What can I make with oats?
Oats is the backbone of a cheap, filling meal, and it does far more than sit under a stew. These recipes use oats, and the notes after them cover ratios, toasting, and resting.
9 recipes with oats
Overnight Oats
No-cook oats soaked overnight in milk and toppings.
American5m1
Churros
Crisp fried dough sticks rolled in cinnamon sugar.
Spanish30m6
Aubergine couscous salad
step 1 Heat grill to high.
Turkish4
Three-cheese souffles
Heat oven to 200C/180C fan/ gas 6 and butter 4 small (about 200ml) ramekins.
France4
Roast aubergine with goat's cheese & toasted flatbread
step 1 Heat oven to 200C/180C fan/gas 6.
Turkish4
Jamaican Curry Goat
Equipment 6QT Pressure cooker Instructions Rinse goat meat with vinegar and water.
Jamaican4
Anzac biscuits
step 1 Heat oven to 180C/fan 160C/gas 4.
Australian4
Traditional Croatian Goulash
Clean the meat from the veins if there are some and cut it into smaller pieces, 3 × 3 cm.
Croatian4
Croatian lamb peka
Preheat oven to 200°C fan / 220°C / 425°F / Gas mark 7 If you have not bought diced lamb, cut your lamb shoulder or leg into large chunks and place to one side.
Croatian4
Cooking oats so it comes out fluffy
- 1Rinse until the water runs clear when the grain is starchy; skip rinsing when you want it creamy.
- 2Toast in a little fat with aromatics for 60 seconds before adding liquid. It adds a nutty depth for zero extra work.
- 3Use the right ratio and cover tightly on the lowest heat. Peeking releases the steam that is doing the cooking.
- 4Rest off the heat for 10 minutes, then fluff with a fork rather than a spoon.
What goes well with oats
Oats is at its best with butter, stock, onion, herbs, lemon zest and toasted nuts. Any two or three of those, plus oats, is already a dinner rather than an ingredient list.
Storing oats
Dry oats keeps for months in a sealed container away from light and heat. Once cooked, cool it quickly, refrigerate within two hours, and use within 3-4 days; cooked grains and legumes freeze extremely well in single-portion bags.
Substituting oats
If you are out of oats, look for something that behaves the same way in the pan rather than something that tastes the same. Match the moisture level, the cooking time, and the richness, and adjust the liquid slightly if your substitute releases more water. When in doubt, describe what you actually have in the chat and Mr. Chef will rewrite the recipe around it.
Oats recipes: common questions
- What can I make with oats and not much else?
- Plenty. With oats plus an onion, garlic, oil, and salt you already have the base of a skillet dinner, a soup, or a simple sauce. Add a starch - rice, pasta, bread, or potatoes - and it becomes a full meal. The recipes above are ordered so the ones needing the fewest extra items come first.
- What is the quickest oats recipe?
- Look for the entries above marked 20 minutes or less. As a rule, anything cut small and cooked in a hot pan beats anything roasted whole, and one-pan recipes save more time in cleanup than in cooking.
- Can I substitute oats?
- In most recipes yes, as long as the replacement plays a similar role - similar moisture, similar cooking time, similar richness. Swapping across roles (a watery vegetable for a starchy one, for instance) usually needs a change in liquid or cooking time too.
- How do I use up leftover oats?
- Fried rice, a frittata, a grain bowl, a soup, or a quesadilla will absorb almost any leftover oats without a recipe. If you want something specific, tell Mr. Chef exactly what is in the fridge and it will build a recipe around it.