Dairy-Free Overnight Oats | Chocolate Banana

So you’re totally on board the overnight oats train. You love the convenience of starting your day with healthy whole grains, fruit, and non-dairy milk ain’t bad, either. But maybe you’re looking for more to interest your mouth. Look no further, fellow Dirty. Our Dairy-Free Chocolate Banana Overnight Oats are a delicious spin on the convenient, healthy breakfast you already love. 

What you need 

Uncooked rolled oats: AKA “old fashioned” oats. Any brand or variety works; just make sure they’re not instant. Instant oats + overnight soaking = mush. If you’re gluten-sensitive, look for oats with certified gluten-free processing. While oats are naturally gluten-free, they’re typically processed in facilities alongside wheat products, and there’s a high rate of cross-contamination.

Unsweetened non-dairy milk: Oat and soy milk work quite well for overnight oats, but feel free to use whichever non-dairy milk you prefer. 

Banana: Ripe bananas work best and add a creamy sweetness to the oats. Ripe bananas have some brown spots on the peel, with no green whatsoever. Yellow bananas with no browning will work if you’re in a pinch, but your oats will taste better if you wait a day or two. To help manage the timing, we like to buy bananas at different stages of ripeness: one or two that still have some green, a couple of full yellow bananas, and some ripe and ready to go. Store the unripe ones on the counter, and pop in the fridge as they develop brown spots. The fridge slows the process and keeps them at the perfect ripeness longer. 

100% pure maple syrup: Check the label to ensure the only ingredient is maple syrup. Choose whichever grade sounds best to you, they indicate color and flavor rather than quality.

Dark chocolate chips: Look for chips that are 70% cacao or above and free from refined sugar and dairy. You’ll want chips sweetened with coconut sugar, pure sugar cane, or malted grain. We like Enjoy Life 100% Real Dark Chocolate Morsels. You can also substitute cacao nibs if you’d prefer (you may need to add a bit more maple syrup to your oats since nibs can be bitter). 

Let’s make Dairy-Free Chocolate Banana Overnight Oats

Ready to level up your mornings? 

We like to use lidded glass jars, but you can use any container you like. 

The night before you plan to enjoy your oats, add all the uncooked rolled oats, non-dairy milk, banana (sliced or mashed, up to you), maple syrup, and vanilla to your container, and give everything a stir. Cover your container and place it in the fridge overnight.

Then, when you’re bright-eyed, bushy-tailed, and ready for breakfast (or groggily stumbling to the kitchen—we can’t all be morning people), remove the oats from the fridge, give them a stir, sprinkle with chocolate chips or cacao nibs, pop more banana slices on top if you like, and enjoy! These easy oats are good cold or warmed up. If you’re doing a grab-and-go breakfast, don’t forget a spoon!

Prep in bulk

If you want to save even more time, we’ve got instructions for prepping your oats ahead of time in our Dairy-Free Overnight Oats Six Ways post. Simply leave out the banana and chocolate chips in addition to the syrup, non-dairy milk, and vanilla.

Chocolate Banana Overnight Oats

About 1⅓ cup per serving

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Author: Molly Patrick

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Ingredients

One Serving

• ▢ ⅔ cup uncooked rolled oats (not instant) (55 g / see Notes if gluten-sensitive)
• ▢ ⅔ cup unsweetened non-dairy milk (160 ml)
• ▢ ⅓ cup ripe banana, sliced or mashed (65 g / about half a medium banana)
• ▢ 2 teaspoons 100% pure maple syrup (15 g)
• ▢ ¼ teaspoon vanilla extract
• ▢ 1 tablespoon dark chocolate chips (5 g / can sub cacao nibs)

Four Servings

• ▢ 2⅔ cups uncooked rolled oats (not instant) (215 g / see Notes if gluten-sensitive)
• ▢ 2⅔ cups unsweetened non-dairy milk (630 ml)
• ▢ 1⅓ cups banana (265 g)
• ▢ 2⅔ tablespoons 100% pure maple syrup (55 g)
• ▢ 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• ▢ ¼ cup dark chocolate chips (20 g / can sub cacao nibs)

Instructions

• Place the oats, non-dairy milk, banana, maple syrup, and vanilla into a bowl or container and stir. Cover and place in the fridge overnight or for at least 6 hours.
• The next morning, dish into bowls (if using), stir, sprinkle the chocolate chips or cacao nibs on top, and eat!

Notes

• If you or a loved one is sensitive to gluten, be sure to purchase oats with certified gluten-free processing.

Making oats for a crowd? Double, triple, or quadruple the recipe! Just don’t leave your oats in the fridge longer than 24 hours or they’ll get mushy. 

Did our Chocolate Banana Overnight Oats inspire you to get out of bed? Let us know in the comments below.

Here’s to a breakfast that’s as delicious as it is healthy and convenient.

Xo 
Team Dirty