Berry Overnight Oatmeal {High Protein!}

The perfect make-ahead healthy breakfast: Berry Overnight Oatmeal! In this quick and easy recipe, soft and chewy oats are combined with fresh strawberries and blueberries for a nutritious, high protein breakfast or snack.

It doesn't get much easier than a simple overnight oatmeal recipe! With about 5 minutes of prep, you can stir together a healthy, high protein breakfast or snack that will keep in the refrigerator for days. Make more than one at a time and you'll be set for the week!

The combination of fresh fruit, toasted almonds, whole grain oats and Greek yogurt make this complete meal hearty, satisfying, and (most importantly) absolutely delicious!

What is overnight oatmeal?

Overnight oats are an alternative way to prepare oatmeal that doesn’t require any actual cooking! Rather than the traditional method of boiling oats, these raw oats are mixed with milk and Greek yogurt and refrigerated overnight. While chilling, the oats absorb the liquid, thicken, and soften so that they’re ready to enjoy in the morning!

How to make High Protein Berry Overnight Oatmeal:

First, let’s start with the ingredients. For the base of your oatmeal you will need:

• Old fashioned oats
• Plain Greek yogurt
• Vanilla almond milk (or other milk of choice)
• Honey
• Salt, cinnamon and nutmeg
• Almond extract

Don’t skip the almond extract! While you can use an equal amount of vanilla extract instead, this particular flavor gives the oatmeal a delicious dessert-like taste!

Next, combine all of the ingredients (except the berries) in a bowl or jar.

Stir the berries into the oat mixture, cover with a lid, and refrigerate for at least 2 hours (or overnight).

When you wake up in the morning you’ll have a thick, rich, creamy and flavorful bowl of oatmeal ready to enjoy — no baking, boiling, or cooking required!

How to serve Overnight Oats:

I like to finish the oats with a handful of additional fresh berries and some toasted sliced almonds just before serving. This adds great crunch and healthy fats for staying power!

To quickly “toast” nuts in the microwave, place nuts in a single layer on a microwave-safe plate. Microwave on high in 30 second intervals, just until golden brown and fragrant (this usually takes a total of about 1 minute).

Do you eat overnight oatmeal hot or cold?

Both! While the oats in this recipe are raw, the ingredients are safe to consume both cold or warm. In the summer, I love the refreshing taste of cool, creamy oats in the morning. If you can’t imagine eating cold oatmeal, you can gently warm the oats in a microwave-safe bowl in the microwave until they reach your desired temperature.

Cook's Tips and Recipe Variations:

• Overnight Oats Jar Size: I love using mason jars or the Weck jars that you see here for my oatmeal. The best size jar for this recipe is either the 16.9-ounce ½ liter tulip jar or the ½ liter mold jar (both shown in this post). These jars give you plenty of room to stir the oatmeal and add toppings!
• Which oats are best for overnight oatmeal? I only use old fashioned (sometimes called “rolled”) oats for this recipe. These oats absorb the liquid in the jar, become soft and chewy, while still maintaining a bit of texture. I do not recommend substituting with quick oats or steel cut oats.
• Keep the overnight oats ratio in mind, and feel free to multiply the ingredients using the same ratio to prepare more than one jar at a time. You want equal proportions of oats, yogurt and milk.
• Use the base of this recipe to create your own flavor combination! Instead of topping with almonds, try adding peanut butter, almond butter, or toasted pecans or walnuts on top.
• Mix up the fruit! Use just blueberries to make Blueberry Overnight Oatmeal, use raspberries or blackberries, or swap out the berries for other fruit instead. Try making Banana Overnight Oats or Peach Overnight Oats!
• Prepare Chocolate Overnight Oats by adding unsweetened cocoa powder to the liquid mixture, or add a handful of chocolate chips. Garnished with a drizzle of peanut butter or some chopped peanuts on top, your breakfast will taste like a Reese’s Peanut Butter Cup!
• I used plain, non fat Greek yogurt, but you can substitute with any yogurt that you prefer. Vanilla Greek yogurt would add a great touch of flavor and sweetness!
• Feel free to use any type of milk in lieu of the almond milk. Regular milk, cashew milk, or any other favorite will work!
• If you don’t have almond extract, you can substitute with vanilla extract.
• Instead of honey, try sweetening the oats with maple syrup or agave syrup. Adjust the amount of sweetener to suit your preferences.
• Prepare the oats in advance: This is a great “meal prep” option, since the oatmeal will stay fresh in an airtight container in your refrigerator for up to 5 days!

More easy oatmeal recipes that you might enjoy:

• 5-Minute Swiss Muesli
• Berry Baked Oatmeal
• Oatmeal Pancakes
• Pumpkin Spice Slow Cooker Oatmeal

This recipe was originally published in June, 2015. It was updated in July, 2019.

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