Cinnamon Roll Overnight Oats

Craving cinnamon rolls but also a healthy breakfast? These cinnamon roll overnight oats are full of sweet cinnamon flavor while packing in protein and fiber for a nutritious breakfast treat! 

Cinnamon rolls are up there on my list of breakfast pastries I love to make (and eat!), but starting my day with a sugary sweet treat doesn’t work for every day. These cinnamon roll oats have an amazing sweet cinnamon flavor and are filling, fiber-rich, and loaded with protein for an easy breakfast recipe you’ll want to make again and again. 

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The cinnamon swirl uses just a touch of butter with brown sugar and cinnamon for the authentic cinnamon roll filling flavor, which makes this one of my favorite variations of my basic easy overnight oats recipe. 

While no, they’re not actual cinnamon buns, these cinnamon roll oats are a delicious and healthy breakfast recipe to start any day, even busy mornings that you barely have time to eat. 

You can easily make a large batch to meal prep for the week or make a single serving the night ahead. With 9 grams of fiber and 24 grams of protein for the entire recipe, these cinnamon overnight oats will stick with you all morning long!

Want to switch up your meal prep? Try my other overnight oat recipes, like carrot cake overnight oatmeal, blueberry overnight oats, apple pie overnight oats!

Jump to:

• Why You’ll Love This Recipe
• 🛒 Key Ingredients
• 🥣 Step by Step Instructions
• 🗯 Tips and Tricks
• 🛍Substitutions
• 🍽 Equipment
• 🍲Make ahead and storage instructions
• 🍲 Recipe

Why You’ll Love This Recipe

• With 9 grams of fiber and 24 grams of protein in one recipe, it’s a high protein high fiber hearty breakfast option. 
• The cinnamon swirl with butter, brown sugar, and cinnamon adds an authentic cinnamon roll flavor. 
• These are simple to meal prep for an easy, healthy, on-the-go breakfast all week long. 
• While they’re not a cinnamon roll, this recipe is perfect for a sweet treat craving any time of day. 
• Easy to make vegan or dairy-free by swapping the type of milk, yogurt, and butter

🛒 Key Ingredients

• Rolled oats: Provides the base of the recipe. Old-fashioned, aka rolled oats, have a hearty texture that gets nice and doughy when it absorbs the milk and yogurt. Plus, it adds tons of fiber and plant protein! 
• Milk: Adds creaminess and helps soften the oats overnight, and also adds protein. I use 1% dairy milk. 
• Plain Greek yogurt: Boosts the protein content and adds a tangy creaminess that complements the sweet flavors and contributes to the doughy, thicker texture. 
• Chia seeds: Thickens the oat mixture while adding extra fiber, omega-3 fatty acids, and a satisfying texture.
• Cinnamon: The real star of this recipe adding the signature warm, cozy flavors you love in classic cinnamon rolls.
• Brown sugar: Adds a touch of sweetness.  
• Vanilla extract: Enhances the overall flavor with a subtle vanilla flavor. 
• Butter: Adds richness and helps create the swirl, giving the oats a decadent buttery flavor.

See recipe card for quantities.

🥣 Step by Step Instructions

1. Add all ingredients to a mixing bowl or mason jar and mix or shake well until thoroughly combined.
2. Cover and refrigerate for at least 4 hours or overnight.
3. To add the cinnamon swirl, melt the butter in a small dish, then stir in the brown sugar and cinnamon. Swirl into the top of the oats either before refrigerating or just before eating.

🗯 Tips and Tricks

Here are some tips and tricks to make the best cinnamon roll overnight oats! 

• Prepare in batches: If you’re meal prepping, make multiple servings at once by using the recipe multiplier in the recipe card. These oats keep well in the fridge for up to 3-5 days, making them the perfect grab-and-go breakfast throughout the week.
• Four hours is the minimum time to soak, but the longer you let them sit, the creamier and more doughy they’ll become. If they seem a little dry or too thick, just add a splash more of milk and stir. 

🛍Substitutions

• Make it gluten-free: This recipe is already gluten-free, just make sure you use certified gluten-free oats. 
• Make it dairy-free: Replace the milk with a plant-based milk like almond milk, coconut milk, oat milk, or soy milk. Swap the Greek yogurt for a dairy-free yogurt like coconut or soy milk and use dairy-free butter. 
• Swap the sweetener: Brown sugar goes well with cinnamon as it has a deeper flavor than regular sugar. You can get this same warmth by using coconut sugar or date sugar. 
• Reduce the sugar: If made as is, this recipe has 3 teaspoons of added sugars. You can easily cut this down by reducing the brown sugar, which will also cut down the sweetness, or swap the brown sugar for a non-nutritive sweetener like stevia, monk fruit, or allulose. 
• Swap the oats: old fashioned oats work best, but you could make this recipe with quick oats or even steel cut oats. For quick oats, you may need to reduce the liquid, and you’ll need more milk and a longer soaking time for steel-cut oats (and the final result will be much chewier). 
• Switch up the toppings: Use your favorite toppings like raisins, nuts, or chocolate chips, or even make an easy cream cheese frosting by mixing a spoonful of whipped cream cheese with a spoonful of powdered sugar! 
• Add a little crunch: For added texture, top your oats with chopped nuts, such as pecans or walnuts, just before serving. 
• Give it a protein boost: If you want even more protein, consider adding a scoop of protein powder or swapping the milk for a vanilla protein shake.  

🍽 Equipment

Making this cinnamon roll overnight oats recipe is seriously simple. Just mix and refrigerate, and if you want to add the cinnamon swirl, it only takes an extra few minutes of prep.  Here are a few pieces of equipment that might make the process a little easier. 

• 12-ounce jars with plastic lids for storing individual portions
• Silicone spatula set for mixing
• Large glass bowls for making these oats in batches

🍲Make ahead and storage instructions

Cinnamon roll overnight oatmeal is perfect for making ahead as a meal prep breakfast. You can easily make a big batch on the weekend, store it in a large airtight container or individual jars, and eat it for a hearty breakfast or snacks throughout the week. 

This recipe will stay good for up to 5 days in the refrigerator (as long as your milk and yogurt isn’t about to spoil right before you use it!). 

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🍲 Recipe

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