How to Make Oat Flour

If you were ever wondering how to make oat flour at home, you’ve come to the right place!

Oat flour is easy to make. All you need is oats and a food processor.

Once you have the oat flour made, which takes under a minute, it is perfect for baking.

Right before New Years 2022, I had found myself with weight I wanted to take off, but I was finding myself hungry pretty regularly. So, I looked into foods that were filling and discovered that oats were one of them.

I really love the convenience of having muffins for breakfast because I can make a bunch of them at once and then grab one and with a coffee without disrupting my day.

This made me wonder if I could use oat flour to make filling nutritious muffins and other baked goods.

It turns out you can, using oat flour, which I’d never seen and made me wonder: how do you make oat flour?

Turns out, making oat flour and baking with oat flour is really easy and I now do it regularly!

What is Oat Flour?

Oat flour is a whole grain flour made from oats.

Does oat flour make things taste like oatmeal?

I am happy to say that it does not. Oat flour has a slightly sweet and nutty flavor.

How do you make oat flour?

To make oat flour, place oats in a food processor and blend until a fine flour forms.

What kind of oats can be turned into oat flour?

You can use old-fashioned (rolled) oats and quick-cooking oats, which are perfect for making oat flour.

Steel-cut oats can be used too, but since steel-cut oats are more dense, they require more blending time. However, they also yield twice as much flour per cup.

Is oat flour just ground oats?

Oat flour is finely ground oats, just like wheat flour is finely ground wheat.

Is oat flour healthier than flour?

In one-third a cup, according to the USDA, whole grain oat flour has 7 grams of protein and 4 grams of fiber, whereas equal amounts of whole wheat flour has 4 grams of protein and 3 grams of fiber, and all-purpose flour has 3 grams of protein and no fiber.

According to Livestrong, oat flour offers a little more iron and calcium than whole wheat flour, while all-purpose flour is processed and only has trace amounts of minerals.

If you’re watching your weight, oats are particularly rich in a kind of soluble fiber called beta-glucan, which according to a review article published in the Journal of Nutrition and Metabolism, has been shown to increase fullness.

Medical News Today lists five health benefits of eating oats, ranging from heart health to antioxidants.

Can I use oat flour instead of all-purpose flour?

Oat flour can be used instead of all-purpose flour in most recipes. However, since it doesn’t produce gluten, you may need an additional binder.

Is oat flour gluten free?

Oats and oat flour are technically gluten free, but due to cross contamination, people with gluten sensitivity still need to be careful about eating oats.

In many cases, farmers grow oats in fields close to wheat and other gluten-containing crops, and many oat-processing plants also process foods that contain gluten.

People with a gluten intolerance should always check food labels and look for oats that are entirely free of gluten.

Oat flour vs all-purpose flour

Oat flour is lighter in weight than all-purpose flour and does not develop gluten like all-purpose flour does.

However, oat flour is a whole grain flour that is more nutritious and filling than all-purpose flour.

Oat flour vs whole wheat flour

Since whole wheat and oat flour are both whole grain flours, they are both nutritious.

However, oat flour is still higher in fiber and protein than whole wheat flour.

Oat Flour vs Almond Flour

Almond flour is made of finely ground almonds.

Oat flour is lighter than almond flour and can make baked goods light and fluffy with a subtle nutty flavor.

Oat flour and almond flour have similar (but not identical) nutritional information. 

According to Medical News Today, oat flour is higher in carbohydrates but lower in both calories and fat compared to almond flour.

Oat flour vs coconut flour

Coconut flour is made from ground coconut meat. It’s very dry and requires additional liquid and other flours to result in a moist baked good.

While oat flour is higher in carbohydrates, coconut flour contains more fat, fiber, and protein than oat flour.

Oat flour vs rice flour

Rice flour is made by grinding white or brown rice kernels.

Oat flour has more fiber and protein than rice flour, but rice flour is lower in calories and higher in carbohydrates than oat flour.

How to Substitute Oat Flour

You can easily substitute all-purpose flour for oat flour in recipes that call for eggs.

Gluten provides structure to baked goods, as mentioned above. While oat flour isn’t automatically safe for people who are gluten free, oats themselves don’t contain gluten. So, eggs also provide some structure and help make up for the gluten’s absence.

To substitute all-purpose flour with oat flour, you replace it with an equal amount of oat flour by weight, not by volume. 

Oat flour is lighter than all-purpose and whole wheat flour, so replacing it cup for cup won’t work.

If you don’t have a scale, math will work.

Multiply the amount of all-purpose flour called for by 1.42.

For example, my banana chocolate chip muffins call for 1 1/2 cups of flour, so to use oat flour instead, I multiply 1.5 by 1.42 and get 2.13 cups of oat flour. This is 2 cups and 2 tablespoons, which I can either round up to 2 1/4 cups or round down to 2 cups.

I like to round down because oat flour tends to drink up more liquid than all-purpose flour.

Oat flour vs All Purpose Flour Substitution Chart

All Purpose Flour	Oat Flour	Grams	Ounces
1/4 cup	1/3 cup	30 grams	1 ounces
1/3 cup	1/2 cup	40 grams	1.5 ounces
1/2 cup	2/3 cup	60 grams	2.1 ounces
2/3 cup	1 cup	80 grams	3 ounces
3/4 cup	1 cup + 2 teaspoons	90 grams	4 ounces
1 cup	1 1/3 cup	120 grams	4.25 ounces

How many oats do I substitute for oat flour?

One cup old-fashioned (rolled) or quick-cooking oats yields about one cup flour, and one cup steel-cut oats yields about two cups flour.

So, 2 cups of oats make 2 cups of oat flour using old-fashioned (rolled) or quick-cooking oats, and steel-cut oats makes 4 cups of oat flour.

How do you measure oat flour?

To measure oat flour, spoon the oat flour into a dry measuring cup. Then, once full, scoop off the top to make the flour level with the cup.

This is actually how all-purpose flour should be measured too.

How to Store oat four

Store oat flour in an airtight container and keep in a cool, dry place to prevent it from becoming rancid.

While you don’t need to refrigerate oat flour, keeping it in the fridge can extend its shelf life.