If you’ve been doing a lot of AK baking this year you’ve probably noticed a special ingredient that I’ve *slightly* fallen in love with.
Say hello to beautifully simple oat flour.
I’ve been adding oat flour to some incredible breads, muffins, cookies, and more and it’s truly one of my new favorite flours to bake with. It creates light and fluffy textures that you’ll absolutely love, which keeps your favorite baked goods gluten free. You can, of course, buy oat flour from the store, but it’s also so easy to make your own at home using a key pantry staple: rolled oats!
Don’t take my word for it, take a scroll to see exactly how to make oat flour right at home, plus tips, tricks and your most common questions about using it.
What is oat flour?
Oat flour is a finely ground flour made, of course, from oats! It’s very light in texture and has a similar absorbency to coconut flour (another one of my fav gluten-free flours), making it much more absorbent than all purpose flour or wheat flour.
Is oat flour gluten free?
I always have oat flour on hand for all of my gluten-free baking adventures. If you buy oat flour made from certified gluten free oats or make your own with certified gluten-free oats, then you will have gluten-free oat flour. Be sure to double-check your packaging to be sure!
The best type of oats to use to make oat flour
I recommend using old fashioned rolled oats or quick-cooking oats (gluten-free if desired) to make your homemade oat flour so that it has a light and fluffy consistency. Steel cut oats may result in grittier oat flour. Learn about more types of oats, plus plenty of recipes in our guide here!
Benefits of using oat flour
- Tons of health benefits. Oats are a whole grain food, which means they pack vitamins, minerals, antioxidants, fiber and are even a great source of protein.
- It will fill you up. Because oats are fiber & protein packed, they’ll keep you feeling satisfied for longer. That means with recipes using oat flour (as opposed to regular flour AKA white, refined flour) you’re less likely to spike your blood sugar and experience that 3pm hanger later.
- Versatility. Oat flour is extremely versatile, and if you’re like me, you always have old-fashioned oats in your pantry! You’ll see that I use oat flour in tons of baking recipes and even savory ones because it provides the perfect texture and holds recipes together. It also makes a great substitution for other flours in baking — just be sure to read the recipe’s notes section to see if it’s a good sub.
How to make homemade oat flour
The best part about oat flour? It can be made with just one ingredient in one simple step:
Simply place your rolled oats in a high-speed blender or food processor and blend or pulse them until the mixture is smooth and resembles flour or a fine powder. This should only take a minute or two and is the most affordable. Check out this video to see how it’s done!
Can I use oat flour in place of all purpose flour?
Unfortunately, no, I would not recommend using oat flour 1:1 in place of all purpose flour. The texture and liquid ratios will be very different when making this swap. However, you can substitute half of the all purpose flour in your recipe with oat flour! For example, if the recipe calls for 1 cup all purpose flour, feel free to use 1/2 oat flour and 1/2 all purpose flour.
Overall, I recommend only using oat flour in recipes that specifically call for it within the recipe or in the notes section.
Tips on measuring oat flour
- After blending your oats and before adding oat flour to a recipe, be sure to measure it out to what the recipe calls for.
- 1 cup of rolled oats equals about 3/4 cup oat flour, so you’ll need a bit more rolled oats if you need a full cup of oat flour in your recipe.
Storing tips
Store your homemade oat flour in an airtight container at room temperature. It has a shelf life of about 3 months.
Recommended tools for making oat flour
Recipes using oat flour
The possibilities are truly endless with oat flour! Here are some of my favorites:
- Healthy Peanut Butter Banana Muffins (dairy free + gluten free)
- Healthy Lemon Poppy Seed Bread
- Healthy Birthday Cake Bread
- Blueberry Pie Bars with Oatmeal Crumble (vegan & gluten free)
- Healthy Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Cookies (vegan & gluten free!)
- Ooey-Gooey Dark Chocolate Espresso Date Oat Bars
- Ultimate Vegan Black Bean Burgers with Creamy Tahini Garlic Sauce
Get all of our amazing oat flour recipes here!
I hope you love this easy guide for making your own oat flour! If you try it be sure to leave a comment and let me know how it went. Enjoy, xo!
Ambitious Kitchen
Cookbook
125 Ridiculously Good For You, Sometimes Indulgent, and Absolutely Never Boring Recipes for Every Meal of the Day
How to Make Oat Flour
Ingredients
- 1 1/4 cups old fashioned rolled oats (gluten free if desired)
Instructions
- Place oats into a blender or food processer and blend or pulse until smooth and the mixture resembles flour.
- Before using in recipes, be sure to measure out the desired amount of oat flour. Store in an airtight container for up to 3 months.
Recipe Notes
Recipe by: Monique Volz // Ambitious Kitchen | Photography by:Â Eat Love Eats
Can you still purchase the special oat processor from Target?
A food processor or blender will work! Here’s one from Target.
1st time making my own oatmeal flour. Thank you for this. And my muffins are a hit with the family, and healthier
Haven’t made any recipes yet from here, but wanted free menu plan bc they all look good!
You can also make it using steel cut oats. I use the quick cook steel cut oats and blend same way. Steel cut oats are actually better for you. They are less processed then rolled or old fashioned oats.
Good to know that that works well, thanks Denise!
So simple and yet profound. I would not have thought to do this on my own. Also, I have been catching your videos on FB. Great food and I’ve been inspired.
Glad you liked this tutorial!