- Eating protein with carbs provides more stable, longer-lasting energy.
- Adding ricotta cheese to overnight oats can help prevent a mid-morning energy crash.
- Ricotta also adds creaminess and essential nutrients, like calcium and vitamin D.
I love overnight oats, partly because there are so many opportunities for customization. I can alter the recipe based on the flavors I like or the activities I’ve got lined up for the day. I also know that whatever combination I choose, I’ll feel satisfied and nourished after I enjoy it. That’s important to me because I love delicious food, but I also need sustenance to fuel my busy mornings. That’s why, for an extra protein boost, I almost always add creamy ricotta cheese to my overnight oats.
Why I Started Adding Ricotta to Overnight Oats
If there was one thing I learned about myself in college, it was that eating cereal and milk for breakfast wasn’t for me. Unfortunately, this realization came to me later than I would’ve liked—like a whole year later. I spent my freshman year slamming bowls of cereal at the dining hall each morning, leaving satisfied and ready to learn, only to bonk an hour later. Sometimes, to my horror, my hunger came with an embarrassingly loud stomach rumble, which I’m sure everyone in my lecture hall could hear. I persisted, though, trying different cereals and even adding a banana to the mix to no avail. An hour or so after eating it, I was extremely hungry again.
It wasn’t until I delved into my nutrition classes that I began to learn about the importance of variety. My breakfast leaned heavily on carbohydrates, which was fine, but I needed more protein to boost satisfaction. I switched from cereal to whole-grain bread topped with peanut butter and honey. I had milk and always some kind of fruit. And you know what happened? I could focus. No more stomach rumbles either!
Now, years later, I continue to enjoy a breakfast that includes whole grains and protein, and overnight oats is one of my go-tos. I’ve tried a variety of protein options in my overnight oats, but ricotta has become my favorite.
Ricotta’s Nutrition Benefits
Food is fuel, but it’s also meant to be enjoyed. If the fuel doesn’t taste good, I’m not really interested in it. I’ve had overnight oats many ways, but when I swapped in creamy ricotta cheese for strained Greek-style yogurt (which is also delicious), I was hooked. Unlike tangy, savory cottage cheese (which I tried and didn’t care for in my oats), ricotta is mild and even slightly sweet, which pairs well with oats and other ingredients often added to overnight oats.
But ricotta cheese isn’t just delicious; it also happens to have a stellar nutrition profile. Each ½-cup serving of whole-milk ricotta cheese has 10 grams of protein and 289 milligrams of calcium—that’s almost 30% of the Recommended Dietary Allowance for most adults. It also contains vitamin B12, an important nutrient for nerve function, metabolism, producing red blood cells and making DNA.
Tips on Adding Ricotta to Overnight Oats
Adding ricotta to your overnight oat recipe is easy. Here are a few tips:
- Determine the type you want to use: If you’re concerned about the saturated fat content in whole-milk ricotta, try ricotta made with part-skim milk. It’ll taste equally delicious—just a bit less creamy.
- Start small: If you’re not sure how you feel about ricotta, start by adding just 1 tablespoon to your overnight oats recipe. If you like it, then swap it in, one-for-one, for the yogurt in your recipe.
- Add flavors that complement ricotta: Ricotta cheese has a mild flavor that works well with a variety of ingredients. I love pairing it with citrus—both juice and zest—as well as stone fruits like cherries, peaches and apricots. Nuts are great too; pistachios, walnuts and almonds provide the perfect crunch. And be sure to add some spice! I love ground cinnamon, nutmeg, ginger and cardamom.
Our Expert Take
Add ricotta to your overnight oats for a delicious boost of protein. Start small to see how you like it, and play with other ingredients to enjoy a variety of flavors and nutrients. Enjoy it for breakfast or as a delicious snack anytime! The beauty of overnight oats is that they are highly customizable. If you want to start with recipes that already use ricotta, try our Fig & Ricotta Overnight Oats and our Cannoli-Inspired Overnight Oats.