Pumpkin Spice Latte Protein Overnight Oats

It’s officially pumpkin everything season and these Pumpkin Spice Latte Protein Overnight Oats are everything I love about fall breakfasts! They’re full of cozy pumpkin spice flavor and 23 grams of protein, but adding fresh brewed espresso makes them actually taste like a classic PSL. A little caffeine boost to go with my perfectly creamy and delicious meal prepped breakfast? Sign me up.

The name would suggest that you need to make them the night before you eat them, but I’ve made them up to 6 days in advance and haven’t had any issues. For most overnight oats recipes, the texture starts to change slightly after about 3 days in the refrigerator. People worry a lot about oats getting mushy if they don’t eat them within a day or two, but I find they get more creamy than anything. You may also find that some of the liquid separates or that they seem to dry out – just give them a stir and add more of your milk of choice to revive them!

If you’re worried about whether you’ll still like them after a few days, I’d recommend 2 things: 1) make a test batch and give it a try on day 4 and 5 to see if you like it. Don’t put all of your proverbial eggs in that breakfast basket on those days – have a backup ready to avoid any frustration or disappointment if you don’t like them. And 2) if you find you don’t like their texture on days 4, 5, 6, etc. – mix up the dry ingredients in a jar ahead of time and stash it on your counter. Then all you’ll have to do is add the wet ingredients and stick it in the fridge overnight when you’re ready for it!

Another pro tip: always be sure to use the regular or thick rolled oats/old fashioned oats. There are quick cooking rolled oats out there that will lose their chew way faster than the thicker ones. Bob’s Red Mill actually makes these Extra Thick Rolled Oats that are perfect for overnight oats!

Here’s what you’ll need to recreate these Pumpkin Spice Latte Protein Overnight Oats:

• Rolled oats – I prefer to use rolled oats (also called old fashioned oats) in my overnight oats recipes because they maintain some chew even after a few nights in the fridge. Quick cooking oats turn to mush and steel cut oats have too much bite (even if you use the quick cooking kind).
• Milk – Use whatever neutral tasting milk you prefer!
• Espresso – Fresh brewed espresso will get you closest to a real PSL’s flavors, but strong brewed coffee or cold brew will work too! Use what you have available – no need to make it complicated.
• Pumpkin puree – Obviously this is where you get the pumpkin flavor and orange color from! Be sure to use pumpkin puree, not pumpkin pie filling.
• Maple Syrup – You need a bit of sweetness to really get that pumpkin pie flavor.
• Vanilla Extract – Round out that PSL flavor with vanilla! Maple extract is a great option here too.
• Protein powder – I used a whey protein in this recipe. Other protein powders will work, but may require adjusting the amount of liquid. I prefer whey in overnight oats since it dissolves easily into milk and tastes great. Plant based proteins can sometimes leave a gritty texture and have an aftertaste.
• Chia seeds – If you’re not familiar with them, they’re the little black specks you can see in the overnight oats. As they sit in liquid, they soak up moisture and help your overnight oats thicken up and get really creamy. Plus they’re a great source of fiber and antioxidants!
• Pumpkin pie spice – this blend of warming spices helps bring out that classic fall flavor in these oats.