These vegan and gluten-free overnight oats taste decadent, but they’re healthier than you may expect.
Don’t you just love it when you can eat dessert for breakfast?
This looks unhealthy, it sounds unhealthy, and boy does it taste unhealthy – but it’s not! It’s a breakfast packed with fibre, protein, antioxidants, vitamin A and potassium.
So it’s 100% breakfast appropriate.
I knew I had to make these decadent-tasting-but-actually-healthy overnight oats the second that I received a very special parcel courtesy of Peanut Butter & Co.
What was in the parcel? Five pounds of pure happiness!
Of course, I could’ve (and will soon!) make a million peanut buttery breakfasts – pancakes, waffles, granola, french toast, etc. But there was a particular reason why I had to make this breakfast:
- It contains “secret” pumpkin, and we’ve officially entered Pumpkin Madness season now!
- I’ve wanted to experiment making yogurt-free overnight oats, since yogurt’s not for everyone
- Chocolate Peanut Butter Fudge. Need I say more?
Wait a minute… that’s three reasons. Clearly I can’t count.
Anyway, the point is: I made these overnight oats and it was like eating a bowl of chocolate and peanut butter fudge pudding for breakfast.
When you see the ingredients, you may think, “Guh-wah!?” Pumpkin? Banana? Have I gone completely insane? No (or at least I hope not).
These overnight oats don’t taste like pumpkin or bananas. Instead, the banana provides sweetness and pumpkin brings the fudge factor.
(I should mention that while I couldn’t taste any pumpkin or banana in this recipe, if you have particularly sensitive taste buds you may be able to. Also, the type of pumpkin used may make a difference. I used Farmer’s Market canned pumpkin).
As for the Dark Chocolate Dreams in the oats? Uh, dreamy! I mixed it in completely to make sure everything was well peanut buttered. But if you’d prefer have the unexpected (and exciting!) mouthful of peanut butter, just gently swirl it in.
And since there’s no such thing as “too much peanut butter”, I couldn’t resist topping my oats with a dollop of Smooth Operator.
Ah, peanut butter, where would we be without thee?
If you try this breakfast, please let me know what you think. 🙂
I always love hearing when people make my recipes, so please don’t hesitate to leave a comment on the blog, Facebook or Instagram. Thanks, everyone!
Question of the Day
How’s your week been? This week has been unbelievably exciting for me! Not only did I finish my eBook Cookies for Breakfast (for sale here, or see more details here), but my kitchen is now stocked with five new jars of peanut butter! Win!
- 1 very ripe banana
- 1 cup pumpkin puree
- 3 - 4 tablespoons Dark Chocolate Dreams peanut butter
- 3 tablespoons cocoa powder
- 1 tablespoon chia seeds
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- ⅔ cup rolled oats
- 1 cup almond milk
- 1 tablespoon maple syrup, or to taste
- Chopped nuts, chocolate chips and/or peanut butter, to serve
- Mash the banana in a large bowl or container. Mix in the pumpkin puree, Dark Chocolate Dreams, cocoa powder, chia seeds and vanilla extract.
- Add the rolled oats, almond milk and maple syrup, and mix until completely combined. Taste, and add more maple syrup if desired.
- Cover the bowl with plastic wrap (or put the lid on the container) and leave in the fridge overnight.
- In the morning, divide the oats between two bowls. Top with chopped nuts, chocolate chips and/or peanut butter. Enjoy!
This fudge looks so creamy and delicious! I love that you used banana and pumpkin in it! Thanks for sharing at Fiesta Friday!
Andrea | Cooking with a Wallflower recently posted…Green Eggs and Ham
Thanks, Andrea!
What a yummy breakfast treat! 🙂
NancyC recently posted…Chocolate Chip Muffins
Thank you, Nancy!
Ooh I love this! I love how you make healthy things look like they could give me diabetes, it’s the winning combination (certainly better than the other way around anyway haha)
Michelle @ Giraffes Can Bake recently posted…Public Service Announcement!
Haha! 😀 Thanks Michelle!
Peanut butter fudgy oats!! Wow, you sure know how to sneak drama into breakfast 🙂 Thanks for sharing at FF!
spiceinthecity recently posted…Hosting Friday Fiesta: Murgh Kofta Curry
Haha, thank you!!
Your version of overnight oatmeal sounds really good – yum chocolate! I recently made some overnight oatmeal too that I have not posted yet. I like the idea of making breakfast the night before 🙂
cookingwithauntjuju.com recently posted…Ina’s Capellini with Tomatoes and Basil
Thank you! I completely agree – it’s so nice to know that breakfast will be waiting for you when you wake up 🙂
Do you think that this could be cooked in the morning instead? I would like to try it warmed. Any suggestions?
