Birthday Cake Overnight Oats (High Protein Recipe)

These high protein birthday cake overnight oats taste like funfetti cake batter and come together in 5 minutes — 25 grams of protein per jar, no oven required.

Birthday cake overnight oats are a make-ahead breakfast made with rolled oats, Greek yogurt, vanilla protein powder, almond extract, and rainbow sprinkles — soaked overnight until creamy and cake-batter sweet. One jar gives you 25 grams of protein and tastes exactly like licking the spoon, which is the entire point.

I’ve been making these on repeat since 2022 and they’re still my favorite “dessert for breakfast” trick. The almond extract is the not-so-secret ingredient — that’s what takes plain vanilla oats and makes them taste like actual birthday cake. Skip it and they’re good. Add it and they’re the recipe you bookmark.

If you love starting your morning with something that feels like a treat, also try my Birthday Cake Baked Oats and Birthday Cake Protein Ice Cream.

Why You’ll Love This Recipe

• 25 grams of protein per jar — Greek yogurt + cake pop protein powder do the heavy lifting, no powdery aftertaste
• 5 minutes of prep — stir, fridge, sleep, eat
• Tastes like funfetti cake batter — almond extract is the move, do not skip it
• Made for meal prep — batch on Sunday, breakfast handled all week

Ingredients

Full measurements are in the recipe card below.

• Gluten-free old fashioned rolled oats — heartier than quick oats and they hold up overnight without going to mush. Skip steel cut here, they stay too chewy.
• Unsweetened almond milk — keeps it light. Any milk works (oat, soy, coconut, regular dairy) — just go unsweetened so the sprinkles and protein powder don’t push it over the edge into too-sweet.
• Plain Greek yogurt — protein, creaminess, and a little tang to balance the sweet. I use plain because vanilla yogurt + vanilla protein powder is overkill.
• Cake pop protein powder — this is what makes them taste like cake. I use PEScience Cake Pop protein powder (code BAILEY at checkout). Vanilla protein powder works too if you don’t have cake pop.
• Chia seeds — thicken the oats and add fiber. Don’t skip — they’re what gives you that thick, scoopable texture.
• Vanilla extract + almond extract — the almond extract is the birthday cake flavor. Even a quarter teaspoon makes a huge difference.
• Honey — natural sweetener. Swap for maple syrup if you want them vegan.
• Rainbow sprinkles — add these AFTER the oats have chilled. If you mix them in before, the color bleeds into the oats and you get a sad grey jar instead of a cute one.

How to Make Birthday Cake Overnight Oats

Step 1: Add the oats, almond milk, Greek yogurt, protein powder, chia seeds, vanilla extract, almond extract, and honey to a mason jar or bowl. Stir well until everything is combined and there are no protein powder clumps.

Step 2: Seal the jar (or cover the bowl) and refrigerate for at least 4 hours, ideally overnight.

Step 3: In the morning, give the oats a good stir. Top with extra Greek yogurt and rainbow sprinkles right before eating. If they look too thick, splash in a little more milk and stir.

Pro Tips

• Always add sprinkles last. The dye bleeds the second sprinkles hit liquid for any real length of time. Mixed in overnight = grey oats. Stirred in at the morning = colorful and cute.
• A full quarter teaspoon of almond extract is the play. It sounds like a lot. It’s not. That’s the birthday cake flavor.
• Use a 16 oz mason jar. This recipe is a hearty portion and an 8 oz jar will overflow once the oats expand. 16 oz wide-mouth is perfect.
• Whisk the protein powder into the milk first if it tends to clump. Then add everything else. Saves you fishing out chalky bits in the morning.

Variations & Substitutions

• Dairy-free / vegan: swap Greek yogurt for a plant-based yogurt (Kite Hill and siggi’s plant-based both have protein), use plant milk, and swap honey for maple syrup.
• No protein powder: skip it and reduce the milk by about a third — otherwise the oats are too runny. You’ll lose protein but the flavor still holds.
• Add nut butter: a spoonful of peanut, cashew, or almond butter stirred in adds richness and a little more protein.
• Chocolate funfetti: stir in a tablespoon of mini chocolate chips with the sprinkles in the morning.
• Lower sugar: skip the honey — the protein powder adds enough sweetness on its own.

Storage & Meal Prep

These store in the fridge for up to 5 days in a sealed mason jar or airtight container. They’re best on days 1–3 when the oats still have a little bite, and a little softer (but still good) on days 4–5.

To meal prep: double or triple the recipe and divide between jars before refrigerating. Hold the sprinkles and yogurt topping until the morning you’re eating each jar.

I don’t recommend freezing — the texture gets gritty once thawed and the sprinkles bleed even faster.

Frequently Asked Questions

What makes overnight oats taste like birthday cake? The combination of almond extract and vanilla extract is what creates the classic birthday cake flavor. Almond extract is the key — even a small amount gives you that unmistakable funfetti cake batter taste.

How much protein is in birthday cake overnight oats? This recipe has 25 grams of protein per jar, from a combination of Greek yogurt, cake pop protein powder, and rolled oats.

Can you make birthday cake overnight oats without protein powder? Yes. Skip the protein powder and reduce the almond milk by about a third so they don’t turn out too liquidy. You’ll drop to around 15 grams of protein per jar, but the cake flavor still comes through from the extracts and Greek yogurt.

How long do overnight oats last in the fridge? Properly stored in a sealed jar, overnight oats last up to 5 days in the refrigerator. They’re best in the first 3 days, when the texture is still a little firmer.

More High Protein Overnight Oats Recipes

• Key Lime Pie Overnight Oats
• Lemon Cheesecake Overnight Oats
• Carrot Cake Overnight Oats
• Chocolate Peanut Butter Overnight Oats
• Dubai Chocolate Protein Overnight Oats
• Biscoff Overnight Oats

If you make these birthday cake overnight oats, leave a star rating and a comment below — I love hearing how they turn out. Tag @basicswithbails on Instagram or share on Pinterest using #basicswithbails so I can see your jars.