If you have coeliac disease and follow a vegan diet, choose oats whose current packaging clearly states that they are gluten-free, ideally bearing the Crossed Grain symbol. For a vegan breakfast, check the ingredients in your oats, plant-based drink and toppings too. Regular Quaker Original and Brinta Oats are not equivalent substitutes, as they carry warnings about cereals containing gluten.
You’re looking for a plant-based breakfast staple, but you also want to be sure that the oats are gluten-free. The Dutch Coeliac Society recommends choosing a product bearing the Crossed Grain symbol where possible, or otherwise one with a clear gluten-free claim.
You want to choose your oats, plant-based drink and toppings separately. A single-ingredient option makes it easier to see what’s in your oats, but remember to check the labels of anything you add.
You want to make porridge quickly. Just remember that a short cooking time doesn’t mean a product is gluten-free: Quaker Original and Brinta Oats warn that they may contain cereals containing gluten.
If you have coeliac disease, start by checking for a gluten-free label. Then compare the ingredients in your whole breakfast, before considering the oats’ ingredients and how they’re prepared.
| What to consider | What should you check? | Who is this most important for? |
|---|---|---|
| Gluten-free label | Check the current packaging for the Crossed Grain symbol or a clear gluten-free claim, as recommended by the Dutch Coeliac Society. | If I’m buying oats because I have coeliac disease, I don’t want to rely on the word ‘oats’ alone. For around 42% of shoppers, that reassurance that a product is gluten-free comes first. |
| Vegan ingredients and preparation | Read the ingredients and check whether the oats carry a vegan claim. Check your chosen drink and toppings too. | I want my whole breakfast to suit my vegan diet, not just the oats. Around 25% of shoppers give this the highest priority. |
| Ingredients | Compare plain oats with a seed mix; check separately whether they’re organic if that matters to you. | If I want to choose my own flavours and extras, I look for a short ingredients list. I might prefer a mix with seeds instead. For around 17% of shoppers, the ingredients are the biggest consideration. |
| Preparation and texture | Compare the preparation instructions, the amount of liquid needed and any extra ingredients required. | On a busy morning, I want to know how much preparation my porridge needs and what texture to expect. For around 16% of shoppers, this is the most important consideration. |
Oats may come into contact with wheat, rye or barley during production. So the general properties of oats don’t tell you enough about a specific pack.
Follow the Dutch Coeliac Society’s advice: look for the Crossed Grain symbol where possible, or choose a product with a clear gluten-free claim on its current packaging.
The ingredients in your drink, yoghurt or toppings also affect what ends up in your bowl.
Check each item separately for its ingredients and, if you need to, for a gluten-free label.
Jumbo’s product pages for Jumbo Lekker Vrij van Gluten Havermout and Zonnatura Havermout Glutenvrij Meerzaden stated that these products were no longer available online.
Check current availability before planning your shopping around a particular product. If you have coeliac disease, don’t replace a gluten-free option with regular oats without checking the label.
An option if you’re looking for oats labelled both gluten-free and vegan.
An option if you’re looking for organic gluten-free oats with a short ingredients list.
A gluten-free oats range to look at if you’re specifically after the Crossed Grain symbol.
Quaker Oats Original is regular oats, not an equivalent gluten-free option if you have coeliac disease.
Brinta Oats is a regular oat product; a short ingredients list doesn’t automatically mean a product is gluten-free.
No, regular oats aren’t automatically a suitable gluten-free option. Oats may come into contact with cereals containing gluten during production. That’s why the Dutch Coeliac Society recommends looking for the Crossed Grain symbol where possible, or otherwise a clear gluten-free claim on the product.
Check the current packaging for a clear gluten-free label, ideally with the Crossed Grain symbol. Also read the ingredients and allergen information if you have other requirements for your breakfast.
Choose oats whose ingredients suit your vegan diet, and prepare them with water or a suitable plant-based drink. Albert Heijn explicitly labels AH Glutenvrij Volkoren oats as vegan; check the current packaging of other varieties and all toppings.
Not if you need a gluten-free product because you have coeliac disease. Quaker warns that Original may contain barley and wheat; the product information for Brinta Oats warns that it may contain traces of wheat and rye.
