These Chocolate Almond Overnight Oats are like eating a handful of cocoa-roasted almonds but in oatmeal form. These oats are packed with four types of chocolate: chocolate almond milk, cocoa powder, miniature chocolate chips, and cocoa-roasted almonds. They’ve got even more nutritious ingredients, like Greek yogurt, almond butter, and old-fashioned oats.
Chocolate Almond Overnight Oats
During my college years, overnight oats were my breakfast about 80% of the time. Since I really take the 80/20 rule to heart, the other 20% of breakfasts were likely something slightly less-healthy than oatmeal. And by slightly less healthy… I mean…probably not healthy at all. Okay fine. ALL THE DONUTS! 🙂
About the only dishes I owned in college were small plastic containers — five of them, all the same size. I’d prep the overnight oats usually on Monday and have them the rest of the week. It was the perfect thing to grab as I was headed out to my early morning classes or to the gym. Because I’d eaten donuts the day before. (Balance.)
Chocolate Almond Overnight Oats are hands down my favorite version of overnight oats. They are ultra fudgy, mega creamy, taste just like cocoa roasted almonds, and they are very filling.
Ingredients
- Milk. To get that rich chocolate flavor, I use chocolate almond milk. Regular chocolate milk would work too, depending on your preferences. Regular unsweetened vanilla almond milk is another great option, although these oats will taste less fudgy overall.
- Oats. The type of oats you use matters; we like old–fashioned oats best. Steel-cut oats are overly chewy and my least favorite in overnight oats. Quick oats work fine, but end up with less texture because they absorb more liquid.
- Maple syrup. This is my favorite sweetener to add to overnight oats. Depending on how sweet you like your breakfast, you can scale this amount up or down. I’d recommend at least 1 tablespoon and up to 2 tablespoons for a sweeter breakfast. Liquid stevia can be used in place of maple syrup for a natural zero-calorie sweetener.
- Vanilla. This extract adds a nice flavor to the oats. It’s not entirely necessary, so don’t worry if you don’t have any.
- Salt. This ingredient helps to intensify flavors and balance all the ingredients in Chocolate Almond Overnight Oats.
- Almond butter. This nut butter adds flavor and lots of nutrition to these oats. It also ensures these oats are filling and satiating. As far as almond butter goes, I recommend a slow-roasted and lightly salted almond butter you enjoy eating straight from the jar.
- Special Dark® cocoa powder. This cocoa powder contributes a deep and intense chocolate flavor to these oats. I recommend using a Dutch-process cocoa powder, as opposed to plain (natural) cocoa powder. Any Dutch-process cocoa will work, but Hershey’s Special Dark cocoa powder is readily available at most grocery stores.
- Yogurt. More on this below.
Quick Tip
What’s the difference between Dutch-process and regular cocoa? Natural cocoa powder is lighter in color, has a higher acidity of about 5 pH, and because of that acidity, has a sharper chocolate flavor. The Dutch-process powder is natural cocoa powder that has been treated with an alkalizing agent, changing the pH from a more acidic 5 pH to a neutral 7 pH. The process was invented by Coenraad Johannes van Houten, a Dutchman (thus the name “Dutch-process”).–Source: Simply Recipes.
Let’s talk yogurt
The ingredient that makes the biggest difference in these overnight oats is yogurt. We absolutely love Greek Gods® Honey Vanilla Yogurt. (Not sponsored).
Whatever yogurt you choose to use, I recommend using yogurt you enjoy eating plain. If you don’t like eating it straight out of the container, you probably won’t like the flavor it gives these Chocolate Almond Overnight Oats. Make sure to get yogurt that doesn’t have an overpowering flavor or that’s pretty much all you’ll taste in these oats.
Chocolate Almond Overnight Oat Toppings
Once the overnight oatmeal has been assembled, you can also assemble toppings and store those toppings in small bags or plastic containers. Come morning, those toppings can be poured right on top of the oats and you’re ready to eat! Our favorite toppings include miniature chocolate chips or coarsely chopped dark chocolate, cocoa-roasted almonds, and an extra swirl of almond butter.
