Wondering what to do with oats, quick cooking? This guide covers how to pick them, cook them, store them, and swap them, plus 270 recipes to put them to work.

What is oats, quick cooking?

Quick-cooking oats are old-fashioned rolled oats taken a step further. The flakes are rolled thinner, and often chopped smaller, so they hydrate fast and cook in a minute or two instead of five.

That speed is the whole point. They are built for a rushed weekday bowl of porridge and for baked goods where you want the oats to soften and blend in rather than stand out.

They are not the same as instant oats, which are pre-cooked and dried so they need only boiling water. Quick oats still want a brief simmer.

When Quick Oats Are the Right Pick

In porridge, quick oats give you a softer, more uniform bowl in about 90 seconds. Stir them into boiling water or milk at 2 to 1, cook a minute or two, and let them sit off the heat to finish thickening.

In baking, their finer texture is a feature when you want oats woven through the crumb rather than visible. They work well in muffins like Currant & Oatmeal Muffins and in soft drop cookies such as Oatmeal Carrot Cookies with Cream Cheese Frosting.

They also disappear nicely as a binder. A spoonful in meatloaf or a crisp topping thickens without leaving chewy flecks.

The Trade With Old-Fashioned Oats

The difference that matters is texture, not flavor. Old-fashioned rolled oats stay chewy and visible; quick oats go soft and recede.

So in a cookie meant to be hearty and chewy, swapping quick oats for old-fashioned makes it spread more and turn cakey, because the finer flakes soak up moisture faster and add less structure. If you want the chew, use old-fashioned.

Going the other way is easy and reliable: pulse old-fashioned oats a few times in a food processor and you have a stand-in for quick oats. Do not over-process into flour.

Steel-cut oats are not a swap here. They never soften enough for a quick-oat recipe.

Buying and Storing

Quick oats sit in the same canister aisle as old-fashioned, often from the same brand. Read the label, since the two look similar but cook and bake differently. Plain quick oats are a better buy than flavored instant packets, which are mostly sugar.

Store them like any oat: in an airtight container in a cool, dark cupboard. The oil in the germ slowly goes rancid, so use them within about a year and toss any that smell sharp or bitter.

For the full oat story, the cuts, nutrition, and the cooking range, see rolled oats.

Nutrition

Quick facts

Where to find oats, quick cooking: Oats, quick cooking is usually found in the cereals section or aisle of the grocery store or supermarket.

Food group: Oats, quick cooking is a member of the Breakfast Cereals US Department of Agriculture nutritional food group.

In Chinese

燕麦，速煮

British (UK) term

Oats, quick cooking

en français

cuisson rapide flocons d'avoine

en español

cocción rápida copos de avena

How much does oats, quick cooking weigh?

Amount	Weight
½ cup	40 grams

Related

Breakfast Cereals

Recipes using oats, quick cooking

There are 270 recipes that contain this ingredient.

All 270 recipes

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