Nutella Overnight Oats

Calling all hazelnut lovers! These chocolatey Nutella Overnight Oats taste like dessert in a jar. Thanks to creamy, Nutella (hazelnut cocoa spread), milk, vanilla, and old fashioned-oats -this easy make-ahead breakfast may be a little indulgent, but it's packed with good ingredients to help fuel your day.

We're still a big fan of overnight oats. We meal prep these bad boys all week long. Our husband loves his with peanut butter and we love ours with sweet raisins. But one thing we can agree on is that chocolate for breakfast is perfectly acceptable.

If hazelnuts are not your thing, we recently posted a recipe for this Nutella dupe, a rich chocolate tahini spread that would also be good in this oatmeal.

All you need is five ingredients to make the base of these Nutella overnight oats. For topping the oats, use your imagination (and whatever is in your pantry).

• Rolled oats Look for old-fashioned or rolled oats. Avoid instant or quick-cooking oats.
• Nutella Or other brands of hazelnut spread.
• Vanilla Helps to tame the chocolate flavor a bit.
• Chia seeds Makes for a creamy oatmeal.
• Milk Any milk of your choice.
• Honey Optional, for sweetening the oatmeal (Nutella is already a little sweet).
• Fruit, nuts, or granola for topping

See the recipe card for quantities.

You will need tight-fitting jars or lidded containers. Mason jars or leftover jam jars work well.

How to prep Nutella oatmeal

If you are meal prepping, use the recipe scaler located on the recipe card.

Start by adding the oats to a Mason jar or lidded container.

Next add the Nutella, vanilla, chia seeds, and milk (and optional sweetener if using) then stir to combine.

The next morning, take the jar out of the refrigerator and give it a good stir. Overnight oat's texture should be thick, creamy, and pudding-like. You can top your Nutella oats with fruit, granola, or nuts.

Substitutions and variations

• If you don't like Nutella you can use chocolate almond butter, chocolate peanut butter, or our good chocolate tahini. Although the taste will be different, it will still yield a decadent oat breakfast.
• You can use any milk of your choice, such as dairy or plant-based milk. We are loving oat milk these days.
• Play around with spices such as cinnamon.
• If you are using an additional sweetener maple or date syrup can be used in place of the honey.

Keeping leftovers

Well, you already know that these can be made ahead! We make up to 5 jars in advance for the workweek. You can also fill your jars ahead of time, and add milk the night before you are ready to use.

Top tip

If using nuts, add them right before eating or else they will get soggy. You want to maintain their yummy crunch!

Kitchen questions

Are overnight oats supposed to be eaten warm or cold?

Overnight oats are supposed to be eaten cold. The overnight soaking will make the oats creamy like you would see with hot oatmeal. You can certainly warm the oatmeal if you prefer.

Love oats?

Me too! Give some of our other favorites a try:

Ingredients

Makes 1 jar

• ½ cup (4 ounces) old-fashioned oats
• 1 tbsp Nutella or other hazelnut spread, plus more for topping
• ¼ tsp vanilla extract
• ½ tsp chia seeds
• ½ cup (4 ounces) milk, dairy or plant-based
• 1 tsp honey (optional)
• fruit, granola or nuts for topping

Equipment

• Mason jar or other lidded containers

Method

1. In a lidded jar/container, combine the oats, Nutella, vanilla, chia seeds, milk, and honey (if using).

2. Stir well until thoroughly combined. Cover and refrigerate overnight, or at least 5 hours.

3. In the morning, give the oats a stir and add any toppings. If desired, drizzle with a swirl of Nutella. Enjoy cold.

Kitchen notes

• If using fruit or nuts, add them right before eating so they don't get soggy.
• If you prefer your oatmeal warm, heat the overnight oats in the microwave for about 1 minute until heated through.
• If you like a looser consistency, add some additional milk as needed.