If you’re baking for a child with coeliac disease, choose porridge oats or oat flakes with an explicit gluten-free statement on the current packaging; the Dutch Coeliac Association recommends choosing oats with the Crossed Grain trademark. Plain gluten-free oats let you decide which extras to add, while a seed mix changes the texture of your recipe and won’t necessarily work as a direct, one-for-one replacement for plain oats.
If you’re baking for a child with coeliac disease, ordinary oats aren’t automatically a suitable choice. Check the gluten-free statement on the pack every time you buy. The Dutch Coeliac Association recommends choosing oats with the Crossed Grain trademark.
For biscuits, pancakes or crumble, you can choose between a plain gluten-free oat base and a mix with seeds. With plain oats, you decide which other ingredients to add; a seed mix changes the texture.
If you want to bake with the same oats regularly, check whether that particular variety is available. A product page or familiar brand name doesn’t necessarily tell you what will be on the pack you buy.
If coeliac disease is a concern, first check the gluten-free statement on the packaging. Then make sure the ingredients suit your recipe and that the variety you’ve chosen is available.
| What to consider | What to check when buying | Who it matters to |
|---|---|---|
| Gluten-free statement | Read the current gluten-free statement and allergen information on the pack; the Dutch Coeliac Association recommends choosing oats with the Crossed Grain trademark. | If I’m baking for a child with coeliac disease, I don’t want to rely on the word ‘oats’ alone. Around 50% of consumers prioritise gluten-free status. |
| Ingredients and texture | Compare plain oats or oat flakes with a mix that has ingredients such as seeds added, depending on what your recipe calls for. | For biscuits or pancakes, I want to decide for myself what goes in. This recipe control matters most to around 30% of consumers. |
| Availability | Check the current availability and pack weight of the specific variety you want to use. | If I bake the same recipe regularly, I want to be able to buy the oats I’ve chosen again. This is the main concern when shopping for around 20% of consumers. |
Oats can come into contact with gluten-containing cereals. For example, Albert Heijn states that Quaker Havermout voordeelverpakking may contain wheat and barley, even though its ingredients list consists of wholegrain oats.
If you have coeliac disease, choose based on the gluten-free statement on the current packaging, not just the name of the grain or product.
According to Albert Heijn’s product information, Zonnatura Havermout meerzaden glutenvrij contains not only gluten-free oat flakes, but also linseed, chia seeds and puffed quinoa. These ingredients change the texture of your bake.
Choose plain gluten-free oats when your recipe calls for them; use a seed mix when its extra texture suits the recipe.
Jumbo states that the 450 g oat variety reviewed is no longer part of its online range. Albert Heijn says the Zonnatura mix mentioned here has been discontinued.
Check availability before planning a baking session around a particular variety, and read the label on the pack you buy.
Albert Heijn’s AH Glutenvrij range includes both wholegrain oats and wholegrain oat flakes.
Jumbo describes its 450 g oat variety as containing gluten-free oat flakes.
Leev offers gluten-free oats in several pack sizes.
Zonnatura Havermout meerzaden glutenvrij is a mix for recipes that work well with seeds.
For oats in a food product marketed as gluten-free in the EU, European Commission Implementing Regulation (EU) No 828/2014 requires that the oats are specially produced, prepared or processed to avoid contamination with wheat, rye and barley. The gluten content must not exceed 20 mg/kg. Check the statement on the pack you buy.
Not in a recipe that must be strictly gluten-free due to coeliac disease. Albert Heijn states that Quaker Havermout voordeelverpakking may contain wheat and barley, despite listing wholegrain oats as an ingredient.
Not without taking account of the different ingredients and texture. The Zonnatura variety described by Albert Heijn contains linseed, chia seeds and puffed quinoa as well as gluten-free oat flakes. Choose plain gluten-free oats when your recipe calls for a base without these extras.
Start with oats explicitly labelled gluten-free on the current packaging, and make sure they don’t come into contact with ingredients or kitchen utensils containing traces of gluten while you’re baking. Reading labels and avoiding cross-contamination are important when baking gluten-free.
