Oat flour is a pantry staple I always have on hand and can be made easily in just minutes. The beauty of oat flour is that it contains no gums or fillers, but rather comes from just a single ingredient - oats!
As a gluten-free recipe creator, I've learned over the years that baking is a combination of science and art and that the type of flour you use really does matter. Swapping out one for another may seem like no big deal given they look similar, but each type of flour has its own unique properties.
Oat flour has a slightly sweet flavor to go along with its light and fluffy texture. And whereas some gluten-free flours tend to be bitter or have an unpleasant aftertaste in baked goods, oat flour remains neutral.
The key to homemade oat flour is a good-quality high-speed blender or food processor. The blender needs to be powerful enough to grind the oats into a fine flour, and not every one is capable of doing that to the level it needs to be. I personally tested multiple blenders at different price points so feel free to read about my experiences and recommendations!
Which Kind of Oats is Best for Making Oat Flour?
The best oats for making oat flour are rolled oats (old fashioned oats). You can certainly make flour with other types of oats as well but they may not turn out as fine and could take significantly more time.
Quick-cooking oats can easily be ground into a flour as well. Quick oats are essentially just rolled oats that have been pulsed a few times into tinier bits, so there would be no difference in terms of taste or texture. However, because quick oats are smaller, their volume would be different and a kitchen scale would be necessary to match the weight of rolled oats.
I would strongly advise against making oat flour from steel cut oats. Not only are they not gluten-free, but given their consistency it would take considerably longer to grind into a flour and even still would result in a gritty texture. And, like the quick cooking oats, their volume would be different and a kitchen scale would be needed to match the weight of rolled oats.
Store-bought vs. Homemade Oat Flour
Oats are significantly cheaper than oat flour when measured by volume. Plus, having oats in the pantry ensures you'll never have to run to the grocery store if you need oat flour in a pinch. It can also be challenging to find certified gluten-free oat flour at many grocery stores while it is more common to find gluten-free oats. For this reason, making it at home may be a better option for those keeping a strict gluten-free diet.
But store-bought has its advantages as well. In fact, in many of my recipes I actually prefer store-bought flour. Surprising, right?
The downside to DIY oat flour is that doesn't yield as fine a flour, even with the most powerful high speed blender. This results in a flour that may not be as fluffy and light as store-bought flour that was milled in a grain mill. I find that store-bought flour tends to act more similar to all-purpose flour when compared to homemade and better disguises that baked goods are gluten-free.
Therefore, I tend to use store-bought flour when baking a cake or for many of my cookie recipes when I want to make them as light as possible. For denser baked goods such as muffins or breakfast cookies, a slight difference in texture doesn't matter as much so I'll grind up the oats on my own.
This subtle difference is negligible to many people. I am making this distinction as a means of ensuring that recipes calling for oat flour get the absolute best results!
*When using store-bought flour in a recipe that calls for ground oats, note again that 1 cup of oats yields ¾ cup of flour.
How to Make Oat Flour
Making oat flour is incredibly simple. Add oats to a blender or food processor and blend for about 2 minutes, pausing to stir once every 30 seconds or so until it turns into a finely ground flour.
During this process some oats will fly towards the top or get stuck at the bottom, so it is important to pause occasionally to scrape down the sides and stir it a bit.
Important Tip: Make sure that the blender is fully dry before making oat flour! Even the slightest amount of moisture will compromise the batch and prevent it from forming into a fine powder.
Storage
I usually make oat flour in small batches rather than a lot at once because blending in smaller quantities makes it easier to get it super fine. However, you can definitely make a huge batch of your own flour to keep on hand in your pantry!
Store oat flour in an airtight container (mason jars are great) at room temperature for up to 3 months.
Is Oat Flour Gluten-Free?
The short answer is sometimes yes, sometimes no. Oats are naturally gluten-free and safe for most people with celiac disease. However, due to potential cross-contact with gluten grains during the manufacturing process, it is possible for oats to not be gluten-free (source).
To ensure that the oats are truly gluten-free, look to purchase certified gluten-free oats with the certification mark on the packaging.
Oat Flour for Vegan and Gluten-Free Cooking
Other flours typically require an egg substitute to keep baked goods such as cookies or muffins from falling apart, but given its binding properties oat flour naturally holds together well.
Nutritional Benefits of Oat Flour
Oat flour is rich in copper, selenium, and iron while also providing plant-based protein (source). It is also a source of fiber, phosphorus, thiamine, magnesium and zinc (source).
One cup of old-fashioned oats will yield approximately ¾ cup of oat flour, which is roughly 90g depending on how fine the flour is. The USDA provides the following nutrition facts for 100g of oat flour:
- Calories: 379
- Total Fat: 6.5g
- Cholesterol: 0mg
- Sodium: 6mg
- Total Carbohydrates: 67.7g
- Dietary Fiber: 10.1g
- Total sugars: 1g
- Protein: 13.2g
- Iron: 4.3mg
- Zinc: 3.64mg
- Copper: 0.4mg
- Selenium: 28.9µg
- Magnesium: 138mg
- Phosphorus: 410mg
- Thiamine: 0.5mg
Studies have shown that whole grains (including oats) are associated with heart health, may benefit gut health and aid in digestive health and weight control (source).
As a whole grain that is not processed, refined or bleached, oat flour does not have any of its nutrients stripped such as in white flour (source).
Oat Flour vs. Almond Flour
The key difference between these two gluten-free flours is in the absorption. Almond flour does not absorb liquid whereas oat flour actually absorbs really well. Given this stark difference, the two cannot be substituted for one another.
I often combine oat flour and almond flour in recipes where I'm trying to bake something as light and airy as possible, such as my lemon blueberry cookies. The oat flour acts as the gluten-free and vegan binder and the almond flour acts more of a filler so the cookies don't get dense.
Swapping Oat Flour for All Purpose Flour
Baking is a little scientific, so the amount and type of flours you use are critical! It is important to remember that flours have different densities. If you swap one for another, the conversion needs to be made by weight rather than volume if you're trying to be exact.
In addition, because each flour is inherently different, the liquid ratio could change as well.
Oat Flour Recipes (Vegan and Gluten-Free)
These are some of my favorite recipes that use oat flour.
- Oat flour chocolate chip cookies
- Oat flour black bean brownies
- Oat flour chocolate zucchini muffins
- Oat flour pumpkin bread
- Oat flour blueberry pancakes
Oat flour is such a simple ingredient that makes following a gluten-free diet so much easier. I hope you enjoy making your own oat flour!
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How to Make Oat Flour
- Total Time: 2
- Yield: ¾ cup 1x
- Diet: Gluten Free
Description
Make your own homemade gluten-free oat flour in minutes! Use to make gluten-free muffins, pancakes, cookies and breads.
Ingredients
- 1 cup rolled oats (certified gluten-free if desired)
Instructions
- Add oats to a completely dry blender and blend for about 2 minutes. Start on the lowest speed and slowly increase the speed until it starts to churn easily. Pause to stir once every 30 seconds or so until it turns into a finely ground flour. During this process some oats will fly towards the top or get stuck at the bottom, so it is important to pause occasionally to scrape down the sides and/or stir. Do not over process. This should yield ¾ cup of oat flour.
- Store the oat flour in an airtight storage container at room temperature for up to 3 months.
- Use oat flour in any of these recipes.
Equipment
Buy Now → Notes
Important Tip: Make sure that the blender is fully dry before making oat flour! Even the slightest amount of moisture will compromise the batch and prevent it from forming into a fine powder.
- Prep Time: 2
- Category: how to
- Method: blender
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