Oats are an excellent breakfast food but are often overlooked as an ingredient in other dishes.
The versatile grain can make various healthful and delicious meals, snacks, and desserts. You can go from oatmeal to oat flour, bran, and steel-cut oats!
Read through to swap out other grains in your diet or get new ingredients to add to your meal rotation!
Here are ten delicious substitutes for oats that will give you ideas to help with your cooking repertoire. Enjoy!
1. Flaxseed Meal
Flaxseed is high in protein and fiber, making it an excellent option for boosting one’s nutrient intake.
Also, a flaxseed meal doesn’t have to be cooked like oats. Mix two tablespoons of ground flaxseed with two cups of water and allow it to sit overnight.
In the morning, you’ll have flax milk that tastes like oat milk. Mix three tablespoons of ground flaxseed with three cups of water if you prefer cold-brewed beverages rather than warm ones.
Then, allow it to sit in a refrigerator overnight. You’ll have a smoothie that also serves as breakfast in the morning!
Flaxseed is one of the best substitutes for oats, just if you need to improvise.
2. Chia Seeds
Chia seeds are rich in fiber, calcium, protein, and antioxidants and help stabilize blood sugar levels. Add chia seeds to smoothies as a substitute for oats or oatmeal.
Chia seeds can be mixed with plain yogurt or almond milk and used to replace bread crumbs in meatballs and burgers.
To start with chia seeds, blend 1/2 cup chia seeds with 3 cups water (for a thick consistency) or 6 cups of water (for a thin consistency).
Before you eat it, you’ll need to refrigerate it for about 30 minutes, making it a gelatinous substance.
The more significant advantage is that it stays fresh for about five days once refrigerated!
3. Canned Pumpkin
Canned pumpkin isn’t technically one of the substitutes for oats, but you can use it to make your favorite oatmeal recipes.
Replace 1/4 cup oats with 1/4 cup canned pumpkin in any overnight or quick-cooking recipe.
You can add two tablespoons of pumpkin to other baked goods (bread, muffins, scones) in place of using fruit puree or oil.
If you aren’t a fan of pumpkins, try adding your favorite squash, butternut, or acorn squash instead!
4. Applesauce
Applesauce makes a tasty replacement for oats in baked oatmeal or oat bran muffins, and it adds flavor and texture to these sweet treats and extra fiber.
Plus, it’s cheaper than buying oats at your local grocery store! Make sure you choose unsweetened applesauce.
If you select an option with added sugar, you will add calories and fat to your recipe.
You can use roughly 1/2 cup of applesauce instead of one cup of oats in most recipes for oats.
Any leftover sauce should be stored in an airtight container and refrigerated for two weeks. Finally, applesauce is one of the best substitutes for oats.
That tastes great and gives you all the nutrition you need! Would you pick applesauce as one of your substitutes for oats?
5. Raspberries
This is one of the substitutes for oats recipes that sounds more difficult than it is.
Pour your favorite pancake batter into a bowl of raspberries and cover with a plate. Cook until set, then flip over and cook again.
You could also use blueberries or blackberries in place of raspberries if desired. Try to choose fruit that’s not overly ripe or sweet.
Otherwise, your pancakes may be too sentimental. This will ensure you get an excellent combination of flavors in each bite.
6. Bananas
Bananas are not only one of our favorite fruits but are also considered a great substitute for oats.
Mash half a banana instead of rolled oats in your breakfast recipe. You’ll get all of that beautiful banana flavor you love.
The good news is you’ll have it with fewer calories than traditional oatmeal (about 90 calories per cup). Enjoy any way you usually enjoy oats.
This is an especially great substitute if you’re gluten-free. Make sure your oats are labeled gluten-free to avoid cross-contamination and allergies.
7. Sunflower Seeds
Sunflower seeds make an excellent addition to many smoothies and work as a thickener in baked goods.
The seeds have a nutty taste with just a hint of sweetness, and they are an excellent source of dietary fiber, vitamin E, iron, and magnesium.
Enjoy sunflower seeds in trail mix, cereals, or sprinkled on salads. If you’re trying to lose weight safely but quickly, you can swap out your oats for 1⁄2 cup of sunflower seeds and save about 45 calories!
Sunflower seeds are one of the fastest weight-loss substitutes for oats. All you need is a recipe and your cooking skills!
