Extra creamy Cottage Cheese Overnight Oats blend up in 5 minutes with just 5 ingredients. Let them set and enjoy a healthy breakfast or snack packed with 11 grams of protein!
Regular overnight oats have been a meal prep staple in our house forever, and since I’m still all-in on cottage cheese recipes, I combined the two. Enter: cottage cheese overnight oats!
The cottage cheese adds a serious protein boost and makes them SO creamy!! It’s like dessert and reminds me of cottage cheese pudding! And you can still customize it however you like.
Put aside all other overnight oats recipes, you’ll be excited to wake up to these overnight oats with cottage cheese!
Why You’ll Love This Recipe
- Quick and easy: Just 5 everyday ingredients and 5 minutes of prep.
- Perfect start to your day: A grab-and-go breakfast loaded with healthy ingredients, protein, and a dessert-like flavor.
- Endless variations: Customize to your hearts content! I’ve got some fun additions and ideas for you below.
- No protein powder: There are plenty of high protein recipes out there, but this one skips the powder and gives you 11 grams of protein naturally.
Ingredients for Cottage Cheese Overnight Oats
This recipe is made by combining just 5 simple ingredients.
- Milk: Any plant based milk like almond milk, cashew milk, oat milk, soy, coconut, or regular dairy milk works. I used almond milk.
- Cottage cheese: Makes these the creamiest oats ever that are high in protein. I used 2% cottage cheese, but any fat percentage will work.
- Maple syrup or honey: Adds just the right sweetness. I prefer maple syrup for overnight oats since it dissolves better than honey in cold milk.
- Vanilla extract: Use pure vanilla extract for the best flavor. Almond extract would also add nice flavor.
- Oats: I used rolled oats, but quick oats would also work great. Make sure to grab certified gluten-free oats if needed.
How to Make Overnight Oats with Cottage Cheese
- Blend wet ingredients: Add milk, cottage cheese, maple syrup and vanilla extract to a high speed blender, and blend until smooth.
- Add oats: Pour in the oats and give a few quick pulses to mix. Divide the mixture between 2 glass jars, I used a spatula to evenly distribute the oats.
- Refrigerate: Cover with lids and chill for at least 4 hours or overnight.
- Serve: Stir and enjoy your oats cold or warmed in the microwave, and feel free to add your favorite toppings! If it’s too thick, just mix in a bit of milk.
Additions
Here are 4 easy ways to bulk up your cottage cheese overnight oats recipe if you want.
- Protein powder: Use a high-quality, well-tasting option that blends smoothly like LeanFit whey or a good plant-based protein powder. You might need a bit more milk since the powder absorbs some liquid.
- Chia seeds: Stir in whole chia seeds after blending the oats so they can absorb the liquid and thicken the oats without getting overly blended. You might need to add more milk.
- Berries: You can mix in, layer, or top your oats with blueberries, strawberries, raspberries, or blackberries.
- Nuts and seeds: Go wild with almonds, walnuts, flaxseeds, pumpkin seeds, and sunflower seeds for a delightful crunch, burst of flavor, and an extra hit of healthy fats and protein.
Variations
It’s awesome as is, but you can totally jazz up overnight oats with your favorite flavors. Just remember to use big enough jars for all the additions.
Here are a few tried and true flavor combos:
- Chocolate: Add 1 extra tablespoon of maple syrup, 1 tablespoon of cacao powder, and for an extra dessert like touch, 1 tablespoon of mini chocolate chips. Or, skip the cacao powder and use chocolate protein powder instead.
- Peanut butter and jam: Add 2 tablespoons of peanut butter or any nut butter and 1-2 tablespoons of your favorite jam.
- Pumpkin: Perfect for fall but tasty all year round. Mix in 1/4 cup pumpkin puree (not pumpkin pie filling) and 1/2 teaspoon store-bought or homemade pumpkin pie spice.
- Tropical: Use just 1/4 cup of any milk and mix in 1/4 cup of canned coconut milk. Add 1/4 cup chopped pineapple and a sprinkle of coconut flakes for a taste of paradise!
- Apple cinnamon: Mix in diced apple and a sprinkle of cinnamon.
- Matcha: Stir in 1 teaspoon of matcha powder for a green tea twist.
How to Enjoy
These ready-to-grab high protein overnight oats are perfect for busy mornings. Simply take a jar from the fridge, give it a stir, and enjoy. Or quickly warm them up in a microwave for a cozy treat.
Beyond my suggested additions and variations, top your oats with high protein granola, fresh fruit, Greek yogurt, jam or a drizzle of maple syrup or honey.
How to Store
Store: Once you set your sealed jars in the fridge, they’ll last up to 5 days. Meal prep on Sunday, and you’re set for the week.
Freeze: You can freeze overnight oats, but just know the texture might be a bit different when they thaw.
FAQs
There’s no substitute for cottage cheese in this recipe. If you’re not a fan, try my regular overnight oats. Maybe ricotta cheese could work, it just has more fat.
Any type of oats will work, it’s just a matter of nutrition and texture. Old fashioned rolled oats are the go-to for a thick, creamy texture with some chew. Quick oats I would say are second, and make softer, creamier oats.
Steel cut oats stay crunchy and chewy unless you use the quick cooking kind, which softens up and is closer to rolled oats in texture.
Add protein powder, mix in nuts or seeds, or top with high protein granola, healthy granola, a dollop of Greek yogurt or a spoonful of peanut butter or almond butter.
To enjoy oats plain I use 8 ounces jars, with toppings and larger additions I recommend to use 16 ounces Mason jars.
More Cottage Cheese Recipes to Try
More Meal Prep Breakfast Recipes
Cottage Cheese Overnight Oats
Ingredients
- 1/2 cup milk any, I used almond milk
- 1/2 cup cottage cheese any fat%, I used 2%
- 1 tablespoon maple syrup or honey
- 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- 3/4 cup rolled or quick oats I used rolled oats
Instructions
- In a high speed blender, add milk, cottage cheese, maple syrup and vanilla extract. Blend until smooth.
- Add oats and give just a few pulses to combine. Divide mixture between 2 glass jars, helping with a spatula to distribute oats evenly.
- Cover with lids and refrigerate for at least 4 hours or overnight.
- When ready to eat, stir and and enjoy on its own or with your favorite toppings. If it's too thick, adjust consistency with milk. You can eat it cold or warm, to warm up place in a microwave.
Notes
- Store: Refrigerate for up to 5 days.
- Freeze: You can freeze overnight oats, however texture may change.
