Oat groats steamed and pressed flat between rollers, which is why they hydrate quickly. About 1 cup oats to 2 cups liquid, simmered around 5 minutes.
What it does in a recipe: A soft, absorbent flake that thickens as it hydrates and binds in flapjacks, crumbles and meatballs. Pick the swap that covers that job — the ratios below are written so you can act on them without doing any arithmetic.
Also called: Old-fashioned oats, Porridge oats
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Quick answer
Quick oats
1 cup rolled oats with 2 cups liquid = 1 cup quick oats with 1 3/4 cups liquid, simmered 2 to 3 minutes
All substitutes, best first
4 ways to replace rolled oats
Quick oats
Reliable
1 cup rolled oats with 2 cups liquid = 1 cup quick oats with 1 3/4 cups liquid, simmered 2 to 3 minutes
Quick oats are the same flake rolled thinner and cut smaller, so they hydrate faster and need marginally less liquid to reach the same consistency.
Trade-offA smoother, softer porridge with no distinct flakes. In a cookie or a crumble the texture loses its chew and the mixture spreads more.
Allergen checkQuick oats carry the same cross-contamination risk as any other oat — wheat and barley get mixed in during growing, transport and milling. Only packets labelled certified gluten-free are appropriate for coeliac disease.
Steel-cut oats
Reliable
1 cup rolled oats with 2 cups liquid, 5 minutes = 1 cup steel-cut oats with 4 cups liquid, simmered 25 to 30 minutes
Steel-cut oats are groats chopped rather than flattened, so water has far less surface to work through — they need double the liquid and roughly six times the time.
MethodStir occasionally and keep the heat low. They will catch and scorch on the base of the pan more readily than flakes do.
Trade-offNutty and distinctly chewy rather than creamy. They cannot be substituted into baking, where the recipe relies on flakes softening in a short bake.
Allergen checkSteel-cut oats are subject to the same wheat and barley contamination in the field and at the mill as rolled oats. Certified gluten-free packs exist and are the only safe option for coeliac disease.
Rolled barley or rye flakes
Reliable
1 cup rolled oats with 2 cups liquid = 1 cup rolled barley or rye flakes with 2 1/4 cups liquid, simmered 10 to 12 minutes
They are processed identically — steamed and rolled — but the grains are denser, so they take a little more liquid and about twice the time.
Trade-offChewier and more strongly flavoured, with a sour, malty note in rye that reads clearly in a sweet crumble.
Allergen checkBarley and rye contain gluten outright, unlike oats, which are only contaminated with it. Neither is remotely suitable for coeliac disease. Confirm what you are buying, and treat a diagnosis as a medical restriction rather than a preference.
Quinoa flakes
Reliable
1 cup rolled oats with 2 cups liquid = 1 cup quinoa flakes with 2 cups liquid, simmered 90 seconds
Quinoa flakes are made the same way, by rolling the seed flat, and they hydrate very fast because the flake is much thinner.
MethodTake them off the heat as soon as they thicken. Left simmering they go gluey within a couple of minutes.
Trade-offSofter and slightly bitter, without the substantial bite of an oat flake. They are, however, genuinely gluten-free.
Oats contain no gluten of their own, but they are grown in rotation with wheat and barley, hauled in the same trailers and milled on the same equipment, so ordinary oats regularly test above the gluten threshold. Only oats certified gluten-free are safe for coeliac disease — and a minority of people with coeliac disease react to avenin, oats' own protein, even then. That is a conversation for a clinician.
Cooking around an allergy? Diet tags here describe the ingredient itself, not any particular brand. Processed products change formulation without notice and shared production lines are common, so read the label on everything you use. A severe allergy is a medical matter — confirm with the manufacturer or your clinician rather than relying on a substitution chart.