Home bakers who like to control the sweetness
Starting with oats and no other ingredients lets you choose what to add to the dough. Whether the biscuits contain less added sugar also depends on the rest of the recipe.
Who is this choice relevant to?
Festive bakers making several recipes
If you’re filling more than one baking tray, it helps to choose a pack that suits the quantity you need. Also consider whether you’ll use any leftover oats later.
Bakers cooking for someone with coeliac disease
According to the Netherlands Nutrition Centre, ordinary oats may be contaminated with gluten. If you have coeliac disease, choose oats bearing the official Crossed Grain symbol and check the other ingredients too.
What should you look for when choosing?
Start with the ingredients list and the texture you want for your biscuits. Then choose a pack size to suit your recipe and check for allergens where necessary.
| What to consider | What to check when buying | Who it matters to |
|---|---|---|
| Ingredients and sugars | Check whether the ingredients list names oats only, and compare ‘of which sugars’ per 100 g. Then consider all the ingredients in the biscuits. | If I want to decide what sweetens the dough, I don’t want to start with a sweetened oat mix. For around 42% of consumers, checking the ingredients comes first. |
| Dough texture | Check whether the product is made with fine flakes or whether your recipe calls for finely ground oats. | For biscuits where you want the flakes to be less noticeable, I focus on the product format. Around 33% of consumers give texture top priority. |
| Quantity and packaging | Compare the pack weight with the amount of oats your recipe calls for; consider whether pre-measured portions would be useful. | When making several trays, I want to buy enough oats without having to deal with inconvenient portion sizes. The quantity needed is the main consideration for around 17% of consumers. |
| Gluten and allergens | If you have coeliac disease, check for the official Crossed Grain symbol; also read the allergen information for every ingredient. | If I’m baking for someone with coeliac disease or a relevant allergy, verified suitability comes before the desired dough texture. For around 8% of consumers, this is the first thing they consider. |
Common mistakes
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Taking ‘no added sugars’ to mean ‘sugar-free’
An oat product with no added sugars may contain naturally occurring sugars. Fruit, honey or syrup in the recipe will also affect the finished biscuits.
Read the ingredients and nutrition information per 100 g, then consider the whole recipe and serving size.
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Choosing portion sachets without checking how much the recipe needs
Individual portions can be convenient, but you may need to open a lot of sachets for a big batch of baking.
Check how many grams of oats you need and choose a pack format to match.
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Assuming ordinary oats are gluten-free
According to the Netherlands Nutrition Centre, oats can be contaminated with gluten during processing. So, if you have coeliac disease, an ingredients list that names oats only is not enough.
Choose oats bearing the official Crossed Grain symbol, and take care to avoid cross-contamination from the other ingredients and during preparation.
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Focusing only on the oats
The oat base doesn’t tell you what else is in a biscuit: butter, oil, chocolate, dried fruit and sweeteners all change the recipe’s nutritional make-up.
If the amount of added sugar matters to you, consider all the ingredients together.
Brands to consider
Quaker
The plain products reviewed are a standard pack of oats and Oats Express portion sachets.
- Jumbo lists Quaker Oatmeal 600 g as containing wholegrain oats only, with no added sugars and 1.1 g of sugars per 100 g.
- If you have coeliac disease, check for the Crossed Grain symbol: ordinary oats are not automatically gluten-free.
Jumbo
The products reviewed are fine wholegrain oat flakes and organic wholegrain oats.
- According to Jumbo’s product information, the fine flakes contain wholegrain oat flakes only and 0.7 g of sugars per 100 g; the organic oats list 1.2 g per 100 g.
- Organic origin alone does not mean a product is suitable for someone with coeliac disease.
Albert Heijn
Albert Heijn lists fine wholegrain oat flakes in its own range. Check the pack of your chosen variety for its ingredients, nutrition information and allergen details.
- The fine flakes offer a product format you can compare with the requirements of your baking recipe.
Oat products on Joybuy
These oat products are worth considering as a base for Christmas biscuits. Compare the packaging and, before buying, check the ingredients, product format and allergen information against your recipe.
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Quaker Oatmeal 600 g
A 600 g pack for recipes that use oats as a base. Joybuy’s product information for this SKU lists 100% wholegrain oats and possible traces of barley and wheat; if you have coeliac disease, check for the official Crossed Grain symbol.
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Quaker Oatmeal 375 g
The 375 g pack may suit recipes that call for a smaller amount of oats. Check that the product format matches the texture you want for your biscuits, and read the allergen information on the pack.
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Zonnatura Organic Whole Wheat Oatmeal 500 g
A 500 g pack to consider if organic origin matters to you. Check the pack for the ingredients and allergens listed, and make sure the product format suits your recipe.
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Quaker Express Oatmeal 324 g
The pack contains 324 g. Before using it, check whether it contains flakes or finely ground oats: this matters if your biscuit recipe calls for a particular texture.
Frequently asked questions
Are Christmas biscuits sugar-free if the oats contain no added sugars?
No. The information on the oats doesn’t mean the product or finished biscuits contain no sugars at all. Check what else you add to the dough, such as fruit, honey or syrup.
Which oats should I choose if I want to control the sweetness?
Choose a plain product whose ingredients list names only oats or oat flakes. Fine flakes are an option for a more even dough; if your recipe calls for oat flour, check whether you can grind your chosen oats finely enough.
Can I use ordinary oats for someone with coeliac disease?
Don’t assume ordinary oats are suitable. According to the Netherlands Nutrition Centre, oats may be contaminated with gluten; choose oats bearing the official Crossed Grain symbol and check the other ingredients too.