Easy Quinoa Overnight Oats (4 Different Ways)

This quinoa overnight oats recipe is a great twist on the traditional overnight oats. With wholesome quinoa, rolled oats, chia seeds and a protein addition, this is a great grab-and-go breakfast that will keep you feeling full all morning.  

Why You’ll Love Quinoa Overnight Oats

If you like convenient breakfasts that are already made for you each morning, you need to try this quinoa overnight oats recipe. You can easily meal prep the quinoa oats base recipe at the beginning of the week and enjoy a ready-to-eat healthy breakfast all week long.

Thanks to the quinoa, this recipe offers a different texture compared to traditional overnight oats. Not to mention, the addition of quinoa boosts the nutritional value. Quinoa is a complete protein and whole grain, which adds fiber and keeps you feeling full for longer. In fact, one serving of this quinoa overnight oats gives you 24 grams of protein and 8 grams of fiber…then you can add your toppings to increase the nutritional value even more!

Quinoa overnight oats are also incredibly versatile. There’s a wide variety of customizations you can add to each jar of overnight quinoa oats. You can easily add fresh fruits, nuts, nut butter, or even cocoa powder or pumpkin seeds. Enjoy the same flavors each day or mix them up and have a variety of flavors throughout the week. 

Ingredients You’ll Need

Another reason that I love this recipe is that it uses simple ingredients. Here’s what you’ll need to make the quinoa overnight oats base recipe. 

• Quinoa – cooked quinoa will be needed to make this recipe. I try to keep some cooked leftover quinoa on hand in the freezer. I freeze the cooked quinoa in these convenient silicone freezer molds. If you’re making quinoa specifically for this dish, the typical ratio to prepare quinoa is 1:2 with water. For example, if you have 1 cup of dry quinoa, you’d boil 2 cups of water. This generally makes about 3 to 3 ½ cups of cooked quinoa. 

• Rolled Oats – even though you’re using quinoa, you’ll still need uncooked oats for this recipe. I use old fashioned rolled oats usually, but these newer protein oats are also great in this recipe. You can substitute quick oats or steel cut oats if you have those on hand, although you may just need to slightly adjust the amount of liquid you use. Quick oats will likely require a little less liquid, while steel cut oats will likely require a little more liquid.

• Milk of Choice – liquid is key for any type of overnight oats recipe. I generally use unsweetened almond milk because I find that it’s light and refreshing. You can easily substitute traditional dairy milk, soy milk, oat milk, pea milk, or cashew milk. 

• Chia Seeds – these tiny seeds add healthy fats like omega 3 fatty acids. They’re also high fiber, providing 5 grams of fiber to this recipe. You can swap ground flax seeds if you don’t tolerate chia seeds. 

• Collagen Peptides – this is a great way to add protein to this kind of a recipe. I use unflavored collagen peptides since it doesn’t alter the texture or flavor of the quinoa overnight oats. You can omit this step entirely if you want or substitute your favorite protein powder. If you use a traditional protein powder, you may need to add a little more liquid when you’re prepping them…or add a splash of milk the next day to get your desired consistency.

• Greek Yogurt – Greek yogurt provides extra protein, calcium, and probiotics while also giving you a creamy texture. I use full-fat plain Greek yogurt to keep the base recipe more versatile. Choose full fat, low fat or fat-free Greek yogurt. You can also substitute a plant-based yogurt if you’re dairy free or follow a plant-based diet.

• Vanilla Extract – this adds a bit more flavor dimension to your quinoa mixture. 

• Optional: Pinch of Salt and/or Maple Syrup. If your taste buds tend to gravitate towards a sweet breakfast, you may want to add 1-2 tsp of maple syrup. 

Quinoa Overnight Oats Flavor Variations

Like I mentioned before, the base recipe keeps things pretty versatile. You can add your favorite toppings or experiment with some new combinations. Here’s a few of my favorite flavor combinations. Just add them to your quinoa mixture before putting it into the fridge or add them right before eating!

• PB & J: Add 1-2 tbsp natural peanut butter and ¼ cup mashed raspberries or strawberries.
• Banana Bread. Add ½ mashed ripe banana, 2-3 tbsp chopped walnuts or pecans, and ¼ tsp cinnamon. If you didn’t add maple syrup to the base recipe, you may want to also add 1-2 tsp maple syrup for this variation. 

