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Home » Recipe Index » Breakfast and Brunch

Chocolate Overnight Oats

Published: Jun 13, 2022 · Updated: Jun 13, 2025 Author: Alexandra Cook

For the full recipe including quantities and method, click the "jump to recipe" button, or scroll through and read our helpful tips along the way.

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Chocolate Overnight Oats are one of our favourite ways to start the day. They are incredibly delicious and take just minutes to prepare. Simply combine your ingredients and refrigerate overnight. In the morning, add your favourite toppings, and enjoy these easy, decadent, yet healthy, Chocolate Overnight Oats – soon to become a favourite breakfast!

Jar of overnight oats, garnished with raspberries and chocolate shavings sitting on a small plate with a spoon on the edge.
Jump to:
  • Why you’ll love this recipe:
  • Ingredients in this recipe:
  • How to Make Chocolate Overnight Oats:
  • Tips for success and FAQs:
  • Variations and substitutions:
  • Serving suggestions:
  • More delicious recipes for you to try:
  • Chocolate Overnight Oats
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Why you’ll love this recipe:

Whether you are a morning person or not, these Chocolate Overnight Oats are the ideal breakfast for busy, time-poor people, or those of us who like a bit of a slower start to the day.

The prep work takes just minutes and happens the night before. When you wake up, your breakfast will be all ready to go – you just need to make a cup of tea or coffee!

You will love these Chocolate Overnight Oats because:

  • You can easily adjust the quantity the recipe makes – it is written to serve two, but can easily be halved or doubled!
  • They require minimal preparation – all you need to do is mix your ingredients together and refrigerate overnight!
  • This recipe is so versatile – you can customise the toppings to your liking. My favourite is coconut yoghurt and raspberries, but you can add any fruit or nuts of your choice.
  • They are ideal for meal prep – they’ll last for three days in the fridge, so you can get a head start on your breakfast for the week ahead.
  • Although delicious on its own, chocolate also pairs well with either Peanut Butter or Banana – so there’s more than one option to try! You can also try a warm version with my Chocolate Raspberry Porridge.

Ingredients in this recipe:

Please see the recipe card further along in the post for exact quantities of ingredients and the full method.

Ingredients in this recipe on a white marble background.

Raw cacao powder – is made from minimally processed cocoa beans and maintains the nutritional benefits of the bean. It is, in essence, chocolate in its purest form. 

Old Fashioned Rolled Oats – the best oats for this recipe. Quick-cooking oats and Steel-cut oats can be used in overnight oats recipes, but may have a different ratio of liquid, and will produce a different texture.

Milk – use a milk of your preference. I like to use almond or oat milk, but soy milk works just fine as does dairy milk.

Chia seeds – helps give the oats a nice creamy, thick texture, and also add some extra fibre. Black or white chia seeds are fine to use in this recipe.

Maple syrup – for a hint of extra sweetness. Honey can also be used, but I would drizzle this on top when serving instead.

Vanilla – I like to use a good quality vanilla extract that is naturally produced from the vanilla bean and not synthetically flavoured.

Sea salt – a little enhances the flavour of the Chocolate Overnight Oats.

How to Make Chocolate Overnight Oats:

Please see the recipe card further along in the post for exact quantities of ingredients and the full method.

Steps 1-2 of preparing this recipe - whisking the cacao with the milk and maple syrup and then adding the remaining ingredients.

1 – Mix the cacao and liquids:
In a medium bowl, add the raw cacao powder, vanilla, maple syrup and milk. Whisk well to combine.

2 – Add the other ingredients:
To the cacao mixture, add the chia seeds, salt and rolled oats.

Steps 2-3 of preparing this recipe - the mixture combined and added to jars ready for the fridge.

3 – Combine the ingredients:
Whisk or stir well to combine all of the ingredients.

4 – Refrigerate:
Cover the bowl with clingwrap, or divide the mixture into two glasses or mason jars and cover. Refrigerate for 6 hours or overnight.

Jar of overnight oats, garnished with raspberries and chocolate shavings sitting on a small plate with a spoon on the edge.

Tips for success and FAQs:

These Chocolate Overnight Oats are really so simple to prepare. Given this recipe uses such few ingredients, I do recommend using the best quality available.

How long will the Chocolate Overnight Oats last?

For the best taste and texture, enjoy them within three days. Store in the refrigerator.

How long do the Oats have to be in the fridge before consumption?

Refrigerate your overnight oats mixture for at least 6 hours. I make mine just before bed and they’re perfect in the morning!

Are Old Fashioned Rolled Oats Gluten-Free?

There are different rules regarding this, depending on where you live in the world. For Australian residents, Coeliac Australia provides a great resource on this topic. Always be sure to read the labels and consult with a health professional if you are unsure.

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Variations and substitutions:

Milk – you can use any milk of your choice for this recipe.

