Healthy Peanut Butter Overnight Oats (Low Fat, High Protein!)

The perfect weekday breakfast packed with enough goodness to keep you going all morning, these overnight oats with peanut butter are loaded with protein while being low in fat. A super easy recipe for when you think you don’t have time to make breakfast, these protein overnight oats take just 5 minutes to prepare and can be eaten on the go, wherever you are.

Low fat, high protein

No matter what your day looks like, you should always have protein in your breakfast. Starting your day with a healthy dose of protein helps you stay fuller for longer, meaning you’re less likely to snack before lunch. Protein can also help boost your metabolism and lose weight.

According to some sources, you should be eating 15-25g of protein every day. This recipe for peanut butter overnight oats works out at around 15g of protein per serving. But there are a few healthy ways you can easily increase the protein content so it’s double that. More on that subject in just a little bit.

Peanut butter is known for being high in both fat and protein. But this healthy overnight oats recipe is high in protein while being low in fat. Want to know how? Let me introduce you to the secret world of PB2.

What is PB2?

PB2 is powdered peanut butter with the fat removed. It has the same consistency as all-purpose flour and you can usually find it in plastic containers from supermarkets or online.

Here’s a side-by-side comparison of PB2 and regular peanut butter.

1 Tablespoon PB2	1 Tablespoon regular Peanut Butter
Calories: 23	Calories: 90
Fat: 0.75g	Fat: 8g
Protein: 3g	Protein: 4g
Vitamin E: 0% RDA	Vitamin E: 7% RDA
Added salt: 47mg	Added salt: 74mg

As you can see, the only real downside of PB2 is that it isn’t a great source of vitamin E. However, it is low in calories, low in fat, low in added salt and high in protein. 

The fats found in peanut butter that have been removed from PB2 are monounsaturated fats, which are considered to be healthy. But you can always increase the healthy fats in your overnight oats with Greek yogurt.

How to use PB2

While you can use peanut butter straight from the jar, you need to put a little extra effort in with PB2. If you want to use it as peanut butter, you need to mix it with a little water or milk until you get a spreadable consistency.

But that’s not the only thing you can do with peanut butter. Here are a few ideas I’ve tried that I love.

• Stir PB2 into overnight oats or oatmeal for a wonderful flavor boost.
• Use PB2 to create a delicious peanut sauce for savory meals.
• Create a marinade with PB2 for a low-fat satay dish.
• Combine PB2 with Greek yogurt to make a high-protein fruit dip.
• Mix PB2 into a mug of cocoa for peanut butter hot chocolate.

My favorite PB2 brands

Here are the PB2 brands that I've tried and absolutely love:

• The Original PB2 Powdered Peanut Butter.
• The Original PB2 Powdered Peanut Butter with Cocoa.
• Sugar-Free PBfit.

How to add extra protein to overnight oats

These peanut butter overnight oats already contain around 15g of protein per serving, but here are some ideas to increase the protein content even further:

• Top with 1 tablespoon of peanut butter made from PB2: + 3g protein.
• Top with 1 tablespoon of regular peanut butter: + 4g protein.
• Use Greek yogurt: + 4g protein.
• Use cow milk: + 8g protein.
• Add 1 tablespoon of protein powder: + 5g protein.

Are overnight oats actually healthy?

These peanut butter overnight oats are definitely healthy! Each jar contains:

• Oats: High in vitamins, minerals, antioxidants and fiber.
• Brown sugar: The least nutritious ingredient which doesn’t really add anything apart from sweetness. Feel free to substitute with your favorite sweetener.
• Milk: High in vitamin D, calcium and protein, when using dairy milk.
• Yogurt: High in vitamin D, calcium and protein, when using a dairy-based yogurt.
• PB2: Low in fat, low in calories and high in protein.

The balance of carbohydrates, protein and fat in these healthy overnight oats makes them just that — healthy! Not bad for something you can toss together in 5 minutes the night before.

In fact, all my overnight oats recipes are healthy, (no matter how much they sound like dessert!) including:

• Strawberry Cheesecake Overnight Oats
• Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough Overnight Oats
• Black Forest Overnight Oats
• Cinnamon Roll Overnight Oats
• Lemon Raspberry Overnight Oats

Do overnight oats make you gain weight?

No, overnight oats do not make you gain weight. This is assuming you’re following low-calorie healthy overnight oats recipes like these.

If you start adding lots of high-fat, high-calorie goodies (like honey, chocolate chips, caramel, chocolate sauce, etc) into the overnight oats you eat every morning, you probably will gain weight. The same goes if you start doubling up on your portions — you’ll also start to gain weight.

But if you follow my recipes as they are, make sure your substitutions are healthy (if you need to make any) and stick to the serving sizes, my overnight oat recipes will never make you gain weight.

📖 Recipe