Chocolate Cherry Protein Oats

These 5-ingredient Chocolate Cherry Protein Oats come together in 5 minutes, are packed with nutrition, and are a sweet treat for breakfast!  They fall somewhere in between traditional and overnight oats; They’re cooked with water to start, but once the cold yogurt and frozen cherries are added in, the resulting cooled and creamy oats are uniquely satisfying!  “Instant Overnight Oats” in a way!

I originally published this recipe in 2022, and it has since been through many iterations.  (Did I once use a hot cocoa packet with cocoa powder, sugar, and salt in place of the cocoa powder and maple syrup?  I sure did!)  However, this particular ingredient combination makes for the tastiest oats by far, and I love that I can pull from staple ingredients in my pantry, fridge, and freezer to make them!

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INGREDIENT NOTES:

Quick Cooking Oats: I specifically love the texture of these Gluten-Free Quick Cooking Oats, even though I’m not gluten-free personally!  Feel free to experiment with what you like and have available, just as long as they are quick cooking oats (not old-fashioned oats)!

Dutch-process Cocoa Powder: A great cocoa powder adds intense chocolate flavor to these oats and makes them feel like dessert.  This one is my go-to, both for this recipe as well as in much of my baking!

Dark Maple Syrup: I prefer the depth of flavor from a dark maple syrup, but any maple syrup would work just fine as the sweetener!  I have also used honey in a pinch…It tastes lovely if it’s all you have on hand, but it does change the overall flavor slightly.

Plain 5% Greek Yogurt: Using a plain, full-fat (5%) Greek yogurt is essential to make the oats thick and creamy!  It also adds lots of protein which makes for a filling and hearty breakfast!  Every variety has its own flavor profile, and I choose this one time and time again because of its lack of tartness…It’s super smooth, creamy, and fades into the background seamlessly. 

Frozen Dark Sweet Cherries: I’m sure fresh cherries would be very tasty as well, but there’s something about the texture and added moisture that gets released from the frozen cherries as they melt into the cooked oats that I really enjoy and highly recommend!

Servings: 1

Ingredients:

• 1/2 Cup Gluten-Free Quick Cooking Oats
• 2 Tablespoons Dutch-process Cocoa Powder
• 1 Tablespoon Dark Maple Syrup
• 5 oz Plain 5% (Full-Fat) Greek Yogurt
• Frozen Dark Sweet Cherries, to taste

• + Water for the oats

Directions:

Cook the oats with water following the package instructions (I use the microwave)

Stir in the cocoa powder and the maple syrup

Stir in the yogurt until creamy and evenly combined

Mix in the frozen cherries

Let the oats sit momentarily for the cherries to soften, then give it all a good stir

Enjoy!