I imagine this could be made into a hot oatmeal. I’d make it like this:
– In a saucepan, bring 1 cup of almond milk and 1 cup of water to the boil, and then turn the heat down to medium. Add 1 cup of rolled oats and a pinch of salt, and stir well.
– Add the mashed banana, pumpkin puree and cocoa powder, and stir until incorporated. Add the peanut butter, vanilla extract and maple syrup. (Note: You don’t need to add the chia seeds).
– When the oats have absorbed the liquid and are creamy (after about 5-8 minutes), divide the oatmeal between two bowls. Top with extra peanut butter (or chocolate chips or chopped nuts).
Alternatively, you could use 1/2 cup of steel-cut oats (instead of 1 cup rolled oats), which would take 20-30 minutes to cook. When I make steel-cut oats, I usually keep the stove heat at medium-low. Keep an eye on it and add more almond milk if the oatmeal looks as though it’s drying out.
I’d love to know if you try this is as a warm bowl of oats!
Oh wow, Claudia! This looks so delicious…and I love the fact that I can eat dessert for breakfast! I also love the fact that breakfast can be made the night before…and it’s something that can be packed up easily and eaten at my desk at work! Who can resist chocolate and peanut butter? I wouldn’t even mind if I could taste the pumpkin and banana in it, I think it would be just as delicious… thank you so much for sharing! <3
Prudy | butter, basil, and breadcrumbs recently posted…Shepherd’s Pie
Thank you so much! 🙂
I’ll take any excuse to eat chocolate and peanut butter together, and for breakfast? Perfect! If you don’t have chocolate peanut butter do you think you could just stir in a Tbsp or so of cocoa powder? I’ll have to make some substitutions, but will definitely be adding this to my breakfast lineup!
Thanks Katie! I’d just add regular peanut butter – an extra tbsp of cocoa powder would be too bitter, since there’s already 2 tbsp in there!
This recipe really looks yummy, however, since I’m not a fan of almond milk, can I use 1% milk instead?
Of course! Any kind of milk (or “milk”) will work. I hope you enjoy the oats 😀
What is the nutritional content of this?
Aren’t decadent breakfasts wonderful? I am always looking for new ways to incorporate nuts and cocoa into my breakfasts. And I love your overnight soaking technique. Here’s one of my favorites that uses seeds and nut milks:
http://www.shelbysguide.com/blog/2014/11/17/breakfast-or-dessert-strawberry-crunch-mousse
Carrie recently posted…Home Sweet Home
Thanks, Carrie! I took a look at your recipe – I love the idea of mousse for breakfast! (especially mousse with some added crunchiness) 😀
I love this recipe. I am enjoying it this morning with my tea and peaches.
I would love to have the nutritional analysis of the recipe…sodium in particular.
thank you!
Hooray! I’m so glad you enjoyed the oats 😀
Unfortunately I don’t know how much sodium is in this recipe. As I don’t have any nutrition/medical qualifications, I don’t feel I can accurately provide nutritional information for my recipes. There are online calculators (you’ll find a lot if you Google “recipe nutrition calculator”), however I am uncertain how accurate these are. Sorry I can’t be more helpful!
I made these last night and really enjoyed this sweet treat. My hardest meal to eat healthy is breakfast so this was perfect. I thought I saw the calories listed somewhere but I guess not. You didn’t happen to figure it all out did you? It’s for my fitness pal app that I use.
I’m so glad you enjoyed the oats! Unfortunately I don’t have the calorie info. As I’m not a nutritionist, I don’t feel I can provide accurate information and would not wish to mislead anyone.
What is the nutritional content of this morning after oats?
Hi Travis. Unfortunately I do not have the nutritional information for this recipe. As I’m not a nutritionist (nor do I have any sort of medical qualification), I don’t feel I can provide accurate information regarding calories/protein/fat/etc, and I would not wish to mislead anyone.
The Breakfast Drama Queen recently posted…Chocolate Chip Oatmeal Cookie
I was really looking forward to trying this but the Peanut Butter & Co products are not available where I live and pumpkin purée is almost as difficult to find (and I’m not making it from scratch). I know that Kraft also makes a chocolate flavoured peanut butter, but I’ve never seen it here either. To top it off, I’m allergic to banana. I’m sure it’s as awesome as it looks but unless you can recommend substitutions that would work equally well, I’m afraid I’ll never find out. So disappointed. *sad face*
Hi Angela, I’m sorry you’re having difficulty finding the ingredients for these oats. I have the following substitution ideas for you:
Peanut Butter: Regular peanut butter will be fine.
