High Protein Pumpkin Overnight Oats (No Chia Seeds)
Pumpkin puree, maple syrup and half a cup of vanilla protein powder get stirred into old fashioned oats the night before, so breakfast is ready when you wake up.
These high protein pumpkin overnight oats come in around 25 to 28 grams of protein per serving and set up thick and spoonable without any chia seeds.
Grab your favorite mug and let’s make it!
Why You’ll Love This Recipe
- Six pantry staples add up to around 25 to 28 grams of protein a serving, depending on your powder.
- It’s one bowl and one stir at night, and the fridge takes care of the rest while you sleep.
- The batch makes two, which covers tomorrow and the day after, or breakfast for two people.
- There’s no oven, no stovetop and no pan to wash, which is an undeniable perk once fall baking has taken over the kitchen.
When and Who This Is For
These are for anyone who already likes overnight oats for breakfast and wants a version that leans into fall. They also suit anyone who has been making high protein overnight oats all year and wants something seasonal to rotate in. They’re especially handy:
- On weekday mornings that run on autopilot, when the only decision you want to make is which mug to use.
- After an early workout, when you’d rather have protein waiting for you than something to cook.
- During Thanksgiving week, when the oven belongs to the turkey and there’s a house full of people to feed in the morning.
Ingredients
- 1 cup (80 g) old fashioned rolled oats
- ½ cup (about 45 g) vanilla protein powder
- 1 teaspoon (5 ml) pumpkin pie spice
- ⅔ cup (160 g) pumpkin puree
- 1 cup (240 ml) milk
- 2 tablespoons (30 ml) maple syrup
- For topping: vanilla Greek yogurt and a pinch of pumpkin pie spice or cinnamon, or chopped nuts or chocolate chips
Old fashioned oats. Overnight oats with old fashioned oats keep their shape as they soften, which is why you can still see individual flakes in the finished mug. Quick oats break down into mush overnight and steel cut oats stay too firm, so neither is a good swap here.
Vanilla protein powder. Nearly all the protein comes from here, so it’s worth choosing a protein powder for overnight oats that you already enjoy. A vanilla whey or whey blend suits these amounts best, since plant-based powders soak up more liquid (there’s a fix for that in the tips). Scoop sizes vary a lot between brands, so measure the half cup rather than counting scoops.
Pumpkin pie spice. It’s the only spice in the bowl, which is why this style of breakfast gets called pumpkin pie overnight oats or pumpkin spice overnight oats, depending on who’s making it. If you don’t have the blend, mostly cinnamon with a little nutmeg and ginger will stand in.
Pumpkin puree. Check that the can says pure pumpkin. Pumpkin pie filling looks almost identical but comes already sweetened and spiced. A standard 15-ounce can holds about 1¾ cups, enough for two batches with a little left over.
Milk. Any regular dairy milk works. The protein and calorie estimates assume 2%, and almond or oat milk work in the same amount but bring less protein.
Maple syrup. Two tablespoons sweetens the whole batch. Vanilla protein powders are sweetened to very different degrees, though, so treat this as a starting point.
How to Make Overnight Pumpkin Oats
- Mix the dry ingredients. Add the oats, protein powder and pumpkin pie spice to a medium mixing bowl and stir them together. Protein powder clumps easily, and you can see a few lumps in the dry mix above. Break them up with the back of your spatula now, because once the milk goes in they turn into pockets of dry powder that are much harder to get out.
2. Add the wet ingredients. Add the pumpkin puree, milk and maple syrup, then stir well, scraping the bottom and sides of the bowl until no dry powder is left. The mixture will look loose, almost pourable, and that’s exactly right. Since these are overnight oats without chia seeds, the thickening comes from the oats and protein powder soaking up the milk overnight, with the pumpkin adding body. Taste it before it goes in the fridge, too. If your protein powder is on the less sweet side, a little more maple stirs in easily now.
3. Cover. Transfer the mixture to a glass container with a lid. For grab-and-go portions, divide it between two jars or mugs and cover each one.
4. Chill. Refrigerate overnight, or for at least 4 hours. By morning the oats will have softened and thickened enough to hold a soft mound on a spoon.
5. Top and serve. Give it a stir, and if it’s thicker than you’d like, loosen it with a splash of milk. Then add your toppings: a spoonful of vanilla Greek yogurt with a dusting of pumpkin pie spice or cinnamon, or chopped nuts or chocolate chips.
Tips and Variations
Pre-mix the protein powder into the milk. If your powder is a stubborn clumper, whisk it into the milk first until smooth, or shake the two together in a lidded jar. Then stir that into the oats along with the pumpkin and maple. It’s one extra step, but it takes clumping out of the picture entirely.
Blend it smooth. For a smooth texture instead of soft whole oats, blend all the ingredients together before chilling. You lose the visible oat flakes, which makes this a good option for anyone who isn’t keen on the texture of whole oats.
Use a plant-based protein powder. Pea and other plant proteins soak up noticeably more liquid than whey. Add a few extra tablespoons of milk when you mix, then adjust in the morning if needed.
