How do I make protein overnight oats?
Stir in skyr, not just milk. 40 g oats, 150 g skyr, 100 ml milk and berries give about 24 g protein. But one spoon on top can use about half a day’s sugar limit.
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How do I make high-protein overnight oats?
Add a thick, strained yoghurt such as skyr as well as milk. Oats and 100 ml milk alone give about 7.5 g protein. The skyr adds about 15 g more.
| Ingredient | Amount | Protein |
|---|---|---|
| Porridge oats | 40 g | About 4 g |
| Plain fat-free skyr | 150 g | About 15 g |
| Semi-skimmed milk | 100 ml | About 3.5 g |
| Frozen mixed berries | 80 g | About 1 g |
| Bowl total | About 24 g |
Source: British Nutrition Foundation
Stir it all in a jar, put the lid on and leave it in the fridge overnight. Eat it cold in the morning.
The oat, skyr and berry numbers come from typical UK pack labels, checked in October 2026. Most plain skyr lists about 10 g protein per 100 g. Check your pot once.
Using Greek-style yoghurt? UK food tables put plain Greek-style at 5.7 g per 100 g. So 150 g gives about 9 g, not 15 g.
Cottage cheese has 9.4 g, close to skyr. Blend it first if you don’t like lumps.
Make one tonight. For other quick meals, see high-protein breakfast ideas.
Are overnight oats healthy?
The oats are. The NHS calls oats a good source of fibre. Adults should aim for 30 g of fibre a day, but most eat about 20 g.
Oats also hold a fibre called beta-glucan. It turns to gel in your gut. A 40 g serving has about 2 g.
| Claim | Verdict | What it rests on |
|---|---|---|
| More fibre | Yes | The NHS calls oats a good source of fibre. |
| Lower cholesterol | A little | 3.5 g beta-glucan a day cut bad cholesterol by 4.2% in middle-aged people, over 3 to 12 weeks. |
| Fewer heart attacks | Not shown | No research links oats to a lower risk of heart attack or stroke. |
| Smaller blood sugar rise | Than rice cereal, in one trial | One trial in adults without diabetes, funded with Quaker Oats staff. |
Sources: NHS; BHF; Wolever 2019
Does soaking spoil them? One trial suggests not. In 40 adults without diabetes, oats soaked overnight in skimmed milk gave a 33% smaller blood sugar rise than a cooked rice cereal.
With sugar, nuts and seeds added, it was 24% smaller in another 40.
Two of its authors work for PepsiCo, which makes Quaker Oats. And it compared rice cereal, not cooked porridge.
One bowl gives 2 g of the 3.5 g. To lower cholesterol, see cholesterol-lowering foods. To reach 30 g of fibre, see how much fibre you need.
Which topping can undo healthy overnight oats?
That spoon is honey or syrup. Both count as free sugars, the kind most UK adults eat too much of.
Adults should have no more than 30 g of free sugars a day. A level tablespoon of runny honey has about 16 g of sugar, going by typical labels. That’s about half the limit before 9am.
- 30 g or belowWithin the NHS limit for adults.
- Above 30 gOver the NHS limit for adults.
Source: NHS
Two tablespoons, at about 32 g, take you over. Maple, agave and golden syrup count the same way.
Fruit is different. Sugar found naturally in fruit and milk does not count as free sugar. So 80 g of berries, one adult portion of fruit, sweetens the bowl without using your limit.
Flavoured yoghurts carry added sugar too. Buy plain skyr and add the fruit yourself.
Are overnight oats good for weight loss?
They can be, if the whole bowl fits your day. The NHS says you’re likely to lose weight if you eat and drink fewer calories than you use.
As a guide, an average man needs 2,500 kcal a day and an average woman 2,000. What you add to the oats decides most of the bowl.
Sources: British Dietetic Association; British Nutrition Foundation
The skyr bowl has more protein for fewer calories.
Fibre may help too. The NHS says it can help you feel full, so you’re less likely to eat too much.
Don’t expect magic. In the soaked oats trial, people felt no less hungry than after rice cereal. We found no trial testing overnight oats for weight loss.
For more meals that fit a calorie goal, see the best breakfast for weight loss.
How do I make low-calorie overnight oats?
Six swaps for low-calorie overnight oats
- Use plain fat-free skyr instead of Greek-style yoghurt.
- Make it with semi-skimmed milk, at 46 kcal per 100 ml, instead of whole milk, at 63 kcal.
- Sweeten it with 80 g of berries instead of honey or syrup.
- Weigh the oats once, so you know what 40 g looks like.
- Pick a plain yoghurt, not a flavoured one with added sugar.
- Going dairy-free? Use a soya or pea drink, which have the most protein of plant drinks.
Sources: British Dietetic Association; NHS: sugar
Skip oat drink if protein is the goal. It has around 1 g per 100 ml, against 3.5 g in semi-skimmed milk.
Want low fat too? Semi-skimmed milk has 1.7 g fat per 100 ml, against 3.6 g in whole. Pick two swaps for tomorrow’s jar.
When to speak to a GP
Coeliac disease is a condition where your immune system attacks your gut when you eat gluten, a protein in wheat, barley and rye.
Oats don’t contain gluten. But they can cause a reaction if they’re made in the same place as wheat, barley and rye. A small number of people with coeliac disease may get symptoms even from pure oats.
Speak to a GP if:
- You often get diarrhoea, stomach aches or bloating after eating. These can be signs of coeliac disease, and testing is usually for people with symptoms.
- You have coeliac disease and want to eat oats. The NHS says to discuss it first, then choose oats labelled gluten-free.
- You keep losing weight without changing your diet or exercise routine.
- You’re losing weight and have other symptoms. The NHS says to see a GP as soon as possible.