These Chocolate Overnight Oats with Chia Seeds & Warm Strawberry Vanilla Sauce{gluten free, vegan, low FODMAP} are the ultimate healthy “dessert for breakfast” treat!
You can thank my Aunt Judy, my daughter SiSi, and Raymond Reddington for these scrumptious, heart healthy Vegan Chocolate Overnight Oats with Chia Seeds & Warm Strawberry Vanilla Sauce. Mmmm….
First my Aunt Judy. She’s the best! And, she’s also one of my biggest Spicy RD fans who shares my newsletter with all of her friends. Thank You Aunt Judy!!! She recently emailed me asking if I had any recommendations for heart healthy foods to help lower cholesterol…
Hi EA,
Do you have any recommendations on how to lower cholesterol via food intake versus medication? Or do you know a good website I can visit that addresses this?
THANKS
PS Glad you had fun skiing. And we loved the thank you notes from the kids. ♥
So, for you, Aunt Judy, here’s a list of some of my favorite heart healthy foods to help lower cholesterol…
No. 1 | OATS
They’re a good source of beta-glucans, a type of soluble fiber which helps lower LDL cholesterol. As a bonus, oats are a prebiotic food with resistant starch {like in my Happy Belly Brownie Bites with Green Banana Flour}, to help feed a healthy gut microbiome!
Try It!–> Oatmeal Peanut Butter Chia Breakfast Cookies
No. 2 | BEANS, LENTILS, & LEGUMES
Another great source of soluble fiber, and microbiome friendly to boot! Tip–> Eating 5-10 grams of soluble fiber each day can reduce LDL Cholesterol by ~5%.
Try It!–> Black Bean Walnut Brownies
No. 3 | CHIA SEEDS
Although studies on lowering cholesterol with chia seeds are mixed, they are a good plant-source of omega-3 fatty acids which may help lower triglycerides, decrease the risk of arrhythmias {abnormal heartbeats}, & lower blood pressure.
Try It!–> Ginger Matcha Green Tea Infused Chia Pudding
No. 4 | NUTS
They contain antioxidant rich vitamin E and phytochemicals, along with arginine, a nonessetial amino acid that helps keep arterial walls nice and pliable. Aim for 5+ ounces of nuts per week-an amount that has been linked to a 35-50 % decrease in heart disease incidence and death.
Try It–> Mexican Chocolate Almond Butter
No. 5 | STRAWBERRIES, CITRUS, APPLES
Rich in pectins, another type of soluble fiber that helps lower LDL cholesterol, strawberries, citrus fruits, and apples are all on my list of favorite heart healthy foods!
Try It!–> Sunshine Chocolate Covered Orange Slices
For more heart healthy foods, check out this list of 11 foods that lower cholesterol + a list of foods to cut back on too!
Second, my sweet daughter Sisi. She just finished her week long experiment following a vegan diet, based on a bet she made with her Grandpa Gil, who didn’t think she would stick to it. Grandpa Gil, if you’re reading this, it’s time to pay up!
And, while she doesn’t plan on staying on a vegan diet at this time, {she’s been following a vegetarian diet for the past year}, she did discover some new vegan foods she really enjoys, including veggie burgers, almond milk, Hail Merry Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough Bites {who can blame her!}, and this dairy-free, probiotic rich So Delicious Coconut Milk Yogurt that I incorporated deliciously into these Chocolate Overnight Oats with Chia Seeds, along with one of her all-time favorite fruits-strawberries!
And, last but not least, Raymond Reddington. If you have NO CLUE whatsoever who Raymond Reddington is, you clearly have never watched The Blacklist, one of my current binge shows on Netflix. And he’s also the inspiration for these Vegan Chocolate Overnight Oats, simply because I was watching The Blacklist last night, right before bed, when I suddenly had the urge to run to the kitchen and make them.
I am SO glad that I did.
So, here’s my heart healthy vegan Chocolate Overnight Oats recipe for you Aunt Judy, SiSi, and Raymond.
And, for the rest of you too. Enjoy!
