These homemade healthy oatcakes are made with simple, natural, and wholesome ingredients. The perfect gluten-free and dairy-free snack!
I discovered oatcakes when I first moved to the UK what seems like a lifetime ago.
Oatcakes are originally from Scotland and were baked as a long-lasting alternative to bread. Nowadays, they are often used to accompany cheese, but I find them great on their own, or with some delicious hummus as a healthy snack. (Please Scottish friends, forgive me!).
If you have never tried oatcakes, they are similar to crackers but more crumbly.
I find the version that you buy in the supermarkets too buttery, and a few months ago I decided to try to make my own healthy oatcake version.
Oatcakes are very easy to prepare and you should definitely try to make them.
They are normally made out of a combination of 5 simple ingredients:
- oats
- fat
- raising agent
- liquid
- flavoring
What are oatcakes made with?
Oats
Of course! The start ingredient in oatcakes is oatmeal! Oatmeal is essentially the inside of the oat grains, minus the inedible outer husk, that has either been grounded or chopped. There are different degrees of grounded oatmeals. I prefer medium oatmeal, as it keeps my oatcakes crunchy, but still crumbly and crisp.
If you don’t have oatmeal, you can also blend some rolled oats or quick cook oats in a food processor or a blender until they form a coarse flour.
Fat
The traditional Scottish oatcakes are made with lard, and more recently, butter. In some original recipes, fat should be half the weight of the dry ingredients. As you can imagine, that makes the oatcakes somewhat unhealthy!
By reducing the fat quantity, you can make a much healthier but still delicious alternative. I love my oatcakes with extra virgin olive oil. I admit they are not traditional at all, but I find that olive oil is a great vegan option for my recipe.
Raising agent
I am not sure about adding a rising agent to oatcakes, as they don’t really need to rise. The traditional recipe includes a pinch of bicarbonate of soda, but I found that it really doesn’t make much of a difference!
Liquid
You will need hot water to create a dough and bind together the dry oats.
Flavoring
You just need a pinch of salt for the traditional recipe, but if you want to make some special oatcakes you can try adding different flavors:
- pepper
- fresh or dry herbs
- seeds (sesame, poppy seeds)
In my version of oatcakes, I am going for a vegan alternative, using extra virgin olive oil as fat and a bit of fresh rosemary to give them a Mediterranean twist.
I have a serious problem with these oatcakes: yes, they are very healthy, full of fiber and good fats but every time I make them, I can’t stop eating them!
How to make healthy oatcakes
This oatcake recipe is extremely simple, but there are a couple of tips that will help you to get it perfect every time.
The steps are:
- Blend the toats (if using rolled oats).
- Add extra virgin olive oil, salt, and rosemary to the oatmeal.
- Boil the water, add it to the oatmeal, and knead until the oats have absorbed the water and a ball can be formed.
- Roll out (approx 3mm thick) and cut into circles using a cookie cutter.
- Bake.
F.A.Q.
Different types of oats can absorb water in different ways. If your dough is too crumbly or too soft, just add more water or more oatmeal one tablespoon at a time until you reach the perfect consistency.
What is the perfect consistency, I can hear you asking? You need to be able to form a ball, but the dough doesn’t have to be too sticky. I normally find it quite hard to roll it out without it breaking a bit. You want it to be crumbly but enough to hold together.
I use some baking paper to help roll and cut the dough. By rolling the dough on baking paper, I can easily remove the oatcakes without having them stick to my work surface.
Make sure to turn the trays half-way through baking if you oven doesn’t cook evenly. You also need to watch them during the last 5 minutes as they can darken quite quickly. I normally set the timer at 15 minutes, and then check them and remove them only when they reached the perfect golden even color.
Healthy Oatcakes with Rosemary
Ingredients
- 3 1/2 cups medium oatmeal - (or rolled oats)
- 1 cup water
- 3 1/2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
- 1 teaspoon finely chopped rosemary
- 1 teaspoon salt
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350°F (180°C).
- If you are blending your own oatmeal from rolled oats, simply place the rolled oat in a blender or food processor and blend until you get a coarse flour.
