If you’re baking for someone with coeliac disease, choose oats whose current packaging says ‘gluten-free’ or carries a recognised gluten-free certification mark. Ordinary oats aren’t automatically suitable: they can come into contact with cereals containing gluten during production and processing. You can use plain gluten-free oats to make your own biscuits or bars, as long as you check the other ingredients too.
If someone at your table needs to avoid gluten strictly, choosing oats as an ingredient isn’t enough on its own. The Dutch Coeliac Society recommends choosing oats with the Crossed Grain trademark wherever possible.
For biscuits or bars, you can measure out plain oats and decide which other ingredients to use yourself. Check that the whole recipe is gluten-free, not just the oats.
Check availability only after you’ve found a suitable pack. ALDI lists gluten-free oats in its range; Lidl says its additional gluten-free products are currently unavailable. Check the specific product before planning your baking around it.
Start with the gluten-free label on the pack. Then choose the type that suits your recipe and check whether you can buy it in time.
| What to look for | What to check when buying | Who it matters to |
|---|---|---|
| Gluten-free status | Look for ‘gluten-free’ or a recognised gluten-free certification mark on the current packaging. Check the ingredients and allergen warnings too. | If I’m baking for someone with coeliac disease, I don’t want to rely on the word ‘oats’ alone. This assurance matters most to around 50% of consumers. |
| Use in your recipe | Check whether you need plain gluten-free oats, and check the other recipe ingredients separately. | If you’re making your own biscuits or bars, you’ll want to measure out the oats without being tied to a flavoured mix. Recipe flexibility comes first for an estimated 30% of consumers. |
| Availability | Check the specific product and current availability in store; a listing in a range doesn’t tell you what’s on a particular pack. | If I’m shopping just before baking, I want to be able to find a suitable option rather than use ordinary oats as a substitute. For around 20% of consumers, availability, along with the cost of buying, is the first consideration. |
Oats can come into contact with wheat, barley or rye during harvesting, transport or processing. Ordinary oats are therefore not an equivalent alternative to oats explicitly labelled gluten-free.
Before making your Christmas bake, check the current packaging for ‘gluten-free’ or a recognised gluten-free certification mark.
Quaker says that its Havermout Original may contain barley and wheat. The fact that Quaker describes it as made from 100% wholegrain oats doesn’t change that warning.
If you’re baking for someone with coeliac disease, choose a product explicitly labelled gluten-free rather than an oat product carrying such a warning.
Jumbo says that Lekker Vrij van Gluten Havermout 450 g is no longer part of its online range. Lidl says its additional gluten-free products are currently unavailable.
Check current availability before planning the ingredients for your Christmas bake, and keep a second suitable product in mind.
Always check the specific pack of oats: a gluten-free range or a familiar brand name doesn’t make every oat product suitable for someone with coeliac disease.
AH Glutenvrij Volkoren havermout 450 g is a plain option for recipes using oats.
Jumbo listed the Crossed Grain trademark on its Lekker Vrij van Gluten Havermout 450 g.
The Quaker products mentioned here aren’t a substitute for explicitly labelled gluten-free oats for this type of baking.
ALDI lists gluten-free oats as part of its breakfast cereal range.
Lidl also sells ordinary oats; the product category alone doesn’t tell you whether they’re suitable for someone with coeliac disease.
Not automatically. Oats can come into contact with cereals containing gluten during harvesting, transport and processing. For this Christmas bake, choose oats with ‘gluten-free’ or a recognised gluten-free certification mark on the current packaging.
‘Gluten-free’ is a regulated claim, not simply a description of the main ingredient. For products containing cereals with gluten, the Netherlands Food and Consumer Product Safety Authority refers to the conditions set out in Commission Implementing Regulation (EU) No 828/2014. Also check the ingredients and allergen information on the pack you buy.
Not for a bake that needs to be suitable for someone with coeliac disease: Quaker says that Havermout Original may contain barley and wheat. Choose oats with an explicit gluten-free label on the current packaging instead.
Not everyone with coeliac disease needs to avoid gluten-free oats, but individual tolerance can vary. If the person eating them has previously had symptoms after eating oats, discuss using them with their doctor or a specialist dietitian before baking with them.
