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Among one of the top food trends as predicted by Whole Foods Market to continue for 2020 is alternative flours – think flours made from vegetables, beans, and in this case, oats! While food trends often come and go, ingredients like oats will always be a classic pantry ingredient and I personally think that oat flour is here to stay. Still have questions about what it is? This reference is for you! 

What’s Oat Flour?

Oat flour is exactly what it sounds like: a 100% whole-grain flour that’s made with just one ingredient – oats! While you can use any variety of Quaker oats, I’ve found that old fashioned and quick oats blend up the best.

How do I make Oat Flour?

Oat flour is really easy to make yourself, especially if you have a blender or food processor on hand. Just toss oats into the blender/ food processor for a few minutes until it turns into a finely ground texture. I’ve found that every 1 ¼ cup of oats yields around 1 cup of flour. You’d want the texture to look like fine powder.

What are the nutrition benefits of Oat Flour?

Oat flour adds both texture and nutrition to any recipe: every ½ cup is a good source of fiber and provides vitamins and minerals like vitamin B1 and magnesium. Adding it to recipes can help add great texture and 100% whole grain oats are  complex carbohydrates. Plus, oats are naturally low in fat and sodium.

Is Oat Flour gluten-free?

If you want to avoid gluten in your diet, you should look for oats that are specifically labeled “gluten free.” Only then can you be confident they meet FDA’s standards for claiming “gluten free.” While oats do not contain gluten inherently, stray gluten-containing grains may be introduced into the product from contact out in the field, in storage or transportation.  For Quaker’s certified Gluten-Free oats, they use a rigorous process to sort and clean the oats to remove those stray grains during the milling process. .  Plus, if you want to make gluten-free baked goods without paying extra for gluten-free flours, you can use specially-marked gluten-free oats to make your own oat flour.

How To Use Oat Flour + Baking Substitutions:

Oat flour can be a great alternative to all-purpose white or regular wheat-flour when you’re baking. While you can swap for regular white or wheat flour in most recipes, it’s going to work best in ones that don’t require extra gluten to rise. I’ve found that it works well in cookies, quick breads, energy bites or bars, and even waffles + pancakes! The nutty flavor from oats pairs really well with sweet recipes – think ingredients with vanilla, cinnamon, or honey.

Start off with these ratios:

if the recipe calls for a gluten-free flour, a 1:1 swap would most likely work, but if you’re swapping for whole-wheat flour, start by replacing and blending with ⅓ cup (quick breads, muffins, cookies) of oat flour and work up to ½ cup (pancakes or waffles).

You can store homemade oat flour in the fridge for up to 2 months in an airtight sealed container, but since it’s easy to make I recommend just making it fresh every time you want to use it.

If you’re looking for a way to start using oat flour, here’s a recipe for these butternut squash oatmeal bars. The texture is incredible: soft and dense, and made with a base of oat flour, flaxseed, almond meal, and butternut squash!