- Mix the oatmeal, finely chopped fresh rosemary, and salt in a bowl, and add the extra virgin olive oil.
- Bring the water to the boil and add it to the bowl. Mix with a spoon and let it cool slightly. Then use your hands to form a dough. Feel free to add a bit more water if the dough feels too crumbly. Just add it a tablespoon at the time.
- Roll out the dough until very thin (3mm) and cut in circles with a round cookie cutter ( I used a 3 1/16 in – 78mm cookie cutter). If the dough is a bit sticky, I normally roll it out on a baking sheet, to avoid using additional flour.If the dough is too crumbly, don't add too much water. Simply roll out a quarter of the dough at a time.
- Place the circles on a flat tray covered with a baking sheet, no extra grease required.
- Bake until golden brown, for 15-20 minutes. If your oven doesn’t cook evenly, make sure to turn the trays half-way through baking. Keep a close eye on the oatcakes in the last 5-8 minutes, to avoid overcooking them.
- When the oatcakes are ready, remove from the oven and allow to cool on a wire rack.
Notes
- Nutritional values are per oatcake.
- Oat is naturally gluten-free but if you want to ensure the oatcakes are completely gluten-free, please remember to check that the oats you buy are certified gluten-free.
- You can store your oatcakes for over a week in an airtight container, once they are completely cool (but they never last that long)!
Nutrition
Did you make this recipe? Tag @gatheringdreams on Instagram. I want to see it!
Fiona says
Simple and delicious oatcakes. As a Scottish person who has eaten oatcakes all her life, this recipe is a blessing as I’m fed up searching the supermarkets for oatcakes that are made without unhealthy oils. This recipe is fantastic as I can use organic oats and the EVOO and feel no guilt when eating the lot!!!! Made half the recipe amount today which made 17 small oatcakes. They have a lovely snap to them and still chewy inside, exactly as they should be. Thank you so much.
Sara @ Gathering Dreams says
Thanks so much, Fiona! Your comment makes me so happy, coming from a Scottish person! I am over the moon!
And I agree about how difficult it is to find good healthy oatcakes in the shops. Even the ones without butter are filled with so much oil!
Thanks again for taking the time to comment 🙂
TONIA KAUFMAN says
Lovely quick and simple recipe ! Thank you very much ! I appreciate the minimum ingredients as I don’t see the point of complicating things when it’s not necessary. Nor wasting money on extra ingredients when you can enjoy it just the same using less. (I enjoying cooking and rarely go shopping, just use up odds and ends !) I omitted the salt but wonder if I should have added it for a little more flavour ? I loved the touch of rosemary ! I needed to bake mine about 25 minutes. Much appreciated !
Sara @ Gathering Dreams says
Salt just gives them a little bit of a punch! Without it, I find them a bit plain but it really depends on what you eat them with. If you dip them in hummus they are delicious without salt too!
Andi Beyers says
Made them at home for the first time tonight. Used a finer grind of flour and some quick oats. The flavor was amazing! Rosemary and salt, just like yours, Not sure about the texture, which was sort of like a nutrient bar or a fig nouten. Are they supposed to be crackers or cookies? Or did I do them right?
I have several generations of Scottish ancestors watching me make these, and they are groaning in my ears. I can’t tell if it’s a groan of laughter, pain, or pleasure.
Sara @ Gathering Dreams says
Thank you, Andi!
The texture isn’t really like a cracker or a cookie, to be honest 🙂 It should be like a very friable biscuit, I would say!
Jane Mcintosh says
Thanks for posting this – I too had problems with the butter and never thought of olive oil. Brings to mind Italy’s lovely farinata di ceci made with olive oil and chick pea flour.
Sara @ Gathering Dreams says
I love farinata di ceci! Delicious 🙂
Geraldine says
I wasn’t sure of my dough, which was soooooo sticky. I put it between 2 silicone sheets and rolled it properly and it all worked nicely! I see what you mean by “they won’t last 5 days!
