Chocolate Banana Overnight Oats (Dairy-Free)

Chocolate banana overnight oats are a healthy, hearty way to cure your morning chocolate cravings without the sugar crash. Just stir together 5 simple ingredients before bed: banana, oats, almond milk, cocoa powder, and salt. Then hit the ground running with a comforting, chocolatey bowl of yumminess topped with all your favorite things. 

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You’re going to love these: 

Two-minute breakfast. These take just two minutes to stir together the night before. And two minutes well-spent, I might add. Because in the morning, if your coffee hasn’t kicked in yet, there’s no need to think about what’s for breakfast. Or risk of grabbing something you’d later wished you hadn’t. 

Excellent use of ripe bananas. I don’t know about you, but I don’t want to bake a loaf of banana bread every time I have a few ripe bananas staring at me. This is a healthy way to use  them up. I often make 3-4 servings at a time. If I have more ripe bananas than that, I’ll slice and freeze them for making banana nice cream. 

Morning chocolate fix. If you crave something sweet and chocolatey in the morning, chocolate banana overnight oats can quell those cravings. Just add a few mini chocolate chips and maybe a drizzle of honey or maple syrup to give you what you’re looking for. 

Dairy-free oatmeal. Overnight oats recipes typically start with a mix of yogurt and oats. By subbing in a ripe banana, you can skip right over the yogurt. Plus, you get lots of added sweetness, not to mention fiber, a little potassium, and vitamins C and B6. 

How to Make Chocolate Banana Overnight Oats

Mash one banana in a resealable container. Add ½ cup oats, ½ cup almond milk, 1 tablespoon cocoa powder, and a pinch of salt. Mix until thoroughly combined. Cover with a tightly fitted lid and refrigerate 8 hours or overnight. 

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In the morning, layer with whatever makes you happy. I like to use fresh bananas, coconut flakes, mini chocolate chips, and almonds.  

What exactly are overnight oats? 

If overnight oats are new to you, here’s what they are and how they work. Instead of cooking oatmeal in liquid, you soak them for 8 hours or overnight. The magic that happens during this time is that the oats absorb the liquid and become nice and soft -- just like if you had cooked them. What’s so genius about overnight oats is that you don’t have to cook them -- and you can eat them cold. Or warm. It’s up to you. 

What goes in overnight oats? 

Often, overnight oats start with oats, milk, and yogurt. This dairy-free version swaps a banana for the yogurt and uses a 1:1 ratio of oats and almond milk per bowl, plus some cocoa powder. Let this combo sit overnight, then, in the morning, you can add your toppings. If you add your toppings at night, you’ll run the risk of everything getting mushy. 

For some inspiration, here are some fun topping ideas you can add to your overnight oats: 

• Fresh berries: strawberries, blueberries, blackberries, raspberries
• Fresh fruit: bananas, plums, peaches, pears, apples
• Dried fruit: cranberries, blueberries, raisins
• Nuts: pecans, walnuts, almonds, macadamias, pistachios
• Seeds: pepitas, sunflower seeds, sesame seeds
• Nut butters: peanut, almond, cashew
• Chips: dark, milk, or white chocolate, peanut butter
• Coconut flakes
• Sweetener: honey, maple syrup, brown sugar

What kind of oats should I use in overnight oats? 

Both steel cut and old fashioned rolled oats will work great in overnight oats. Instant, not so much. Instant oats are pre-cooked, then dried, so they’ll break down into nothingness during the overnight soaking process. If you prefer a chewy texture, the steel-cut variety is the oat of choice. And really the only oats I will use. They become plenty soft, but I think they add more substance to the dish. But lots of people love rolled oats because they aren’t as textural and become creamy as they soak.

Hungry for more banana overnight oats recipes?

Cinnamon Banana Overnight Oats

Peanut Butter + Jelly Overnight Oats

MY RECIPE ESSENTIALS

Snapware Glass Food Storage Containers

I see no reason to use mason jars for overnight oats. Not when I can use a nice big container that's big enough to actually stir in and add more stuff to in the morning. Like these glass food storage containers. They stack nicely in the cupboard and the fridge and are my go-to.

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Bob's Red Mill Gluten Free Organic Steel Cut Oats

I buy these in big quantities because they're much more affordable that way -- and we go through a lot of them. I like using steel cut oats in my banana overnight oats because they add a nice chewy texture to an otherwise all-soft dish.

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Kirkland Organic Almond Unsweetened Almond Milk

Once we tried almond milk, we never went back to dairy milk. And not even because it's non-dairy. Scott can have dairy just fine -- I can't -- but he's the one who consumes most of it in our house. He prefers almond milk because the flavor is better, there's no sugar in it (milk has a crazy amount of sugar in it!), and it's easier to keep since unopened containers don't need to be refrigerated. And it adds a nice vanilla flavor to banana overnight oats.

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