If cheesecake for breakfast sounds like your idea of a good time, you’re gonna flip for my easy Berry Cheesecake Overnight Oats recipe! With a thick, fluffy layer of lemony whipped cottage cheese, these protein-packed overnight oats taste deliciously decadent, but they’re quite healthy — and you don’t need any protein powder to make them.
I don’t know about y’all, but mornings are not my strong suit. Falling asleep is hard, but clawing my way out of bed is even harder! But one thing that helps? A yummy, fuss-free breakfast that’s waiting for me to enjoy with a fancy homemade coffee.
While I have several go-to's — like my copycat Starbucks egg bites, banana blueberry oatmeal muffins, or chocolate chip banana breakfast bars) — these overnight protein oats are my current make-ahead breakfast obsession. I mean, they taste like cheesecake for goodness sake!
But, unlike other cheesecake overnight oats recipes that I’ve seen, I don’t use cream cheese. Not only does that mean they’re low-fat (just 7 grams per serving!), but my sneaky cottage cheese & yogurt swap ALSO means they’re packing plenty of protein. Better yet, they’re made with just 10 basic ingredients, most of which I’d bet you already have on hand. Huzzah!
Love cheesecake? Me too! Try my lazy girl’s cheesecake fruit dip, French cream cheese mousse, and strawberry cream cheese icebox cake next!
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Why You’ll Love This Berry Cheesecake Overnight Oats Recipe
- Meal-Prep Friendly - If you’re looking for a make-ahead breakfast option the whole family will love, this is IT. Whip up a batch on Sunday, then reap the rewards all week long.
- Nutritious & Delicious - These overnight protein oats taste absolutely dreamy, but their nutritional profile is shockingly virtuous. Each serving clocks in under 320 calories, has just 7 grams of fat and 9 grams of sugar, and boasts a whopping 20 grams of protein. If that’s not healthy, I don’t know what is!
- Allergen-Friendly - These lemon blueberry cheesecake overnight oats are naturally gluten-free, nut-free, seed-free, and egg-free. They’re also easy to make vegan/dairy-free, so pretty much anyone can eat them!
- So Stinkin’ Simple - All you need are 10 wholesome ingredients and 10 minutes. Cottage cheese cake overnight oats FTW!
Ingredients & Substitutions
Here’s everything you need to make crave-worthy high-protein overnight oats without protein powder:
- Old Fashioned Rolled Oats - These are by far the best choice for making cheesecake overnight oats. Quick or instant oats get too mushy, while steel-cut oats stay too firm.
- Unsweetened Almond Milk - Of the many types of milk out there these days, unsweetened almond milk has the lowest calorie count. Feel free to swap in the milk of your choice (e.g. soy milk or skim milk), but note that the nutrition facts will change if you do.
- Plain Greek Yogurt - I use full-fat Greek yogurt, though you can use low-fat or fat-free Greek yogurt if you prefer. Skyr also works!
- Monkfruit Sweetener - To prevent a sugar crash early in the day, I like using this sugar-free sweetener. You are welcome to use the sweetener of your choice, including but not limited to maple syrup, honey, coconut sugar, or stevia. If you use a different sweetener, add it to taste — some are much sweeter than others.
- Vanilla Extract - A splash of vanilla adds an aromatic warmth that amplifies the dessert vibes of these blueberry lemon cheesecake overnight oats. For a fun twist, try using a 50/50 mix of vanilla + almond extract. You can also use vanilla paste or vanilla powder in a 1:1 ratio.
- Kosher Salt - A little bit of salt helps to counteract all the sweetness. If you’re using another type of salt, this handy conversion chart can help you determine how much to add.
- Fresh Lemon - We’ll use both the lemon zest and lemon juice to add brightness. You’re welcome to experiment with other citrus fruits (e.g. lime, orange, or grapefruit).
- Cottage Cheese - Whipping cottage cheese with Greek yogurt creates a cheesecake-flavored layer that’s just as tasty as whipped cream cheese, but better for you. I prefer full-fat cottage cheese, but you’re welcome to use low-fat if that’s what you have on hand.
- Graham Crackers - We’ll crush a few up to make graham cracker crumbs to emulate a cheesecake crust. Feel free to use either honey grahams or cinnamon grahams. You can also use crushed graham cereal.
- Fresh or Frozen Blueberries - For added sweetness, texture, and color. Frozen berries are usually cheaper than fresh fruit, though prices for fresh may be cheaper when they’re in season.
- Cinnamon Sugar - Optional, but nice for a little extra flavor. I make mine with 1 part cinnamon to about 4 parts monkfruit or sugar.
