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Home » Breakfast Recipes » Cocoa Banana Overnight Oats

Cocoa Banana Overnight Oats

September 17, 2014 by Ciara Attwell, Updated June 10, 2021

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We're Hungry Cookbook by Ciara Attwell

The easiest and tastiest Overnight Oats recipe in the world with cocoa, banana, yogurt and milk!

cocoa banana overnight oats in a glass jar topped with flaked almonds

So I’m still on my mission to try to find some new, quick and easy breakfasts for us now that our lazy summer mornings have come to an end. I got a bit over excited about smoothies last week. The Coconut Berry Smoothie is my absolute favourite, but this Choco Banana Smoothie got me all inspired to jazz up an old recipe for overnight oats.

Overnight Oats

I’ve been a big fan of overnight oats for a long time. However I knew that if I was to entice my fussy eater into trying them then I’d have to go above and beyond my standard recipe of just some chopped fruit and a drop of vanilla essence. That just wouldn’t cut it with my little girl!

chocolate overnight oats in a glass jar

And so this mammoth Cocoa Banana Overnight Oats recipe was born! I knew it would have to include chocolate of some sort to capture the attention of a fussy eating 3 year old and cocoa is the perfect ingredient. It’s full of natural antioxidants and nutrients. You can also use raw cacao powder, although you may want to alter the amount you include, depending on your taste.

Overall I think this is an excellent well balanced breakfast for children (and adults too!), containing a good amount of fat and protein to fill them up and enough slow-releasing carbs to keep them full until lunchtime.

Storing & Serving Overnight Oats

So no more excuses for bland and boring breakfasts for me. It’s just so easy to throw together a jar of these oats at night time.

They will keep covered in the fridge for up to 3 days (although you may have to add a small amount of liquid before you eat).

In the morning you can eat them cold straight from the fridge, warm them in the microwave, or pop the jar into your bag and bring them to school or work.

Things To Note!

My measurements are in cups simply because there’s no need for exact precision with overnight oats. The basic recipe is 1 part oats to 1 part liquid. You can alter the milk/yogurt ratio to your liking. Use any cup or mug you wish, as long as you measure both the oats and liquid with the same mug.

The recipe calls for rolled oats which is your basic packet of oats or porridge that you’ll find in a supermaket or shop. I haven’t tried this recipe with steel cut oats or those packet of instant oats so I cannot tell you if those would work just as well.

You don’t have to finish your oats off with toppings but I find something slightly crunchy like nuts or maybe some chopped fruit really complements the soft oats.

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cocoa banana overnight oats

Cocoa Banana Overnight Oats


★★★★★ 4.8 from 15 reviews
  • Author: Ciara @ My Fussy Eater
  • Prep Time: 5 mins
  • Cook Time: 1 hour
  • Total Time: 1 hour 5 minutes
  • Yield: 3 1x
  • Category: Breakfast
  • Cuisine: European
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Description

The easiest and tastiest Overnight Oats recipe in the world with cocoa, banana, yogurt and milk!


Ingredients

  • 2 cups rolled oats
  • 1.5 cups milk (cows, almond, hazelnut)
  • ½ cup yogurt
  • 1 banana (mashed, chopped or sliced, whichever you prefer)
  • 1–2 tablespoon cocoa
  • 1 tbsp honey or maple syrup
  • toppings of your choice

Instructions

  1. Mix all the ingredients together in a bowl or jar and place in the fridge, preferably overnight or for at least 1 hour.
  2. When you are ready to tuck in, remove from the fridge and top with toppings of your choice. The oats can be eaten cold or heated in the microwave for 30-60 seconds. They will also keep in the fridge covered for 2-3 days.
1 Serving (not including additional toppings)38518.7 g70.4 mg7 g4.4 g60.6 g7.4 g15.9 g

If you like this recipe you may also like:

Orange, Coconut & Vanilla Overnight Oats

orange coconut vanilla overnight oats

and Strawberry Shortcake Overnight Oats

Strawberry Shortcake Overnight Oats

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Filed Under: Breakfast Recipes, Egg Free, Gluten Free, Nut Free Recipes, Recipes, Vegetarian

Comments

  1. Godrej Athena says

    February 17, 2023 at 1:26 pm

    I tried this recipe taste was awesome and everyone like recipe thanks for sharing

    Reply
  2. Brigade Valencia says

    January 16, 2023 at 12:52 pm

    I tried this recipe it is very tasty i like this recipe

    ★★★★★

    Reply
  3. Nina Ogris says

    March 1, 2020 at 10:03 pm

    Sehr sehr lecker

    ★★★★★

    Reply
  4. Becky says

    July 2, 2018 at 7:36 pm

    I recently joined the Overnight Oats Club and last night I actually attempted some Banana-Chocolate Oats. They didn’t taste chocolatey enough, which was disappointing. 3 hours later I stumbled across your recipe and see that I used WAY less cocoa than I should have. Thanks for clarifying that for me!

