Types of oats (2024)

The different types of oats

Oats in all forms are undeniably one of the most nutritious breakfast foods, they’re also great for adding flavour, bulk and texture to your baking. There are many different types of oats available,choosing the wrong type can cause cookingdisasters so it's useful to know the difference between them.

What are the different types of oats? There are two main types ofoats,rolled oatsandsteel-cut oats. They both start the same way. First,the inediblehull of the raw oats isremoved. Thisleavesthe whole oat groats with germ, endosperm andbran attached. These partsare what containsthefibre, vitamins,healthy oils,and antioxidants that make oats so good for you.

Rolled oats

Rolled oats are made by steaming whole oat groats thenpressing theminto flakes withsteel rollers. This changes the texture, shortenscooking time and improves itsshelf life. There are threetypes of rolled oats available in the supermarkets:traditional oats, quick oats and instant oats.

1. Traditional rolled oats or old-fashioned oats

Cook time: Traditional oats take5-10 minutes to cook.

Traditional oats are steamedfor a shorttime and thenrolled.Theystill havea firm, chewy texture. Eating traditional oats generally keeps you fuller for longer, as it is less processed. They're the best variety to use inbaked goods such ascookies, biscuits,muffins and crumbles unless otherwise stated in the recipe.

2. Quick oats

Cook time: Quick oats take 1-2 minutes to cook.

As the name suggests, quick oats cook faster. The grains are steamed for longer and rolled thinner. Cooked quick oats are softer, smoother and less chewy. They aremore easily digestible, and therefore don't keep you as full for as long. Quick oats are also suitable to use in baking.

3. Instant oats

Cook time: Instant oats take30-90 seconds to cook.

Instant oats are the fastest cooking. The oats are steamed longer, rolled thinner and sometimes also choppedfinely. You only need to add boiling water and they are ready to eat, and they aresoft rather than chewy. Someinstant oats are packaged with added sugar and flavour, which won't besuitable if you need plain oats for a recipe.

Steel cut oats

Cook time: Steel cut oats take 20-30 minutes to cook.

Steel-cut oats are not rolled at all but instead chopped into coarse nubs using sharp steel blades. This gives it a rice-like appearance. Steel-cut oats have a much chewier texture. When made into porridge, it is chewy, nutty and has a different creaminess to rolled oat porridge. Other than porridge, they're great for adding to stews, soups and meat stuffing.

Now you know the difference between the main types of oats, exploredelicious recipes using different types of oats below.