Chocolate Overnight Oats
Updated October 11, 2023
James Ransom for The New York Times. Food Stylist: Barrett Washburne.
- Total Time
- 10 minutes, plus overnight soaking
- Prep Time
- 5 minutes
- Cook Time
- 5 minutes, plus overnight soaking
- Rating
- Comments
- Read comments
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Ingredients
1 cup old-fashioned rolled oats
2 tablespoons chia seeds
3 Medjool dates, pitted, roughly chopped
2 tablespoons maple syrup, plus more to serve
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
3 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder
2 ½ cups milk or non-dairy milk
Mixed berries, to serve
Nutritional analysis per serving (4 servings)
49 grams carbs; 277 calories; 1 gram monosaturated fat; 3 grams polyunsaturated fat; 1 gram saturated fat; 6 grams fat; 8 grams fiber; 81 milligrams sodium; 10 grams protein; 25 grams sugar
Note: The information shown is Edamam’s estimate based on available ingredients and preparation. It should not be considered a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s advice.
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Preparation
- Step 1
In a quart jar or a large airtight container, mix the oats, chia seeds, dates, maple syrup, vanilla, cocoa powder and milk. Stir well with a wooden spoon. If the cocoa powder does not dissolve straight away, leave it for a few minutes, then stir again.
- Step 2
Seal the jar or container tightly and refrigerate overnight (at least 6 hours).
- Step 3
To serve, stir well. Place into bowls and top with berries and, if you like, a small drizzle of maple syrup.
While not mandatory, the oats benefit from a little stir, about 1 to 2 hours after first being refrigerated. This allows for more even distribution of the chia seeds and prevents clumping.
Private Notes
Comments
1.5 cups is plenty of milk for 1 cup of oats. 2.5 cups is going to yield a very soupy concoction—1.5 will give you the creamy/pudding texture that is typical for overnight oats.
balanced, filling, yummy breakfast. I make something very similar every morning. For a single serving, you can try 3/4 cup old fashioned oats, 1 cup milk, 1 tbsp chia seeds, 1 tbsp cocoa powder, and add sweetener of choice to taste (I use monkfruit.)
I absolutely love chocolate overnight oats. Great to see them getting represented in NYT cooking! I replace some of the milk with greek yogurt to get a more creamier, almost brownie-like texture. You can also do them meal-prep style, I usually make 5+ servings at a time and it only gets better as it sits in the fridge. They're very customizable, you can go so many different ways: bananas for extra sweetness, walnuts or pumpkin seeds for a contrast in taste and texture...
Love these oats so much! For less sugar, I add 1 date and no syrup and I pre-chop several dates at a time. It is helpful to freeze them for 10 minutes, coat your knife in flour and then dice them, as it makes the process much easier.
This was so delicious (and perfect with amount of liquid as written)— but by day 2 it had fermented, and that absolutely ruined the taste. Could it be because I used raw cacao powder?
This is my current breakfast hyper-fixation. The dates are such a nice touch! My mods are 1) scoop of protein powder and 2) preferred ratio is 1/2 cup milk to 1/3 cup oats.