This is breakfast that tastes like you made something for yourself. Not a protein shake, not a sad desk situation. Actual strawberry cheesecake in a jar, ready and waiting in the fridge when you wake up.
The cream cheese is what does it. Most overnight oat recipes skip it, which is why most overnight oat recipes taste like yogurt with fruit. A quarter cup of softened cream cheese blended into the base gives you that tangy, slightly rich flavor that makes this taste like the filling of an actual cheesecake rather than just a flavored breakfast.
Blend everything together the night before, divide into jars, and wake up to four servings ready to go. Twenty grams of protein per jar, seven grams of fiber, and enough strawberry flavor that the graham cracker topping feels earned.
Love overnight oats for meal prep?
Try carrot cake overnight oats, peanut butter overnight oats, or blueberry overnight oats next.
The best part about overnight oats is that there are so many different ways to make them. If you’re a big breakfast fan like me, you’ll want to try them all.
Get started with a few of our favorites like these carrot cake overnight oats, pumpkin pie overnight oats, peanut butter overnight oats, or blueberry overnight oats.
If you enjoy a baked oatmeal recipe, next time you get out your oats, try this easy blueberry baked oatmeal.
What Makes These Worth Making
- Four jars of breakfast ready in 15 minutes tonight. That’s the whole pitch.
- The cream cheese is the differentiator here. Most overnight oat recipes are basically oats soaked in flavored milk. Blending cream cheese into the base creates a texture that’s thick and creamy rather than watery, and a flavor that actually tastes like cheesecake rather than oatmeal with ambitions.
- They keep in the fridge for five days, which means you can make them Sunday night and have breakfast handled through Thursday. Add the graham cracker crumble right before eating so it stays crunchy. That contrast of creamy cold oats and a little crunch is the part that makes these feel like a treat rather than a chore.
Ingredients You Need
Here are the simple ingredients for these strawberry cheesecake overnight oats. Most are pantry staples and easy (and affordable) to find in grocery stores. Jump down to the recipe card for exact measurements.
- Strawberries: Half a cup gets blended directly into the base, which is what gives the oats their pale pink color and fresh berry flavor. The other half goes in chopped, so you get actual pieces of strawberry in every bite. Fresh or frozen both work.
- Plant milk: Any unsweetened milk works here. Almond, oat, soy, cashew. Unsweetened keeps the sweetness balanced since the maple syrup handles that on its own.
- Maple syrup: A tablespoon adds just enough sweetness without making these taste sugary. Honey works too.
- Greek yogurt: Adds protein and a creamy tang that plays into the cheesecake flavor. Use plain for the cleanest taste. Plant-based works if needed.
- Cream cheese: This is what makes these taste like cheesecake instead of just strawberry oats. Quarter cup, softened so it blends smoothly. Kite Hill dairy-free cream cheese has been tested and works well. Cashew butter is a fine substitute if you’re avoiding cream cheese entirely, but the cheesecake flavor won’t be as pronounced.
- Rolled oats: Old-fashioned rolled oats only. Quick oats turn mushy overnight. Steel-cut oats stay too chewy and require at least ten hours. Bob’s Red Mill certified gluten-free rolled oats work perfectly if needed.
- Chia seeds: Two tablespoons thicken the mixture as it sits and add fiber without changing the flavor at all.
- Vanilla protein powder: Optional but worth it. Two to three scoops of vanilla protein powder blend in smoothly and push each jar to around 20 grams of protein. If you add it, you’ll need an extra quarter cup of milk to account for the thickness. Start with a quarter cup and add more if the mixture looks too thick before it goes in the fridge.
Tip: Use any leftover rolled oats to make homemade oat flour for oat flour banana bread or oat flour pancakes.
How to Make Strawberry Cheesecake Overnight Oats
The full printable recipe is below, but let’s walk through the steps with some photos and a video so you have a clear idea of what to expect. This strawberry cheesecake overnight oats recipe is really easy and these step-by-step instructions will make sure it turns out every time.
Step 1. Blend the base: Add half a cup of the strawberries, the milk, maple syrup, vanilla, Greek yogurt, and cream cheese to a blender or food processor. Blend until smooth and the mixture turns a light, even pink. There shouldn’t be any visible strawberry pieces at this stage.
Step 2. Combine with the dry ingredients: Add the rolled oats, chia seeds, salt, and protein powder if using to a large bowl. Pour the blended strawberry mixture over everything and stir until evenly combined. The mixture will look loose and slightly runny. That’s correct. The oats and chia seeds absorb the liquid as they chill.
Step 3. Add the rest of the strawberries: Fold in the remaining half cup of chopped strawberries. These stay chunky, so you get actual berry pieces rather than just berry flavor throughout.