8. Shredded Coconut
Maple syrup is a natural sweetener derived from maple tree sap and offers a healthy alternative to sugar. It can be used in hot drinks, salad dressings, and baked goods.
If you’re looking for one of the healthy substitutes for oats, use less maple syrup than sugar in your recipes.
You may also want to add it sparingly to oatmeal or drizzle some on top of pancakes. Don’t go overboard.
Syrup can contain significant amounts of calories! (1 cup contains 468 calories.) If you would like more flavor options, try adding honey as well.
Finally, remember that both are natural sweeteners that can have a laxative effect when consumed in excess. You will have no issue with them when taken in moderation, though!
9. Mixed Berries
One cup of berries can deliver three to four grams of fiber, twice as much as you’ll find in a cup of most whole grains, including oats.
Berries are so sweet, so you only need to eat a quarter cup per serving to feel satisfied.
Berries also pack vitamins A and C and bone-building calcium. Combine them with oatmeal or other whole grains for a satisfying breakfast or dessert.
Ensure it doesn’t spike your blood sugar too much, or consider eating them independently. It’s one of the savory substitutes for oats.
10. Maple Syrup
Maple syrup is an excellent substitute for oats. It has a rich flavor and a high level of sweetness and holds up very well in recipes.
Although expensive, you can usually find it on sale or use coupons for a better deal.
Maple syrup can be used to make pancakes, waffles, oatmeal cookies, and cereals such as granola and muesli, as well as to sweeten other desserts like puddings and custards.
Also, you can drizzle it over ice cream or cheesecake. Maple syrup is delicious on pork chops or stir-fried vegetables for savory dishes.
11. Buckwheat
Traditional cereal grains like oats, wheat, and rice are often touted as healthy, providing energy by converting carbohydrates into glucose.
By contrast, buckwheat is not a cereal grain; it’s a fruit seed closely related to rhubarb.
Buckwheat provides energy differently: It converts protein into glucose instead of carbohydrates, making buckwheat excellent for people who follow vegetarian or vegan diets.
Buckwheat is rich in fiber and other nutrients, and it is a high protein substitute for oats when cooked properly.
It has a similar texture and consistency when cooked, making it perfect for baking muffins or pancakes!
12. Millet
This gluten-free grain is loaded with protein, so it’s a great option for bulking up.
It also has a lower glycemic index than oats, which will help keep your blood sugar levels in check and avoid spiking hunger.
If you have celiac disease or wheat allergy, millet is an excellent substitute for oats. You can find it at health food stores and online.
13. Brown Rice
One of the most apparent substitutes for oats is brown rice, which is high in fiber and complex carbohydrates.
Try it to replace your favorite hot breakfast cereal with something slightly healthier.
You can use brown rice in everything from porridge to overnight oats. Just cook it like regular rice, and you don’t want lumps!
Another great thing about substituting brown rice for oats is that cooking takes less time and effort.
Just ensure not to overcook your batch, or it will get mushy and lose its texture. It’s a highly nutritious substitute you should try.
What to Consider When Replacing Oat?
There are many substitutes for oats out there. You want to know exactly what you’re getting yourself into. The two most common substitutes are corn and quinoa flakes.
However, they taste very different. Corn flakes have a light, milky taste, while quinoa flakes have a more nutty flavor. The nutty flavor is good in hot cereals and cold desserts alike.
A third option is to go with rolled oats in your recipes. They can be disguised easily and won’t affect your finished product much!
Remember that if you use these substitutes, your recipe will likely need some adjustment time. It also needs to taste right, so please don’t give up on it too quickly!
Substitute only half of an oat recipe’s flour with one of these alternatives if possible. You’ll get similar results without losing too much texture or sweetness.
Finally, If you’d like to swap half of an oat recipe’s flour for something else, try using a flour mixture.
You could choose quinoa flakes and cornflakes or add some baking powder/baking soda, which would compensate for any changes in acidity caused by substituting ingredients.
Conclusion
Instead of whole oats, try using more oats in your cooking. If you don’t want to add them as cereal or want to cut back on your usual intake, it’s okay.
You can try removing some of your other high-calorie carbohydrates and replacing them with oats.
They can be a delicious addition to many dishes. Next time you eat rice, pasta, or potatoes, ask yourself, can I have that with oatmeal instead? You might find it makes all those old standards taste like new again.
Of course, if you prefer eating whole oats plain or with milk and fruit, keep doing so! We hope our list of delicious substitutes for oats helped you choose what best suits you.