    ★★★★★

    Reply
    • Ciara Attwell says

      July 3, 2018 at 7:14 pm

      Glad you enjoyed my recipe!

      Reply
      • Mary says

        June 11, 2019 at 2:03 am

        I have another to add to your list.
        1/3 c Oats
        2/3 c whatever milk you like
        1 smashed banana
        1 heaping tbsp peanut butter
        1 level tbsp unsweetened cocoa powder
        Mix real good, then I mix in about 7 diced strawberries.
        No sugar added of any kind, only natural sugar. I love this concoction!

        Reply
  5. Abnehemn says

    March 19, 2018 at 12:24 pm

    Wonderful website you have here but I was wanting to know
    if you knew of any user discussion forums that cover
    the same topics discussed here? I’d really love to be a
    part of community where I can get suggestions from other knowledgeable individuals that share the same interest.
    If you have any suggestions, please let me know. Cheers!

    ★★★★★

    Reply
    • Ciara Attwell says

      March 19, 2018 at 12:32 pm

      It’s not a forum as such but I do have a facebook group https://www.facebook.com/groups/810195245818525/

      Reply
  6. Iris says

    February 19, 2018 at 12:29 pm

    I loved your Choco Banana Breakfast Smoothie recipe so knew I’d like this. I love that I can get up and know that breakfast is already waiting for me in the fridge as I seem to always be in a rush in the morning!

    ★★★★★

    Reply
  7. http://Promodj.com/ebbesen79cleveland says

    December 14, 2017 at 10:40 pm

    Nice post. I wwas chescking continuously this weblog and I am inspired!
    Very helpful information specially the closiing section 🙂 I handle such
    information a lot. I used tto be looking for tis particular info for a long time.
    Thanks and best of luck.

    ★★★★★

    Reply
  8. Desiree says

    August 29, 2017 at 9:34 pm

    I did not use maple syrup but I am curious when you do use the maple surup can you taste it? I have seen it as an ingredient in a ton of overnight oat recipes but Im not a fan of maple.

    ★★★★★

    Reply
    • Ciara Attwell says

      August 30, 2017 at 7:46 pm

      Honey is fine to use instead!

      Reply
  9. Adeline C says

    August 21, 2017 at 3:45 pm

    I’ve been making this recipe for a year now. I particularly enjoy it during the summer, having something fresh in the morning is quite nice. I’ve tried many variant of the recipe (using two bananas, soy yogurt, almond milk). I think one banana is enough and one spoon of cocoa too. Regular milk (I use skimmed milk) is the best as it gives it a creamier texture. High protein soy yogurt also work very well to give it a creamy taste. What I love the most about this recipe is the fact that I can make a bowl of it in less than two minutes and tadaaa I have now breakfast for the next 4 days.

    ★★★★★

    Reply
  10. Beth says

    September 16, 2016 at 4:26 pm

    This was a winner in our house! Thank you so much for a recipe that BOTH my picky eaters loved–and a breakfast that I feel really good about giving them. No more sugary, store-bought concoctions around here! The only thing it needed was a little extra drizzle of honey on top…but my kids want honey on everything. 😉

    ★★★★★

    Reply
    • Ciara Attwell says

      September 19, 2016 at 8:07 am

      So glad they enjoyed it!

      Reply
  11. Anna nuttall says

    July 24, 2016 at 9:23 am

    This look delicious. Amazing!

    ★★★★★

    Reply
    • Ciara Attwell says

      July 24, 2016 at 12:26 pm

      Thank you 🙂

      Reply
  12. Lola says

    March 4, 2016 at 12:02 pm

    This is an awesome idea.
    I am trying this very soon, but will use almond milk instead of the milk and yogurt (due to dairy allergies).

    ★★★

    Reply
    • Ciara Attwell says

      March 4, 2016 at 4:43 pm

      Hi Lola, yes absolutely! You could use coconut yogurt too!

      Reply
  13. M says

    September 11, 2015 at 12:55 am

    Looks yummy, any idea how many calories please?

    Reply
    • Ciara Attwell says

      September 11, 2015 at 6:52 pm

      No sorry I don’t count calories

      Reply
    • mike says

      November 5, 2015 at 5:49 am

      I made it with everything halved except the banana to make one serving and it comes to 715 calories… 38g protein, 14g fat, 122g carbs

      Reply
  14. Heather says

    September 2, 2015 at 1:58 am

    Do you think this would work without the banana in it? I love bananas, but I’m allergic to them!