How to Make Blueberry Cheesecake Overnight Oats
This make-ahead grab-and-go breakfast recipe is a snap. Here’s how to make it:
1. Make Lemon Cheesecake Oatmeal Layer
Step 1: Toast the oats in a large, dry skillet over medium heat. They should start to turn golden brown and become fragrant.
Step 2: Whisk together almond milk, plain Greek yogurt, monkfruit sweetener (or sweetener of choice), vanilla extract, kosher salt, and lemon zest in a medium mixing bowl until well combined.
Step 3: Add the toasted oats to the liquid mixture, stirring to combine.
Step 4: Rest. Either divvy the oat mixture into containers now or cover the mixing bowl and refrigerate until the oats are plumped, about 6-8 hours.
2. Make Cheesecake Layer
Step 1: Add all the cheesecake layer ingredients to a food processor fitted with the chopping blade. Blitz until smooth and creamy, about 45 seconds. Scrape down the sides, taste, and adjust with added salt or sweetener as needed, then blitz once more to combine.
3. Assemble & Serve
Step 1: Divide the oat mixture evenly between your serving containers. If you’re making them for later in the week, 8-ounce mason jars are perfect!
Step 2: Spoon the cheesecake mixture over the oats.
Step 3: Add berries on top.
Step 4: Garnish. Right before serving, sprinkle with some graham crumbles and a sprinkle of cinnamon sugar, if using. Enjoy!
Optional Variations & Dietary Adaptations
While I’m legit obsessed with this recipe for lemon berry cottage cheese overnight oats, I want you to be equally obsessed. Here are a few ways to tweak the recipe to your liking:
- Vegan/Dairy-Free - Simply use the plant-based yogurt and cottage cheese alternatives of your choice to make this a vegan-friendly breakfast.
- Gluten-Free - Make sure your rolled oats are certified gluten-free and swap in your favorite GF graham crackers.
- Swap Your Berries - Strawberry cheesecake overnight oats or raspberry cheesecake overnight oats are equally delicious! You can also use mixed berries if you prefer.
- Pumpkin Cheesecake Overnight Oats - If you eagerly await pumpkin spice season like I do, this fall-flavored twist is for you. Replace ¼ cup of the Greek yogurt in the oat layer with 100% pure puréed pumpkin and omit the lemon zest in favor of pumpkin pie spice. For the cheesecake layer, add ¼ cup of pumpkin purée and ½ teaspoon of pumpkin pie spice. You’re also welcome to replace up to ½ of the vanilla in both layers with maple extract. Then, instead of topping the whole thing with berries, try using a few tablespoons of chopped toasted pecans and a drizzle of maple syrup. YUM.
Expert Tips
Making overnight oats is a snap, but there are a few tricks you should know about:
- Don’t skip the toasting step. Yes, it takes a few extra minutes and dirties another pan (kinda), but the flavor is totally worth it. Toasting the oats gives them a yummy nutty complexity, and in my opinion, helps replace having a full graham cracker crust layer.
- Scrape the sides. You wanna blitz the heck out of the cottage cheese layer so it’s super smooth like cheesecake. I recommend scraping down the sides and bottom at least once, then blending it again.
- Sweeten to taste. My Mom’s cheesecake recipe is topped with a layer of tangy sour cream, so I lean towards using less sweetener to help emulate that. If you prefer yours sweeter, by all means, go for it!
- Using frozen berries is absolutely acceptable, but you should note that as they defrost, they release some juice. Just keep this in mind if you’re trying to eat on your commute. Take it from me: spilled blueberry juice is as potent as an exploded pen. 🤦♀️
Frequently Asked Questions
Quick oats and instant oats are great when you’re in a rush or holed up in a hotel, but overnight oats require a long spell in the fridge anyway. Since they’ve been par-cooked, quick oats cook up faster than rolled oats (so in this case, they get extra mushy) and they don’t have the same textural interest as old-fashioned oats. TL;DR? You *can* use quick oats to make these overnight oats, but they’ll be looser/mushier if you do.
This overnight protein oats recipe is made without any protein powder, relying instead on greek yogurt and cottage cheese for the protein. So, no – you don’t need protein powder in oats. If you want to add more protein to your overnight oats or oatmeal, you’re welcome to add chia seeds, flax seeds, or protein powder. But with 20 grams of protein per serving, I don’t feel the need to add any extra to these blueberry lemon overnight oats.
It depends on the recipe, but these blueberry cheesecake overnight oats have 20 grams per serving. Not too shabby!
Absolutely! This recipe for berry cheesecake overnight oats has zero chia or flax. That said, you’re welcome to add some if you like!
As far as I’m concerned, a mason jar filled with this oatmeal cheesecake deliciousness is a meal unto itself. But, since no breakfast is complete without coffee (right??), try serving it alongside a homemade pumpkin spice latte, spicy Mexican mocha, or the Starbucks copycat of your choice.
