What Is Oat flour and How Can I Use It?
If oat flour has turned up in a recipe or caught your eye at the store, here's what you need to use it with confidence and how to choose it, cook it, store it, what to substitute, and 29 recipes to try it in.
Key Points
- Oat flour is ground oats: mild, slightly sweet, and naturally free of wheat gluten.
- For celiac baking, buy certified gluten-free oat flour to avoid wheat cross-contamination.
- Grind your own by pulsing rolled oats, and measure after grinding, not before.
- Swap it for a quarter to a third of wheat flour in pancakes and muffins for moisture.
- With no gluten, an all-oat batter crumbles; let batter rest 10 to 15 minutes to firm up.
What is oat flour?
Oat flour is simply oats ground to a powder. It has the warm, mild, slightly sweet flavor of oatmeal and a soft texture that gives baked goods a tender, moist crumb.
Oats are naturally free of wheat gluten, which makes oat flour a favorite in gluten-free baking. There is a catch worth knowing: oats are often processed alongside wheat, so if you are baking for someone with celiac disease, buy oat flour specifically labeled certified gluten-free.
Without wheat gluten, oat flour cannot stretch and trap gas the way bread flour does, so it leans toward tender bakes rather than tall, chewy loaves. For general flour basics, see the main flour page.
Baking With Oat Flour
You can make it at home in a minute.
Pulse rolled or quick oats in a blender until they turn to fine flour, then measure after grinding, since a cup of oats yields a bit less than a cup of flour.
In wheat baking, oat flour is one of the gentlest partial swaps. Replacing about a quarter to a third of the flour in pancakes and muffins adds moisture and a soft crumb without much risk, the trick behind tender Golden Wheat Pancakes.
It carries flavor in heartier bakes too, folding its oaty warmth into a Scotland Oat Bread or sweet Maple-Oat Breakfast Buns.
Texture and Common Mistakes
Oat flour pairs naturally with honey, maple, banana, cinnamon, and nuts, the flavors of a good bowl of oatmeal. Its softness makes muffins and cookies moist and a touch crumbly rather than crisp.
The most common mistake in gluten-free baking is treating oat flour as a one-to-one swap for wheat. With no gluten to hold things together, an all-oat batter spreads and crumbles, so gluten-free recipes lean on eggs, a binder like xanthan gum, or a blend with other flours.
The second is skipping the rest. Oat flour absorbs liquid slowly, so letting the batter sit 10 to 15 minutes lets it thicken and firms up an otherwise loose mix before it hits the pan.
Substitutes
Barley flour is the closest stand-in when gluten is not a concern. Both are mild and tenderizing, and they swap one for one in muffins and pancakes.
For a gluten-free swap, a measure-for-measure gluten-free blend is the most reliable, since it already includes binders.
Almond flour brings tenderness too but bakes denser and adds fat, so it is not a direct one-to-one.
Going the other way, oat flour cannot fully replace wheat flour in a yeast bread. It contributes flavor and tenderness but not the gluten that makes a loaf rise, so keep most of the wheat flour in the mix.
Buying and Storing
Buy oat flour with the specialty or gluten-free flours, and check for the certified gluten-free label if that matters for your kitchen. Grinding your own from a tub of oats is usually cheaper and just as good.
Oat flour carries the oats' natural oils, so it goes rancid faster than white flour. Buy modest amounts and keep it cool. See the flour hub for storage detail; a bitter or soapy smell means it has turned.
Nutrition
Nutrition Facts
Serving Size unknown (100g)Quick facts
Food group: Oat flour is a member of the Cereal Grains and Pasta US Department of Agriculture nutritional food group.
- In Chinese
- 燕麦粉
- British (UK) term
- Oat flour
- en français
- la farine d'avoine
- en español
- harina de avena
How much does oat flour weigh?
| Amount | Weight |
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Related
Cereal Grains and Pasta
Recipes using oat flour
There are 29 recipes that contain this ingredient.
Golden Wheat Pancakes
Golden wheat pancakes are vegan, egg-free, dairy-free flapjacks built on whole wheat pastry flour, oat flour, and wheat germ. Sweetened with brown rice syrup, topped with fresh fruit and maple.
Potato Pancakes (Latkes)
Low-fat vegan potato pancakes (latkes) with shredded potato, onion, and oat flour. A lighter take on the Hanukkah classic, pan-fried in a single spray of oil. Ready in 15 minutes.
Sugar Free Peach Oat Bran Muffins
Sugar free peach oat bran muffins packed with chopped peaches, toasted pecans, and dates. Made with brown rice flour and oat bran for a hearty, gluten-free breakfast muffin sweetened only with fruit.
Delicious Carrot Cake Cookies (Vegan & Gluten-Free)
Make sandwich cookies; just spread some coconut whipped cream on a cookie and sandwich with another cookie!
