Packed with protein, healthy fats and whole grains, these Vegan Protein Overnight Oats are a sweet and delicious way to enjoy breakfast during the warm, summer months!
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We love overnight oats in our house.
There are so many reasons we love overnight oats.
You can make so many kind of overnight oats including Healthy Cookie Dough Oats, Key Lime Pie Overnight Oats and even Vegan Golden Milk Overnight Oats.
Plus, overnight oats are the perfect breakfast to meal prep
I often meal prep 5 different flavors of overnight oats at a time so that we have breakfast ready to go all week long.
Overnight oats are also the perfect vessel for protein powder as I'm going to show you in this recipe for Vegan Protein Overnight Oats!
Ingredients for Vegan Protein Overnight Oats
These protein overnight oats require just 5 ingredients to make.
- Quick oats
- Vegan protein powder
- Chia seeds
- Ground flaxseed
- Non-dairy milk
I personally love to add shredded zucchini to my overnight oats, but that's entirely optional!
What is the Best Vegan Protein Powder
Obviously, vegan protein powder is a main ingredient in this recipe, so it's important to find a protein powder that you actually enjoy.
If you don't enjoy the protein powder mixed with just milk or water, you probably won't enjoy it in this overnight oats recipe.
I'm really picky when it comes to vegan protein powder.
There are only a handful that I've tried and enjoyed.
I'll list them out below:
- Women's Best Chocolate Vegan Protein Powder (I only buy this when it's on sale!)
- Orgain Vegan Protein Powder
- Almond Pro Protein Powder
There are so many other brands of vegan protein powder out on the market that I have yet to try, so definitely do your research and find the protein powder that YOU enjoy!
How to Add Zucchini to Overnight Oats
As I mentioned above, the zucchini is an optional ingredient in this recipe.
I personally love adding zucchini to both my hot and overnight oats as you can't taste it and it adds extra volume and nutrients.
To add zucchini to oatmeal:
- Start by shedding the zucchini until you have about ½ cups worth.
- Next, I like to chop up the shredded zucchini so that it mimics the size and shape of oats. This keeps you from having stringy oatmeal!
- Lastly, stir the shredded and minced zucchini into your jar of overnight oats and allow the oats and zucchini to soak overnight.
If you are added shredded zucchini to hot oatmeal, I like to stir the zucchini in towards the end of the cooking process.
How Long Do You Have to Soak Overnight Oats?
As the name suggest, soaking your oats overnight or for about 8 hours is ideal.
This give the oats and chia seeds enough time to soak up all the liquid and flavors, leaving you with super flavorful, creamy overnight oats.
If you didn't think to soak your oats overnight, you can also make them first thing in the morning and just allow them soak for as long as possible, about 2-4 hours.
The longer you let your oats soak, the thicker and creamier the final product will be.
If they don't soak very long, you may end up with a runnier jar of overnight oats.
How Long Do Overnight Oats Last in the Fridge?
I love to make a few jars of overnight oats at a time because I find they keep fairly well in the fridge for 3-5 days, depending on what ingredients you use.
To make your overnight oats last longer, only make the base of the overnight oats (oats, optional protein powder, chia seeds, ground flaxseed, and non-dairy milk) and place that in sealable jars.
The morning you want to enjoy some overnight oats is when you can add in your fresh fruit and/or other toppings.
If you add fresh fruit, especially bananas, to your overnight oats, you'll want to eat them the next day.
Can You Freeze Overnight Oats?
Yes! But just like storing overnight oats in the fridge, you only want to freeze plain overnight oats. Simply make your basic overnight oats, place them in freezer-safe containers and freeze for up to 3 months.
How to Thaw Overnight Oats
To thaw the frozen overnight oats, remove them from the freezer the night before you want to enjoy them and allow them to thaw in the fridge overnight.
Right before you eat your frozen and thawed overnight oats is when you can add whatever toppings you desire, such as fresh fruit, nuts, nut butter, granola, etc.
📖 Recipe
Vegan Protein Overnight Oats
Ingredients
- ½ cup quick oats
- 1 scoop vegan protein powder* use your favorite brand!
- 1 tablespoon chia seeds
- 1 teaspoon ground flaxseed
- 1- 1 ¼ cup non-dairy milk
- Optional: ⅓-1/2 small zucchini shredded (and minced if desired)
Instructions
- In a jar or bowl, mix together the dry ingredients, from the oats to the ground flaxseed.
- If using, prepare your zucchini by washing and shredding ⅓-1/2 of a small zucchini. I like to chop the shredded pieces into smaller pieces which closer mimic the size of oats. You can also omit the zucchini if you don't want to include it, you will just need to reduce the non-dairy milk to about 1 cup.
- Mix the zucchini into the dry ingredients and then pour in the non-dairy milk. Mix everything together until combined.
- Store the mixture in the fridge overnight which will allow it to thicken.
- In the morning, enjoy the overnight oats straight from the jar/bowl you prepared it in. You can also pour the oats into a bowl and add extra toppings like nut butter, fruit, granola, etc.
Alyssa says
Is the zuchinni raw?
Faith says
Yes! I like to shred my zucchini and then chop it into smaller pieces so that it mimics the size of oats. I hope you can give this recipe a try Alyssa!
Zayn says
This looks absolutely yummy. I make overnight oats very frequently but have never thought of adding zucchini to it. I will definitely try this recipe.
http://www.mylifeingreens.com
Faith says
I hope you do Zayn! And you can always start small on the amount of zucchini you use if it sounds a little weird, but I love the extra volume and nutrition it gives! Have a great rest of your week!