Are Oats gluten free? Earlier this week I shared a recipe on social media for Gluten Free Salted Oatmeal Cookies which sparked a few good conversations in my DM's. Gluten Free Oats are a tricky topic in the gluten-free world. Some celiac can tolerate oats without any issues while others, including myself, can not handle them at all or only in small amounts.
What's the deal with Oats anyways?
Not all oats are created/grown equal. While oats are naturally gluten-free, it's the growing, harvesting, and processing that can cause issues for celiacs and people with gluten allergies. Oats are often grown near wheat or used as a rotation crop on wheat fields which means there is a very good chance there is some wheat mixed into your oats. And if you have ever seen oats and wheat in the wild, you know they look very similar, to begin with.
Oats can be broken down in three categories
Your standard oats are most likely contaminated with wheat, rye, and barley and should be avoided by celiacs by all means. The first brand that comes to my mind Quaker Oats.
Mechanically sorted oats have undergone sorting by a machine to separate oats by length, density, and color from wheat, barley, and rye grain. This method of sorting oats from gluten isn’t foolproof. Test results have shown gluten in oats that have been mechanically sorted at levels that exceed the 20 ppm guideline. Cheerios are made with mechanically sorted oats and have caused issues for many, many celiacs.
Purity protocol sorted oats - Growers are required to have a three-year gluten-free crop rotation, and annual field inspections to ensure their fields are free of gluten grains. A pre-cleaned sample of the crop is sent to a laboratory for analysis. Post-cleaning, another sample is sent to a lab for testing. After this test, the oats are transported in a truck and processed on equipment that’s been cleaned of any grains. These oats are declared “certified gluten-free.” One brand I recommend that is following this protocol is Gluten-Free Harvest. Daniela, which oats should I buy? Here are a few brands I have used and enjoyed in the past without any issues. I am not a medical professional if you are very sensitive to gluten, please do your own homework as well.
Daniela, which gluten free oats should I buy?
Here are a few brands I have used and enjoyed in the past without any issues. I am not a medical professional if you are very sensitive to gluten, please do your own homework as well.
I have linked the products to Amazon but as mentioned before, you can find Bob's Red Mill on Thrive Market for an exceptional price - here is my affiliated link to Thrive. If you sign up using this link you receive 25% off your first order and I receive $25 in Thrive credit (which means free products to keep TGFA going).
- Gluten Free Harvest
- Grainful Gluten Free Oats
- Bob's Red Mill Gluten Free Oats
- Thrive Market Organic Gluten Free Oats
With all of this being said, please be aware that not all oat milk are created equally either and can be a sneaky way to get glutened. So if you drink oatmeal, please double-check the brand you use (I am an almond milk kinda gal so I have no recommendations here. I did survive the first wave of the pandemic in 2020 on coffee with Oatly milk (the only non-dairy option we had at my former place of employment at the time) but since I was in a constant state of anxiety I couldn't tell you if Oatly upset my stomach or not.
Before I let you go and go on with your day, have you taken a peek at The Gluten Free Austrian lately? I have done some serious cleaning and hope the new layout is well received by everyone.
As always, thank you for your support and if you have any questions never hesitate to just hit the reply button and send me an email.
Wishing you a wonderful weekend with lots of sunshine, happiness, and delicious gluten-free treats!
xoxo,
Daniela
PS: When you make one of my recipes please be so kind and leave me a review, tag me in your pictures on Instagram at @austrianwithwuff and pin the recipes to Pinterest. Comments on my blog help tremendously!
Any spelling or grammar errors are naturally gluten free
Originally e-mailed July 16th 2021 via The Gluten Free Austrian Newsletter
Maya says
Daniela thank you so much for this post! I’ve truly missed oats in my life. I’m so excited to give one of these brands a try! Thank you for all you do for us folks with allergies, you’re a gluten free angel (haha)
Daniela Weiner says
You are very welcome. I hope this helps. If you have any questions please don't hesitate to reach out