How to Substitute Steel Cut for Rolled Oats

Make healthier, chewier oatmeal cookies using steel-cut oats.

Oatmeal is known as a fiber-rich food that fills you up, helps regulate blood sugar and lowers your cholesterol. Steel-cut oats, also known as pinhead, Scotch, Irish or coarse-cut oats are higher in fiber and lower on the glycemic index than rolled oats. Rolled, or old fashioned, oats are more highly processed, but they cook faster than steel-cut oats. For better health, many people want to substitute steel-cut oats for rolled oats in recipes, but they have to consider texture and cooking time to make substitutions.

Things You'll Need

• steel-cut oats
• recipe ingredients

Instructions

1. Mix the ingredients in your recipe. Add the same amount of steel-cut oats a recipe with rolled oats calls for, cup for cup. Add 10 to 15 minutes to the cooking time to soften the oats, checking frequently to make sure your baked goods don't burn.

2. Read instructions and follow recipes on oatmeal boxes. Some steel-cut oat manufacturers suggest soaking oats before cooking.

3. Use the same measurements and cooking methods for steel-cut oats as rolled oats in recipes that call for cooked oatmeal.

4. Add steel-cut oats to your recipe. Let the batter set for an hour to allow the oats to absorb more liquid, then cook.

Tips & Warnings

• Prepare oatmeal with steel-cut oats using a slow cooker that allows the oatmeal to simmer all night.

• Additional liquid may be needed to soften steel-cut oats enough to chew.

• Check products in which you are substituting steel-cut oats before making them in bulk to be sure they produce the consistency and texture you want.

References

• Steel Cut Oats
• The Cook's Thesaurus: Oats
• The World's Healthiest Foods: Oats

Resources

• Food.com: Kitchen Dictionary: Oatmeal
• Food Network: Steel Cut Oatmeal