Chocolate Chip Overnight Oats

Breakfast needs a little chocolate every now and again, don't you think? Try these thick and creamy chocolate chip overnight oats this week to treat your self on tough mornings. Add in banana, peanut butter or mint to take it to the next level!

glass with overnight oats and chocolate chips

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This recipe is vegan, dairy-free and plant-based. We share a few tips on the best place to find affordable vegan, dairy-free chocolate chips, too.

These chocolate chip overnight oats use our vegan basic overnight oats recipe as the base!

🧄 Very useful ingredient notes

ingredients for chocolate chip overnight oats: old-fashioned rolled oats, plant-based milk, ground flax, plant-based yogurt, maple syrup and vegan chocolate chips

Vegan chocolate chips - Dairy-free chocolate chips are surprisingly hard to find and tend to be expensive. Good news for Trader Joe's shoppers, their semi-sweet chocolate chips are dairy-free! And, usually around a reasonable $2 a bag. Another option is to buy dark chocolate chips. Check the ingredients, but they are usually dairy-free.
Rolled oats - We're using old-fashioned rolled oats for this recipe. Quick cooking oats make it a little mushy, so I wouldn't recommend using there here.
Ground flax - Flax helps to thicken the oats.
Yogurt - Makes it super creamy!

📋 Substitutions and variations

Here are some suitable substitution options for the ingredients:

Chocolate chips - you can use carob chips instead
Milk - Use any plant-based milk you enjoy. Vanilla-flavored milk works really well in this recipe. Or, use chocolate milk to make it extra chocolatey
Flax - use chia seeds instead of ground flaxseed.

Here are some variation ideas for these chocolate chip overnight oats:

Double chocolate - mix in cocoa powder for a double chocolate overnight oats
Banana chocolate chip overnight oats - Mix in sliced banana
Peanut butter chocolate chip overnight oats - Mix in a tablespoon of peanut butter
Mint chocolate chip overnight oats - Add a few drops of mint extract!
Make it nutty - chocolate goes especially well with nuts and seeds like pecans, walnuts, pistachios, almonds, sunflower seed kernels and cashews.
Matcha chocolate chip overnight oats - add chocolate chips to our matcha overnight oats

🔪 Instructions

Step-by-step instructions for how to make chocolate chip overnight oats.

Step 1: Add rolled oats to a pint-size mason jar or container that holds at least 2 cups.

Step 2: Pour in milk and ground flaxseed (or chia).

Step 3: Add yogurt to jar.

Step 4: It will look like this when you've added all your ingredients.

Step 5: Screw on your lid and then shake it all up! Or, use a spoon to mix all the ingredients together. Place jar in refrigerator overnight or at least 2 hours.

Step 6: Mix in the chocolate chips or sprinkle them on top. When you're ready to eat them, pull it out of the fridge and eat cold or warm up in microwave for 30-60 seconds.

jar with overnight oats and chocolate chips

🥡 Make ahead and storage tips

Definitely good for prepping ahead of time. Store overnight oats in the refrigerator, combined, for up to 5 days. I wouldn't freeze these.

❓ FAQ

Are chocolate chips vegan?

Most chocolate chips have dairy milk in them, so they are not vegan. However, you can find dairy-free chocolate chips. Trader Joe's semi-sweet chocolate chips contain no dairy and are vegan. Also, some dark chocolate chip products are vegan. Check the nutritional label for milk to be sure.