Creamy Layered Cocoa Raspberry Overnight Oats
Enjoy dessert for breakfast with these healthy, creamy, and delicious cocoa and raspberry layered overnight oats!
Why you’ll love this recipe
What better way to start the day than with something beautiful and sweet? This creamy, dessert-like breakfast tastes oh-so-good and will give you the energy to fuel your morning. Plus, the gorgeously glowing raspberry chia pudding is sure to put a smile on your face!
Ingredients
Ingredients for creamy cocoa overnight oats:
- Banana: Helps create the smooth, creamy texture of the cocoa overnight oats and adds a touch of natural sweetness.
- Old-fashioned (rolled) oats: Oats are so good for you! Not only are they high in fiber, they help lower cholesterol and support healthy arteries.
- Almond milk: Almond milk has a neutral flavor that works well here, but you can substitute oat milk or soy milk for similar results.
- Unsweetened plain nondairy yogurt: I used unsweetened plain cashew milk yogurt, which has a thicker, creamier consistency than some other yogurts. However, you can still get good results from tree nut-free alternatives, such as coconut or soy yogurt.
- Ground flaxseed: One of the easiest superfoods to incorporate in your diet because ground flaxseed blends so well and its taste is virtually undetectable. Ground flaxseed has many health benefits, including helping to maintain healthy blood pressure.
- Cocoa powder: Have you heard of polyphenols? These are antioxidants that have a ton of health benefits, including reducing inflammation and lowering blood pressure. Cocoa powder is a fantastic natural source of them.
- Vanilla extract: Adds a subtle sweetness.
Ingredients for raspberry chia pudding:
- Frozen raspberries: I use frozen raspberries, as opposed to fresh, because they are typically much less expensive, have a much longer shelf life than fresh raspberries, and are available year-round. They are a good source of immune-boosting vitamin C, flavonoids (which have been found to have cancer-fighting and cognitive benefits), and anthocyanins (which help protect against heart disease and inflammation).
- Lemon juice: Adds a touch of brightness to amp up the flavor of the chia pudding.
- Chia seeds: Chia seeds help achieve the pudding-like consistency of the raspberry topping. They are a good source of antioxidants, protein, and fiber.
- Water
Instructions
Preparing this dish is so easy! First, make the blended cocoa overnight oats by adding the banana, oats, nondairy milk, nondairy yogurt, cocoa powder, ground flaxseed, and vanilla extract to a blender or food processor and blending until the mixture is smooth and creamy.
A mini food processor (like this 4-cup Cuisinart) works very well for this if you have one. Don’t worry if small oat particles are still visible after blending—they will absorb the milk overnight and lose any roughness. Transfer the blended oats to a storage container and refrigerate them overnight.
Next, clean the blender or food processor. Yes, it’s tempting to skip this step, but take a couple minutes to wipe it clean. This will prevent any overnight oats lingering in the blender from mixing with the raspberry chia pudding and dulling its gorgeous red color. Keep that chia pudding a bright, shiny red to create a dramatic, jewel-like topping!
Add the frozen raspberries, chia seeds, water, and lemon juice to the clean blender or food processor. Blend until the ingredients are combined. The resulting mixture will be fairly liquidy. This is okay, as it will thicken overnight. Transfer the raspberry chia pudding to its own storage container and refrigerate it overnight.
In the morning, spoon equal amounts of the cocoa overnight oats into 3 glasses or parfait cups (I love using these cute little Weck jars for individual servings). Spoon a third of the raspberry chia pudding on top of each serving of cocoa overnight oats. Serve as is, or top it with any of the optional garnishes. Enjoy!
Creamy Layered Cocoa Raspberry Overnight Oats
Equipment
- blender or food processor
Ingredients
Creamy Cocoa Overnight Oats
- 1 banana
- 1 cup old-fashioned oats
- 1 cup unsweetened almond milk or other unsweetened nondairy milk
- ¼ cup unsweetened plain nondairy yogurt
- 1 tablespoon cocoa powder
- 1 tablespoon ground flaxseed
- ½ teaspoon vanilla extract
Raspberry Chia Pudding
- ¾ cup frozen raspberries
- 1¼ tablespoons chia seeds
- ¼ cup water
- ½ teaspoon lemon juice
Garnishes (optional)
- fresh raspberries
- mint leaves
- cacao nibs
- shredded coconut
Instructions
- Make the cocoa overnight oats: In a blender or food processor (I used a mini food processor on the Grind setting), blend the banana, oats, nondairy milk, nondairy yogurt, cocoa powder, ground flaxseed, and vanilla extract until smooth and creamy. It is okay if some small oat particles are visible after blending. Transfer the blended oats to a storage container and refrigerate overnight.
- Make the raspberry chia pudding: Clean the blender or food processor and add to it the frozen raspberries, chia seeds, water, and lemon juice. Blend until combined. Do not worry if the mixture is fairly liquidy; it will thicken overnight. Transfer the raspberry chia pudding to a separate storage container and refrigerate overnight.
- Serve: Equally divide the cocoa overnight oats into 3 glasses or parfait cups. Top each serving container with ⅓ of the raspberry chia pudding. Garnish, if desired. Enjoy!
Notes
- Refrigerate any leftovers. Best enjoyed within 3 days.
