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Healthy Cookie Dough Overnight Oats

Name: Healthy Cookie Dough Overnight Oats Recipe
Prep time: 5 min
Total time: 8 h 5 min 4 s
Yield: 1
Cuisine: American
Ingredients: 1/2 cup rolled oats; 1 tablespoon chia seeds; 1 tablespoon cashew butter; 3/4 cup non-dairy milk; 2-3 teaspoons maple syrup; 1 tablespoon cacao nibs or mini chocolate chips

Last Modified: Jun 4, 2021 by Faith VanderMolen · As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases · 986 words. · About 5 minutes to read this article.

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Chewy oats, protein rich chia seeds, and creamy cashew butter make these Healthy Cookie Dough Overnight Oats a breakfast worth waking up for!

On an overnight oat kick? Check out my 5 Amazing Make-Ahead Overnight Oat Recipes For Your Busy Weekdays post!

This post is also featured in my Easy Plant Based Breakfast Ideas For 2020 roundup.

healthy cookie dough overnight oats piled high in a jar

Overnight oats were all the rage when I first started blogging. I remember going through a phase when I would try to come up with a new flavor of overnight oats every single morning. Plus, it was an added bonus when I could make them in an almost-empty nut butter jar. Anyone else remember those days?!

Yet, even after 7 years of blogging, I’m still obsessed with overnight oats. They are simple to make, great for meal-prepping and have the best creamy texture. Today I’m going to show you how to make my favorite flavor of overnight oats: healthy cookie dough overnight oats! I also hope to answer all of your overnight oatmeal questions!

What are overnight oats?

As you can probably guess from their name, overnight oats are oats that have been mixed with liquid and then soak in the fridge overnight. They can be as simple as oats soaked in milk, but usually people add in a few more ingredients such as yogurt, chia seeds, powders, spices, fruit, nuts, seeds, etc. These tasty additions help to add texture, flavor and creaminess to the overnight oats.

What kind of oats do you use for overnight oats?

I personally love to use old fashioned rolled oats when making overnight oats. They are hearty enough to keep their shape after soaking, yet result in perfectly soft and creamy oatmeal the next day. Quick and instant oats can also work, but they may become more mushy/gummy after soaking. While I’ve never done it personally, it is also possible to make overnight oats using steal cut oats. Using steal cut oats will just result in a chewier, heartier final texture.

Take your time and experiment with the different kinds of oats to find out which ones you like the best!

ingredients you'll need to make healthy cookie dough overnight oats

To make these healthy, cookie dough overnight oats you’ll only need 6 ingredients which I’ll list below:

Oats: You really can’t make overnight oats without oats! In the section above I share my personal favorite oats to use when making overnight oats, but any variety will work.

Non-dairy milk: I personally like to use unsweetened, unflavored non-dairy milk when making oatmeal as it allows me to better control the flavor and the amount of added sugar. However, you can use whatever non-dairy milk you have on hand! Also, normal cow’s milk works great as well when making overnight oats.

Chia seeds: To make my overnight oats thick and creamy, I love to add chia seeds. They are rich in protein and fats to keep you fuller for longer.

Cashew butter: Cashew butter is my favorite nut butter to use when making this recipe as I find it’s the most flavor neutral and gives me the most accurate cookie dough flavor. However, you can use whatever nut butter you have on hand! Obviously, just keep in mind that a different kind of nut butter will affect the final flavor of these oats.

Maple syrup: We all know that cookie dough is sweet, so we need to sweeten our cookie dough overnight oats as well! I like to use maple syrup as it’s a less refined sweetener, but honey, agave, coconut sugar, brown sugar or white sugar would all work as well.

Cacao nibs (or mini, dairy-free chocolate chips): For the “chocolate chips” in this cookie dough overnight oats recipe, I love to use cacao nibs. They are unsweetened, crushed cacao beans that add a nice, chocolatey flavor. If you’ve never tried cacao nibs before, just remember that they are unsweetened and very bitter and may take some time to get used to. However, I find that when paired with the sweetened oats, they work perfectly. If you want a sweeter option, just use mini chocolate chips instead!

How to make overnight oats?

Cookie dough overnight oats being stirred in a glass container

Like I mentioned before, it is really easy to make overnight oats. To make this recipe, you simple need to stir everything together in a bowl until well combined. If you are using cacao nibs, you can either let them soak alongside the oats overnight for a softer, chocolatey addition or you can stir them in right before eating to keep them crunchy.

Different overnight oats flavor ideas

When trying to come up with different flavors for overnight oats, I love to take inspiration from my favorite dessert and muffin recipes. Below I’ll share some more of my favorite overnight oats recipes as well as some other options for you to try!

Mango Coconut Overnight Oats
Peanut Butter and Jelly Overnight Oats
Lemon Blueberry Overnight Oats
Double Chocolate Overnight Oats
Cinnamon Apple Overnight Oats
Vanilla Protein Overnight Oats with Zucchini
Vegan Golden Milk Overnight Oats
Brownie Batter Vegan Protein Overnight Oats
Peanut Butter Overnight Oats
Pumpkin Pie Overnight Oats
Mocha Overnight Oats
Peanut Butter Banana Overnight Oats
Maple Pecan Overnight Oats

Do you eat overnight oats hot or cold?

Usually overnight oats are consumed cold. They make for the perfect make-ahead, chilly breakfast for hot summer days. However, if cold oats aren’t your thing, then you can simply reheat the soaked oats in the microwave or on the stovetop the next morning. You may just need to add an extra splash of liquid to loosen them up.

How long do overnight oats keep in the fridge?

I find that overnight oats which have been made with steal cut or old fashioned rolled oats will keep well in the fridge for about 3-4 days. However, if you add mashed or sliced banana to your overnight oats then they may only last about 1 day as banana oxidizes quickly.

two jars of vegan cookie dough overnight oats topped with cacao nibs

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