Steel Cut Oatmeal

I've found it in my local Tom Thumb, so I would imagine that normal grocery stores would have it. I get it in the can. http://www.mccanns.ie/

Its in the freezer section at trader joes, not sure about the regular grocery store though.

~Leash

I buy mine at my regular grocery store (Meijer). I can usually find Irish oats in the cereal aisle, but I have also found it near the whole grains; Bob's Red Mill is a good brand. If you cannot find it there, check the health food section.

Good luck!

Aldi has it and so does Hy-Vee in Kansas/Missouri

try looking for Scottish or Irish oats - from what i understand they are the same thing

My nutriotionist told me not to eat the steel cut oats - less fiber - I dont really know though

saw this yesterday at my regular grocery store(Giant Eagle) in the oatmeal/cereal isle. I'm sure they had another brand in the health food section also.

Less fiber than what? Regular oatmeal? (not being snarky, just asking)

no problem :laugh:

Yes, apparently less fiber than regular oats - she said that it had something to do with the extra processing, but again, I'm not really sure - I havent actually looked into it - I find regular oats easier to cook then the steel cut anyway, even though I prefer the texture of the steel cut or Scottish oats.

Less fiber than what? Regular oatmeal? (not being snarky, just asking)

no problem :laugh:

Yes, apparently less fiber than regular oats - she said that it had something to do with the extra processing, but again, I'm not really sure - I havent actually looked into it - I find regular oats easier to cook then the steel cut anyway, even though I prefer the texture of the steel cut or Scottish oats.

My understanding is that it is the other way around. Steel cut oats are supposed to be better because they haven't been processed as much. They are simply cut oats where the regular oats are heavily processed so they cook faster.

As far as finding the regular oats easier to cook, have you tried the overnight method of cooking steel cut oats. Extremely easy. McCann's has the instrucitons for it on the packaging.

I think there is a big debate still on this...here is one article I found that may help.



Rolled Oats and Steel Cut Oats – Is There a Difference?
Posted by Levi on November 25, 2008 in Nutrition Articles Comments(46) and oatmeal | oats


With today’s health-conscious athletes, there are many debates over which food is healthier. The arguments even break down as far as, “which oat is healthier?”

What I have seen recently is a trend towards steel cut oats instead of the more common rolled oats. Just look for debates about oats on any blog or forum and you’re bound to find some people harping about how rolled oats suck and steel cut oats are the healthy option.

So today I’m here to dispel the myth that somehow one oat is healthier than the other! Let’s start by looking at these different types of oats…

There are three basic types of oats. There are old-fashioned rolled oats, which are whole oats rolled flat. Then there are quick oats, which are rolled oats that have been ground up a little bit more to make them cook faster. Finally, there are the steel cut oats, where the whole raw oat was cut into smaller chunks.

They all start from the same grains, but they are cut differently. Rolled oats are steamed slightly to make them cook faster, but otherwise, they aren’t any different from steel cut oats.

The extra processing isn’t a big deal, because you have to remember this process called digestion where you break down food to absorb it. So these oats are all the same once they get past your mouth.

So you see, rolled oats and steel cut oats are the same food, just cut differently. Saying they’re different in nutritional value is like saying a sandwich cut straight down the middle is healthier than a sandwich sliced diagonally into triangles!

But let’s compare the oats to see what all the differences are…

Oats Comparison
While the oats are virtually the same thing, there are a few key differences.


Look – Rolled oats look like a big flake, like the oat was rolled flat lengthwise. Steel cut oats look like a whole oat cut in half. So the steel cut oats definitely look like a freshly picked oat from the farm.

If you’ve even been in a field with oats growing there, or bought whole oats in a feed store for farm animals, you’ll recognize the steel cut oats.

Steel cut oats look a little like wild rice once cooked.

Taste – Steel cut oats have a sort of “nutty” flavor that rolled oats lack. But the big difference is with texture…

Texture – Steel cut oats are definitely chewier – it takes a while to chew each bite. “Chewy” sums up the steel cut oat texture quite well.

Amount of Processing – If there is one area where steel cut oats have a slight health edge, it’s the lack of processing. Both types of oats are cut, but the rolled oats are steamed (which cuts down cooking time later.)

So there is a chance steel cut oats contain slightly more vitamins and minerals, but don’t fret – even rolled oats contain the entire oat grain. You’re not losing valuable parts of the grain (bran and germ) like you would with white bread.

And don’t forget – steel cut oats need cooked for quite a while, while rolled oats are pre-cooked and ready to eat right out of the canister. So whatever advantage steel cut oats have is lost, unless you can somehow eat them uncooked.

Except if you were to eat them uncooked, you probably wouldn’t digest them, meaning you’d get more nutrients from the rolled oats!

Serving Size – Typically, a serving is 1/4 cup for steel cut oats, which are more dense than rolled oats, which have a 1/2 cup serving size. It’s the same amount of oats in weight, but not volume, since a rolled oat takes up more space.


The steel cut oats will also expand more when cooked, since they will absorb more water than the rolled oats.

Cooking Time – Quick oats are quick; whole rolled oats take a bit longer; then a lot longer for steel cut oats. For one serving, we’re talking 1 minute, 2-3 minutes, and 4-6 minutes, respectively.

Usually I cook a whole pan of steel cut oats at once, and that takes 15-20 minutes.

Nutrients – Let’s compare the Quaker Steel Cut Oats to Quaker Rolled Oats.

1/4 cup of Quaker steel cut oats:
Calories – 150
Fat – 2.5g
Carbs – 27g
Fiber – 4g
Sugar – 1g
Protein – 5g

1/2 cup of Quaker old fashioned oats and quick oats:
Calories – 150
Fat – 3g
Carbs – 27g
Fiber – 4g
Sugar – 1g

Protein – 5g

The label is virtually identical for all three types; the only difference is half a gram of fat

I actually prefer the taste of steel cut oats to rolled or quick cooking oats. I don't care for the texture of rolled oats and I also don't like that I can taste a slightly bitter after-taste. So, if you don't like rolled oats, you might find that you like steel cut.