Peanut Butter Overnight Oats

4.52

Published Jun 17, 2020, Updated Apr 12, 2023

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You’re going to love these delicious and creamy peanut butter overnight oats. They’re easy to prep and pack in a good amount of protein from the Greek yogurt and peanut butter.

I’ve made (and shared) so many different overnight oat variations, but I’ve been loving this flavor lately. It’s based off my easy overnight oats recipe, but we’re adding peanut butter directly into the overnight oat mixture instead of just using it as a topping. This ensures every bite has a little peanut butter flavor.

Overhead shot of peanut butter overnight oats in a mason jar topped with blueberries, chopped peanuts and a peanut butter drizzle.

If you’re a peanut butter lover like me, you’ll know that I pretty much like to drizzle all of my overnight oats with peanut butter (or another nut butter) and I already have several pb inspired overnight oats combos — everything from peanut butter cup overnight oats to peanut butter and jelly overnight oats. All that said, sometimes it’s nice to get back to basics and that’s what this recipe does!

Ingredients for peanut butter overnight oats in a white bowl before mixing.

Ingredients Needed for Peanut Butter Overnight Oats

old fashioned rolled oats – rolled oats are the best for overnight oats. Instant/quick oats and steel cut oats don’t work the same because they don’t absorb liquid the same way rolled oats do
almond milk – I like using unsweetened vanilla almond milk, but any type of milk will work
Greek yogurt – yogurt gives overnight oats an extra creamy texture while adding a bit of protein. I personally like using plain Greek yogurt since it’s the highest in protein and lowest in sugar. To make this recipe vegan or dairy-free you can use a non-dairy yogurt or skip the yogurt all together and use additional milk
peanut butter – I love peanut butter for these oats, but any nut butter that you enjoy would work for this recipe
maple syrup – pure maple syrup is the perfect natural sweetener to use because it’s liquid so it blends in nicely with the oat mixture and I personally love the flavor. Honey or another natural liquid sweetener will work here. If you want to reduce the sugar in this recipe, feel free to use a sugar alternative like stevia or monk fruit
chia seeds – these little seeds add a bit of fiber, protein and omega-3 fatty acids and they help absorb some of the liquid which gives the oats a thicker consistency
vanilla extract
sea salt – a pinch of sea salt is the perfect flavor enhancer and brings out the nutty flavor of the oats
blueberries and chopped peanuts – I love the combo of blueberries with peanut butter and the chopped peanuts add a nice texture, but these toppings are optional and can be swapped for whatever toppings you like on your overnight oats

Peanut butter overnight oats in a mason jar with a gold spoon. Topped with blueberries, chopped peanuts and a peanut butter drizzle.

Overnight Oats Ratio

The base “recipe” for overnight oats is so simple! The hardest part is getting the right ratio of oats to liquid, but if you follow my recipes you’ll be set!

I aim for a 1:1 ratio of rolled oats to milk, plus half as much yogurt. So for 1 cup of oats, I use 1 cup of milk + 1/2 cup of yogurt (or an additional 1/2 cup of milk). This seems to give the oats the perfect consistency, not too thick, but not soupy. For the liquid, I usually go for non-dairy milk like almond milk, but you can use whatever milk you have on hand and if you really want to experiment you can try using different liquids like fruit juice.

How Long Do Overnight Oats Need to Soak?

Given the name, you’d assume overnight oats need to soak overnight, but you can actually make them in 2-4 hours if you’re in a rush. While it does take some time for the oats to absorb the liquid, they don’t necessarily have to be soaked overnight. I recommend at least 8 hours for true overnight oats, but there have been mornings where I decide I want overnight oats for breakfast even though I didn’t prep them the night before. When this happens I’ll make them the morning of and let the oats soak for just 2-4 hours. With this quick soak, they’re not as soft as overnight oats that have soaked longer and they’re a bit more liquidy, but they’re still delicious.

How Long Do Overnight Oats Last?

When stored in an airtight container in the fridge overnight oats should last for up to 5 days. They will soften more the longer they sit so I find they’re best on days 1-3, but they’re still safe to eat on days 4 and 5. With this said, overnight oats are great for meal prep. Feel free to make a whole batch for the week on Sunday. I like prepping them in wide mouth 16 oz mason jars.

Can You Eat Overnight Oats Hot?

Short answer, yes! You can definitely warm up overnight oats, but the whole point of overnight oats is to eat them cold like muesli. Even if you think cold oats sound strange, I recommend giving it shot before you write them off. Of course, if you simply can’t do the cold oats you can always heat them up. Just pop the overnights oats in your microwave, cooking in 30 second increments until the oats are warm throughout and enjoy.

More Oatmeal Recipes to Try

More Overnight Oats Recipes

Check out all of the overnight oats recipes as well as the full collection of oatmeal recipes on EBF!

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4.52 from 85 votes