Tasting just like your childhood PB&J sandwich, this peanut butter and jelly overnight oats is the perfect grab-and-go breakfast! Made with pantry staples like rolled oats, chia seeds, Greek yogurt, and milk, this simple but delicious PB&J oats is a hearty and flavorful breakfast recipe your whole family will love!
If growing up, you were a huge fan of PB&J’s, then this overnight oats recipe is for you! It tastes just like the sandwich and makes for such a fun way to start your day!
Why You’ll Love This Recipe
- I love the combination of nutty, sweet, and fruity flavors of this overnight oats recipe! It really reminds me of a PB&J sandwich, and the pockets of chia jam are so delightful to bite into.
- Overnight oats are so easy to meal prep. You can quickly mix everything together before bed*, and in the morning, you’ll have breakfast ready to go! Overnight oats are perfect for busy mornings as it’s an easy breakfast option and if you want to ease yourself into meal prepping on a regular basis. It’s also a no-cook recipe, so it’s perfect for beginners or if you have kids who want to help in the kitchen! (*I’ve made this overnight night – hence the name – but in a hurry, this can be eaten after 4 hours in the fridge!)
- Rolled oats and chia seeds are budget-friendly ingredients that you can buy in bulk. When stored correctly, they last at least a year! I always buy these ingredients in bulk so I can have a budget-friendly breakfast ready to go whenever I want overnight oats!
Ingredients You’ll Need
This creamy peanut butter and jam overnight oats recipe leans heavily on kitchen staples, so you probably already have the ingredients! No need to buy anything fancy. Here are the key ingredients to making this classic overnight oats recipe. You can find the full list of ingredients with measurements in the recipe card down below.
rolled oats — I’m always asked if I should use rolled oats, quick oats, or steel cut oats for overnight oats, and my go-to is always old-fashioned rolled oats. They make for the perfect, satisfying texture! Quick oats are more likely to turn mushy, whereas rolled oats will last better in the fridge. Steel cut oats can be an option, but I don’t recommend it as it requires a longer soaking time to break them down. They don’t absorb as much of the liquid overnight, so you won’t have a grab-and-go breakfast ready in time the next morning.
Greek yogurt — to help with the creaminess of the overnight oats, the yogurt gives the overnight oats a creamy texture. Using Greek yogurt will add some extra protein to the overnight oats compared to regular yogurt (see this post on Greek yogurt vs regular yogurt to learn more!).
milk — you can use any water or milk of your choice, from cow’s milk to non-dairy milk. Check out my homemade almond milk recipe or homemade cashew milk made with cashew butter If you don’t have milk, you can make it with water, like my overnight oats with water recipe. If you want to add even more protein naturally to the PB&J overnight oats, you can buy high protein milk!
chia seeds — chia seeds come in both black and white seeds, but there is no difference in nutritional content. I personally just buy whichever is on sale or the bag that’s cheapest at the store. When they absorb the milk and Greek yogurt, it helps thicken the overnight oats.
peanut butter — can’t have a peanut butter and jelly recipe without pb! I recommend using natural, runny peanut butter to prevent it from clumping. Natural pb blends much more smoothly in the overnight oats. I also like to add a bit more peanut butter to the glass to make it look pretty but you don’t have to do that.
maple syrup — maple syrup is my preferred sweetener, but you can use your favorite one, such as honey. Make sure you are using real maple syrup and not pancake syrup. Real maple syrup comes straight from trees, whereas pancake syrup is usually made with corn syrup. If you like a deeper flavor, sometimes I like to use dark maple syrup.
vanilla extract — I recommend using real vanilla extract and not artificial extract for the best flavor.
salt — just a pinch of kosher salt to help balance out the flavors.
jam — you can use chia jam (check out my homemade raspberry chia jam recipe or strawberry chia jam recipe! *links coming soon*) or regular jam for that fun jelly flavor! I usually use my homemade one as it doesn’t take a lot of effort to make and there isn’t a lot of added sugar, but regular store-bought jam can be used in a pinch! Run out of jam? Check out my creamy peanut butter banana overnight oats recipe!
How to Make Peanut Butter & Jelly Overnight Oats
- To a large bowl, add the rolled oats, Greek yogurt, milk, chia seeds, peanut butter, maple syrup, vanilla extract, and salt.
- Stir until well combined.
- Cover with a lid or plastic and refrigerate for at least 4 hours or overnight.
- When ready to enjoy, layer with overnight oats into jars by filling a third of the jar with the overnight oats, then add 2 tablespoons of jam on top, and finish off the jar with the remaining overnight over top of the jam. Top with extra jam and/or berries, peanuts, or your toppings of choice before serving.
Recipe Tips and Notes
- If you don’t have Greek yogurt, you can use applesauce (check out my homemade unsweetened applesauce recipe) or mashed bananas in a pinch, but you won’t get the same amount of protein, and you’ll get the added apple or banana flavor.
- I like to add a tablespoon of hemp hearts since there’s always a giant Costco-sized bag in my kitchen and I’m always looking for ways to use up the hemp hearts that isn’t just adding them to my yogurt and peanut butter bowls.
- For an on-to-go meal, I like to store the protein overnight oats in mason jars. 16-ounce wide-mouth mason jars are great if you plan on adding toppings, so you don’t spill anything. I also LOVE a good weck jar.
- If you want to add more protein, you can add a scoop of protein powder to the overnight oats! I would go with vanilla or peanut flavor to keep it on the PB&J theme.
- Make sure to stir the overnight oats layer well, as chia seeds can clump up.
- If you want to make your overnight oats thicker, I recommend adding more chia seeds or overnight oats and giving it more time to soak.
- If you want to thin out overnight oats that are too thick, add more milk or yogurt! You can just stir it in before eating, no need to set it to sit longer.
- While you do need peanut butter for a classic PB&J, you can also use a different nut butter if that’s what you have on hand! I’ve made it with my homemade cashew butter before! Alternatively, check out my post on how to make peanut butter at home if you want to just make some instead!
Make Ahead Tips
- Meal prep: store the overnight oats without any toppings in an airtight container for up to 5 days in the fridge.
- Freezer: to freeze overnight oats, portion out the oats in small containers, then freeze! Thaw the overnight oats in the fridge for 6-8 hours/overnight before you’d like to eat them. You can store overnight oats in the freezer for up to 2 months.
Peanut Butter and Jelly Overnight Oats Recipe
Ingredients
- 2 cups rolled oats
- 2 cups milk
- 1 cup Greek yogurt
- 4 tablespoons chia seeds
- 8 tablespoons peanut butter, plus extra for smudging onto the jar.
- 4 tablespoons maple syrup
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 pinch salt
- 8 tablespoons chia seed jam, plus more for topping
Equipment
- Mason jars
Instructions
- Combine all of the ingredients but the chia seed jam in a bowl and stir until well combined.
- Cover with a lid or plastic and refrigerate for at least 3 hours or overnight.
- When ready to enjoy, layer with overnight oats into jars by filling a third of the jar with the overnight oats, add 2 tablespoons of jam on top, then finish off the jar with the remaining overnight over top of the jam. Top with extra jam and/or berries, peanuts.
Nutrition Per Serving
This post was originally written on August 20, 2020, and was updated with new photos and some recipe edits on March 21, 2025. In the four years, my obsession with these overnight oats has not waned, and this is still one of my favorite overnight oats recipes!
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