• Banana Bread: Add ½ mashed ripe banana, 2-3 tbsp chopped walnuts or pecans and ¼ tsp cinnamon. If you didn’t add maple syrup to the base recipe, you may want to also add 1-2 tsp maple syrup for this variation.

• Carrot Cake: Add ¼ cup shredded carrot, 2-3 tbsp chopped pecans, 1 tbsp shredded coconut, 1 tbsp raisins, and ½ tsp cinnamon. If you didn’t add maple syrup to the base recipe, you may want to also add 1-2 tsp maple syrup for this variation. 

• Tropical Paradise: Add ¼ cup diced mango + pineapple, 1 tbsp shredded coconut, and a splash of coconut milk. If you’re going with this flavor, you can also opt to use coconut milk as your milk of choice in the base recipe.

• Coconut Almond: Add 2 tbsp shredded coconut, 1 tbsp dark chocolate chips, and 2 tbsp slivered almonds. If you didn’t add maple syrup to the base recipe, you may want to also add 1-2 tsp maple syrup for this variation. 

• Apple Pie: Add ½ cup chopped apples, ¼ tsp cinnamon, ¼ tsp allspice, and 2-3 tbsp chopped pecans. This is my favorite topping combo!

How To Make Quinoa Overnight Oats

Alright, this recipe is quite simple to put together. Here’s how you’ll make your quinoa overnight oats. 

First, you need to cook some quinoa if you don’t have any on hand. Quinoa cooks best at a ratio of 1:2. So for every 1 cup quinoa that you want to cook, you’d add 2 cups of water. Combine the cup of quinoa and two cups of water in a medium saucepan to boil. Once it starts boiling, give it a good stir then reduce the heat to simmer. Allow to simmer for about 15 minutes or until most of the water has absorbed. Remove from heat and allow the quinoa to cool to room temperature.

Next, combine the cooked quinoa with the rest of the ingredients: rolled oats, milk, chia seeds, collagen peptides, Greek yogurt, and vanilla extract together in a glass container or mason jar. Give it a good stir to ensure it’s well mixed. Place the quinoa mixture into the fridge for at least 4 hours. Ideally, allow it to hang out in the fridge overnight. 

If you’re going to add some toppings, you can add them when you’re prepping your quinoa overnight oats, or you can add them right before eating them. I usually prefer to add my toppings right before I eat them – it keeps the fruit more crisp and gives more texture to the final breakfast. 

These overnight oats will keep well in the fridge in an airtight container for up to 3 to 4 days. 

Variations + Substitutions

• Make it dairy-free by using a non-dairy milk and a plant-based yogurt. 
• To make it vegan, follow the dairy-free steps above and swap out the collagen peptides for a plant based protein powder.
• If you’re gluten free, opt for certified gluten-free oats.
• If you have leftover cooked quinoa, freeze it in silicone individual serving molds for your next recipe. You can also use it in this Greek Chicken Quinoa Bowl recipe. 
• Substitute flax seeds or hemp seeds in place of chia seeds. 
• Sweeten your base recipe up by adding maple syrup, honey, agave nectar, brown sugar, or your favorite sweetener of choice. 
• Add some flavor variations to your base quinoa overnight oats recipe.
  • PB & J. Add 1-2 tbsp natural peanut butter and ¼ cup mashed raspberries or fresh strawberries.
  • Banana Bread. Add ½ mashed ripe banana, 2-3 tbsp chopped walnuts or pecans, and ¼ tsp cinnamon. 
  • Carrot cake. Add ¼ cup shredded carrot, 2-3 tbsp chopped pecans, 1 tbsp shredded coconut, 1 tbsp raisins, and ½ tsp cinnamon.
  • Tropical Paradise. Add ¼ cup diced mango + pineapple, 1 tbsp shredded coconut, and a splash of coconut milk. If you’re going with this flavor, you can also opt to use coconut milk as your milk of choice in the base recipe.
  • Coconut Almond. Add 2 tbsp shredded coconut, 1 tbsp dark chocolate chips, and 2 tbsp slivered almonds.
  • Apple Pie. Add ½ cup chopped apples, ¼ tsp cinnamon, ¼ tsp allspice, and 2-3 tbsp chopped pecans. 

Other Breakfast Recipes You’ll Love

Cookies + Cream Overnight Oats

Ground Turkey Sweet Potato Hash

High Protein Baked Oats

Greek Yogurt Chia Pudding

If you make this Quinoa Overnight Oats recipe, please consider leaving a rating and review at the end of this blog post. This is incredibly helpful to me, my small business, and to other readers!