If you want to avoid added sugars, choose porridge oats with oats as the only ingredient and compare the nutritional information per 100 g. Individual portions of plain oats can be handy when you want to prepare several bowls quickly, but check their labels too. If you’re buying for someone with coeliac disease, you’ll need a product specifically labelled gluten-free; ordinary porridge oats aren’t automatically suitable.
For an Easter breakfast with toppings of your choice, a product with oats as its only ingredient lets you control what goes into your bowl. Compare dry oat products by their ingredients and nutritional information per 100 g; according to the Voedingscentrum, portion sizes can make comparisons more difficult.
If you want to serve individual bowls of warm porridge without weighing out the oats, plain single-portion packs can be practical. Check the ingredients, preparation method and amount of packaging for each product.
According to the Voedingscentrum, ordinary oats aren’t automatically suitable for people with coeliac disease. Look for a specific gluten-free label, such as the Crossed Grain symbol, and check the current packaging every time you buy.
Start with the ingredients and compare the nutritional information per 100 g. Then decide whether serving individual portions quickly or choosing a gluten-free option for your guests is the priority.
| What to consider | What to check when buying | Who it matters to |
|---|---|---|
| Added sugars | Read the ingredients list and compare sugars per 100 g across similar dry oat products. A sugar figure on its own doesn’t mean that sugar has been added. | If I want to choose my own fruit or other toppings, I look for a simple oat base with ingredients I can easily check. For around 50% of consumers, being able to control what is added comes first. |
| Individual portions | For a plain variety, check the ingredients, amount per portion and preparation time. Make sure you have the required pan or microwave. | When I’m serving several guests, I want to make warm bowls without weighing out every portion. Quick, individual servings are the main priority for around 30% of consumers. |
| Gluten-free suitability | Check for a specific gluten-free label, along with the ingredients and allergen information on the current packaging; the word ‘oats’ alone isn’t enough. | If I’m buying for someone with coeliac disease, I need to confirm that the oats are suitable before serving them. This is the main priority for around 20% of consumers. |
Portion sizes can vary between products. The nutrition table also doesn’t tell you whether the sugars listed are naturally present or come from added ingredients.
Compare similar dry oat products per 100 g, and read the ingredients list too, as the Voedingscentrum advises.
According to the Voedingscentrum, ordinary porridge oats aren’t automatically suitable for people with coeliac disease, even if no sugar has been added.
When buying, check for a gluten-free label, such as the Crossed Grain symbol, and read the ingredients and allergen information again.
A mix can contain other grains or soya as well as oats. For example, the Zonnatura Oatmeal & Spelt Protein described by Jumbo contains oats, spelt and soya.
Read the full ingredients list if you want to serve oats on their own or need to take your guests’ allergies into account.
Brinta Porridge Oats are a plain oat base for anyone who wants to choose what goes into a warm breakfast bowl.
Quaker offers both standard porridge oats and individual portions of Oats Express Original.
Golden Bridge is an ALDI brand that includes fine wholegrain porridge oats.
Crownfield is the brand of the organic oat flakes that Lidl lists for in-store purchase.
Zonnatura offers, among other things, a mix of oats, spelt and soya: a different type of product from plain porridge oats.
These products suit two Easter breakfast choices: a pack of porridge oats to which you can add your own toppings, and a pack for making individual bowls. Check the current ingredients and nutritional information for both; neither product card confirms that the oats are gluten-free.
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A plain oat base if you want to choose your own breakfast toppings.
According to Albert Heijn, Brinta Porridge Oats contain 100% oat flakes; Jumbo lists 0.8 g of sugars per 100 g for this variety. Albert Heijn warns that it may contain traces of wheat and rye. Check the packaging if you need a gluten-free option.
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Worth considering if you want to make individual bowls of warm porridge for Easter breakfast.
Check the packaging to make sure you choose the plain variety with no added sugars. Jumbo says Quaker Oats Express Original, 324 g, takes 2 minutes to prepare in an 800 W microwave. Compare the sugar figure per 100 g and read the allergen information before serving it to guests.
No. The nutrition table lists sugars, but doesn’t distinguish between sugars that are naturally present and those that have been added. So read the ingredients list too, and compare similar products per 100 g, as the Voedingscentrum advises.
The Voedingscentrum lists 0.3 g of sugars in a 40 g serving of porridge oats. When choosing between packs, use the nutritional information per 100 g for the products in question; flavoured or mixed varieties may have different figures.
Not without specifically checking that they’re suitable for a gluten-free diet. According to the Voedingscentrum, ordinary oat products are generally not suitable for people with coeliac disease unless the packaging carries the official Crossed Grain symbol. Check the current label every time you buy.
Check the ingredients and warnings on the pack of the porridge oats or mix you’ve chosen. The Netherlands Food and Consumer Product Safety Authority says that when ingredients come from cereals, the name of the cereal must appear on the label; a mix may also contain ingredients such as soya that you need to consider.
