High Protein Lemon Blueberry Overnight Oats
Creamy, flavorful lemon blueberry overnight oats. These vegan overnight oats are high protein and an easy to prep quick grab and go breakfast.
To round out this week of breakfast recipes, I wanted to share something really simple and easy for those that likely don’t have the time or energy to do a lot of cooking. These oats come together quickly and are flavored like my Lemon Blueberry Baked Oats, but prepped in just 5 minutes.
Why You’ll Love These Vegan Overnight Oats
- They are perfect for grab and go breakfast. Just set up them up the night before or the morning of and allow some time to soak.
- These oats are high in plant-based protein. Each jar contains 16-18 grams of protein without the use of protein powders.
- And of course they are completely vegan, dairy-free, gluten-free, refined-sugar free, high in fiber and can be modified to be nut-free too.
Key Ingredients and Substitutions
- Oats: I highly recommend using rolled oats or quick oats for this recipe. Do not swap for steel cut oats. You can make this gluten-free using oats that are clearly marked gluten-free on the package.
- Blueberries: For the best sweet flavor, I love using frozen wild blueberries. You can also use regular frozen blueberries as well and adjust the sweetness to your preference. This also works with other frozen berries like raspberries and strawberries.
- Chia Seeds: This will help the oats to gel up appropriately giving us the perfect creamy texture. If you don’t have chia seeds, ground flax seeds can work too.
- Lemon: The zest and just a little bit of juice. You can use the remaining juice for my protein-packed avocado chickpea salad, if you need a lunch prep idea.
- Plant Based Yogurt: To make our yogurt filling, I used a thicker high protein plain yogurt. Some good options to try that I find taste good include Silk’s Unsweetened Soy Yogurt, Kite Hill’s Unsweetened Greek Style Yogurt, or Siggi’s Vanilla Plant-Based Yogurt. For any sweetened yogurts, make sure to reduce or adjust the sweeteners to your preference.
- Plant Based Milk: I used unsweetened soy milk as it provides higher protein compared to other plant based milks. For allergies, you can also use a pea-protein milk like Ripple as an alternative.
How to Meal Prep High Protein Overnight Oats
There are a couple of ways you can prep your oats. You can either prep your oats in a container with dividers or in a jar.
If using a container with dividers, mix all your oat ingredients in the largest chamber. Then in a separate empty chamber, add your thawed berries along with 1 tsp chia seeds. You can add sweetener if you wish to sweeten them more, add some lemon zest and give a good mix. If you have another chamber, you can add extra toppings or sides. You can add nuts, seeds or more fresh fruit if desired.
For a jar, I recommend layering your ingredients so you can get a good bite as you work your way through your oats. Start by mixing your oatmeal ingredients in a bowl and allow to gel. In a separate bowl, add in your blueberries and chia seeds.
Allow them to thicken and then start layering them in the jar as you see fit. I like to add a few spoons of oats, then the blueberries and repeat until you finish both. You can then top with nuts or seeds and extra lemon zest.
Tips for the Perfect Overnight Oats
- For super creamy oats, mix your oats again after they have been initially mixed and sitting for 15 minutes. Mixing it again gets the oats evenly coated with the liquid and breaks up any remaining clumps of chia seeds.
- To prep the blueberries quick, just mix the frozen berries and chia seeds together and allow to naturally thaw overnight. When planning to enjoy your oats, just mash the thawed berries and give a really good mix before serving.
- Adjust the flavors to your preference. Treat this as a canvas for you to play with. If you want to leave out the sweetener, go for it! If you need it more sweet, add in some more maple syrup or opt for half a mashed banana instead.
Frequently Asked Questions
While you can try to modify this recipe with protein powder, I find a better alternative is to try a higher protein milk like Silk’s Ultra Unsweetened Soy Protein Beverage. Per cup, it provides 20 grams of protein and you won’t have to alter the ratio of liquid to oats. If using this option, your oats will now provide 25 grams of protein. You can also opt for a vegan Greek-style yogurt with higher protein like Kite Hill’s.
Choose the milk you like. I personally love to use soy milk in my oats as it provides similar protein to regular cow’s milk. It is also a good idea to use a fortified plant-based milk as you can also obtain important nutrients like calcium, vitamin D and vitamin B12. Always check the nutrition label as plant-based milks can vary in terms of what they are fortified with and how much protein they offer.
