Here’s everything you need to know about oats. Like, are oats gluten free? Is oatmeal gluten free? Are oats a grain or a seed? Plus 10 gluten free oats recipes to help you add more heart friendly oats into your diet.

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Oats are one of the most popular grains to choose from, and there are different types of oats to choose from and there are many ways to use them.

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What Are Rolled Oats?

Oats (Avena sativa) are a heart-healthy cereal grain that come from edible seeds of oat grass. They’re a rich source of vitamins, minerals dietary fiber and phytonutrients that act as powerful antioxidants. They’re a member of the Poaceae grass family, which includes wheat, rice, sugarcane, corn and bamboo. Rolled oats are from the whole grains that have been heated and pressed flat with steel rollers to shorten the cooking time. There are three types of rolled oats: Old-fashioned, quick-cooking and instant.

Are Rolled Oats Gluten Free?

Rolled oats are naturally gluten-free.

Gluten Free Oats vs Regular Oats

Gluten-free oats are processed in plants that are free from cross-contamination with gluten containing grains. Regular oats have been processed in plants where the oats may have come into contact with gluten containing grains (like wheat, rye and barley). 

Is Quaker Rolled Oats Gluten Free?

As long as you’ve picked a package of Quaker Rolled Oats that has a certified gluten free label on it, then the oats should be gluten free. If the package does not have the certified gluten-free label on it, then the oats may have come in contact with gluten (wheat, rye or barley) and may not be gluten free.

Is Oatmeal Gluten Free?

Oats are naturally gluten-free, so as long as you’ve picked a package of oats that has a certified gluten-free label on it, then your oatmeal should be gluten free. If the package does not have the certified gluten-free label on it, then the oats that you’re cooking with may have come in contact with gluten (wheat, rye and barley) so your oatmeal might not be gluten-free.

Are Oats A Grain?

Yes. Oats are one of the most popular whole grains next to wheat. Whole grains contains all of the original edible parts – the bran layer which is rich with fiber and B vitamin and the germ which is rich with nutrients and healthy oils. 

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Types Of Oats

There are different processing methods that are used to produce oat products from oat kernels.

  • Rolled Oats: Rolled oats are also called old fashioned oats,  are oat groats that have been heated and pressed flat with steel rollers to shorten the cooking time (they take about 10 minutes to cook). 
  • Steel Cut Oats: Steel cut oats (also called Scottish or Irish oats) are oat groats that are processed by running the grain through steel blades which thinly slices them. have been chopped into smaller pieces. They have a dense chewy texture and take longer to cook than rolled oats (they take about 30 minutes to cook). 
  • Quick Oats: The grains are sliced before rolling and they cook much quicker than rolled oats.
  • Instant Oats – The grains are processed the way as rolled oats, but they’re cut very fine before rolling. 
  • Oat Groats – Oat groats are intact oat kernels that have been hulled and cleaned. They can be eaten as a breakfast cereal or cooked like brown rice or wheat berries (taking about an hour to cook) and used as a stuffing for vegetables or poultry or to thicken soups and sauces with. 
  • Bran – Oat bran is the outer layer of the grain that is lighter and finer than wheat bran. It’s high in fiber and nutrients and can be eaten as a cereal.

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Serving Suggestions

The oats we enjoy today is usually in the form of oatmeal, overnight oats, granola, oat bars and oatmeal cookies, but here’s a few other suggestions to help you add more of this heart-healthy grain to your diet:

  • Add oats to burger and meatloaf recipes
  • Add to finer cut oats to soups and stews as a thickening agent
  • Add the whole grain oats to soups and stews to add texture
  • Use ground oats (oat flour) for 1/4 of a flour mixture ground oats in baking recipes 

Looking For Gluten Free Oats Recipes?

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