More than just the stuff you use to make porridge, oats can be processed and used as a stand-alone flour in a bake or added with other flours to increase the nutrition in a bake. It is one of the more popular gluten-free flours, probably because it is easy to find, easy to make, and not overly expensive, and you often see it as one of the ingredients in a gluten-free all-purpose flour blend.
But if you have run out and need something else in a pinch, we have you covered with these seven alternatives!
- Buckwheat flour + white rice flour
- All-purpose flour
- White rice flour
- Buckwheat flour
- Tipo 00 flour
- Amaranth flour
- Coconut flour
Best All-Around Oat Flour Substitute: Buckwheat Flour + White Rice Flour
Oat flour is a type of flour made from ground oats – that’s it! But, if you have some buckwheat flour and some white rice flour on hand, you can mix them together to imitate the texture of oat flour, as well as the baking characteristics.
Buckwheat flour is highly allergy friendly and has a unique and nutty flavor. It is intense on its own but blended with some white rice flour, and it can imitate that hearty earthiness of oat flour. For a less nutritious but lighter flavor, go with 100% white rice flour.
Best Budget-Friendly Oat Flour Substitute: All-Purpose Flour Or White Rice Flour
Oat flour is usually around $6-8/pound. Cheap enough, but all-purpose flour is $1.50-3/pound. Super affordable, but the downside is that it isn’t gluten-free. However, if you are not gluten intolerant, this is the most affordable substitute.
If you want to stay gluten-free, white rice flour at $4-5/pound will give you a little more bang for your buck.
Best Easy-to-Bake-With Oat Flour Substitute: All-Purpose Flour
All-purpose flour is the easiest-to-bake-with substitute for oat flour. Why? Because it has gluten. Gluten in baked goods helps to give them structure and texture, and all-purpose flour’s gluten content gives it this capability.
It is important to note that all-purpose flour has a medium absorbency level, while oat flour is high. This means you need to substitute all-purpose for oat flour by weight if you want to do a 1:1 swap, or you can do 1 cup of all-purpose for substitute 1 ⅓ cups of oat flour.
Flour Closest in Flavor to Oat Flour: White Rice Flour
Oat flour has a nutty, oaty taste, and white rice flour is slightly more subtle with a light nutty taste. It is a good option for those who like their flours a little more on the neutral side, and if you want more of an earthy punch, add some buckwheat flour!
Best Neutral-Flavor Substitute for Oat Flour: All-Purpose Flour
The best neutral-flavored substitute for oat flour is all-purpose flour, which is best described as very bland! Oat flour is nutty, denser, and tastes like oats, putting some people off. If you want to stay gluten-free, white rice flour would be your next best, most neutral-flavored substitute.
Best Healthy Substitute for Oat Flour: Buckwheat Flour
Buckwheat flour is rich in nutrients and packed with minerals, fiber and protein. The plant itself has been used for centuries in traditional medicine, in remedies such as treating joint pain and skin diseases.
Oat flour has its own nutritional compounds, such as beta-glucans which have cholesterol-lowering properties, but the mineral content is lower than buckwheat flour.
Best High-Fiber Substitute for Oat Flour: Buckwheat Flour
One-quarter of a cup of buckwheat flour has around 9 grams of fiber, so it really packs a punch. Oat flour, on the other hand, has 3 grams, though the quality of oat flour fiber is excellent.
The fiber in buckwheat adds to the satisfying density of its baked goods, though it may absorb liquid differently from oat flour, so be prepared to adjust your liquid ingredients. Also, be aware that buckwheat flour has a strong flavor and tastes bitter to some palates.
Best Gluten-Free Alternative to Oat Flour: Buckwheat Flour + White Rice Flour
Oat flour is a strange one when it comes to gluten. It is supposed to be gluten-free, but many processing factories use machinery that may be contaminated with gluten from other things, so it is best to choose oat flour or oats that specifically say they are gluten-free.
Even though buckwheat has wheat in its name, it does not contain wheat. It is a fruit seed related to rhubarb! That makes it totally gluten-free. Mixed with white rice flour, which is also completely gluten-free, it makes an excellent substitute for oat flour.
Best Lower Calorie Substitute for Oat Flour: Tipo 00 Flour
Tipo 00 (double zero) is the most refined Italian flour. The 00 refers to the fineness of the grind. It is much more delicate than oat flour and is mainly used for pizza dough, bread and pasta, but if you want something low-calorie and aren’t allergic to gluten, you could try it.
Oat flour has 120 calories per ¼ cup, while Tipo 00 has 100.
Best High Protein Substitute for Oat Flour: Amaranth Flour
Amaranth flour could be a higher protein alternative to oat flour. It has 5 grams of protein per ¼ cup compared to oat flours 4 grams. Not a huge difference, but it might be if you are using a lot of it! Amaranth flour has a delicious, nutty taste, like oat flour but stronger, though not as intense as buckwheat flour.
Amaranth flour is a great vegan and gluten-free option and doesn’t contain any of the common food allergens that may be found in other nut, seed or wheat flours.
Best Keto/Paleo/Whole30 Substitute for Oat Flour: Coconut Flour
Coconut flour is low in net carbohydrates, which makes it keto-friendly (just!). It is also high in healthy fats and good-quality fiber, a plus when following the keto diet!
As coconuts are not grains, legumes, soy, or pseudo-grains, and coconut flour is not usually highly processed, it is considered a whole, unrefined food suitable for the paleo and Whole30 diets.
The slightly sweet flavor of coconut flour enhances the taste of pastries, baked goods, and raw desserts too! It absorbs a little more liquid than oat flour, so adjust the liquid ingredients in your recipe accordingly.
FAQs
Yes, oat flour is gluten-free if made from certified gluten-free oats. If they are not certified gluten-free, they may have been processed on equipment that has also processed gluten-containing grains. Check your labels!
No, it isn’t. Oats are whole grains and contain more fiber, protein, vitamins, and minerals than oat flour. Oat flour is slightly higher in carbohydrates and calories than oats because it is more refined. The fiber content is also lower in oat flour.
Both ground oats and oat flour come from whole oats, but their processing methods and final textures differ. Ground oats are created by grinding oat groats using stones, resulting in a rougher texture than oat flour. On the other hand, oat flour is made by processing oat groats into a fine, smooth powder.
Yes, it does. Oat flour will rise when you bake with it because the baking powder produces carbon dioxide gas which causes the dough to expand and rise. However, oat flour has no gluten, so its texture is different, and it won’t rise nearly as much as gluten wheat-based baked goods.
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