    Reply
    • Ciara Attwell says

      September 7, 2015 at 8:49 pm

      Yes absolutely Heather. It shouldn’t make a difference to how delicious this tastes!

      Reply
  15. Misshell says

    August 25, 2015 at 12:10 am

    I love overnight oats & your recipes all look & sound delicious! I was just wondering if you or anyone else has had this issue before- for some reason my oats taste rotten! I don’t understand what I’m doing wrong?? I don’t leave them out too long, I eat them the next day, I use fresh ingredients…??? The first batches I’ve made, I strictly followed your recipes & they came out perfectly. So then I decided to switch up a couple of ingredients like using coconut milk, almond butter, sliced apples & pollen, & suddenly- ROTTEN!! Please, someone, anyone- help! My husband is becoming less apt to trust the lunches I’m making him & I don’t want that! So I appreciate your input. Thanks!

    ★★★★

    Reply
    • Ciara Attwell says

      August 25, 2015 at 6:44 am

      Hiya! Ingredients like coconut milk and almond butter are very strong tasting, so maybe that’s why they didn’t come out so well? that said, I have just recently posted another oats recipe – Apple & Almond Butter Overnight Oats and that’s delicious so I’m not sure why yours isn’t tasting so good. Did you grate the apple or put it in in chunks? I grate mine in.

      Sorry I’m not much help but I really have no idea what could be making your oats taste bad 🙁

      Reply
      • Misshell says

        August 25, 2015 at 5:51 pm

        Ok, so last night, right after I posted my comment, I decided to make your Cocoa/banana recipe, but instead of using my regular coconut milk method, I used reg.milk & then I tried it this morning & YUM! Because my husband sugg. it could have been the oats? Which I didn’t think so, but you never know… Anyway, I’m thinking it’s the coconut milk or the pollen, or a combo of the 2; is causing some chemical reaction, giving off a “fermented/rotting” taste. When I made the one with apples, I dieced them very small, added cinnamon, with the aforementioned coconut milk & pollen. So I’m gonna keep trying, (cause I do love overnight oats & find it fun; creating new mixtures & flavors!) but sticking with either cow/soy milk for now & no pollen & hopefully that’ll solve my problem! Thanks for replying back & wish me luck! ?

        Reply
        • Ciara Attwell says

          August 26, 2015 at 9:13 am

          It sounds like the bee pollen may have caused that reaction alright. Its probably not so nice to leave it soaking overnight!

          Reply
  16. Katie says

    June 8, 2015 at 5:46 pm

    I’m not a big yogurt fan. Doesn’t matter brand or flavor, I cannot get use to the taste. Once everything is mixed, does this have a yogurt taste? Just wondering if I could substitute something for the yogurt or just leave it out.

    Reply
    • Ciara Attwell says

      June 8, 2015 at 9:28 pm

      Hi Kate, I can’t taste the yogurt but then I love yogurt so I probably wouldn’t notice it as much as you. You can leave it out and just use milk instead. The yogurt thickens it all up a bit. I bet coconut milk would work really well too if you like that?

      Reply
  17. Stacy says

    June 2, 2015 at 7:25 pm

    Could you substitute equal amounts of a chocolate protein powder in place of the cocoa powder for a protein boost?

    Reply
    • Ciara Attwell says

      June 3, 2015 at 6:56 pm

      Hi Stacy, I haven’t tried this myself so couldn’t say for certain that it would work but I don’t see why not!

      Reply
  18. Claire says

    May 19, 2015 at 11:55 am

    Really enjoyed this! It’s one of my favorite overnight oats recipes! Thanks so much for the idea!

    ★★★★★

    Reply
    • Ciara Attwell says

      May 19, 2015 at 8:54 pm

      Thank you Claire. You should check out some of my other flavours too. I have an orange one and a strawberry one aswell!

      Reply
  19. Amallia says

    May 9, 2015 at 7:35 am

    wow looks so delicious. Nice pictures too 🙂

    Reply
    • Ciara Attwell says

      May 9, 2015 at 8:22 am

      Thank you Amallia!

      Reply
  20. Kristina Barreiro says

    April 27, 2015 at 3:14 pm

    This looks great! 🙂 Around how many calories would this recipe be? 🙂 And how long before can I store it in the fridge before it turns bad?

    Reply
    • Ciara Attwell says

      April 27, 2015 at 3:34 pm

      Hi Kristina, I have no ideas of the calories but if you enter the ingredients into My Fitness Pal or a website like that then you should be able to find out easily enough. I keep my oats for up to 3 days in the fridge.