My preferred method is to store them in mason jars — they stack well in the fridge and are easy to take on the road. They should keep well in the fridge for 4-5 days. If possible, I recommend keeping the graham cracker crumbs separate until you’re ready to serve them. That way they add a bit of crunch.
More High-Protein Breakfast Recipes
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Berry Cheesecake Overnight Oats
Equipment
- Food Processor or high-speed blender
- Mason Jars optional, for portioning
Ingredients
Lemony Cheesecake Oat Layer
- 2 C Rolled Oats toasted
- 2 C Unsweetened Almond Milk or milk of choice
- 1 C Plain Greek Yogurt preferably full-fat; or vegan alternative
- 3-4 tablespoon Monkfruit Sweetener or sweetener of choice (e.g. maple syrup, honey, coconut sugar, brown sugar); add more or less to taste
- 1 teaspoon Vanilla Extract or 50/50 vanilla + almond; vanilla paste or powder also work
- ½ teaspoon Kosher Salt
- 1 teaspoon Lemon Zest from 1 small lemon; you'll use the juice in the next step
High-Protein Cheesecake Layer
- 1 C Cottage Cheese preferably full-fat; swap in vegan alternative if needed
- ½ C Plain Greek Yogurt preferably full-fat; or vegan alternative
- 1 teaspoon Vanilla Extract or 50/50 vanilla + almond; vanilla paste or powder also work
- 1 oz Lemon Juice from 1 small lemon
- 3-4 tablespoon Monkfruit Sweetener or sweetener of choice (e.g. maple syrup, honey, coconut sugar, brown sugar); add more or less to taste
For Serving
- 1-2 sheets Graham Crackers or graham cereal, crushed
- 1 C Blueberries fresh or frozen, or swap in the berries of your choice
- Cinnamon Sugar optional
Instructions
Make Oat Layer
- Toast 2 C Rolled Oats in a large, dry skillet over medium heat.
- Whisk together 2 C Unsweetened Almond Milk, 1 C Plain Greek Yogurt, 3-4 tablespoon Monkfruit Sweetener (or sweetener of choice), 1 teaspoon Vanilla Extract, ½ teaspoon Kosher Salt, and 1 teaspoon Lemon Zest in a medium mixing bowl until well combined.
- Add the toasted oats to the liquid mixture, stirring to combine.
- Either divvy into containers now, or cover the mixing bowl and refrigerate until the oats are plumped.
Make Cheesecake Layer
- Add 1 C Cottage Cheese, ½ C Plain Greek Yogurt, 1 teaspoon Vanilla Extract, 1 oz Lemon Juice, and 3-4 tablespoon Monkfruit Sweetener to a food processor fitted with the chopping blade.
- Blitz until smooth and creamy, about 45 seconds. Scrape down the sides, taste and adjust with added salt or sweetener as needed, then blitz once more to combine.
- You can refrigerate the cheesecake layer in a separate airtight container, or if your oats are already plumped, spoon the cheesecake evenly over the oats.
Assemble & Serve
- Layer plumped oats, cheesecake mixture, and berries in serving containers. Before serving, sprinkle with some graham crumbles and a sprinkle of cinnamon sugar, if using. Enjoy!
Notes
- For juicier, sweeter berries, briefly macerate them in a few teaspoons of sugar or the sweetener of your choice.
- Don't add the cheesecake layer on top of the oats until they've plumped if you want clearly defined layers.
- Wait to add the graham crackers till the end if you want a bit of crunch!
- Feel free to sweeten the oats and cheesecake to taste. I used Lakanto Monkfruit/Erithritol blend and only needed 3 tablespoons for each layer.
- Vegan/Dairy-Free - Simply use the plant-based yogurt and cottage cheese alternatives of your choice to make this a vegan-friendly breakfast.
- Gluten-Free - Make sure your rolled oats are certified gluten-free and swap in your favorite GF graham crackers.
- Swap Your Berries - Strawberry cheesecake overnight oats or raspberry cheesecake overnight oats are equally delicious! You can also use mixed berries if you prefer.
- Pumpkin Cheesecake Overnight Oats - If you eagerly await pumpkin spice season like I do, this fall-flavored twist is for you. Replace ¼ cup of the Greek yogurt in the oat layer with 100% pure puréed pumpkin and omit the lemon zest in favor of pumpkin pie spice. For the cheesecake layer, add ¼ cup of pumpkin purée and ½ teaspoon of pumpkin pie spice. You’re also welcome to replace up to ½ of the vanilla in both layers with maple extract. Then, instead of topping the whole thing with berries, try using a few tablespoons of chopped toasted pecans and a drizzle of maple syrup. YUM.
Nutrition
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