Step 4. Divide and chill: Pour the mixture evenly into four or five jars with lids. Refrigerate for at least six hours, but overnight is better. When they’re ready, the oats will be thick and pudding-like, not soupy. If they seem too thick in the morning, stir in a splash of milk to loosen them up.
Step 5. Top and serve: Crush graham crackers or Simple Mills Honey Cinnamon Sweet Thins directly over the jar right before eating. Add a spoonful of strawberry jam and a few fresh strawberry slices. The crunch against the cold, creamy oats is the part people come back for.
Recipe FAQs
Yes, that’s the whole point. The oats need at least six hours to absorb the liquid and thicken properly. Make them before bed and they’re ready when you wake up.
Stir in an extra tablespoon of rolled oats and give them another hour in the fridge. The oats will absorb the extra liquid.
You can, but they’ll stay chewier than rolled oats even after soaking. If you go that route, let them soak for at least ten hours. They’ll continue to soften over the next few days in the fridge.
Yes. Transfer to a microwave-safe bowl and heat in 30-second increments, stirring between each one, until warm. Add the strawberry and graham cracker toppings after heating.
Up to five days in the fridge in a sealed jar. The texture actually gets better on day two as everything continues to meld.
What to Drink with Strawberry Cheesecake Overnight Oats
An easy breakfast recipe needs a drink to go with it and to kickstart your morning. Keep the strawberry theme going and mix up your very own Starbucks Pink Drink.
If it’s iced coffee you prefer, make vanilla sweet cream cold foam at home and top your favorite cold brew with it.
More of a matcha fan? This matcha collagen latte is the perfect hot drink to get your morning started. Or try this iced matcha latte, which is the perfect iced coffee alternative.
Storage Tips
Store in airtight jars in the fridge for up to five days. The flavor and texture improve after the first night, which makes these genuinely worth making on Sunday for the whole week.
Add the graham cracker topping right before eating, not before storing. Crackers stored in the oats overnight go soft and lose their texture. Everything else can sit in the jar as long as you want.
Do not freeze. The texture of the oats and chia seeds changes after thawing in a way that doesn’t recover.
If you make this recipe, I’d love for you to give it a star rating ★ below. You can also tag me on Instagram so I can see it!
More Oatmeal Recipes
If you love overnight oats as an alternative to the traditional bowl of oatmeal, be sure to try these blueberry oatmeal bars or banana baked oatmeal to add to the rotation.
If you have extra oats and want something a little different, these peanut butter protein energy bites and peanut butter protein bars are perfect for grabbing on the go.
Strawberry Cheesecake Overnight Oats
Save this Recipe!
Ingredients
- 1 cup diced fresh or frozen strawberries divided
- 2 1/3 cups plant milk any kind
- 1 tablespoon maple syrup
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1/2 cup greek yogurt plant-based if needed
- 1/4 cup softened cream cheese dairy-free if needed or cashew butter (Note 1)
- 2 cups rolled oats certified gluten-free if needed (Note 2)
- 2 Tablespoons chia seeds
- 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
- 2-3 scoops vanilla protein powder optional (Note 3)
- Toppings: Crushed graham crackers, crushed Simple Mills Honey Cinnamon Sweet Thins, strawberry jam (Note 4)
Instructions
- Place 1/2 cup of the strawberries, all of the milk, maple syrup, vanilla, greek yogurt, and cream cheese or nut butter in a food processor or high speed blender. Blend until smooth and all of the strawberries are broken down. The mixture should be a light pink color.
- Add the rolled oats to a large bowl with the chia seeds, salt, and optional protein powder and mix well. Pour in the strawberry mixture and mix with a wooden spoon or rubber spatula until well combined. Add the remaining 1/2 cup of chopped strawberries. Stir to distribute the strawberries into the oats. The mixture will be slightly runny. See recipe note 5 for mixing it in individual jars.
- Divide the oats into 4-5 separate jars with a lid, like a mason jar, and store in the fridge for at least 6 hours or overnight. The oats and chia seeds will have absorbed the milk and become thick like pudding when it’s done.
- When you’re ready to serve, top them with crushed crackers, strawberry jam, and/or fresh chopped strawberries.
Notes
Video
Equipment
- High speed blender or food processor
- Large bowl or individual mason jars
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
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Could you use steel cut oats in this recipe?
Hi Nickie. You can, but they will be chewier than the rolled oats. I would recommend soaking for at least 10 hours before eating. They will soften a bit more as the week goes on.
This was amazing and such a fun way to make overnight oats.
Thank you!
How long does this keep? Id be only one eating this?
Up to 5 days!