Steel-cut, old-fashioned, quick-cooking, instant…. Do you find yourself wondering what’s the difference between these types of oats? And more importantly, how long it takes to cook each type of oat? Here is a quick guide so you can decide which type of oats to use in your next recipe:
- Steel Cut Oats are chopped with steel blades. The texture is more coarse and chewy compared to other types of oats. They need to be cooked slowly, about 40 minutes over low heat.
- Old Fashioned Oats are toasted, hulled, steamed, and flattened. This helps them cook evenly and quickly. These oats can cook in as little as 5 minutes. These oats are typically used in baking.
- Quick Cooking Oats are rolled and roughly cut. These oats can cook in as little as 1 minute over the stove-top in boiling water.
- Instant Oats are the most processed form of oats available on the market. These oats are rolled, cooked, and dried before being packaged. These oats rehydrate in an instant with boiling water!
Oats are whole grains, meaning they have the bran and germ intact, making them an excellent source of fiber. Fiber is an important part of the diet and has many health benefits such as weight management, reduction in cholesterol, diabetes management, and digestive issue improvement.
Try some of our recipes with oats in them:
- Banana Nut Overnight Oats
- Fruity Oat Muffins
- Oatmeal Almond Butter Bars
- Peanut Butter Chocolate Trail Mix Bites
- Roasted Pears with Nut Oat Crumble Topping
- Types of Oats
