My family and I love oat groats. When I placed an order for an entire case of oat groats, and they arrived at our doorstep, my teenage daughter cheered! They are one of her favorite breakfast foods.
What are Oat Groats?
As you know, oats have many excellent nutritional qualities. We hear all the time about oat bran’s ability to help lower our cholesterol, and oatmeal is one of my favorite foods to store in my own food storage pantry, but what makes oat groats different?
Sometime referred to as whole oats, oat groats, which you can purchase here, are the untreated, natural, hulled oats with the outermost inedible chaff, or hull, removed. They offer superior nutrition because the endosperm, the germ, and the bran are all preserved.
They contain loads of fiber plus protein, antioxidants, minerals, various B vitamins, plus the heart healthy polysaccharide fats.
What do they taste like?
I find them to have a chewy texture and somewhat nutty flavor. My favorite way to eat them is as oatmeal; they make a satisfying, heart breakfast.
Which is healthier steel-cut oats or oat groats?
This is a bit of a trick question. Why? Well, steel-cut oats are just oat groats that are sliced. This reduces cooking time, yet they still have the exact same nutritional profile as the pre-cut groat.
What is the difference between rolled oats and groats?
The short answer is processing method and nutritional content.
When rolled oats, or oatmeal, are made, the process begins with the oat groat, which is soaked in water and then pressed. At this point, some of the fiber and nutrition are lost. Even more, fiber and nutrition are lost in the process of making quick oats and, more still, instant oats.
So to answer the question: Are groats any better for us than rolled oats or quick oats? Yes, they are.
Okay, so now we know oat groats are better for us, but how are we supposed to use them?
How to Use Oat Groats
They are at their best when used as is in hot cereal or when ground into flour. They’re sweet and add some moisture to your baking, which is perfect for muffins, pancakes, and quick breads.
What about using these wonderful oat groats on their own for breakfast? I tried out a recipe just for you and am so happy I did. It’s super easy and is very nutritious for you and your family.
Slow-Cooked Oat Groats
Serves 6-8.
- 1 ½ cups whole oat groats
- 6 ½ cups water
- Pinch of salt
- Cinnamon stick
- Combine everything in a 3-5 quart crockpot.
- Cook on low overnight or for about 7-9 hours.
- You can remove the lid during the last few minutes to thicken it up.
- Discard the cinnamon stick.
- Sweeten with brown sugar or raisins if desired. You could also add apples.
Super yummy!
Grinding Groats
It’s a very smart idea to have multiple grains in your food storage pantry that can be used in a variety of ways, from grinding them for flour to cooking them whole. This complete guide to food storage grains will be very helpful as you build your own emergency food storage.
The best advice I can give you for grinding groats or any other grain is to verify that the grain mill you own is suitable for that particular grain. Many well-meaning people damage their sometimes-expensive mills by grinding things the burrs were never meant to grind! Check with the manufacturer’s instructions first to be on the safe side.
As with any other grain, including wheat, there’s no point in grinding a massive amount of flour unless you’ll be using it within 30 days or so. This isn’t a hard and fast rule, but since I don’t love pulling out my grain mill all the time, nor do I care to store several pounds of ground groats with no definite plan to use them, I’ve found the 30-day rule works for me.
How to Store Whole Oats
Whole groats will naturally have a longer shelf life if stored properly because the protective hull is still in place. I prefer storing groats and all other grains in small plastic buckets like this one, with a lid that provides an airtight seal. Since I have smaller amounts of groats, I also like this lighter container that holds a little over a gallon. If you won’t be opening the bucket or other container for more than six months, add an appropriate-sized oxygen absorber to protect the food from oxygenation.
Once ground into flour, store it in a tightly sealed container. As with any food, it is affected over time by heat, humidity, oxygen, and light. Read more about those “enemies of food storage,” as I call them.
The Final Word
So, go enjoy those oat groats! Cook them up in a hot breakfast cereal and experiment with different additions. Grind a few cups into flour and try a half-and-half blend with all-purpose flour or freshly ground wheat to bake something amazing for your family!
Do you use oat groats? How do you like to prepare them? Share in the comments!
Originally published February 9, 2021; updated by The Survival Mom editors.
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Best to look for certified chemical free grains, since although they might not be GMO, they are often sprayed with glyphosate (Roundup) as a dessicant after harvesting. Lovely little tidbit they don’t share on the label. Also, if grinding grains that won’t be used within 3 hours, it’s best to freeze the flour so any vitamin E (as in the case of wheat) doesn’t lose value or become rancid.
Glyphosate is a weedkiller. It is never used on any harvested crop after it has been harvested. With that said, I suspect some trace amount of glyphosate might remain on the grain even after its been hulled, washed, dried, and possible roasted. As such, people who would (understanably) want to avoid ingesting ANY glyphosate can consult this website that details brands that don’t have any glyphosate in the products:
https://detoxproject.org/
Oats make a delicious pilaf! Used to be used this way constantly.
Process: using flakes.
To each 2 cups of oats allow one egg. Toss the oats with the egg in a mixing bowl, so they’re coated. In frypan, put a couple T’s of olive or other oil and add oats;stir. When oats smell toasted begin to add broth of choice…powdered, home made or canned. Herbs can also be added. Stir from time to time and cover while broth soaks in. When tender,
They’re ready. They’ll still be separate grains, no glue, just lovely forkfuls of goodness. This works well with mixed grain flakes also. This is the same process used for kasha and other less used grains. Oats are not just for breakfast!
Sounds yummy, Penny. Thanks for sharing!