Full of healthy ingredients and cinnamon roll flavor, this cinnamon roll overnight oats recipe is the perfect way to have a satiating breakfast, even on busy mornings. Plus, optionally add the protein-packed icing to start your day with over 50 grams of protein!
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You Will Love This Recipe
- It's packed with satiating protein and fiber. Between the protein powder, soy milk, chia seeds, and (of course) oats, this recipe will fill you up and keep you full for much longer than an actual cinnamon roll.
- It's ready right when you wake up. If you're groggy in the morning, making overnight oats is an easy way to prepare a healthy breakfast in just a few minutes with no work the next morning. You just gotta dig in!
- It's dishes-lite: Mix everything up right in the jar you're eating out of.
Ingredients and Substitutions
- Oats: Traditional rolled oats work best, but quick oats can also work. Steel-cut oats take more time, but they will also absorb a good amount of the milk after a couple of days. If you have steel-cut oats, though, why not make my well-loved pb & blueberry oats instead?
- Protein powder: I love ghost brand vegan pancake batter protein, but use your favorite vanilla flavor protein.
- Chia seeds: Chia adds texture and healthy fats to keep you full. You can also use flax seeds, though they have a nuttier flavor.
- Unsweetened soy milk: I prefer soy for its protein, taste, and environmental impact, but any unsweetened nondairy milk will do, including oat or almond milk.
- Cinnamon: These wouldn't be cinnamon bun overnight oats without cinnamon, right?
- Silken tofu (optional): Blending firm or extra-firm silken tofu makes for a creamy and high protein base for our icing.
- Lemon juice (optional): A touch of lemon juice adds a hint of tart to mimic the flavor of cream cheese icing.
Instructions
To start, add all the dry ingredients to your 16-ounce jar or meal prep container. Use a long-stem fork to mix them until all dry ingredients appear well combined.
From here, mix in the milk. Look at the underside of your container for any pockets of dry ingredients, and incorporate those too. Then, it's time to refrigerate! Refrigerate your oats for at least 4 hours, though overnight is best. Stop here for easy overnight oats with warm cinnamon flavor. If you are making the icing, though, refrigerate the oats while you mix up the icing.
To make the icing, add all of the icing ingredients to an immersion or high-power blender. Then blend, occasionally scraping down the sides until you have an icing that is completely smooth and creamy.
From here, you can smooth the icing over your (slightly set) oats and place them back in the fridge until you're ready to dig in. If your oats are still too wet, refrigerate the icing separately for the morning. When you're ready for breakfast, top your oats with a bit more cinnamon and some chopped pecans for crunch.
Variations
Chocolate peanut butter overnight oats: Swap out the cinnamon for 1-2 teaspoons of cocoa powder (and use chocolate protein powder if you have it). Instead of the icing, add a healthy dollop of peanut butter!
Blueberry donut overnight oats: Add a handful of fresh blueberries to the oats. Instead of cinnamon and nuts, top with a few more blueberries and lemon zest.
Cozy cinnamon oats: Prefer a cozier oatmeal dish? Try my cinnamon spice oatmeal with similar flavors but cozier vibes.
Storage
Make-ahead: Set the number of servings you want to make into the recipe card below. Then, combine all the dry ingredients in a large container and store them so they just need milk added. Measure once, and make it again and again by scooping out ¾ cup of dry ingredients whenever the craving arises.
Storage: Overnight oat recipes typically last 3-5 days in an airtight container in the fridge.
Freezing: Freeze your overnight oats in freezer-safe glass jars or apportioned in muffin tins. They should last up to 3 months this way. Place them in the fridge overnight to thaw and enjoy.
Tips
- My protein powder makes these oats sweet enough, but feel free to add a sweetener. A liquid sweetener, like maple syrup, works best.
- I like to make between 4-6 servings at a time for my spouse and me to enjoy throughout the week whenever we need a breakfast protein boost!
- If I do not add the icing, I store my oats in a mason jar. With the icing, though, I like to use a flat glass container to ensure I get icing in every bite!
- Eco tip: Leftover silken tofu? Whip up a partial batch of vegan sour cream or a creamy pasta sauce like I use in my baked spaghetti so it doesn't go to waste.
FAQ
While everyone's definition of healthy can differ, I consider overnight oats a healthy part of a balanced diet. These oats are full of satiating protein and fiber and even have some healthy fats thanks to the chia seeds and pecan topping.
Any airtight container works. Many like to use wide-mouth mason jars or weck jars to store their oats, but flat "meal prep" style containers work great when there is an icing or yogurt topping, so you can get some topping in every bite!
Recipe
Easy High Protein Cinnamon Roll Overnight Oats
Ingredients
For the overnight oats:
- ½ cup rolled oats (certified gluten free oats if needed)
- ¼ cup vanilla protein powder
- 2 teaspoons chia seeds
- ½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
- ¾ cup unsweetened soy milk (or preferred milk)
For the icing (optional):
- ¼ cup vanilla protein powder
- ¼ block extra firm silken tofu
- 1 Tablespoon lemon juice (1 Tablespoon = juice of about ½ a lemon)
- 2 Tablespoons unsweetened soy milk (or preferred milk)
Toppings (optional):
- 1 Tablespoon pecan pieces
- ½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
Equipment
Instructions
- Add all the dry ingredients to a 16-ounce jar or meal prep container. Use a long-stem fork to thoroughly combine all the ingredients.
- Mix in the milk. Look at the underside of the container for any pockets of dry ingredients, and incorporate those as well.
- Refrigerate the oats for at least 4 hours, though overnight is best.
- Optional: Refrigerate the oats while making the icing. Add all of the icing ingredients to an immersion or high-power blender. Blend, occasionally scraping down the sides, until the icing is completely smooth and creamy.
- Optional: Smooth the icing over (slightly set) oats and place them back in the fridge to finish setting. If the oats are still too wet, refrigerate the icing separately for the morning.
- When ready for breakfast, top the oats with a bit more cinnamon and some chopped pecans for crunch.
Notes
- Be sure to use a protein powder you really enjoy the taste of, as most of the icing flavor comes from the protein.
- Nutrition information is calculated with icing and toppings.
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