Overnight oats for normal people
Oats, protein powder, water, and a banana. The two-minute high-protein overnight oats that take less than two minutes to make the night before.
The Instagram version of overnight oats involves about fifteen ingredients, half of which you don't own, presented in a bowl that took longer to arrange than to eat. This is not that. This is the version you make the night before in two minutes, put in the fridge, and eat on a weekday morning without thinking about it.
The setup here skips the yogurt and nuts and adds a scoop of protein powder instead. You get more protein for fewer calories, the texture works with just water, and you're not starting the day with a fat-heavy breakfast before you've even had coffee.
Ingredients (serves 1)
- 60g rolled oats (fine-grain, plain, the cheap kind)
- 1 scoop protein powder (about 25g)
- 180ml water
- 1 small banana or a handful of berries
- 1 teaspoon honey (optional)
How to make it
The night before: put the oats, protein powder, and water into a jar or sealable container. Stir well until the protein powder is fully dissolved, then close and refrigerate overnight.
In the morning: take it out, add the fruit and honey if you want it a bit sweeter, and eat it cold from the jar.
That's it.
On the protein, the liquid, and the rest
On the protein powder: Any unflavoured or vanilla whey works here. Flavoured ones work too but keep in mind that chocolate protein powder with banana is very much a dessert, not a breakfast. Plant-based protein powders work but some get grainy overnight. Try one batch before committing to the approach.
On water instead of yogurt: The protein powder replaces what yogurt was doing: it thickens the liquid and gives you a base with body. If the texture comes out too thick in the morning, add a splash of water and stir. If it's too loose, next time use 150ml instead of 180ml.
On skipping the nuts: Nuts are genuinely good for you but they're calorie-dense. This version is already filling from the oats and protein, so dropping the nuts keeps the calorie count reasonable for a breakfast. If you want to add some crunch, a small amount of seeds is lighter than nuts.
On the fruit: Banana is the easiest default. It's sweet enough that you don't need much honey, and it doesn't make things watery. Berries are also good but add them in the morning rather than the night before or they go soft.
On the overnight timing: The minimum is about 6 hours. Longer is fine. The oats absorb the liquid fully and the texture improves with time.