Chocolate Orange High Protein Overnight Oats | 37g Protein

Oats on their own actually aren’t very “healthy”.

Studies show that they make you hungry faster than other breakfast foods, like eggs. They also tend to spike blood sugar levels and result in a big crash an hour or so after eating them, making plain oatmeal a horrible option if you have a weight loss goal or if you’re insulin resistant. Not to mention all the anti-nutrients in oats that block nutrients from being absorbed by your body.

Unless you make oats like this.

When you soak oats overnight with certain ingredients, you can transform a “not very healthy” breakfast food into something that makes you full, stabilizes blood sugar, and is very supportive of a weight loss and wellness goal.

And you can make it quite tasty, I might add.

So let’s dive into one of my community’s favorite high protein overnight oats recipe — Chocolate Orange High Protein Overnight Oats.

This recipe is featured from my free high protein overnight oats download. If you want this recipe and four other high protein overnight oats in a printable download, you can grab that HERE.

Key Ingredients

Rolled Oats

The base! The main health perk of oats comes from a type of fiber in it called beta-glucan. This soluble fiber has been shown to help improve cholesterol levels. You can use regular rolled oats or steel cut. When I was digging into the research, I found that steel cut oats weren’t significantly better than rolled oats for blood sugar levels. Because of this, I like to stick with the easier to find and work with rolled oats option. If you’re strictly gluten-free, make sure to look for oats that are certified gluten-free.

Chia Seeds and Cacao Nibs

These two fiber superstars help to solve the blood sugar spiking problem of oats. Combined, you’ll get over 10 grams of fiber from these two ingredients alone (which is about 2-3 times more fiber than most people get at breakfast). Fiber acts like a “carb net” that prevents your body from absorbing sugars too quickly. Plus, cacao nibs are one of the most potent sources of antioxidants in the world, making it an excellent heart health food.

Greek Yogurt and Whole Milk

Greek yogurt has about 3-4x the protein as other yogurts. I always make sure to use whole milk (and not low fat) because studies have found it to be more filling than low fat options. Plus, whole fat greek yogurt and milk are significantly higher in vitamin K2, which is needed to get calcium out of the arteries and into the bones. It’s also essential for dental health and preventing cavities.

Zero Added Sugar Chocolate Protein Powder

To keep this as blood sugar stabilizing as possible, I use our zero added sugar Chocolate Protein Powder. This adds a hint of sweetness (thanks to the natural zero sugar sweetener monk fruit extract) without using sugar.

In 2022, I specifically developed our protein powder to work beautifully in whole food recipes — in other words, to not taste like “protein powder”. There’s a reason why it’s sold out 3 times… this year. Our community can’t get enough of it! Make sure to grab a bag so you can whip up this recipe with the tastiest protein.

Equipment Needed

• Small glass meal prep jars

Ingredient Swaps

• Low carb: Sub out the oats for 2 tablespoons flax seeds.
• Dairy-free: Use a plant-based greek-style yogurt (like Kite Hill), unsweetened almond milk, and a high quality plant-based protein powder. You’ll need to up the protein powder to 1 1/2 servings due to the lost protein from milk and classic greek yogurt.
• More fiber: Use edible basil seeds instead of chia seeds. These have double the fiber!

Bulk Meal Prep Tip

You can make weeks and weeks worth of overnight oats that are shelf stable, making it perfect for meal prep or travel. Just add all of the dry ingredients (everything except for the milk, orange zest, and yogurt) into individual plastic bags. Seal them up and store in your pantry or travel bag. This will typically keep for multiple months in the pantry.

The night before you’re ready to eat it, dump the plastic bag’s contents into a glass container, stir in the yogurt, orange zest, and milk and pop in the fridge. I did this on our Maui trip earlier this year and used the hotel’s mini fridge and disposable coffee cups as containers. An easy healthy breakfast for the beach — plus I saved about $15-20 a person at breakfast!

Optional Topping Ideas

Feel free to add a topping! I recommend choosing up to one nut/seed or fruit topping. You can add as many spices as you like.

• 1 tablespoon walnuts
• 1 tablespoon peanut butter
• 1 tablespoon almond butter
• 1 tablespoon pumpkin seeds
• 1 pear, sliced
• 1 plum, sliced
• 1/2 apple, sliced
• 1/2 banana, sliced
• 3 tablespoons pomegranate seeds
• 1/2 cup blueberries
• 1 cup strawberries
• 1 cup raspberries
• 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
• 1/8 teaspoon nutmeg
• 1/2 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice

FAQ’s

Find out if you’re carb sensitive with my free quiz

Other Recipes You May Love

• High Protein Overnight Oats; This recipe has even more protein — 47 grams per serving!
• Raspberry Lemon High Protein Overnight Oats; Light but still very filling.
• The BEST Protein Coffee; Literally tastes like a vanilla latte.

Did you love this recipe? Let me know in the comments below!f

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