Both make for a hearty breakfast, but they have slight textural and nutritional differences.
Getty Images
Oats are a throw in of grain that have been a staple food for thousands of years.
Theyre most commonly used to makeoatmeal, also known as hot cereal or porridge.
Photo:Getty Images
Whenshopping for oats, youll notice there isnt just one key in to choose from.
There are several types of oatssteel cut, quick, instant, rolled, and others.
What Are Steel Cut Oats?
Oats are harvested, cleaned, and hulled.
Oat hulls have an unpleasant texture, so theyre removed, leaving the edible partthe kernel or groat.
All oat products start as oat groats.
Like the name suggests, a steel blade is involved.
The oat groats are cut into several smaller pieces, so steel cut oats are essentially chopped oat groats.
Why bother chopping them up, though?
Oat groats take a long time to cook and have a chewy texture.
Chopping them and making steel cut oats reduces the cook time and yields a more pleasant texture.
Since theyre minimally processed, steel cut oats still have a somewhat chewy texture.
They have a nutty taste, and take about 2030 minutes to cook on thestovetop.
A serving size of steel cut oats is 14 cup dry, notes Jenna Volpe, RDN.
Like steel cut oats, rolled oats (also known as old fashioned oats) are minimally processed.
However, theyre processed more than steel cut oats.
After hulling the oat groats, theyre steamed, flattened, dried in a kiln, and lightly toasted.
This gives rolled oats a different texture compared to steel cut oats, without drastically affecting nutritional values.
As a result, rolled oats arent as chewy and grainy.
They have a slightly milder flavor, and softer, creamier texture.
They also cook faster than steel cut oats.
Steel cut oats are less processed than rolled oats, but does that make them healthier?
From a nutritional standpoint, steel cut oats and rolled oats are very similar, Volpe explains.
Their nutritional values arent drastically different.
Theyre also very similar infat.
Steel cut oats contain 3.5 grams of fat, while rolled oats contain 3 grams of fat.
Nutritionally, one of the main differences between steel cut vs rolled oats is thefiber content.
Both can be a healthy choice.
If getting more fiber is your goal, go for steel cut oats.
If youre short on time or prefer the softer texture, rolled oats are good too.
Can You Use Steel Cut Oats and Rolled Oats Interchangeably?
you could use steel cut oats and rolled oats interchangeably if youre making porridge.
However, if youre baking with oats, thats a different story.
Rolled oats are also the more popular choice forcrunchy granolaandbaked oatmeal.
Forslow-cooker oatmealrecipes, steel cut oats may hold up better, she adds.
