Chocolate Coffee Overnight Oats

I’m calling it—these are the best overnight oats I’ve ever had (and that’s saying something, considering I’m a bit of an overnight oats expert)!

If you’re craving something sweet and rich to enjoy for breakfast, look no further than these Chocolate Coffee Overnight Oats. They are creamy, thick, and have a gloriously decadent flavor of chocolate and espresso. It’s like your favorite mocha latte packaged up in an easy-to-eat speedy breakfast!

The magic of cocoa powder in overnight oats

Magic happens when you use cocoa powder in overnight oats. There is a chemical reaction between the cocoa powder and the acid in the yogurt, and the resulting oats are fluffy and incredibly creamy. It happens with our Chocolate Peanut Butter Overnight Oats, Chocolate Peppermint Overnight Oats, and our Chocolate Coconut Overnight Oats, and it happens here with these coffee-flavored oats, too! It’s a must-try for any chocolate-lover!

What are overnight oats?

Overnight oats are my favorite no-cook breakfast. Instead of cooking your rolled oats in water or milk, you stir them together with the liquid and other mix-ins, and let it all rest in the fridge overnight. In the morning, you’ll have a grab-and-go breakfast that you can eat cold, or warm up. For more on this pudding-like porridge, head on over to our Overnight Oats 101 post.

What makes overnight oats so special?

I think that overnight oats should be a staple in most households. Here’s why you’ll always find them in our weekly meal prep sessions:

• Overnight oats are so easy to make ahead. With just a few minutes of prep work in the evening, you’ll have a grab-and-go breakfast ready by morning. Overnight oats are designed to be meal prepped, and who doesn’t want to make their mornings simpler?
• You can customize them to fit your dietary preferences. Need your overnight oats to be vegan? Gluten-free? A little more decadent? These are all easily doable! We’re talking about coffee overnight oatmeal here, but once you get a feel for overnight oats, you can experiment to find your own favorite flavor combination.
• They can be as healthy (or as decadent) as you’d like. You are the master of your overnight oats, so you can make them as nourishing or extravagant (or both!) as you wish. The possibilities are endless!
• Overnight oats can be made in bulk. There’s a reason overnight oats appear on so many meal prep menus—you can make a full week’s worth of breakfasts at once.
• Overnight oats are straight-up delicious! If you’ve never had cold oatmeal before, it may sound unappealing, but trust me! This porridge is creamy, hearty, and tastes like eating pudding for breakfast! (But if you still don’t like the idea of eating them cold, you can heat them up—more on that in a sec.)

Can you warm up overnight oats?

Overnight oats are usually eaten cold, to stick to their grab-and-go style. But if you’re not into cold oatmeal, just warm them in the microwave for 30-60 seconds, stirring often. Alternatively, you can heat them in a small saucepan on the stove.

Talk to me about instant espresso powder!

Instant espresso powder is one of my kitchen secrets—and I think it’s something that all cooks should have stashed in their pantry. It adds richness to chocolate goods (try adding a teaspoon or two into the next chocolate cake you bake), and it’s a quick way to get dark coffee flavor whenever you need it.

Do these mocha overnight oats contain caffeine?

Thanks to the instant espresso powder or instant coffee, there will be some caffeine in these overnight oats. You get a nice little energy boost with your breakfast! But if you’d prefer your breakfast decaf, be sure to grab some decaf instant coffee to use instead. I’ve used the Starbucks Decaf Via in these oats with great (jitter-free) results!

Can you make substitutions to these overnight oats?

One of the greatest parts of overnight oats is how easy they are to customize to your preferences! Whether you need them to be gluten-free, vegan, or lower in sugar, the swaps are simple. We discuss all kinds of swaps you can make in our in-depth overnight oats post, but here are some specific swap ideas for these mocha overnight oats:

• Make it vegan: Use dairy-free yogurt and milk, and maple syrup instead of honey.
• Make it sugar-free: Drop the sweetener, make sure to use unsweetened milk, and add 1/2 mashed ripe banana. Or use stevia or monk fruit sweetener in place of the maple syrup or honey, if you prefer.
• Make it gluten-free: Make sure to use certified gluten-free oats.

Where can you find more overnight oats recipes?

We’ve got you covered when it comes to simple and easy overnight oats recipes! Here are some of the most well-loved recipes on Wholefully.