Sara @ Gathering Dreams says
Glad you liked these oatcakes, Geraldine! Every time I bake them I eat them all in a couple of days 🙂
julia Norman says
these were great the first time I made them but the 2nd time they were too crumbly. The dough was on the wet side when I cut the circles so I am not sure what went wrong…any suggestions would be appreciated.
thanks, Julia
Sara @ Gathering Dreams says
Hey Julia, have you changed type of oats? It can really make a difference with the water absorption. Try to keep the dough a tiny bit on the dry site. It might be slightly harder to cut them into shape and work with it, but they should hold their shape better.
Anita Lovitt says
Delicious, easy, perfect!
Sara @ Gathering Dreams says
Thanks, Anita 🙂
Anita Lovitt says
I’m addicted! Also good with coconut oil.
Sara @ Gathering Dreams says
I am glad you love them, Anita!
I bet they are incredible with coconut oil. It’ll just give them a beautiful flavor and aroma 🙂
Mosjade says
easy to make and really delicious!
Sara @ Gathering Dreams says
Thanks so much, Mosjade! Happy you liked these oatcakes 🙂
David says
Hello
I got porridge too, and too much salt, but that is my taste so i will tone it down next time. Most recipes call for baking soda, how come you don’t use it?
Sara @ Gathering Dreams says
Hey David,
Oh gosh! I am sorry! I just had a look at the Metric/US conversion and it looks like the automatic conversion didn’t really do what was meant to do! I have updated manually the ingredients and tested it myself this morning and it works perfectly now!
About the baking soda, I mention the reason in the post: I tried the recipe with and without baking soda and adding baking soda doesn’t really do anything to the recipe. Plus you really don’t want your oatcakes to rise so I am not sure why some recipe call for it, to be honest!
I am all for using fewer ingredients, especially if they don’t help the texture of flavor 🙂
I hope this helps!
Kyra Sable says
The baking soda isn’t for leavening, it’s to absorb excess moisture and yield a crisper oatcake. It’s particularly relevant in humid areas (e.g. Scotland) and acts as insurance elsewhere. Ammonium carbonate is another option, though best avoided if you make them as thick as I do (8mm).
Sara @ Gathering Dreams says
This is so interesting, thanks for letting me know Kyra 🙂
Tracey says
I’m not sure what I’m doing wrong, but I definitely don’t have a dough. It’s more of a loose porridge.
Sara @ Gathering Dreams says
That’s odd Tracey. What kind of oats have you used?
Sidney says
My grandmother used to make these but I’m sure they had some brown sugar in them. She would flatten in cookie sheet then score in squares before baking.
Any idea of recipe with a bit of br sugar?
Sara @ Gathering Dreams says
There are some recipes that include brown sugar. They’re like a sweet version of these oatcakes. Have a look at this recipe here. It has sugar in it.
Katherine says
I made them into heart shaped oatcakes. I love the rosemary taste to them. We’ll be having them with bean dip tomorrow.
Sara @ Gathering Dreams says
So happy you liked them, Katherine! I bet they are delicious with a bean dip 🙂
Hilary says
These sound just great! Can’t wait to try them. I fancy finely chopped celery leaves and poppy seeds, and another batch with chives and paprika!
Sara @ Gathering Dreams says
Celery leaves and poppy seeds! It sounds delicious 🙂
Let me know how they come out!
Marie says
I love oatcakes! I’m addicted to Effie’s Oatcakes and the ones in Scotland too.
I look forward to making these and I’m very appreciative of the gluten free aspect of this recipe.
Thanks,
Marie
Sara @ Gathering Dreams says
I love oatcakes too 💛 I hope you’ll enjoy making this recipe! I find these oatcakes delicious 🙂
Tami says
Very easy to make.
Wonderful taste.
(Instead of rosemary I used cumin, coriander and salt.)
Thank you
Sara @ Gathering Dreams says
Thank you so much, Tami 🙂
Cumin and coriander sound like a great combination!
Vicki says
Looking forward to trying these!
Sara @ Gathering Dreams says
Thank you Vicki, I hope you’ll like them 🙂
Jul says
What KIND Of Oats did YOU Use? Rolled, quick, goat flour, Etc.
Sara @ Gathering Dreams says
Hi Jul!
I used oatmeal made from rolled oat!
I hope this helps 😊