Can I Eat Oat Fiber On A Gluten Free Diet?

If you’re familiar with oat bran, oatmeal and porridge, to learn there is also oat fibre can be overwhelming, if you are gluten-free, you might be wondering if oat fiber is gluten free?

Well, oat fiber could be gluten free, but only if you buy from a 100% gluten free certified manufacturer, even then, we would be careful since there is such a high risk of cross-contamination as many of these places produce wheat and rye also. 

In our guide below, we will take you through what oat fiber is, what kind of fiber it has, the benefits of consuming oat fiber, how to consume oat fiber and if all oats are gluten free. 

What Is Oat Fiber? 

To begin our guide to oat fiber, let’s start with what it is. Oat fiber comes from the ground hull of oats which surrounds the oat groat. 

Oat fiber is made straight from the husk rather than the groat like oat bran or quick oat products. Oat fiber is insoluble fiber and contains no nutrients, but it is a great source of fiber having up to 9 grams a tablespoon. 

This oat hull fiber can also be used in baked goods as oat flour rather than wheat.

How Do I Know If Oat Fiber Is Gluten Free? 

Oat fiber is a great source of insoluble fiber for people who are gluten free, oats themselves are gluten free too, but you should also make sure that your oat hull fiber is 100% certified gluten free. 

Some gluten-free oat fiber might be gluten free, but there is always a possibility of cross contamination depending on where the oat hull fiber was made with wheat and rye for example.

Find out also in this article Are Old-Fashioned Oats Gluten-Free?

What Are The Benefits Of Consuming Oat Fiber? 

If you’re new to oat fiber you might not see the point of including it in your diet since it contains no nutrients, however, there are lots of benefits to consuming oat fiber which we will list below. 

• Can help with bowel movements – Due to the extra fiber oat fiber has, it can help you bulk up your stool and improve your digestion. 
• Could promote weight loss – Since oat fiber is high in insoluble fiber, it can keep you fuller for longer when added to meals, this is because the source of oat fiber takes longer to pass through your digestive system.
• Great for baking – Oat fiber is very versatile and can be used in a variety of baked goods, whether for the texture of baked goods or thickening batters.
• Can extend shelf life – Due to the water absorption properties of oat fiber, it can help preserve food product types for longer extending their shelf life, it can also be used as an anti-caking agent due to regulating moisture in a food product.

How Do I Eat Oat Fiber? 

As we mentioned above, oat fiber can be added to baked goods to help bulk out pastries and increase the percentage of fiber. 

However, since oat fiber is very high in fiber, you need to be smart about how you use it in baked goods, we’ve listed some tips for eating baking with oat fiber below. 

• Use more liquid than you need – Oat fiber is very water absorption, when using it in baking you need to make sure you’re using more liquid or water to loosen it.
• Increase the leavener – Oat fiber can cause finished products to become more rubbery once baked, a solution for this is to increase the leavener.
• Mix oat fiber with other flour – Don’t try and bake with oat fiber on its own, instead mix the insoluble fiber with other flours and mix well to avoid it from clumping.
• Do not use coconut flour – Coconut flour is very absorbent, this mixed with oat fiber will not work well and just clump.

Are All Oats Gluten Free? 

There are many different kinds of oats, from rolled oats to oatmeal and oat bran and now, oat fiber, are they all gluten free? 

Well, just like oat fiber, oats in their purest form are gluten free, but as we mentioned, cross contamination can happen, which is why many people who are gluten free prefer to stay away from oats.

We’ve listed some other gluten free substitutes for oats below.

• Polenta. 
• Millet flakes. 
• Buckwheat flakes.
• Quinoa flakes. 
• Gluten free oats.

Gluten Free Oat Fiber Recipes 

If you’re new to oat fiber but keen to try it out for a fiber boost in some recipes, we’ve got you covered with a few recipes below for some cooking inspo.

Keto Buttermilk Pancakes 

Ingredients 

• Half a cup of almond and oat fiber. 
• Pinch of salt. 
• Teaspoon of baking powder.
• Cup of butter milk. 
• Tablespoon of coconut oil. 
• Three eggs.

Method

1. Start by mixing your dry ingredients then add in the eggs, buttermilk and oil and stir till combined. 
2. Take the batter and drop a 1/3 of a cup on a heated pan, wait till browned then flip over and serve, repeat with the other pancakes.

Keto Bread

Ingredients 

• Four eggs. 
• Two cups of quark. 
• 100g of oat fiber. 
• 25g of psyllium husk. 
• 15g of baking powder. 
• Two spoons of vinegar. 
• Pinch of salt.
• 100ml of hot water.

Method

1. Begin by whisking your eggs with some salt and add in the quark, stirring to combine. 
2. Next mix the dry ingredients then add in the vinegar and hot water and allow the mix to rest for around half an hour. 
3. Preheat your oven to gas mark 2 and remove the dough from the bowl, sprinkling the oat fiber on top, and bake for 1 hour 30 minutes in the oven.

Frequently Asked Questions About Oat Fiber & Gluten 

Is the fiber from oats the same as oat fiber? 

The hull of the oat grain (oat fiber), has 9 grams of dietary fiber per tablespoon while oats themselves have 8 grams of fiber for a cup, you would need to eat a lot more oats to get the same out of dietary fiber as oat fiber.

Is insoluble fiber or soluble fiber better for you?

Soluble fibre is excellent for digestion and can lower blood sugar, insoluble fiber on the other hand is good for bulking and softening the stool.

What are some gluten-containing grains? 

Some gluten containing grains which are not gluten free are; wheat, rye, barley, malt, wheat starch and brewers yeast.

How do I know if my oat fiber is gluten free? 

The best way to ensure your oat fiber is gluten free is by checking the ingredients list and making the manufacturer have no risk of cross – contamination.

We also made an article about quacker oats! Read more here Are Quaker Oats Gluten Free?

Last Words

To conclude, oat fiber is technically gluten free, however, there is always a risk of cross contamination so you should be careful where you source your oat fiber from if you have a gluten intolerance or suffer from celiac disease. 

Oat fiber can be an excellent source of fiber if you’re looking to boost your fiber intake and could help you lose weight since it keeps you full with few calories. We would recommend adding oat fiber with other flour in baked goods to keep the texture right.

Furthermore we made an article about The Top 10 Gluten-free Cereals. Check it out!