      Reply
  21. Aimee Riding says

    March 30, 2015 at 6:31 pm

    Can you use water instead if milk?

    Reply
    • Ciara Attwell says

      March 30, 2015 at 7:24 pm

      I haven’t tried it myself but I don’t see why not.

      Reply
  22. Kristi says

    March 12, 2015 at 1:00 am

    Do you use greek yogurt?

    Reply
    • Ciara Attwell says

      March 12, 2015 at 9:29 am

      Hi Kristi, yes I use greek yogurt but any plain or natural yogurt is fine.

      Reply
  23. Joce says

    February 8, 2015 at 12:58 pm

    Hi Ciara! I’m trying this for tomorrow’s breakfast. Just mixed and put it in the fridge and I couldn’t help but took a tiny slurp of it already. Taste great. Thank you for this recipe!

    ★★★★★

    Reply
    • Ciara Attwell says

      February 8, 2015 at 7:43 pm

      Thanks Joce. Hope it lasts till the morning!!!

      Reply
  24. Annie @ The Garlic Diaries says

    February 5, 2015 at 1:23 am

    This looks AMAZING! I’m about to whip up a batch right now for tomorrow morning.

    ★★★★★

    Reply
    • Ciara Attwell says

      February 5, 2015 at 2:39 pm

      Thank Annie. Hope you like it!

      Reply
  25. Rosemary says

    January 5, 2015 at 7:58 am

    Hi there, thanks for this recipe, it looks very good! One question though, you just say “cocoa”, did you use unsweetened or do you use the cocoa with sugar already in it? I put mine together tonight using unsweetened cocoa powder and it was bitter so i added about 1/2 tsp of Truvia and it tasted more how I was expecting…

    Reply
    • Ciara Attwell says

      January 5, 2015 at 8:41 am

      Hi, I use unsweetened but different brands of cocoa can taste different, depending on the % of cocoa in it. If you find you need a little sweetener with yours then thats fine! Honey would work well too.

      Reply
  26. Cheryl says

    November 23, 2014 at 3:55 am

    can I use instant oats instead of rolled oats? Thanks before!

    Reply
    • Ciara Attwell says

      November 23, 2014 at 10:28 am

      Hi Cheryl, I haven’t tried the recipe with instant oats but I don’t see why it wouldn’t work just as well.

      Reply
  27. Lara says

    November 21, 2014 at 10:56 pm

    Hi there!

    Just came across your recipe from Pinterest!

    I would like to know if you mash the banana?

    Thanks!

    Reply
    • Ciara Attwell says

      November 21, 2014 at 11:14 pm

      Hi Lara, you can mash it or chop it up, whichever you prefer. I should make that clearer in the recipe. I will edit it now, thanks!

      Reply
  28. Ashley says

    November 6, 2014 at 9:42 pm

    Thanks for putting the general rule of thumb for the oats – I’ve been trying recipes and getting such different results. I love this one! Now I have some ratios to play with!

    Reply
  29. Chris says

    October 7, 2014 at 12:55 pm

    Do you have to cook the oats first? The directions did not say. Thanks.

    Reply
    • Ciara Attwell says

      October 7, 2014 at 6:31 pm

      No, that’s the beauty of overnight oats. You just have to leave them soak overnight (or for a few hours at least)! No cooking needed!

      Reply
      • Chris says

        October 7, 2014 at 6:40 pm

        AWESOME! Thanks

        Reply
        • Ciara Attwell says

          October 7, 2014 at 7:39 pm

          I hope you enjoy them!

          Reply
  30. Wendy says

    September 28, 2014 at 7:51 pm

    Hi, this sounds delicious. Do you cover the jar or bowl? Or does it need to be left open over night? Thanks for sharing !

    Best, Wendy

    Reply
    • Ciara Attwell says

      September 28, 2014 at 8:00 pm

      Hi Wendy! You can cover it or not. It doesn’t seem to make a difference to the recipe either way. Enjoy!

      Reply
  31. CakePants says

    September 23, 2014 at 1:54 am

    This looks mighty tasty! I’ve never made overnight oats before (I tend to get into breakfast ruts, where I sleepily reach for the cereal box and barely even have the energy for that!), but I think the lure of chocolate and bananas in the morning might be enough to perk me up 🙂

    Reply

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★☆ ★☆ ★☆ ★☆ ★☆

Hi, I'm Ciara! I'm a food writer and cookbook author and I'm always looking for new ways to make food fun and interesting for kids! I specialise in fussy eating and share tips and tricks to get your kids eating better along with lots of family friendly recipes. Read More…

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