How To Make Oat Flour

Name: How To Make Oat Flour
Prep time: 5 min
Total time: 1 min
Ingredients: 2 1/2 cups oats (use steel cut or rolled)

Homemade Oat flour in a glass jar with spoon

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How to Make Oat Flour ~ simple instructions for making your own homemade naturally gluten free oat flour, it takes just seconds! Use it alone or in combination with other flours to give added flavor, a nutritional boost, and an extra tender crumb to your baking recipes.

I’ve gotten a lot of questions about oat flour since I posted my Apple Cider Doughnut Cake, where I use oat flour in addition to all-purpose flour in the recipe. Many of you have never heard of oat flour, and don’t know where to find it. So let’s dive deep, you’ll be an expert by the end of the post ~

What is oat flour?

Oat flour is a whole grain flour made from oats. It’s naturally gluten free, and full of flavor and nutrition. Oat flour has a silky texture and a subtle ‘oaty’ flavor which I love. It is similar to wheat flour except that it doesn’t contain any gluten. It’s a very healthy product, with more protein and fiber than regular flour. It’s lower in carbs, too. Basically oat flour has all the nutritional benefits of oatmeal.

Where can I find oat flour?

You can buy oat flour in most large supermarkets, health food or specialty stores, and chains like Trader Joe’s. My favorite brands are Bob’s Red Mill and Arrowhead Mills, both of which you can find online as well. Look for it with the regular flour, or in the health food section of the market. If you’d like to buy it in bulk, just keep the unopened packages in the freezer.

Why do I use oat flour in some of my recipes?

I’ve discovered that a combination of regular all purpose flour with oat flour results in the perfect crumb and a lovely flavor, along with an extra nutrition boost from the whole grain oats. Oat flour generally adds moisure and a fluffier texture to recipes. I like to use it in cakes, shortbread, pancakes, cornbread, etc., and I love the result. I’ve listed out some of my favorite ways to use oat flour under the recipe card, below.

How to make your own flour from plain oats ~

If you’re interested, it’s super easy to make your own oat flour. You’ll need a food processor or a good blender, and oats, that’s it! You use raw oats, any type, and process for a few seconds until they turn into a fine powder. Voila ~ oat flour!

You can use a food processor like the Cuisinart, left…Or you can use a high speed blender like Vitamix, which is my choice for grinding flours because it pulverizes any grain in seconds and creates a super fine texture. Vitamix makes a special dry grains container for grinding ingredients like grains, or nuts, etc., above. If you’re going to invest in a Vitamix it’s smart to buy one that comes with this extra feature. You can also buy it separately.

What kind of oats do I use to make flour?

Any type of oats will work for this. You can use oat groats (the whole oat kernel,) steel cut oats, or old fashioned rolled oats. You can even use quick cooking rolled oats, if that’s all you have, although that would be my last choice because they have been processed. In other words, you can make flour out of raw oats in any form.

What can I do with my homemade oat flour?

Your homemade oat flour can be used in all sorts of recipes from pancakes and waffles, to muffins and breads, to cakes and cookies. Many recipes are formulated for oat flour, but if a recipe calls for all purpose flour you can substitute oat flour for up to 25-30% the amount of regular flour in most baking recipes. Oat flour can be used to thicken gravies, soups, and stews, too.

How to store homemade oat flour

Whole grain flours spoil quicker than processed white flour, and so I like to keep mine in the refrigerator, or even freezer for longer periods of time. Store it in a zip lock baggie, a mason jar, or other airtight container. Since it’s so easy to make, I usually make small batches so it’s always fresh.

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