High-Protein Overnight Oats Recipe With Greek Yogurt and Chia

Quick answer: Stir 1/2 cup of rolled oats, 1/2 cup of milk, 1/3 cup of Greek yogurt and 1 tablespoon of chia seeds in a jar and chill overnight. It has about 340 calories and 20 g of protein by USDA data, with no protein powder. Add more yogurt and peanut butter to reach about 30 g.

Overnight oats are the easiest breakfast to make ahead: you stir a jar at night, and in the morning it is ready to eat. This high protein overnight oats recipe gets its protein from Greek yogurt, milk, oats and chia, so it works without protein powder.

Protein boosters at a glance

Add to the base jar	Calories added	Protein added	Note
Nothing (the base jar)	About 340 in total	About 20 g in total	Oats, milk, yogurt, chia, maple syrup
Another 1/3 cup of nonfat Greek yogurt	About 50	About 8 g	The most protein for the calories
1 tablespoon of smooth peanut butter	About 96	About 4 g	Adds calories and fat as well
1 extra tablespoon of chia seeds	About 58	About 2 g	Adds fiber too
Protein powder	Varies	Varies by brand	We did not use any: follow the label

Values are from USDA FoodData Central for the amounts shown. The chia tablespoon (12 g) is a common weight, not a USDA one, and brands differ.

High protein overnight oats without protein powder

Protein powder is not needed. Greek yogurt is the main source in this recipe: USDA data lists plain nonfat Greek yogurt at about 8.4 g of protein in 1/3 cup. Add the milk, the oats and the chia, and the jar reaches about 20 g. If you do want powder, the amount of protein per scoop depends on the brand, so use the label.

How to get 30 g of protein in overnight oats

Add a second 1/3 cup of nonfat Greek yogurt and a tablespoon of smooth peanut butter. That brings the jar to roughly 32 g of protein and about 490 calories. If you want to go further, two extra servings of yogurt and the peanut butter reach about 40 g, but that is about as far as food alone goes in one jar. A competitor recipe that advertises 47 g uses protein powder. We would not aim for a very high-protein breakfast without asking a doctor or dietitian.

High protein overnight oats meal prep and storage

You can make several jars at once. Keep them covered in the fridge and add fruit and toppings when you eat so they stay fresh. The four recipe sites we read (Bake & Bacon, Nourished by Nic, Happy Honey Kitchen and Autumn Elle Nutrition) all say overnight oats keep up to 5 days. We could not find an official shelf life, so we suggest eating them within 3 days, as a cautious rule of thumb that we have not tested.

Fridge food should be kept at 40°F (4°C) or below (USDA cold food storage chart). The oats keep thickening as they sit: add a splash of milk before eating if they are dry.

Do oats help with weight, cholesterol or blood sugar?

Oats get a lot of health claims. Here is what the studies we read say, and what they do not:

• Cholesterol. A 1999 meta-analysis (PMID 9925120) found that 3 g of soluble fiber from oats, about three servings of oatmeal, lowered total and LDL cholesterol by approximately 0.13 mmol/L, and the authors call the effect small within the practical range of intake.
• Blood sugar. A 2020 randomized trial (PMID 31828287) found that thicker oat beta-glucan in a breakfast slowed stomach emptying and lowered the blood sugar and insulin response after the meal.
• Appetite. The same 2020 trial found no significant effect of the beta-glucan on appetite or food intake. A 2008 randomized trial (PMID 18978166) found that muesli with 4 g of oat beta-glucan did not change satiety but lowered the blood sugar response.

All of these used measured amounts of oat fiber, not a jar of overnight oats, and none tested weight loss. So we cannot say overnight oats lower cholesterol or help you lose weight. A half cup of oats has about 4 g of fiber according to USDA, which is a filling start to the day, not a treatment.

Variations and substitutions

• Dairy-free: use a plain, unsweetened soy yogurt and soy milk, and check the protein on the label, because it differs from Greek yogurt and milk.
• Nut-free: skip the peanut butter and add an extra tablespoon of chia seeds or more yogurt.
• Fruit: top with banana, berries or peach slices, or stir mashed fruit into the jar.
• Sweetener: maple syrup or honey, or none. Taste before you add more, because fruit and some yogurts already bring sugar.
• Warm: heat the finished jar in the microwave for a minute for a hot breakfast.

For a parfait style version, try our Greek yogurt parfait recipe.

For more egg-free ideas, see our high protein breakfast without eggs guide, or try the cottage cheese bowl.

Serving ideas

• Classic: sliced banana and a spoonful of peanut butter.
• Berry: a handful of berries and a drizzle of maple syrup.
• Crunch: add chopped nuts or a little granola just before eating, so they stay crisp.
• To go: keep the jar sealed and add toppings from a small container at work.

Tips and mistakes

• Stir well. Dry pockets of oats stay hard, so stir until no dry spots remain.
• Check the thickness in the morning. Add a splash of milk if it is too thick.
• Add toppings at serving. Fruit and crunchy toppings stay fresh and crisp.
• Use rolled oats. This recipe is tested with rolled oats, not instant or steel-cut.
• Measure the chia. It is easy to pour too much, and it adds calories.

Frequently asked questions

Can I use instant or steel-cut oats? This recipe was written with rolled oats. We did not test instant or steel-cut oats, which soak differently, so we cannot promise the same texture.

Do I have to eat overnight oats cold? No. Cold is the classic way, but you can warm the finished jar in the microwave for a minute.

Do I need the chia seeds? They add thickness, a little protein and fiber, but you can leave them out. The jar will be looser, and the protein a little lower.

Can I make it with a plant milk? Yes. Protein differs by milk, so check the label if protein matters to you.

Safety and good to know

Check the labels for allergens: oats may be processed with other grains, and the yogurt, milk and nut butter are common allergens. This is a breakfast idea, not dietary advice. If you follow a special eating plan or have a health condition, check with your doctor or a registered dietitian.

How we researched this

• Recipes: we read four high protein overnight oats pages on October 18, 2026 (Bake & Bacon, Nourished by Nic, Happy Honey Kitchen and Autumn Elle Nutrition) and write our own recipe and steps.
• Studies: a PubMed search on October 18, 2026 for trials and reviews on oats and oat beta-glucan with LDL cholesterol, satiety and blood sugar. We read the abstracts and cite only what they say.
• Nutrition: values come from USDA FoodData Central for oats, milk, Greek yogurt, chia seeds, maple syrup and peanut butter. The estimates change with your brands.
• Food safety: we read the USDA chart linked above. The USDA leftovers page could not be read, so we give no official number of days.
• Not tested by us: we did not measure the nutrition of any jar in a lab.