Vegans avoiding added sugar
You’re looking for a quick breakfast without a sweetened flavour mix. Compare the sugar per 100 g, and check the current ingredients or look for a vegan certification before you choose.
Who is this relevant for?
Vegans with coeliac disease
As well as checking the ingredients, you’ll need to look for a gluten-free label. The Netherlands Nutrition Centre warns that ordinary oat products aren’t necessarily suitable for people with coeliac disease. Check the packaging for ‘gluten-free’ or the Crossed Grain symbol.
Breakfast fans who value convenient portions
You want to prepare a single portion quickly, perhaps on a busy morning. Check that the preparation method and packaging suit your needs, and also review the ingredients and nutritional information.
What should you look for when choosing?
First, decide whether you need a gluten-free option. Then compare the ingredients, sugar per 100 g and portion packaging of products that meet your requirements.
| What to consider | What to check | Who is this most important for? |
|---|---|---|
| Added sugar | Read the ingredients and compare ‘of which sugars’ per 100 g. ‘No added sugar’ does not mean sugar-free. | I want to choose a plain breakfast without a sweetened flavour mix and know how much sugar the product itself contains. Around 50% of consumers prioritise avoiding added sugar. |
| Vegan ingredients | Check the current ingredients for anything of animal origin, and look for a vegan certification. | When choosing a porridge mix, I don’t want to rely on the name alone to decide whether it’s vegan. For around 30% of consumers, this check comes first. |
| Gluten-free | If you have coeliac disease, look for ‘gluten-free’ or the Crossed Grain symbol, and read any warnings about wheat and barley. | If I need gluten-free oats because I have coeliac disease, a pack labelled only ‘oats’ isn’t enough. For around 20% of consumers, having confidence that a product is gluten-free matters most. |
Common pitfalls
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Assuming a flavoured variety has no added sugar
A fruit or cinnamon flavour doesn’t tell you what ingredients have been added. Nor does the flavour tell you how much sugar there is per 100 g.
Read the ingredients list and the ‘of which sugars’ line. If you want to choose what to add yourself, compare plain varieties.
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Assuming all oats are suitable for people with coeliac disease
According to the Netherlands Nutrition Centre, ordinary oat products may not be suitable for people with coeliac disease because of gluten contamination.
Check whether the instant porridge is explicitly labelled gluten-free or carries the Crossed Grain symbol. Also read any warnings about wheat and barley.
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Assuming oats are automatically vegan
An instant porridge mix may contain more than just oats. Packaging that looks plant-based doesn’t confirm that the whole product is vegan.
Check the current ingredients. If you want to look for a certification, the Netherlands Nutrition Centre recommends checking for the Vegan Keurmerk or V-Label Vegan.
Brands compared
Quaker
Quaker Oats Express Naturel is plain instant porridge in individual portions. Quaker Netherlands lists wholegrain oats as an ingredient, while Albert Heijn describes a preparation time of two minutes.
- The ingredients list for this Naturel variety names only wholegrain oats.
- Quaker Netherlands says the product may contain soya, barley and wheat. So don’t treat this variety as a gluten-free option if you have coeliac disease.
Elovena
Elovena Natural instant oatmeal glutenvrij is plain instant porridge in individual sachets. Albert Heijn lists this variety as gluten-free and says it contains no added sugar.
- The gluten-free label makes this particular variety worth considering if gluten-free is a condition of your purchase.
- A gluten-free label alone doesn’t confirm that a product is vegan. Check the current ingredients and any relevant certifications too.
Jumbo
Jumbo’s porridge range includes both wholegrain rolled oats in a larger pack and Havermout Porties Original. This gives you the choice between measuring out your own portions and choosing pre-portioned packs.
- The different pack formats let you choose how convenient you want your portions to be.
- For each variety, check the current packaging for the ingredients, nutritional information and any gluten-free label.
Instant porridge on Joybuy
This Joybuy selection features Quaker Express Oatmeal for shoppers looking for instant porridge. Before buying, check the sugar information per 100 g, whether it’s suitable for vegans and, if needed, whether the pack is labelled gluten-free.
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Quaker Express Oatmeal 324 g
An option if you’re looking for instant porridge and want to check the ingredients yourself. The pack contains 324 g; compare the sugar per 100 g on the current label.
This product may contain traces of soya, barley and wheat. Don’t treat it as a gluten-free option if you have coeliac disease. If vegan suitability matters to you, check the current ingredients too.
Frequently asked questions
Does ‘no added sugar’ mean instant porridge is sugar-free?
No. Oats naturally contain sugar, even if none has been added to the product. So compare ‘of which sugars’ per 100 g and read the ingredients list.
How can I check whether instant porridge is vegan?
Read the current ingredients for the specific variety and look for a vegan certification on the packaging. The Netherlands Nutrition Centre says that certifications such as the Vegan Keurmerk and V-Label Vegan are used for this purpose. If you’re unsure about an ingredient, you can ask the manufacturer for more information.
When should I look for gluten-free instant porridge?
If you have coeliac disease, ordinary oats aren’t necessarily suitable because oat products can be contaminated with gluten. So check the packaging for an explicit gluten-free label or the Crossed Grain symbol, as recommended by the Netherlands Nutrition Centre.