How to Make Oat Flour

Learn How to Make Oat Flour to use in gluten-free baking and cooking. A homemade gluten-free flour that is delicious in sweet and savory recipes!

Oat flour is a great gluten-free staple for a variety of recipes.

If you are new to going gluten-free or have been for quite some time, making it at home is a quick and easy way to ensure that you always have some on hand.

Jump to:

• Why you'll love this recipe
• Do oats contain gluten?
• Step-by-step instructions
• Tips
• Recipes
• Best substitutes
• FAQs
• More oat flour recipes
• 📖 Recipe

Why you'll love this recipe

• One simple ingredient
• Pantry staple
• Budget-friendly

Do oats contain gluten?

Oats are naturally gluten-free. But due to the way they are processed, there is often cross-contamination. This can take place during harvesting, processing, packaging, or in storage. 

In order to make sure the oats you are consuming are not contaminated, purchase ones that have been certified to be gluten-free and processed in a gluten-free facility. 

Types

Old fashioned oats - Also known as rolled oats are oat groats that have been steamed and then flattened into flakes using large rollers.

They are the most common type found in grocery stores. This type is ideal for making flour.

Steel-cut oats - Also known as Irish oats or coarse oatmeal are oat groats that have been chopped into smaller pieces using steel blades.

Steel-cut has a more textured and nutty flavor than the rolled variety but requires longer cooking times.

Quick oats - Also known as instant oats, these are rolled oats that have been further processed into smaller, thinner flakes. This allows them to cook even more quickly.

Quick-cooking oats can be used to make flour as well.

Gluten-free brands

Brands that carry certified gluten-free include:

• Bob's Red Mill 
• Trader Joe's
• Quaker Oats
• Nature's Path
• Arrowhead Mills

These brands and others can be found at your local grocery store and at online retailers. 

Step-by-step instructions

This recipe can be made in either a blender or a food processor. 

Step 1: Add oats to the bowl of a food processor. Pulse in short bursts. Stop the food processor once or twice to wipe down the sides.

Step 2: Process until you achieve a fine powdery consistency. Store in an airtight container in a cool, dark place.

If you have a blender, you can follow these same steps. It is helpful to only fill the blender bowl halfway and blend in batches. 

Tips

• Use at least 2 cups of oats so that they will be processed more evenly. Less than 2 cups may result in a mix of textures. 
• A high-speed blender will result in a finer texture than a food processor. 
• Store-bought gluten-free oat flour has a fine powder texture and consistency than homemade. For this reason, measuring your own homemade oat flour by weight is the best way to get good results in recipes.

A kitchen scale is the best to measure flour by weight.

Recipes

Oat flour works well on its own and in combination with other gluten-free flours like almond flour and starches like tapioca and arrowroot. 

Pancakes, bread, cookies, cakes, muffins, crackers, crumbles, and even tart crusts lend themselves well to this whole-grain option.

You can even make easy dog treats for your favorite furry friend!

Best substitutes

If you are in need of a gluten-free substitute, the following flours have similar protein and fiber structures and textures.

They should be substituted by weight and not volume. 

• Sorghum flour
• Light buckwheat flour
• Almond flour

FAQs

There are so many ways to use this humble little grain. Check out these healthy pumpkin muffins and the links below!

More oat flour recipes

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