Barbara' Incredible Brownies
Fudgy carob brownies made with oat flour, honey, and walnuts for a naturally sweetened treat. Gooey centers with cakey edges, these wholesome brownies prove you don't need refined sugar or chocolate to satisfy a craving.
Low-fat Blueberry Chocolate Thumbprint Cookies
Cookies are always popular, try these cookies, enjoy tasty and you will not feel guity.
Basic Whole Grain Cornbread
Vegan whole grain cornbread made with cornmeal, whole wheat, oat, and millet flours sweetened with apple juice concentrate. Dairy-free and egg-free with serious whole-grain backbone.
Banana-Rhubarb Muffins
The muffins came out super moist, soft in the inside, and golden-brown on the outside, they looked so inviting. Chunks of pink rhubarb and yellow apricots were in every bite. Great for breakfast, snack or any time during the day.
Oat Flour Muffins
These muffins turned out surprisingly delicious and moist. I processed rolled oats in food processor to get the oat flour, and it worked just fine. Buttermilk added some tang and made muffins very moist. Raisin was a yummy addition...
Rice Flan Tart with Candied Ginger
The low-calorie rice pudding flan is so delicious by itself that you may want to save the calories and fat in the crust, and serve it without the pastry.
Healthy Poppy Seed Muffins with Oat Flour
Healthy poppy seed muffins with whole wheat flour, oat flour, and yogurt. Low-fat recipe uses egg whites and almond extract for tender, nutty muffins in 30 minutes. Easy breakfast.
Oat Carrot Bran Bread
Bread machine oat carrot bran bread with grated carrots, rolled oats, oat flour, bran, cinnamon, and applesauce. A high-fiber loaf with natural sweetness.
Carob/Choc. Chip Cookies
Carob and chocolate chip cookies with cake flour, oat flour, and turbinado sugar. A health-leaning take on the classic with hearty texture and gentler sweetness.
Swedish Saffron Bread
Golden saffron bread made easy in a bread machine with whole wheat, oat flour, currants, and date sugar. A wholesome twist on Sweden's classic Lussekatter holiday loaf.
Oat-Wheat Bagel Bread
Bread machine oat-wheat bagel bread with cinnamon and honey. A chewy, bagel-inspired loaf with oat flour and whole wheat that comes together by dumping everything in and pressing start.
Maple-Oat Breakfast Buns
Dairy-free maple oat breakfast buns made with a bread machine, filled with toasted oats, raisins, cinnamon, and brown sugar. Soft yeasted rolls with no butter or eggs.
Oat Bran Nutri-Bread
Oat bran bread machine loaf made with all-purpose flour, bread flour, oat flour, and wheat germ. Dump-and-start recipe on the white bread setting for a soft, nutty everyday sandwich loaf.
Low-Fat Sweet Pastry
A light and tasty pastry that is a perfect healthy snack that can satisfy your sweet tooth.
Chicken Cutlet Supreme
Crispy oven-baked chicken cutlets coated in oat flour, dill, and lemon pepper with roasted vegetables on the side. A lighter, one-pan dinner that skips the frying but keeps the crunch.
Oat Bread Variation
Bread machine oat bread with mashed potato flakes for extra moisture. Half oat flour, half bread flour, hands-off baking that stays soft for days.
Tri-Grain Bread
Tri-grain bread machine loaf made with bread flour, barley flour, and oat flour plus wheat germ. Applesauce adds moisture and a subtle sweetness without added fat.
Beer Rye Bread - ABM
Hearty bread machine rye bread made with whole wheat flour, rye flour, oat flour, and stale beer. Dense, earthy, and full of old-world character with zero fuss.
Multi-Grain & Nut Bread
Multi-grain nut bread made in a bread machine with seven flours and grains, walnuts, sunflower seeds, sesame, and poppy seeds. Dense, hearty, and honey-sweetened.
Loggers Bread- Bread Machine
Loggers bread for the bread machine: a hearty whole wheat and oat flour loaf sweetened with applesauce, honey, and molasses, with powdered buttermilk for tender chew.
Scotland Oat Bread
Scottish oat bread for the bread machine with oat flour, whole wheat, bran, honey, and applesauce. A hearty, fiber-rich loaf with a nutty, slightly sweet crumb.
Oat Bread (Bread Machine)
Hearty oat bread for the bread machine with rolled oats, oat flour, bran, shredded carrots, applesauce, sunflower seeds, and cinnamon. A multigrain loaf packed with fiber and texture.
Simple One-Loaf Barley Bread
Wheat-free yeast bread combines barley flour and oat flour with honey and a simple rise for a one-loaf workhorse. Naturally wheat-free with hearty grain flavor and a tender crumb.