Pumpkin puree: I know you said you won’t make it from scratch, but it really isn’t difficult! I often roast a ton of pumpkin at once so I can turn it into puree.
Banana: Just leave it out, and increase the maple syrup by about 1 tbsp to make up for the sweetness.
Alternatively, may I suggest some of my other recipes for overnight oats? There’s no pumpkin, banana or Peanut Butter & Co brand peanut butter needed for my Peanut Butter Cookie Dough Overnight Oats or my Peanut Butter and Chocolate Overnight Oats
You could add a tablespoon of cocoa powder and some extra maple syrup to the Peanut Butter Cookie Dough Oats to make it chocolatey.
I hope this helps 🙂
The Breakfast Drama Queen recently posted…Spiced Pumpkin, Almond and Raisin Granola
What about something as a substitute for pumpkin? While not everyone likes yogurt (I don’t), I also don’t like pumpkin. Any thoughts?
Hi Diane! The pumpkin isn’t particularly noticeable in this recipe – it’s there for texture, not flavor. If you don’t want to use pumpkin, then I’m afraid the only substitute I can think of for the pumpkin is yogurt (in which case reduce the milk to 2/3 cup) – but since you don’t like yogurt either, I imagine this isn’t very helpful.
I’m sorry I can’t be of any assistance.
The Breakfast Drama Queen recently posted…Funfetti Cake Baked Oatmeal
I noticed in the comments many of you were also curious about the calorie content. I plugged in my modified version of this recipe into LoseIt to figure out the calories and it had about 450 per serving. I used just 1 tbsp of regular peanut butter instead of the Peanut Butter & Co. kind listed in the recipe, and I used a few drops of liquid stevia instead of the maple syrup.
Interesting. A minute ago I used this online calculator and the result was 432 calories per serving – and that was using 3 tablespoons of peanut butter, 1 tablespoon of maple syrup, 14g of white chia seeds (which is roughly a tablespoon) and unsweetened almond milk. I guess it shows that these online calculators aren’t the most reliable things!
The Breakfast Drama Queen recently posted…Cranberry Cottage Cheese Baked Oatmeal
Wow this was beyond delicious! Made it last night and we ate it this morning. My husband loved it also! Will definitely make it again.
Hooray! I’m so glad you enjoyed the oats! And thank you for commenting! 😀
I AM DIABETIC. WHERE IS THE NUTRITIAN INFO?
Hi Jo. As I have said in reply to comments above, I do not provide nutritional information for any of my recipes. As I’m not a nutritionist (nor do I have any sort of medical qualification), I don’t feel I can provide accurate information regarding calories/protein/fat/sugars/etc, and I would not wish to mislead anyone. I particularly would not want to mislead anyone with diabetes, as I know inaccurate information could cause a diabetic serious harm.
I would like to point out that this blog is called ‘The Breakfast Drama Queen’, with the tagline ‘dramatically addicted to breakfast’. I have never advertised my blog as ‘diabetic friendly’, nor have I advertised it as a diet/health foods blog. There is no way that I can make this blog – which is just a hobby, after all – appropriate and adapted for every kind of dietary need out there.
I hope you understand what I’m trying to say, and will consider this before making fully-capitalized comments on websites offering free recipes in the future.
The Breakfast Drama Queen recently posted…Banana Bread with Rum Soaked Raisins
Well said!
I’m sorry if this is a dumb question, but are both the cocoa powder and almond milk meant to be the unsweetened varieties? This looks soooo yummy and I don’t want it to be too bitter or too sweet!
Hi Ginny! It’s not a dumb question at all! Yes, the cocoa powder and almond milk are both supposed to be unsweetened. But it won’t make much difference if you use sweetened almond milk 🙂
I made it, and I can’t wait to make it again! SO DELICIOUS!!!
Hooray! Thank you, Barbara! 😀
Yumi, it’s looks delicious, this is my favorite dish ^_^.
Thank you! 🙂
1 can of pumpkin. I’m assuming 1 15oz. can?
The recipe calls for 1 *cup* of pumpkin
I have a dumb question, as a newbie to overnight oats. Is it possible to make the batch, and then eat the oatmeal on two separate mornings? It’s just me, and as much as I would probably love two servings of this…I probably shouldn’t. Or should I cut the recipe in half and go that route?
Not a dumb question at all! Yes, you can make one batch and eat them over two separate mornings (I do it all the time). You can also half the recipe if you prefer.
so delicious thank you i’ll make it