M&M Cookies and Cream Overnight Oats Recipe

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A Kid at Heart

Now, just by looking at these wonderful cookies and cream overnight oats you’re probably having lots of memories. I know when I made these oats I totally had my inner child scream out for joy!

These overnight oats are any kid’s dream come true! We have M&M’s, chocolate, and a cookies and cream protein glaze to top this off. Whoa, what a crazy combo!

I don’t think I have to tell you how much I love chocolate. I have many oatmeal recipes with chocolate, such as these Chocolate Espresso Cheesecake Overnight Oats, Choco-Strawberry Protein Oatmeal, and Chocolate Banana Strawberry Overnight Oats. But when I made these overnight oats, I couldn’t remember the last time I had purchased M&M’s. I was really in the mood for snacking on one of my favorite treats, so M&M’s were on my grocery list! I saw them hanging around and thought they’d make oatmeal really colorful. They sure did!

I haven’t had many chocolate chip cookies using M&M’s, but I have to say they do look pretty and I’m sure they taste great. My favorite M&M color is, what’s yours? Be sure to let me know in the comments!

A Protein Cookies and Cream Glaze?

The reason why I’m topping these oats with this cookies and cream glaze is actually because I had some leftover glaze when I made these Cinnamon Pancakes with Cookies and Cream Glaze, and you can see the recipe for the glaze here. We’ve already got chocolate and M&Ms, so let’s go bananas with cookies and cream! The key to this glaze is the cookies and cream-flavored protein powder used. If you don’t have a cookies and cream protein powder, that’s okay! You could still make a cookies and cream glaze by modifying this cream cheese glaze and adding crushed Oreos. In fact, it’ll be even thicker than this glaze was! You’ll be adding this glaze on top of the oats in the morning so that you get that cookies and cream flavor, and it won’t be absorbed by the oats.

Tools Needed

• Large bowl
• Wooden spoon
• Measuring cups
• Measuring spoons

Ingredients for M&M Cookies and Cream Overnight Oats

These M&M cookies and cream overnight oats are quite easy to make and don’t need many ingredients! Of course, you’ll need to make the cookies and cream glaze, but that won’t take long, trust me!

Here’s what you’ll need:

• Greek yogurt
• Milk
• Quick oats
• Vanilla extract
• Banana
• Maple syrup
• M&M’s (can’t really do these oats without them)
• Dark chocolate pieces or chocolate chips
• Cookies and cream glaze

For this recipe, you’ll want to use Greek yogurt. Greek yogurt is nutritious because it’s packed with protein and helps with digestion. But I’m adding Greek yogurt not only for the nutritional benefits, but because it helps make the oats even creamier with the milk.

How to Make These M&M Cookies and Cream Overnight Oats

Let’s get onto the preparation! You’ll want to add the yogurt, milk, oats, and banana and stir. Then, add maple syrup and some M&M’s. We’re adding some M&M’s in the oats and then on top later for aesthetic reasons but also so that the oats really get the flavors from the M&M’s. It’ll also be lots of fun to have M&M’s in every single bite by having them mixed in and on top! Additionally, the M&m’s will bleed their color into the mixture. We actually want this to get that rainbow effect! Be sure not to stir the M&M’s too much, though, or else you’ll end up with a murky color which will ruin the look. Now, transfer to a mason jar or cover your bowl with plastic wrap and let it refrigerate for at least 4-6 hours or ideally overnight.

If you would like to prepare your cookies and cream glaze now, you can. Refrigerate in a separate bowl overnight. The cookies and cream glaze will last for about two days.

In the morning, pour the glaze on top of your oats. Add more M&M’s to get a nice pop of color, your favorite chocolate, and more maple syrup if desired. Then, grab a big spoon and get your inner child out with this extremely fun breakfast! I know this was so much fun to make and I loved the result! I’m sure you’ll love this too for a unique and delicious start to your morning!

Tips, Make-Ahead and Variations

These overnight oats are the ultimate meal prep for busy mornings — a few simple ingredients stirred together the night before and you wake up to breakfast that is ready to go. Spoon everything into a mason jar or a bowl with a lid (or any airtight container) and let it rest in the fridge for at least 4-6 hours, ideally overnight, so the quick oats soften and soak up the milk. Love a thicker, creamier texture? Add an extra spoonful of plain Greek yogurt or hold back a little milk; if you prefer it loose and pourable, just stir in more liquid in the morning. A splash of vanilla deepens the chocolate flavor, and the plain Greek yogurt keeps it extra creamy while adding protein.

Make it your own. Swap the dairy milk for almond milk or oat milk to keep things plant-based, and sweeten to taste with maple syrup or honey. For even more crunch, fold in a handful of chocolate chips or crush a couple of classic cookies — Oreo cookies are perfect here and lean right into that cookies and cream flavor. Save some M&M's and a sprinkle of crushed Oreos for the very top so every bite has that fun, colorful crunch.

Cookies and Cream Overnight Oats FAQ

What This Overnight Oats Recipe Is Not

Every overnight oats recipe here on the blog ends up getting compared with every other one, so it is worth saying plainly what this one leaves out.

There is no peanut butter in it. That is deliberate — the creamy element here is the cookies and cream glaze, made with cream cheese and cookies and cream protein powder, and peanut butter would fight it rather than help. If peanut butter is what you are after, that belongs in a different bowl of oats.

There are no chia seeds either. Quick oats and 1/4 cup of plain Greek yogurt do all the thickening on their own over 4-6 hours in the fridge. If you like your oats set firmer than that, a tablespoon of chia seeds stirred in the night before will do it — that is a change to the recipe as written rather than part of it, and you will want a splash more milk alongside it.

And there is no microwave anywhere in the method. These are eaten cold, straight out of the jar, which is the entire point of making them the night before. You can warm a jar through if a cold breakfast is not for you, but the glaze still goes on afterwards — it is a topping, not something to heat.

On sweetening: maple syrup to taste is what the recipe card lists, honey behaves the same way, and coconut sugar is fine if you would rather use a granulated sweetener. It simply will not dissolve into cold oats as cleanly as a liquid one does, so stir it into the milk first.