These gingerbread overnight oats are made with cozy spices and molasses and packed with over 20 grams of protein. They’re an easy make-ahead breakfast option for the busy holiday season.

If you’re looking for a festive easy-to-make breakfast option to meal prep during the busy holiday season these gingerbread overnight oats are here for you!

They’re packed with all the classic gingerbread flavors you’d expect like molasses, nutmeg, cinnamon and cloves and basically taste like you’re eating a gingerbread cookie for breakfast, which I’m all for!

Why You’ll Love These Overnight Oats

• Easy to make – They require just about 5 minutes of prep time and can be mixed together in one bowl.
• Protein-packed – These oats are packed with 32 grams of protein per serving so they’ll keep you full and satisfied longer!
• Grab-and-go breakfast – These oats are a great option for a grab-and-go breakfast. Just mix together the night before and in the morning, mix and eat!
• Meal prep – I love making a big batch of overnight oats during my weekend meal prep so I have a quick breakfast ready to go for the week.

Ingredients Needed

• rolled oats – the base of your overnight oats, providing a hearty texture. They soak up the liquid, which gives you a lovely creamy texture. Instant, quick-cooking and steel cut oats don’t work because they don’t absorb the liquid in the same way that rolled oats do. My favorite brand is Bob’s Red Mill gluten-free oats.
• milk – the liquid base for these oats. I like using unsweetened vanilla almond milk, but feel free to use your favorite milk of choice like oat milk or coconut milk.
• greek yogurt – adds creaminess to these oats and a boost of protein. I used full-fat Greek yogurt, but your favorite type of yogurt will work.
• vanilla protein powder – for an extra protein kick we’re adding vanilla protein powder to these oats. Your favorite brand will work, but I love Nuzest protein powder (use code eatingbirdfood for 15{72d5e173e8c4d1d11371a54c0a67292f0b609b39497fc3de2ad0439cff8da78f} off your order) and Sun Warrior Vanilla Warrior Blend.
• molasses – what adds that rich, gingerbread flavor to these oats. This is an ingredient I definitely wouldn’t skip!
• spices – ground ginger, cinnamon, nutmeg and cloves. These are must-have spices for that classic gingerbread flavor!
• salt – a pinch to balance and bring out the flavors.

How to Make Gingerbread Overnight Oats

Step 1: Combine all ingredients in a bowl or mason jar. Stir the mixture well if you’re using a bowl. If using a mason jar, you can seal it and shake to mix.

Step 3: Place the mixture in the fridge to soak overnight, or for at least a few hours.

Step 4: When ready to eat, add your favorite toppings, and enjoy!

Substitutions & Notes

• Dairy-free/vegan: To make these oats dairy-free and vegan, swap the Greek yogurt with a dairy-free alternative like coconut yogurt. You can also skip the yogurt all together and use more of the dairy-free milk.
• Want to skip the protein powder? If you don’t have protein powder on hand or just aren’t a fan you can skip it altogether. You might just want to use a touch less milk since the protein powder does soak up some of the liquid. If you still want to add protein to these oats without protein powder you could add 1-2 Tablespoons of nut butter like peanut butter, almond butter or cashew butter.
• Want to make these oats sweeter? I think the molasses adds plenty of sweetness to these oats, but if you want more sweetness you could add some honey, maple syrup, coconut sugar or brown sugar.

Gingerbread Overnight Oats Variations

I love this gingerbread overnight oats recipe as is, but there are so many fun ways you can switch it up either with different mix-in’s or toppings. Here are some ideas:

• Chocolate: Want chocolate gingerbread overnight oats? Add a handful of chocolate chips to these oats or use chocolate protein powder instead of vanilla protein powder.
• Gingerbread cookies: For more gingerbread flavor you could crumble up some gingerbread cookies and mix them into the oats for an added crunch and additional sweetness.
• Granola: If you want some crunch without adding cookies, try adding some granola to the oats! This classic granola recipe would be a great option.
• Whip cream: For a more decadent twist on these oats top them with some whip cream or coconut whip cream.
• Fruit: These oats would be delicious topped with some banana slices or berries.

How to Meal Prep & Store

Overnight oats are great for meal prep. I’ll usually double, triple or quadruple this recipe for the week during my weekend meal prep so I have an easy and healthy breakfast ready to go throughout the week!

I like making and storing my overnight oats in wide mouth 16 oz mason jars. When stored in a sealed container in the refrigerator overnight oats should last for up to 5 days. They will soften more the longer they sit so I find they’re best on days 1-3, but they’re still safe to eat on days 4 and 5.

FAQ’s

More Festive Recipes

Be sure to check out all of my oatmeal recipes as well as the full collection of Christmas recipes on EBF!