Home bakers comparing fibre
If you bake your own Christmas biscuits, bars, crumble or pancakes, plain wholegrain oats let you choose the other ingredients through your recipe. Compare the fibre in your chosen oats per 100 g.
Who is this choice relevant to?
Bakers who care about texture
For a less coarse base, you could try fine flakes or grind the oats. If you want the flakes to show in your bake, coarse oat flakes are another option to consider.
People who need to bake gluten-free
If you have coeliac disease, ordinary oats aren’t automatically suitable. The Dutch Coeliac Association advises checking for a gluten-free label and recommends choosing products bearing the Crossed Grain symbol.
What should you look for when choosing?
Before you start your Christmas recipe, decide whether the ingredients, the texture of the flakes or an essential allergen check should be your main consideration. Always compare nutritional values on the same basis: per 100 g of product.
| What to consider | What to check when buying | Who it matters most to |
|---|---|---|
| Fibre and ingredients | Compare fibre per 100 g and check whether the ingredients list matches the plain oat base you want. | If you’re baking Christmas biscuits and want to choose the other ingredients through your recipe, look for an oat base with clear nutritional information. For around 50% of consumers, ingredients and fibre content would come first. |
| Flake texture | Check whether the flakes are fine or coarse, and whether grinding them would suit the recipe. | If you want visible flakes in a crumble, you’ll make a different choice than you would for a less coarse biscuit base. For around 38% of consumers, the texture they want in their bake would be the main consideration. |
| Gluten and allergens | If you have coeliac disease, check for a gluten-free label or the Crossed Grain symbol, and read the current allergen information. | If you need to bake gluten-free because of coeliac disease, choosing suitable oats comes before deciding between fine and coarse flakes. Gluten-free status or strict allergen checks would be the top priority for around 12% of consumers. |
Common mistakes
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Mistaking an oat bar for plain oats
A prepared product contains different ingredients from plain oats. The Netherlands Nutrition Centre points out that oat biscuits and bars can contain a lot of sugar and saturated fat.
If you want to choose the ingredients in your Christmas bake yourself, start with oats or oat flakes. Check the ingredients list on other oat products too.
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Assuming ordinary oats are suitable for coeliac disease
Oats can come into contact with wheat, rye or barley during production. So, an ingredients list showing only oats does not in itself confirm that a product is gluten-free.
Follow the advice of the Dutch Coeliac Association: look for a clear gluten-free label, preferably with the Crossed Grain symbol, and check the packaging.
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Going by ‘fine’, ‘coarse’ or ‘organic’ alone
These words don’t tell you everything about the fibre content, ingredients and allergens in a particular variety.
Check the nutritional information per 100 g, ingredients, allergens and flake type on each pack to make sure it suits your recipe.
Brands to consider
Brinta
According to Kraft Heinz, Brinta Havermout is made from extra-fine oat flakes. It’s worth considering if you don’t want coarse flakes in your baking base.
- Brinta Havermout is specifically described as having extra-fine flakes.
- The packaging warns that the product may contain traces of wheat and rye, so don’t choose it based on its name if you need gluten-free oats.
Quaker
According to Quaker Netherlands, Quaker Havermout Original contains 100% wholegrain oats and provides 9 g of fibre per 100 g.
- The ingredients and fibre per 100 g are listed for this variety.
- Quaker says Havermout Original may contain barley and wheat, so the standard variety is not confirmed as a gluten-free option.
Jumbo
Jumbo sells oats in different flake types. Jumbo Biologisch Volkoren Havermout lists organic wholegrain oats as its only ingredient and provides 12 g of fibre per 100 g.
- Jumbo suggests grinding oats into flour for pancakes.
- Organic doesn’t mean gluten-free. Check the allergen information for the variety you choose.
AH Biologisch
According to Albert Heijn, AH Biologisch Volkoren havermout grove vlokken contains wholegrain oat flakes and provides 10 g of fibre per 100 g.
- The coarse flakes and nutritional information make this variety easy to compare for recipes where you want to use flakes.
- The product information lists cereals containing gluten and possible allergens. Check the current packaging if this matters to your choice.
Golden Bridge
Golden Bridge is an ALDI brand offering fine and coarse wholegrain oats, both listed in 500 g packs.
- These varieties give you a choice of fine or coarse flakes.
- To compare fibre and allergens, read the nutritional information on the packaging for your chosen variety.
Oats for Christmas baking on Joybuy
These oat products are worth considering as a base for homemade bakes. Let the flake type, ingredients and nutritional information listed on the packaging guide you towards the variety that suits your recipe.
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Zonnatura Organic Whole Wheat Oatmeal, 500 g
For Christmas bakes where you want to use oats as an ingredient. Before choosing this variety, compare the fibre per 100 g and check the ingredients and allergens on the packaging.
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Brinta porridge oats, 450 g
An option if you’re looking for extra-fine oat flakes for your bake; Kraft Heinz describes this Brinta variety as 100% oat flakes. Compare the fibre per 100 g on the current packaging. The pack warns that the product may contain traces of wheat and rye.
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Quaker porridge oats, 600 g
For anyone looking for oats to use in a homemade Christmas bake. Before comparing this 600 g variety with others, check the packaging for fibre per 100 g, flake type and any allergens.
Frequently asked questions
How do I compare the fibre in oats?
Compare the nutritional information for your chosen varieties per 100 g, and read the ingredients list too. Quaker Netherlands lists 9 g of fibre per 100 g for Havermout Original, while Jumbo lists 12 g per 100 g for Biologisch Volkoren Havermout. A claim on the front of the pack doesn’t replace the information on the packaging.
Can I use oats in Christmas biscuits?
Yes, oats can be used as an ingredient in biscuits; the Netherlands Nutrition Centre, for example, uses them in a fig biscuit recipe. If your recipe needs a finer base, Jumbo suggests grinding oats into flour for baking. Follow your chosen recipe for quantities.
Do fine flakes contain more fibre than coarse flakes?
Flake size alone doesn’t tell you the fibre content. Choose fine or coarse flakes to suit the texture your recipe calls for, then compare the fibre per 100 g in the specific products.
Are ordinary oats suitable for coeliac disease?
Don’t assume they are unless this is confirmed as gluten-free. According to the Dutch Coeliac Association, oats can come into contact with cereals containing gluten. If you have coeliac disease, look for a gluten-free label, preferably with the Crossed Grain symbol, and check the current packaging.
Are organic oats automatically gluten-free?
No, an organic label doesn’t confirm that a product is suitable for a gluten-free diet. Check the gluten-free label and allergen information for each variety, and compare the fibre content of each product too.