Name: Black Forest Creamy Oats (Vegan GF)
Prep time: 10 min
Total time: 10 min
Yield: 2
Cuisine: British
Ingredients: 160g fresh cherries (pitted weight); 1 tbsp maple or agave syrup; 2 tbsp white chia seeds; 80g oats; 200ml boiling water; 30g vegan chocolate protein powder; 2-3 tbsp cocoa or cacao powder; 1 ripe banana; 1 tbsp each: chia seeds, flaxseeds, hemp seeds; 60g thick coconut yoghurt; 80ml plant-based milk; 2 tbsp cacao nibs; 100g thick coconut yoghurt; Extra cacao nibs, cherries and cocoa powder; 2 tbsp cherry molasses (or syrup)

desserts

lunch & dinner

breakfast

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These Black Forest Creamy Oats are perfect for breakfast and taste like dessert. With a rich and chocolatey protein oat mix, homemade cherry chia jam and whipped coconut yoghurt, these are healthy, vegan and gluten-free.

I am back with another 10-minute vegan breakfast recipe and these ones taste so much like dessert, I cannot believe they are healthy, packed with nutrition and so easy to make. I love chocolate, cherry and (coconut) cream together aka the holy grail of Black Forest and after cakes, tarts and tiramisu, I wanted to make a recipe I could eat every day – and trust me, I had these on repeat for a week.

A jar of Black Forest Creamy Oats with cherries and a spoon — Black Forest Creamy Oats

Why will I love these oats?

These breakfast oats are amazing:

Rich chocolatey and so delicious
Fruity, fresh and creamy
Packed with good-for-you ingredients
Wholesome, healthy and high in protein
Naturally vegan, gluten-free and high fibre
Also nut-free and soya-free
Easy to make on the day or ahead of time
Great for meal prep
Make for one or for a crowd
Perfect in summer or winter
Keep you full all morning

If you already love the sound of these oats then skip ahead to the recipe card below. Or, first let’s discuss the recipe in more detail.

A jar with cherry jam at the bottom — A jar with cherry jam

A jar with cherry jam and yoghurt inside — A jar with cherry jam

What ingredients do I need?

The ingredient list is simple and is based off my other quick oat recipes. You can see my favourites in the “shop the recipe” section below.

For the quick cherry jam:

Cherries: I prefer fresh in the summer as they taste so good. But you can use frozen, just allow them to defrost first.
Maple syrup: or agave for a little sweetness and sticky texture.
Chia seeds: I’ve used white ones to keep the colour of the cherries brighter but black chia seeds are also great.

And for the oats:

Oats: make sure they are gluten-free, where needed.
Boiling water: this helps to soften the oats without the need for cooking or overnight soaking.
Vegan chocolate protein powder: this adds chocolatey flavour, sweetness and a thick and creamy texture. I use the Macromike chocolate protein powder, there are a few like chocolate hazelnut, deluxe chocolate or chocolate salted caramel. My code AMB-AMY saves you 10%.
Cocoa or cacao powder: for the rich chocolate flavour. Make sure your powder is 100% raw cocoa or cacao powder for the best quality.
Banana: for natural sweetness and also toa dd fibre and a boost of goodness. You can use applesauce if you prefer.
Seeds: for thickening the mix I use chia and flaxseed and then for added goodness I use hemp seeds. Don’t skip the chia or flax (or double up on one if you don’t have both) but you can swap the hemp seeds for another seed, if you prefer.
Plant-based milk: use your fabourite dairy-free milk here like oat, rice, coconut or almond.
Thick coconut yoghurt: for the creamiest oats, use the best yogurt you can find. I love the Cocos Organic natural or vanilla yoghurt as it’s so thick and creamy.
Cacao nibs: these add crunch inside that I love.

Piping coconut cream on top of oats and jam — Piping coconut cream on top of Black Forest Creamy Oats

Sprinkling cacao powder over Black Forest Creamy Oats — Piping coconut cream on top of Black Forest Creamy Oats

For serving:

Cherry molasses: this is a bit of an extra ingredient that makes these jars super fancy and feel like a dessert. I have a sour cherry molasses which is so sticky, sour but sweet and so delicious but you can use extra maple or agave syrup on top.

Are these gluten-free and nut-free?

Yes these are naturally gluten-free, just make sure your oats are certified gluten-free. These are also nut-free as long as your milk, yoghurt and chocolate are nut-free.

A spoon of chocolate oats with cherry on top — Black Forest Creamy Oats

The top of a jar of Black Forest Creamy Oats with cherries and cream — Black Forest Creamy Oats

How do I make them?

These are easy to make:

Blend together the cherry chia jam ingredients: until sticky and jammy.
Soak the oats in boiling water: and leave for 5 minutes.
Blend together the oat ingredients: until creamy.
Stir in the cacao nibs: until chocolatey.
Layer up the jars with jam, yoghurt and oats: and top with more cherries.
Drizzle over the cherry molasses or syrup: and enjoy.

How long will they last?

These are great to make and eat on the same day or store in the fridge for 2-3 days, covered well.

Cherry molasses over Black Forest Creamy Oats — Cherry molasses and cherries on top of chocolate cream oats

What else can I make?

If you’re looking for more breakfast ideas, how about my: