When the weather turns cold, a hot breakfast such as overnight oats tends to be the most appealing first thing in the morning.
The question is, what type of oats are best to use?
While rolled oats are most popular, there are other options too including steel-cut (Irish) oats, stone-ground (Scottish) oatmeal, or completely uncracked oat groats.
Because groats are in whole form, some people assume that this is the healthiest way to consume oats. But is this really true?
What are Oat Groats?
Groats are the whole seeds of a cereal or cereal-like grain. The germ, fiber-rich bran and endosperm are all intact within each kernel.
Rye and wheat groats are more commonly referred to as berries.
After removing the inedible hull, groats are firm and chewy when cooked which makes them popular as porridge and in soups.
Are Groats Healthy?
Oat groats are very healthy, however, the three best options for making oatmeal are steel cut, stone-ground or rolled oats only.
It is best to skip the oat groats.
The reason is that traditional preparation of oat groats is tricky. The end result will either take too long by modern standards or taste too sour.
I explain this in detail below.
Soaking Oat Groats
Oats are very high in anti-nutrients, particularly phytic acid. Wise preparation to eliminate these substances that block mineral absorption and irritate the gut ideally involves soaking followed by thorough cooking.
Toasting oats for granola is not a sufficient cook, by the way.
Some people stir in a bit of buckwheat flour to the soaking water to add the enzyme phytase which reduces phytic acid even more effectively.
Successful soaking requires that grain kernels be fully hydrated for a period of time at room temperature. It is important to never soak in the refrigerator as this hinders the breakdown of anti-nutrients.
Rolled, stone-ground or steel-cut oats only require an overnight soak to accomplish this goal. Oat groats, on the other hand, need several days to accomplish the same thing.
Anyone who has soaked grains before knows that after about 24 hours, things get dicey.
At best, 2-3 days of soaking grain results in an extremely sour taste once cooked that most people find unappealing.
At worst, soaked groats get moldy beyond 24 hours. Then, all you can do is throw them out or toss in the compost pile.
Thus, in my opinion, soaking groats is not advisable for porridge or soups. It does, however, work great for making homemade soaked oat milk.
Sprouting Groats
Rolled oats, steel-cut, or otherwise cracked oats will not sprout. This is because the delicate endosperm is damaged in the process.
Only whole oat groats will sprout.
That said, even whole oat groats with the hulls removed do not sprout very well if at all. This is because even the simple process of hulling the oat seeds can damage the endosperm.
For best results, it is best to sprout oat groats that are still in the hull.
The problems don’t end there!
Sprouting hulled oats is time-consuming, again taking at least a day or two to accomplish. What’s more, it is difficult to remove the hull after sprouting. This adds even more manual time to the process.
For these reasons, I do not recommend sprouting oat groats yourself even though technically it can be done.
Oat Groats vs Steel Cut
If you like the texture of oat groats opposed to the softer feel of rolled oats when cooked, then I would suggest using steel cut or Irish oatmeal instead. Stoneground Scottish oatmeal is another good choice.
If you prefer not to soak, sprouted steel-cut oats are available. These can be cooked and eaten immediately.
Even when fully soaked or sprouted and then cooked, steel-cut oats have a firm and chewy texture that oat groat lovers should find satisfying.
Note: I do not recommend quick cook steel-cut oats, as the cooking time is not sufficient to render the oats fully digestible even after soaking.
What Should I Do with my Oat Groats?
Do you have a good supply of oat groats on hand? Instead of using them for breakfast cereal, I suggest grinding them into oat flour and use for baking.
Warning: a sizeable percentage of gluten-sensitive and Celiac people react to the protein avenin in oats. This protein is difficult to digest and gluten-like, which is why some countries do not allow oats labeled as gluten-free even if processed in a certified GF facility.
Thanks Sara. I just found organic buckwheat groats at Whole Foods. I have tried a couple times to soak them overnight in the aluminum rice cooker pot (not in the fridge). The rice cooker has a switch (no settings) which shuts off automatically, but the 1st time it boiled over (too much water?), and cleanup was tough, lots of cereal stuck to the bottom. 2nd time, 1/2 of the cereal ended up hardened on the bottom (not enough water?), and I shut it off manually. But I coated the bottom of the pot with coconut oil to try to stop it from sticking – didn’t work at all. Any suggestions to stop it from sticking? I did not rinse the groats before or after soaking. They tasted good! Thank you.
Glad they tasted good! Just something to check … make SURE you are using filtered water in that aluminum rice cooker. The chemicals in tap water can leach heavy metals from the aluminum. Also, NEVER use metal utensils with it … scratching the aluminum also will introduce this neurologically toxic metal into your food. When it is in the budget, I would recommend switching from an aluminum rice cooker to a clay based one. This is the one I’ve used for years. https://vitaclaychef.com/?rfsn=491975.583ca5&utm_source=refersion&utm_medium=affiliate&utm_campaign=491975.583ca5
Hi Sarah,
I only eat if for breakfast, and I only buy it in bulk, not packaged. Could it still be deodorized? I was looking for something healthier for a breakfast meal. Are these for breakfast?: “unfortified nutritional yeast, homemade breadcrumbs (from authentic sourdough bread), or ground seeds”. What do you think of the idea of soaking buckwheat groats in water overnight and then cooking in the rice cooker?
Soaking buckwheat groats overnight and then cooking is a great idea!
And, unfortunately, in bins, the likelihood of rancidity for the oat bran is even higher. Airtight packages are safer, but probably still rancid. Bottom line, oat bran is a fractionated food .. it is not a whole food and should be avoided.
Wow, I am SO glad I found this blog, I feel like I’m really going to learn a lot. As far as rancidity, I’ve never smelled or tasted anything bad in the oat bran – would that be the indicator? I get it in bulk at Sprouts here in San Diego. I always thought it was the best thing to eat for breakfast; I mix in a spoonful of peanut butter; some dried fruit, e.g. cranberries, pineapple, and fresh blueberries – all organic. What do you think of the idea of soaking buckwheat groats in water overnight and then cooking in the rice cooker? Thanks for the great info!
Hi Dana, you wouldn’t necessarily be able to smell or taste the rancidity. Food manufacturers are careful to deodorize their products before packaging to avoid this issue. But, the product is still almost certainly rancid. Oat bran is a conventional “politically correct” health recommendation, but it isn’t in line with what healthy traditional cultures valued as nourishing food. I would suggest switching to something else like unfortified nutritional yeast, homemade breadcrumbs (from authentic sourdough bread), or ground seeds. I personally avoid oat bran like the plague. It’s a catchy, trendy food that is not actually healthy, similar to wheat germ.
Thank you so much for the info on oat groats, I have been trying to track them down and finally found some more (I bought the last of the supply at WF) and was about to go get more tomorrow morning somewhere else. The small amount which I bought were soaked overnight and then cooked in the rice cooker. But you say that they need to be soaked several days, as they are high in phytic acid. I have been cooking oat bran for about 5 minutes every morning for years. Since oat groats apparently are not a better breakfast cereal, what do you think about buckwheat groats? Soak overnight and cook in the rice cooker? Are they healthier than oat bran? Thanks so much.
You’re welcome 🙂
Oat bran is a fractionated food with a high likelihood of rancidity like wheat germ. Stay away!
I use a Marga Mill to run the groats through and it flakes them. Then I cook them like oatmeal. I will also mix other grains with it and flake them as well, making a 4 or 5 grain cereal. Here’s the link for the company that makes the mill.
I purchased a small rice cooker at Walmart for twenty-some bucks that has a cycle for “whole grain”. I put in one cup oat groats, three cups water, a dash of salt, close it up, press the “whole grain” button, it cooks for one hour, perfect oat meal from oat groats. No soaking, no sour taste, don’t have to watch it on the stove to make sure it doesn’t scorch, nothing. Dump it in, press the button, done.
I usually use large flake slow cooking oatmeal. Does the cooking break down the phytic acid enough or does one have to soak them overnight as well? When I soak, I use apple cider vinegar.
Yes, you should soak the oatmeal overnight before cooking.
I’ve found that whole oat groats do not sprout because of heat processes to remove the hull. Oats are soft and so the germ is damaged. However I have sourced Montana Gluten Frer and they have taken the time to grow, and keep free of of other strains of oats, a hull less oat “naked oat”. This oat groat does sprout nicely ! They’re lovely. And their rolled oats are not heat processed at all, nor are their groats.
Hi Sarah, is stainless steel ok for cooking the oatmeal or would the soaked oats be too acidic?
Stainless would be fine for cooking sprouted oats since they wouldn’t be soaked in an acidic medium prior to cooking. Soaking/cooking oats in stainless where you soak them in water plus ACV, lemon juice or whey overnight would be questionable. I use the Vita-Clay for cooking oatmeal which is a safer material. https://vitaclaychef.com/collections/bone-broth-cookers?rfsn=491975.583ca5&utm_source=refersion&utm_medium=affiliate&utm_campaign=491975.583ca5
No lemon juice nonsense! Oats do not grow in the same parts of the world where lemons grow, they are not meant to be together. What you do is this: Start with Naked Oats. They need to be sprouted, dried, ground, then soaked overnight with a little bit of sourdough starter mixed in before being finally cooked. This will reduce the phytic acid to near zero. This is how haverbread (oat pancakes), a traditional food, was prepared in the north east of England.
Thank you, Alice!