been delicious and easy.
Do you have any recommendations on using milk powder or coconut milk powder? I was thinking this could be a good recipe for camping but I wouldn’t have access to milk.
I’ve never tried to make overnight oats with milk powder, but I would probably just follow the ratio in the reconstitution instructions to figure out the amount, but I’m not sure how you’d let them soak once you add the water without refrigeration. Unless you plan to make it as hot oats and cook them over the fire instead of soaking cold, which you could totally do!