Chocolate Overnight Oats w/ Strawberry Vanilla Sauce
Ingredients
- 1/3 cup gluten free oats
- 1 container So Delicious Chocolate Coconut Yogurt, or 5 ounces of your favorite chocolate yogurt
- 1/2 cup non-dairy milk, of choice
- 1 tablespoon chia seeds
- 1/8 teaspoon salt
- 1 cup strawberries, frozen & thawed or fresh
- 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- 1 teaspoon pure maple syrup
- 1 pinch salt
- Cacao Nibs, optional, for serving
Instructions
Make The Oats
- Place oats, yogurt, milk, chia seeds, and salt in a glass jar or bowl. Set in refrigerator overnight, or for 3-4 hours, until oats are softened. If using frozen strawberries, place them in the refrigerator too, and allow to thaw overnight, or defrost them in the microwave before making the compote.
Make the Warm Strawberry Vanilla Sauce
- Heat a saucepan over medium heat. Add thawed strawberries and saute for ~ 1minute, then mash with a fork or potato masher. Stir in maple syrup and vanilla, and cook for an additional 1-2 minutes.
To Serve
- Top the overnight oats with the strawberry compote, and sprinkle cacao nibs on top if desired.
Notes
Nutrition
Here are a few more recipes with strawberries, oats, and chocolate I think you’ll love!
Let’s chat! What are your favorite heart healthy foods? Have you tried chocolate overnight oats before? If so, what are your favorite toppings to put on them? Have you watched The Blacklist? Any favorite “binge worthy shows” you recommend???
Hi There! I’m EA, a registered dietitian nutritionist (RDN) in sunny San Diego. I create easy, DELICIOUS gluten free recipes & low FODMAP recipes for a wide variety of diets. Learn more about my nutrition philosophy and my nutrition coaching for digestive health, autoimmune disease, wellness nutrition, & vibrant aging. Sign up for my newsletter, or get in touch~I’d love to connect with you!
Chocolate and strawberries for breakfast, yes please! This chocolate overnight oats with chia seeds looks like the perfect way to start any day!
Aren’t these pretty! I love the idea of planning for breakfast the night before so that I have a healthy option first thing in the morning. These are so decadent I might save some for dessert too!
Wow where do I even begin?! Everything about this sounds like my ideal way to start the day!
A fun (and heart-healthy) Valentines breakfast maybe? love the chocolate and strawberry.
This looks like the ideal way to start the day off. I miss breakfast altogether more often that I should admit, or just have a hot cocoa with mushroom powder stirred in from FreshCap Mushrooms. I adore So Delicious coconut yogurt!!! I’m saving this to make this week for breakfast one day. Thanks so much, and thanks for all the healthy ideas!
This looks amazing! Love the addition of the strawberry vanilla compote, very creative!
My favorite flavor profile! Chocolate + strawberries rock!
This looks so yummy! I’m glad to know that coconut milk is low FODMAP – I figured that it probably was, but wasn’t positive since canned coconut milk is fine but bottled refrigerated coconut milk is not. What are your thoughts on almond yogurt (made from almond milk) on the low FODMAP diet? (Specifically during the elimination phase). Most of the resources I’ve seen only list normal lactose-free yogurt as low FODMAP, but I’m guessing that’s partially because some of these other types of yogurts are so new to the market?
Honestly, I do not like Chia seeds. They make my stomach upset. Hope you can suggest some alternative.
No worries! You can just omit them, or, if you want some additional fiber, add in hemp seeds, sunflower seeds, or your favorite nuts. Hope you try it-enjoy!
Quick, delicious and healthy! That’s my kind of breakfast! Did I mention, I love yogurt! And as far as binge worthy shows, Game of Thrones would be my favorite!
Wow! This post is so fun and filled with so much great information! Plus that recipe!!! Oh my! I can’t wait to try it!
This looks delicious EA! I have never tried chocolate yogurt, but I have a lot of cocoa powder in my pantry and thinking that will work perfectly added to yogurt and oats and strawberries. Such a delicious treat for the morning!
I love this post! First off way to go to your daughter for sticking to it- I love winning bets! I just tried OO for my first time two weeks ago and loved them! I obviously added pb2 but chia seeds and strawberries too- so delicious! I highly recommend The Good Wife on Netflix, it’s a LONG series but I am almost through over 100 episodes haha and dying to know how it end!!! Fingers crossed its good 🙂
Thanks so much Liz! I’m super of proud of my daughter for sticking to her plan 🙂 I can’t believe you JUST tried Overnight Oats, but now that you have your lifetime supply of PB Powder, I’m sure they’ll become a staple in your diet! I need to watch The Good Wife-thanks for the tip!
YUM! This is definitely my kind of breakfast!
Hi Casey! So glad you stopped by 🙂 I think you will love this-I can’t wait to eat it again! Cheers!