I don’t know about you, but chocolate cake sounds like a wonderful breakfast to me! My German Chocolate Cake Overnight Oats are the perfect way to fuel your day while feeling like you’re eating cake for breakfast! This recipe is gluten-free, paleo-friendly, vegan-friendly, and refined sugar-free, but don’t let that steer you away – these oats are packed with that rich, chocolatey flavor, and truly feel like you’re biting into a delicious slice of German Chocolate Cake!
What comes to mind when you think of a quick and easy breakfast? For some people, I imagine this looks like a quick egg scramble or even a protein-packed smoothie. But for me, the ultimate quick and easy breakfast is one that requires ZERO work in the mornings, and can all be prepped ahead of time. And unfortunately, eggs and smoothies do not fall into that category.
But, what does fall into this category is one of my favorite breakfasts ever: overnight oats. If you are brand new to overnight oats, think of them as a cold oatmeal that you prepare overtime, hence the name “overnight” oats! Basically, all you do is add the oats, liquid, and ingredients of your choice to a jar or baking dish, and store it in the fridge overnight. As the oats set, the liquid absorbs into them, and by the morning, you’ll have a creamy, delicious bowl of oats ready to go!
It only takes a few minutes of prep for a week’s worth of breakfasts. Which, if you ask me, is totally worth it. This recipe makes about 2-3 servings, but you could easily double it and get 4-5 servings, which is perfect for all of your weekday breakfasts!
What You Need to Make These Creamy, Chocolatey Oats
This recipe uses only 10 simple and easy ingredients, making it perfect to throw together anytime!
- Oats: Of course, we need oats to make this recipe! I recommend using gluten-free rolled oats in this recipe. My favorite are by Bob’s Red Mill.
- Bananas: For this recipe, you’ll want to make sure that you’re using very ripe bananas. This will allow us to mash them easier, and will add sweetness to this recipe!
- Chia Seeds: Chia seeds are a wonderful source of plant-based proteins and Omega-3’s.
- Unsweetened Cocoa Powder: To keep this recipe refined sugar-free (and because it’s very sweet as-is!) I like using unsweetened cocoa powder in this recipe.
- Maple Syrup: Maple syrup is my favorite natural sweetener, and tastes wonderful with oats!
- Milk: I use almond milk in this recipe to keep it dairy-free, but use whatever milk you would like!
- Protein Powder or Collagen Peptides: To add an extra boost of protein, you can use either protein powder or collagen peptides. Both work well in this recipe!
- Walnuts: Walnuts are essential to German Chocolate Cake. Don’t skip these!
- Chocolate Chips: And, of course, we need chocolate chips to get that signature chocolate flavor. I use dairy-free chocolate chips from my favorite Hu Kitchen, but you can use any chocolate chips that you’d like!
- Shredded Coconut: Another essential ingredient to German Chocolate Cake is shredded coconut. Yum!
How to Make These Delicious Prep-Ahead Oats
To make these oats, start by peeling and mashing your bananas. Place the bananas in an 8×8 baking dish, and then add in your oats, chia seeds, cocoa powder, maple syrup, milk, and protein powder. Mix it all with a spoon until it’s well-combined, then add the shredded coconut, walnuts, and chocolate chips on top.
Cover your baking dish, and refrigerate your oats at least 2 hours, or overnight. Then, pull them out of the fridge when you’re ready to eat! That’s it!
Other Oat Recipes That You’ll Absolutely Enjoy
If you love these German Chocolate Overnight Oats, then you need to try my Blueberry Peanut Butter Overnight Oats, for a sweet and salty oat dish that covers all of the bases! And if you love an oat recipe that tastes like dessert, then my High-Protein Sugar Cookie Overnight Oats are definitely the way to go.
And for a comforting twist, my Strawberry Donut Baked Oats are a warm and delicious baked oats recipe that truly melts in your mouth.
I hope you guys love this recipe! If you make it, be sure to leave a comment below and let me know what you think! And if you post to Instagram, I repost your remakes on my IG stories! xx
** Photography by Gayle McLeod
Equipment
- 1 8×8 Baking Dish This set of three baking dishes is perfect!
Ingredients
- 2 Bananas, very ripe
- 1 Cup Rolled Oats
- 2 Tablespoons Chia Seeds
- 2 Tablespoons Unsweetened Cocoa Powder
- 2 Tablespoons Maple Syrup
- 1 ¼ Cups Milk or Non-Dairy Milk
- 1 Scoop Protein Powder or Collagen Peptides
- ½ Cup Chopped Walnuts
- ¼ – ½ Cup Chocolate Chips
- 2 Tablespoons Shredded Coconut
Instructions
- Start by peeling and mashing your bananas finely.
- Add your bananas to the bottom of an 8×8 baking dish.
- Next, add in the oats, chia seeds, cocoa powder, maple syrup, milk, and protein powder, and mix until fully combined.
- Spread the mixture out evenly across the baking dish.
- Add the shredded coconut, walnuts, and chocolate chips to the top of the oat mixture.
- Cover the baking dish and place it in the refrigerator for a minimum of two hours, or overnight. This is where the magic happens!
- When you're ready to eat, simply remove from the fridge and enjoy!
Recipe In Action
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What others are saying
Amazing!! We love this recipe. We pack in it our daughter’s lunch for school. So quick and easy to make!
Yay! What a delicious school lunch for your daughter! Thank you so much for making this recipe, Olivia, and for leaving such a sweet review!
What do you suggest as sub for protein powder? Can I just omit or will it affect the consistency of the oatmeal?
Hi Shemar, you can omit it ☻