Make a bigger batch. Overnight protein oats double and triple without any change to the method, and one 15-ounce can of pumpkin covers a double batch. If you’re making meal prep overnight oats for the week, portion them into individual jars and plan on a second batch midweek, since they’re best within 3 days.
Ways to Serve Them
- The way they’re shown here: in a glass mug with a spoonful of vanilla Greek yogurt and a dusting of spice on top. The yogurt also adds a few more grams of protein.
- With chopped pecans or walnuts, added just before eating so they stay crisp.
- With a small handful of chocolate chips, for mornings that call for something sweeter.
- Packed in a lidded jar for the office or the car, with the yogurt in a small container on the side.
- Next to a pumpkin spice latte with almond milk for a full fall breakfast.
- As a half portion for an afternoon snack.
Questions You May Have About These Overnight Oats
Why are my overnight oats too thick?
Protein powder soaks up more liquid overnight than you’d expect, and plant-based powders soak up even more. Stir in milk a tablespoon at a time until the oats loosen. If it happens every time, add a few extra tablespoons of milk when you mix the next batch. They also keep thickening the longer they sit, so a jar on day three will need a little more milk than one on day one.
Can I use pumpkin pie filling instead of pumpkin puree?
It’s better not to. Pie filling is already sweetened and spiced, so it throws off both the maple and the pumpkin pie spice here. If it’s genuinely all you have, leave out the maple syrup and the spice, taste the mixture, and add them back a little at a time before it goes in the fridge.
Can you eat pumpkin overnight oats warm?
Yes, as long as you heat them gently. Whey protein is sensitive to heat and can turn grainy or rubbery if it gets too hot too fast, so protein powder overnight oats need a slower approach than regular oatmeal. Stir in a splash of milk, then microwave them in a microwave-safe bowl or mug at medium power in 30-second bursts, stirring between each, until warm. Add the yogurt afterward.
How long do these overnight oats keep?
These pumpkin protein overnight oats keep for up to 3 days in a sealed container in the fridge. Hold the toppings until you’re ready to eat, so the nuts stay crisp and the yogurt goes on cold and fresh.
What can I do with the leftover pumpkin puree?
A 15-ounce can holds about 1¾ cups, and each batch of oats uses ⅔ cup. Make one batch and you’ll have about a cup left over, and if you make a second batch from that same cup, you’ll be down to just under half a cup.
Either amount has somewhere to go:
– About a cup is enough for a batch of soft pumpkin cookies with chocolate chips, which need ½ cup.
– Just under half a cup covers a jar of pumpkin fall coffee creamer, which takes 3 tablespoons, with enough to spare for a latte.
Moved out of the can into a sealed container, the leftover puree keeps in the fridge for up to 4 days. If you won’t get to it by then, freeze it in an ice cube tray or muffin tin, then bag the frozen portions, and they’ll keep for about 3 months.
Related Recipes
- Homemade Pumpkin Spice Latte with Almond Milk. The mug to set next to your oats, and it only needs 2 tablespoons of that leftover pumpkin.
- Soft Pumpkin Cookies with Chocolate Chips. Where the rest of the can goes on the weekend.
- Homemade Pumpkin Spice Coffee Creamer. Make a jar alongside your oats and both halves of breakfast are ready for the week.
- Best Fall Coffee Recipes. Seven more ways to get fall into a mug, from oat milk lattes to a London Fog.
Make It Tonight
There’s something generous about making breakfast the night before, because the person it really helps is whoever shuffles into the kitchen first the next morning. This batch makes two, so it’s just as easy to leave a second mug in the fridge for someone else as it is to keep it for yourself the day after. Keep a batch of high protein pumpkin overnight oats going through fall, and busy mornings get a little gentler. Save this to Pinterest so it’s there the next time the week fills up. 🍂
High Protein Pumpkin Overnight Oats (No Chia Seeds)
Ingredients
- 1 cup old fashioned rolled oats 80 g
- 1/2 cup vanilla protein powder about 45 g, measured rather than scooped
- 1 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice 5 ml
- 2/3 cup cup pumpkin puree 160 g, not pumpkin pie filling
- 1 cup milk 240 ml
- 2 tablespoons maple syrup 30 ml
- Vanilla Greek yogurt and a pinch of pumpkin pie spice or cinnamon for topping (optional)
- Chopped nuts or chocolate chips for topping (optional)
Instructions
- In a medium mixing bowl, stir together the oats, protein powder and pumpkin pie spice, breaking up any lumps of powder.
- Add the pumpkin puree, milk and maple syrup and stir until no dry powder remains. The mixture will look loose. Taste and add a little more maple syrup if needed.
- Transfer to a lidded glass container, or divide between two jars or mugs and cover.
- Refrigerate overnight, or for at least 4 hours.
- Stir, loosen with a splash of milk if needed, and add toppings just before serving.
Notes
- Storage: keeps up to 3 days in a sealed container in the fridge. Add toppings when serving.
- Protein powder: a vanilla whey or whey blend suits these amounts. With a plant-based powder, add a few extra tablespoons of milk.
- Nutrition: calories and protein (about 25 to 28 g per serving) are estimates based on vanilla whey and 2% milk, without toppings. Optional toppings will vary.
