Choose a simple porridge oat base whose ingredients list contains oats only, then check the sugars per 100 g too: no added sugar does not mean the product contains no sugars. Plain sachets suit anyone who wants a quick, measured portion. If you have coeliac disease, the Netherlands Nutrition Centre also advises looking for the official Crossed Grain symbol on the packaging.
You’re looking for a plain oat base and don’t want to rely on the front of the packaging alone. Compare the ingredients list with the sugars per 100 g: porridge oats with no added sugar can still contain naturally occurring sugars.
You want a plain option that you don’t have to weigh out yourself. Sachets can be handy, as long as the ingredients and preparation time suit your needs.
Oats being the only ingredient isn’t enough to tell you whether a product is suitable. The Netherlands Nutrition Centre warns of possible gluten contamination during processing and says that, if you have coeliac disease, the packaging must display the official Crossed Grain symbol.
Start with the ingredients, then compare dry porridge oat products per 100 g. Next, decide whether texture, preparation time or the need for a gluten-free option matters most to you.
| What to consider | What to check when buying | Who it matters to |
|---|---|---|
| Added sugar | Read the full ingredients list and compare ‘of which sugars’ per 100 g of dry porridge oats. Don’t read ‘no added sugar’ as ‘sugar-free’. | I want to decide what goes into my breakfast and avoid confusing natural sugars with added ingredients. Around 40% of consumers put checking for added sugar first. |
| Wholegrain oats and fibre | Check whether wholegrain oats or wholegrain oat flakes are listed as an ingredient, and compare fibre per 100 g of dry porridge oats. | If I eat porridge oats regularly, I want to know what kind of oat base I’m buying and how the fibre content compares. Around 30% of consumers give choosing wholegrain oats and fibre the highest priority. |
| Quick preparation | Check the preparation time and, for sachets, the amount in each sachet and the ingredients in the plain option. | On a busy morning, I want to make a set portion without choosing a sweetened flavour mix. Convenience matters most to around 20% of consumers. |
| Choosing gluten-free | If you have coeliac disease, check for the official Crossed Grain symbol on the packaging, as advised by the Netherlands Nutrition Centre. Don’t rely on oats being the only ingredient. | If I have coeliac disease, I need to check that the packaging confirms a suitable gluten-free option before considering texture or convenience. For around 10% of consumers, checking for gluten comes first. |
Quaker Porridge Oats 600 g is described as having no added sugar, while the nutrition information lists 1.1 g of sugars per 100 g. These two statements don’t contradict each other.
Read both the ingredients list and the ‘of which sugars’ line before choosing an option.
What you add to the oats changes the nutritional value of your breakfast. The Netherlands Nutrition Centre lists 0.3 g of sugars for 40 g of dry porridge oats and an average of 10.2 g for a 250 g bowl of unsweetened porridge made with whole milk.
Compare dry products with each other per 100 g, and assess a prepared bowl with the milk and any other ingredients included.
Oats can come into contact with gluten during processing. Warnings about wheat, barley or rye are therefore important if you’re choosing porridge oats due to coeliac disease.
If you have coeliac disease, check every pack for the official Crossed Grain symbol, in line with the Netherlands Nutrition Centre’s advice.
Quaker offers both regular porridge oats and Express Naturel in sachets. The main choice is whether to measure out your own portion or use a pre-measured one.
Brinta Porridge Oats are an option if you prefer extra-fine oat flakes to coarser ones.
AH Gluten-free Wholegrain Porridge Oats are a specific gluten-free option for anyone who needs to check for gluten too.
Jumbo Wholegrain Coarse Oat Flakes are an own-brand option if you’re looking for coarser flakes.
Golden Bridge Fine Wholegrain Porridge Oats are a fine-textured option in a 500 g pack.
Lidl has a product listed as coarse oat flakes.
These products show a few different ways to choose an oat base: measured plain portions, regular wholegrain porridge oats and fine flakes. Check the packaging for each option if you need a gluten-free product.
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For busy mornings when you want a measured plain portion. The pack contains twelve portions, and the product information gives a preparation time of two minutes.
The ingredients list includes wholegrain oats, and the nutrition information lists 1 g of sugars per 100 g. If you have coeliac disease, check for the Crossed Grain symbol on the packaging.
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For anyone who wants to decide on portion sizes and added ingredients. The ingredients list states 100% wholegrain oats.
The product information says there are no added sugars and lists 1.1 g of sugars and 9 g of fibre per 100 g. The product may contain wheat and barley; if you have coeliac disease, check for the Crossed Grain symbol on the packaging.
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For anyone who prefers fine flakes to a coarse texture. The ingredients list states 100% oat flakes; the product information describes them as extra fine and quick to prepare.
The product may contain wheat and rye. Don’t compare nutrition values for dry porridge oats directly with portion values calculated using milk.
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If you’re considering this as an oat base, first check the product identity on the packaging. The name says ‘Whole Wheat’, while the listed ingredients are wholegrain oat flakes.
Also check the nutrition information, preparation instructions and, where necessary, the gluten-related information on the packaging.
No. Quaker Porridge Oats 600 g has no added sugars, but it does contain 1.1 g of sugars per 100 g. Check both details when comparing products.
If you have coeliac disease, don’t assume regular porridge oats are suitable. The Netherlands Nutrition Centre says oat products can become contaminated with gluten during processing, and that the packaging needs to display the official Crossed Grain symbol.
The other ingredients in the bowl count too. The Netherlands Nutrition Centre lists an average of 10.2 g of sugars for 250 g of unsweetened porridge made with whole milk, compared with 0.3 g for 40 g of dry porridge oats. So don’t compare these portions as if they contained only the same amount of oats.
Store porridge oats in a cool, dry place and seal the pack well, as advised in the product information from Quaker and Jumbo. Also follow the storage instructions and best-before date on the pack you buy.