These oats are also still totally delicious without the toppings!
Chocolate Almond Overnight Oats notes
- Overnight oats are meant to be eaten cold in the morning. As they soak overnight, they become soft, luscious, and creamy. That said, if you prefer them warm, you can certainly heat them up in the morning.
- You can make overnight oats in the morning. I actually even prefer them this way! Nowadays, I usually make them first thing when I wake up, go work out, and enjoy them post-workout. (So they’ve sat about 30-45 minutes).
- Sweeten to taste. Depending on the brands you use and how sweet you prefer your breakfasts, scale the sweetener up or down. You may even decide you don’t want any sweetener! If you don’t want to use honey or maple syrup, liquid stevia drops are another great alternative; I usually use 1/4 teaspoon.
- Make them thicker. I’m obsessed with creamy oatmeal — the creamier the better! I’d say these overnight oats are fairly creamy (even after thickening overnight). If you’d like them thicker, add in a few tablespoons of chia seeds or a few additional tablespoons of oats.
More overnight oats recipes
- Peanut Butter Overnight Oats
- Cookie Dough Overnight Oatmeal
- Almond Joy Overnight Oatmeal
- Pumpkin Overnight Oats
- Cheesecake Overnight Oats with strawberries
Chocolate Almond Overnight Oats
Equipment
- small bowl
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoons almond butter see note 1
- 1/3 cup honey vanilla Greek yogurt
- 2/3 cup chocolate almond milk see note 2
- 1/2 cup old-fashioned oats see note 3
- 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract optional
- 1/16 teaspoon salt
- 1 tablespoon maple syrup or honey, see note 4
- 2 tablespoons Dutch-process cocoa powder
- Toppings as desired
Instructions
- In a small bowl or air-tight container, stir together almond butter and vanilla yogurt until well combined and smooth. Add in chocolate almond milk, old-fashioned oats, vanilla extract, salt, maple syrup, and cocoa powder.
- Stir until all ingredients are well incorporated. Taste the mixture and add maple syrup as needed.
- Cover the container and refrigerate overnight or until sufficiently cold and thickened, about 30 minutes.
- Just before serving, top oats with some cocoa-roasted almonds, dark chocolate chunks, or a drizzle of almond butter.
Video
Recipe Notes
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
This looks so good. I love oatmeal but I always eat it steamy hot. Can you warm this one up?
Sure, I don’t see why not! 🙂 Maybe just a minute or two in the microwave. Enjoy!!
The recipe sounds great. This sentence is absolutely brutal. ” These overnight oats aren’t the best prepped and made in advance for lots of days like some of my overnight oat recipes.”
Haha thanks for your help Randy! 🙂
1. I have actually eaten chocolate covered almonds for breakfast. Frankly if you wake up in a house with chocolate covered almonds in the cupboard it’s just good sense to get in quick before someone else does.
2. Is oatmeal the American code word for porridge? I’ve probably wondered this for years since I was a kid reading The Babysitters Club, but I’ve never actually asked a real life American if this is the case. Until now!
Now I am wondering if oatmeal is porridge!! I had to google it. According to one website: “Porridge is defined as any grain, cereal or legume boiled in water, milk or both, and served hot. Thus, a porridge can be made from a variety of grains and cereals like oats, corn, rice, wheat, barley and so on. When a porridge is made from oats it is called oatmeal. Similarly, porridge made from corn is called cornmeal (polenta or grits). Thus, we can safely deduce that oatmeal is a type of porridge.” Now I know. The recipe looks great – I love the colors. I’m not much of a breakfast person but this looks better than the bran cereal I usually eat!
Haha!! So funny! I was wondering the same thing after Frankie’s comment 🙂 I love that you googled it and included the definition — so interesting! Thanks so much Natasha!!