Coffee Overnight Oats
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Published May 11, 2021, Updated Jun 03, 2024
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Wake up to delicious coffee overnight oats made with cold brew and vanilla protein powder. They’ll keep you energized all morning.
Coffee lovers and overnight oat lovers unite! I feel like I’m the president of both fan clubs so I’m bringing you together with the ultimate recipe: coffee overnight oats.
Start your morning off with a cool, refreshing bowl (or jar) of oats… with a caffeine kick! This slightly sweet breakfast combines oats with cold brew coffee, vanilla protein powder and natural sweeteners for a delicious recipe to start your morning.
Coffee Overnight Oats Ingredients
Here’s everything you’ll need for making these coffee overnight oats:
- old-fashioned rolled oats – rolled oats work best for overnight oats recipes! Quick and instant oats get too soggy and steel cut oats don’t soften enough.
- almond or oat milk – I prefer to use almond or oat milk, but really any milk will work.
- cold brew – make your own cold brew at home or use a store-bought cold brew.
- vanilla protein powder – my favorite brand of protein powder is Nuzest! Use code eatingbirdfood for 15% off your order.
- maple syrup – to add a hint of sweetness to the recipe.
- chia seeds – adds fiber, protein and healthy fats to the recipe. It also absorbs some of the liquid and helps thicken the oats.
- vanilla extract – adds a mild, sweet flavor that brings the rest of the ingredients together.
- peanut or almond butter – look for natural nut butter where the only ingredients are nuts and salt (or just nuts).
- pinch of sea salt – you can skip the sea salt if the nut butter you are using is salted.
Substitutions & Notes
- Gluten-free – just make sure you grab gluten-free, old-fashioned oats!
- Vegan – use dairy-free milk and vegan protein powder to make sure these oats are vegan.
- Mocha – if you love coffee, there’s a good chance you like mochas! Add 1-2 tablespoons of unsweetened cocoa powder prior to soaking overnight for a chocolate version.
How to Make Cold Brew
I’ve shared how to make cold brew coffee before, but here are the cliff notes for a method that doesn’t require any fancy equipment:
- Pour 1 cup of coarse ground coffee beans to a large container. Add 1 1/2 cups of cold water. Stir to make sure all grounds are wet and then add another 1 1/2 cups of water.
- Cover the container and allow the coffee to steep for 12-24 hours. The longer you let it steep, the stronger it will be.
- Use a coffee filter, mesh cloth or thin dish towel to strain the grounds from the liquid. This is your cold brew concentrate!
Reminder: You’ll want to dilute the cold brew concentrate according to your preference to make 1/4 cup of cold brew coffee for the recipe.
No time to make cold brew? Feel free to use chilled coffee.
How Long Do Overnight Oats Need to Soak?
While “overnight oats” is surely a catchy name, you actually don’t need to soak them overnight! The longer you soak them, the more liquid they will absorb and the softer the oats will be. If I’m on top of my meal prep, I do try to make these at night to allow them to soak overnight. Having said that, I have definitely forgotten to prep these in advance and just let them soak for a few hours in the morning.
How to Serve Coffee Overnight Oats
One of the best things about overnight oats is that you can just take them out of the refrigerator and enjoy them! If you prefer your oatmeal more liquid-y, you can add extra milk. I like to drizzle a little extra nut butter on top as well and for this version I added a few cacao nibs for crunch.
If you’re not a fan of cold oatmeal, you can also heat these oats up after they have soaked overnight. Heat in the microwave for 30-60 seconds and enjoy.
Wake up to delicious coffee overnight oats made with cold brew and vanilla protein powder. They will keep you energized all morning.
How Long do Overnight Oats Last?
Overnight oats will last 3-5 days in an airtight container in your refrigerator. The longer your oats sit, the more liquid they will soak up so you may need to add additional milk.
More Overnight Oat Recipes to Try
- Chocolate Chip Overnight Oats
- Peanut Butter Overnight Oats
- Brownie Batter Overnight Oats
- Peanut Butter Cup Overnight Oats
- Vanilla Overnight Oats (MUSH Copycat)
- Cookies and Cream Overnight Oats
If you enjoyed this recipe, please consider leaving a ⭐ star rating and let me know how it went in the 📝 comments below.
Coffee Overnight Oats
Ingredients
- ½ cup old fashioned rolled oats
- ½ cup almond or oat milk
- ¼ cup cold brew coffee
- 1 scoop vanilla protein powder, approx 12 grams — I used 1 scoop of Nuzest vanilla
- 1 –2 teaspoons maple syrup
- 1 teaspoon chia seeds
- 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
- pinch of sea salt — skip if nut butter is salted
- 1 Tablespoon peanut or almond butter, divided, ½ for topping
- cacao nibs for topping, optional
Instructions
- Combine: Add oats, milk, cold brew, protein powder, maple syrup, chia seeds, vanilla, 1/2 of the nut butter and sea salt into a bowl or jar and stir together.
- Cover and let soak: Cover and place in the fridge overnight. If you’re in a rush you can shorten the soak time to 2-4 hours.
- Serve: The next morning (or when ready to eat), remove lid and give oats a big stir. If they seem too thick you can add a little more milk to loosen the mixture. Top with nut butter and any other toppings you’d like.
Notes
- Cold brew concentrate: If you’re using cold brew concentrate, you’ll want to dilute it (according to your preference) to make 1/4 cup of cold brew coffee for the recipe.
- No time to make cold brew? Feel free to use chilled coffee.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
This is my go to overnight oats recipe! I can have my coffee and breakfast in one. It’s so yummy!
WOO! This is so great, Tiffany. I am so glad you found this recipe and are loving it. Thanks for taking the time to share your review & star rating, I appreciate it!
Just found your site! Love the fun approach to recipes and I look forward to getting the ingredients to start making overnight oats. I have always wanted to make them but just never got around to it. With my engineering job I don’t have much time in the morning to cook and clean, but to meal prep with this approach I’m super excited! As my side hustle I’m starting health and fitness coaching. I have 16 years of experience in figure skating and want to start helping people find their best workouts and favorite healthy meals. I think overnight oats is a great place to start and especially adding in that protein poweder is such a life hack!
Looking forward to finding more awesome recipes!
Hello, I would like to make this recipe, I made cold brew in a 1: 6 ratio (83 grams of coffee with 500 mL) my question is if I extract the 50 mL as is from the batch or first I have to dilute it and then get 50 mL of cold brew? I read that it can be diluted 1: 1, but for this recipe I’m not sure if I have to do it before or if I only get 50 of it, thank you very much
Awesome change up to my usual overnight oats rotation, and a great way to use some extra coffee or cold brew! Great for that little extra buzz to get through a Monday or celebrate a Friday!
So glad you enjoyed this recipe, Kim! Thanks for the review. I so appreciate it!