Ask Keri: Steel cut oats vs. rolled oats: Which is the meliorate choice for oatmeal?

Keri Says: Steel cut oats get a lot of praise, but don't go throwing out those rolled oats so fast.

Let'due south start with the basics. Both rolled oats and steel cut oats come from the same whole cereal grain. The existent difference is in how, and how much they are processed. Known in their whole grade every bit "groats," both have been separated from their difficult outer "hull" to go oats. They still include both the germ (where the healthy, unsaturated fat lives) and the endosperm (where all of that gut happy fiber and poly peptide lies). They're also both high in B and E vitamins.

Hither's what yous need to know about steel cut oats vs. rolled oats.

Rolled Oats

True to their name, in processing, rolled oats are first steamed to foreclose them from cracking or breaking before they're rolled through mills to be flattened. This results in their famously known squashed, round textured appearance. Picture those petty oats plopped on height of a muffin.

They also come in a spectrum of options. Precooked 'instant' oats are the thinnest and most processed, every bit they are the traditional "Onetime Fashioned" oats cut into even smaller pieces to let for quick and easy melt time.

Compare these to the completely unlike "extra thick" rolled oats, and you lot've got an extremely versatile whole grain with  a multitude of uses. Everything from breakfast cereal to granola bars, muffins to smoothies to cookies, rolled oats are definitely on tendency for recipe substitutions and weeknight overnight oatmeal prep. Rolled oats' creamy soft texture after existence cooked makes them every bit as suitable for oatmeal as they are for baking.

steel cut oats vs. rolled oats

Steel Cut Oats

On the other (less processed) mitt lies steel cut oats. The same groats used to brand rolled oats are instead chopped into two or 3 pieces rather than flattened, resulting in steel cut oats' small, pivot-like appearance.

Because of their thickness and chewier texture, they have a bit longer to cook, and they're not as ideal when it comes to putting them into your flourless oatmeal cookie recipe. Cook up your half cup of steel cut oats for breakfast, and you've got a fiber packed, slowly digesting meal that volition keep y'all full and energized until lunch (better than quicker digesting rolled oats practice).

Steel cutting oats are spared processing steps that rolled oats go through, giving them a lower glycemic indexand making it more difficult for digestive enzymes to break downward the starch found in them. This, in turn, slows the conversion of the starches to carbohydrate in the body, and your belly stays happily satisfied.

Steel Cutting Oats vs. Rolled Oats: The Bottom Line

Then while they differ in size, shape, rima oris feel, and rate at which they assimilate, when comparing steel cut oats vs. rolled oats, their nutritional value ends up existence the same.

They both deed every bit a great source of manganese (which is important for supporting bone wellness), biotin (part of the B vitamin complex crucial for the health of your skin and nervous system), as well equally a go-to source for soluble fiber known as beta-glucan, which helps to lower bad LDL cholesterol in the body. This can lead to meliorate centre health, meliorate stabilized blood sugar, and better digestive health.

And so adjacent time you're deciding between the 2, it might be your best bet to consider what you want to use them for. Trying out a new homemade granola recipe? Go for the rolled oats. Craving a hearty breakfast for the cold winter months? Steel cut might be the amend pick.