Name: Coffee Overnight Oats with Cacao
Prep time: 5 min
Total time: 5 min
Ingredients: 80 g old-fashioned rolled oats (jumbo oats, not instant, approx. 1 cup); 1½ tsp instant coffee (regular or decaf); 140 ml semi-skimmed milk/light milk (a little warm); 1½ tsp cacao or cocoa powder; 2 tbsp ricotta cheese; 1 tbsp maple syrup/honey or agave syrup (or to taste)

Jump to Recipe Print Recipe

Coffee overnight oats combine the goodness of breakfast oats and the flavour of your favourite morning beverage. With this recipe you can enjoy a delicious, healthy breakfast no matter how hectic your mornings are.

These coffee overnight oats are perfect for coffee as well as chocolate lovers. They are incredibly easy to make, contain a handful of ingredients and can be served with lots of different toppings. So you can enjoy them a little differently every time!

If you are the type of person who often skips breakfast but cannot start the day without your morning coffee than you should try these mocha overnight oats. Coffee and porridge in one dish! Plus chocolate! And it's all healthy, low in sugar and high in protein.

Coffee overnight oats ingredients

The basis for this recipe are old-fashioned rolled oats (jumbo oats). I flavoured my oats with instant coffee and added a combination of milk and naturally low in fat ricotta cheese for more creaminess (ricotta contains less fat than cream cheese, mozzarella and certainly much less than mascarpone, so think of it as a slightly more calorific yogurt).

Coffee tastes fantastic with a bit of chocolate which is why I also added cacao into the mixture. I sweetened these mocha overnight oats with a moderate amount of maple syrup.

Can I use espresso instead of instant coffee

Absolutely! Simply make a single portion of strong espresso, top up with milk and combine with the oats.

Step-by-step recipe instructions

1. Dissolve the coffee in the milk.

2. In another bowl combine the oats with the cacao.

3. Pour in the milky coffee and add the maple syrup and ricotta.

4. Stir thoroughly, cover and refrigerate overnight.

5. In the morning give a good stir, add a splash of milk if required and enjoy!

Serving suggestions

Banana chunks
Berries
Toasted nuts and/or seeds
Cinnamon
Dark chocolate shavings

Top tips

Use old-fashioned rolled oats (jumbo oats), NOT instant oats as these might produce a mushy consistency (this goes for any overnight oats recipe).
I recommend using slightly warm milk to easily dissolve the instant coffee.
Best served after at least 8 hours (overnight).
If the mixture is too thick add a splash of milk.
Overnight oats can be refrigerated for up to 2 days.
Not suitable for freezing.

Substitutions

Coffee: Use regular or decaf.
Milk: Use either regular or plant-based.
Ricotta: This can be replaced by Greek yogurt, Skyr or fromage frais/fromage blanc (all will add a slight tang).
I tend to use cacao in my recipes as it's a little healthier than cocoa but it's perfectly ok to use either.
Maple syrup: Use honey, agave syrup or another sweetener if desired.

Extras

This coffee overnight oats recipe is extremely versatile and can be made a little differently every time. Although it's delicious as it is you might like to consider using extra ingredients including:

chia or poppy seeds or flaxseeds (1 tablespoon each)
desiccated coconut (1 tablespoon)
currants (1-2 tablespoons)
a little vanilla bean extract

Keep in touch!

I'd love to know how your mocha overnight oats turned out for you. Let me know in the comments below, thanks!

Follow me on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter for regular recipe updates! Or you could subscribe to this blog and receive all my latest recipes right into your mailbox!