Raw Cacao Powder – if you are unable to find it, you can substitute it with unsweetened cocoa powder. You may wish to use a little less, as it does have a stronger taste.

Jar of overnight oats, garnished with raspberries and chocolate shavings sitting on a small plate with a spoon on the edge.

Serving suggestions:

One of my favourite parts of making Easy Overnight Oats, is customising the toppings!

For this recipe, I like to use a topping of coconut yoghurt, lots of fresh raspberries and a sprinkling of shaved dark chocolate!

You could also try:

  • Chopped pistachios or almonds – the nuts give a great crunch against the oats.
  • Greek yoghurt, if you do not need to keep the recipe vegan.
  • Fresh or dried fruit of your choice.

I hope you will enjoy these delicious Chocolate Overnight Oats. They have such a great taste – the perfect start to the day for a chocolate lover! I would love to hear from you in the comments below when you have given them a try.

Alex xx

More delicious recipes for you to try:

  • Glass jar of overnight oats topped with yoghurt, cubes of fresh peach and flaked almonds.
    Peach Overnight Oats
  • Glass jar of overnight oats topped with yoghurt, slices of banana and a drizzle of Biscoff spread, sitting on a round coaster.
    Biscoff Overnight Oats
  • Glass jar of strawberry overnight oats, topped with yoghurt and a strawberry, sitting on a white saucer with a spoon on edge.
    Strawberry Overnight Oats
  • Glass of cinnamon overnight oats, topped with some chunks of fresh pear.
    Cinnamon Pear Overnight Oats

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Jar of overnight oats, garnished with raspberries and chocolate shavings sitting on a small plate with a spoon on the edge.

Chocolate Overnight Oats

Chocolate Overnight Oats are one of our favourite ways to start the day. They are incredibly delicious and take just minutes to prepare. Simply combine your ingredients and refrigerate overnight. In the morning, add your favourite toppings, and enjoy these easy, decadent, yet healthy, Chocolate Overnight Oats – soon to become a favourite breakfast!
5 from 1 vote
Print Pin Review
Course: Breakfast
Cuisine: International
Prep Time: 5 minutes minutes
Chill Time: 6 hours hours
Total Time: 6 hours hours 5 minutes minutes
Servings: 2 people
Calories: 268kcal
Author: Alexandra Cook – It’s Not Complicated Recipes

Please note:

For accuracy, when weights are provided, we recommend weighing your ingredients. This will produce the best results. All oven temperatures listed are for fan forced.

Ingredients

For the Overnight Oats:

  • 6 teaspoon raw cacao powder See Note 1
  • 2 tablespoon maple syrup
  • 1 ¼ cup (300 ml) milk – I use almond or oat See Note 2
  • ½ teaspoon vanilla extract
  • 1 cup (80 g) old fashioned rolled oats
  • 1 tablespoon chia seeds See Note 3
  • ⅛ teaspoon sea salt

Toppings (optional):

  • Greek yoghurt or coconut yoghurt
  • raspberries or strawberries
  • dark chocolate shavings

Instructions

  • In a medium-size bowl, add the cacao powder, maple syrup, milk and vanilla and whisk until well combined.
  • Add the oats, chia seeds and sea salt and stir to combine.
  • Cover the bowl with clingwrap, or divide the mixture into two glasses or mason jars and cover. Refrigerate for 6 hours or overnight.
  • Serve with toppings of your choice and additional milk if the mixture is too thick.

Notes

  1. Raw Cacao Powder: is the raw version of cocoa powder. 
  2. Milk: use milk of your choice. I use almond or oat milk. Add more milk when serving if you prefer a thinner texture.
  3. Tablespoon: we use a standard Australian tablespoon which is 20 ml (4 teaspoons).
  4. Toppings: the toppings are optional (and are not included in the nutritional information). Use toppings of your liking – see suggestions above.
Made this recipe? We’d be so grateful if you could leave a comment and rating at the bottom of the page!

Nutrition Estimate:

Calories: 268kcal | Carbohydrates: 46g | Protein: 8g | Fat: 7g | Saturated Fat: 1g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 3g | Monounsaturated Fat: 2g | Trans Fat: 1g | Sodium: 354mg | Potassium: 263mg | Fiber: 8g | Sugar: 13g | Calcium: 272mg | Iron: 3mg
Nutritional Disclaimer:

The nutritional information is an estimate only, and is derived from online calculators. For accurate results, we recommend calculating the nutritional information based on the ingredients and brands you use.

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Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. Audrey

    June 27, 2022 at 9:34 pm

    5 stars
    These chocolate overnight oats are my new favorite!!

    Reply
    • Alexandra

      June 30, 2022 at 7:41 am

      Hi Audrey, I am so pleased that you enjoy the Chocolate Overnight Oats. Thank you for letting me know. 🙂

      Reply

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