Totally up to preference! The great thing about overnight oats is that you don’t need to heat them up to enjoy. For those that do like warm oats, you can always heat your oats up lightly in the microwave to warm them through.
You can alter the texture of your oats in a few ways if you are willing to experiment. If you want a thicker texture, use a little less milk. You can also mix some other textures inside as well: try mixing in some nuts, seeds, or even dried fruit. And if that still doesn’t do the trick, you may prefer baked oatmeal instead.
How to Serve
You can mix and match your oatmeal with so many different variations or toppings.
- Shredded Coconut
- Hemp Hearts for more protein
- Fresh Mint to garnish
- Replace the maple syrup with 1/2 a mashed banana
- Sunflower Seeds or Pepitas for extra crunch
- More Maple Syrup to match your sweet preference
- Granola
- Mix in dried fruit like chopped dates and raisins instead of maple syrup
- Add spices like cinnamon or cardamom
More Vegan Breakfast Ideas
- Breakfast Polenta Bowl
- Black Bean and Sweet Potato Breakfast Hash
- Matcha Latte Overnight Oats
- Caramel Macchiato Overnight Oats
- Chocolate Cherry Granola
High Protein Lemon Blueberry Overnight Oats
- Prep Time: 5 minutes
- Soak Time: 1 hour
- Total Time: 1 hour 5 minutes
- Yield: 1 serving 1x
- Category: Breakfast
- Method: No Cook
- Cuisine: American
- Diet: Vegan
Description
Creamy, flavorful lemon blueberry overnight oats. These vegan overnight oats are high protein and an easy to prep quick grab and go breakfast.
Ingredients
Lemon Overnight Oats
- 1/2 cup rolled oats (use gluten-free oats if needed)
- 1 tbsp chia seed
- 1 tbsp hemp hearts
- Pinch of salt
- Lemon zest
- 2 tbsp plant-based yogurt (I used unsweetened soy yogurt)
- 1/2 tbsp maple syrup
- 1/2 cup plant-based milk (I used unsweetened soy milk)
- 1/2 tsp vanilla extract, optional
Blueberry Chia Jam
- 1/2 cup frozen blueberries, thawed
- 1 tsp chia seeds
- Lemon zest
Lemon Yogurt Drizzle
- 2 tbsp plant-based yogurt (I used unsweetened soy yogurt)
- 1 tsp lemon juice
- 1/2 tbsp maple syrup
- Lemon zest
Instructions
- Combine your oats, chia seeds, salt, a little lemon zest, hemp hearts, yogurt, maple syrup, milk and extract. Give everything a good mix and allow to sit as you prepare your blueberries.
- If thawing your blueberries from frozen, add to a bowl and heat in the microwave or on the stove top for 1 minute. Mash lightly with a spoon and then mix in the chia seeds and a little bit of zest until well combined.
- Now, make the lemon yogurt drizzle. Mix the ingredients together until well combined.
- Give the oats a final mix, and then place along with the blueberries and yogurt in the fridge for at least 1 hour or preferably overnight. You can layer the oats, blueberries and yogurt in a jar or separate the oats, blueberries and yogurt drizzle using an airtight lunch box container with divided sections for your toppings and then combine everything together when ready to serve. Top with extras as desired.
Notes
For super creamy oats, mix your oats again after they have been initially mixed and sitting for 15 minutes. Mixing it again gets the oats evenly coated with the liquid and breaks up any remaining clumps of chia seeds.
To prep the blueberries quick, just mix the frozen berries and chia seeds together and allow to naturally thaw overnight. When planning to enjoy your oats, just mash the thawed berries and give a really good mix before serving.
Adjust the flavors to your preference. Adjust the sweetness to your preference and feel free to add in extra ingredients as desired.
If you tried this recipe or any other recipe on the blog, then let me know what you thought in the comments below! And if you loved it, don’t forget to rate it too. Feel free to follow on Instagram, Pinterest, and TikTok for the latest nutrition tips and recipe videos.
★ Catherine
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Omg this overnight oats is AMAZING! The sweetness of the blueberries and the tartness of the lemon yogurt was a flavour party on my tastebuds! I would totally eat this for dessert too! Thank you!! 🙂
Aww! Thank you so much for making these oats Natalia! Truly appreciate it. 🙂
For your trick to thaw the blueberries overnight do you do it at room temp or in fridge?