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Oatcakes are a Scottish pantry staple - crisp, crumbly and full of oaty goodness. Made with just a few simple ingredients, they're perfect for snacking, topping or serving alongside hearty meals.
I always bought oatcakes when I lived in Scotland, but since emigrating, they've been hard to come across (or expensive to buy) - so I started making my own. Many batches later, I finally had a recipe that reminded me of home.
Looking for more Scottish recipes? Try our Scotch Pancakes or our Tattie Scones.
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Reasons to Love This Recipe
- Easy recipe with simple ingredients
- Freezer friendly - great for batch cooking
- Perfect for lunchboxes
- Versatile - enjoy on their own or with sweet or savoury toppings.
Ingredient Information
- Oats: Use a mix of steel cut (pinhead) and rolled (old fashioned) oats, or if you can find Scottish Oatmeal, that's perfect. See "more about oats" section for more info.
- Butter: Adds richness, but can be replaced with oil for a dairy-free alternative.
- Salt: Optional, skip if making for a baby.
- Warm Water: To bind the dough together.
More About Oats
Every country seems to have their own selection and names for different varieties of oats, which can make oat recipes confusing. The type of oat you use affects the texture and outcome of your oatcakes.
Traditional Scottish oatcakes use Scottish oatmeal, which is oats ground to a coarse or medium texture. This isn't always easy to find outside Scotland, so I tested more common oats like rolled oats and steel-cut oats.
Here's what I discovered
- 100% steel cut (pinhead) oats (blended): Dough was crumbly but made textured oatcakes.
- 100% rolled (old fashioned) oats (blended): Easier to work with but softer, less textured oatcakes
- 50/50 steel cut and rolled oats (blended): Best texture and family favourite.
Step by Step Instructions (With Images)
- Blend Oats: Add oats to a food processor or blender and blitz until you have a coarse, flour-like consistency.
- Mix with Butter: In a mixing bowl add the ground oats and melted butter and gently mix until combined.
- Add warm water & knead: Gradually add water and mix until the oats absorb the liquid and a dough forms.
- Roll and cut: Roll the dough out on a floured surface to approx. 3mm (⅛ inch) thick. Use cookie cutters to cut into rounds (or preferred shape).
Serving Suggestions
The great thing about oatcakes is that they can be enjoyed in many different ways and at any time of the day. Enjoy them with sweet or savoury toppings, crumbled into soup or as part of a cheese board.
Some topping suggestion include
- Cottage Cheese Egg Salad
- Mashed Avocado and Tomato
- Peanut Butter & Raspberry Chia Jam
- Cream Cheese & Strawberry
- Hummus and Carrot
- Tuna Salad and Cucumber
- Butter, Cheese & Grape
- Cottage Cheese and Tomato
- Nut Butter, Banana and Cinnamon
Storage Instructions
Store homemade oatcakes in an airtight container at room temperature for up to a week. For longer storage, you can freeze them - place in a freezer-safe container and freeze for up to 2 months.
Recipe FAQs
Oatcakes can be suitable for babies, 6months +, as long as your baby is developmentally ready for finger foods, and the recipe is appropriately modified.
For babies, it's important to make them softer, soft enough that they can be easily flattened between your fingers. For a baby I would suggest
- Rolling the dough thicker (around ¾ cm) to create a softer texture.
- Use only rolled oats for less textured oatcake.
- Skip the salt to keep sodium levels low
- Cut into finger to make them easier for baby to hold
- Try serving with sweet or savoury purees to dip into for added flavour and variety.
For informational purposes only - each baby develops at their own place. Make informed decisions for your baby and consult a professional for personalised advice. Always provide a safe eating environment and watch your baby closely while eating.
Oatcakes have a nutty, wholesome flavour and a dry, crumbly texture. They're savoury rather than sweet - so don't be fooled by the word "cake"! They aren't an indulgent treat, more a humble snack that pairs great with cheese, soup or spread of choice.
Oatcakes can vary in texture .They can be rough to fine, depending on they type and how the oats are ground. They can be slightly chewy, crumbly or crispy depending on water content, and how thick they are rolled out and how long they are bakes.
This recipe produces an oatcake that is crunchy with a medium to rough texture.
Gluten free - although oats are naturally gluten free, most commercial oats are processed in facilities that also process wheat, barley and rye. The gluten in these ingrediesnt can contaiminate oats. Make sure to buy gluten free oats if intolerant.
Dairy Free - You can replace butter with a different fat (eg olive oil or lard)
Cracker and Bite Recipes to Try
Full Recipe
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Oatcakes
Ingredients
- 95g (½ cup) Steel Cut (Pinhead) Oats * SEE NOTE 1
- 95g ( 1 cup) Rolled (old fashioned) Oats
- ¼ tsp Salt (Optional)
- 28g (2 tbsp) Butter (melted) *SEE NOTE 2
- 75ml (¼ cup + 1 tbsp) Hot water
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 190℃ / 375℉
- Add the steel cut oats to a food processor and blend until you achieve a coarse flour-like consistency,(see picture above for video for illustration). *SEE NOTE 3
- Add the rolled oats to the blender and continue to blend until they also represent coarse flour.
- In a large bowl, mix together the blended oats and salt (if using). Add the melted butter and use your fingers to mix it through the oats until coated.
- Add the hot water and knead the mixture together. It will feel very wet, to begin with, but as you continue to mix the dough, the oats will absorb the water. Continue to knead until the mixture no longer feels sticky. *SEE NOTE 4
- Form into a ball, sprinkle the work surface with some extra blended oats (or flour) and roll out to approx 3mm (⅛inch) thick.
- Cut your oatcakes with a cookie cutter into your desired shape. *SEE NOTE 5
- Carefully place your oatcakes onto a baking tray and bake for 25-30 minutes, until dry and lightly golden. (Turn oatcakes after 15 mins)
Video
Recipe Notes
- See above post for information on oats. The type of oats you use, and how much you blend them, will affect the texture of your oatcake. This was our preferred combination and ratio. If you decide to change the oats, replace them by weight (total weight 190g), as different oats yield different cup measurements.
- You can replace the butter with a different fat (e.g olive oil) to make dairy free.
- The steel cut oats take a while to break down, I blended mine for around 5 mins. The rolled oats break down very quickly.
- I used 75ml of water. If the dough is too dry and not rolling then you may have to add a little more, 1 teaspoon at a time.
- The pictured oatcakes were made using a circle cutter with a diameter of approx. 5.5 cm (2¼ inches). I have however successfully made smaller and larger ones too.
Nicola Heskin
Hi thanks for making and sharing this recipe. I saw it online a couple.pf years back but never made it. Just finished litening to Ultra Processed People and keen to make my own oatcakes for my kids lunchboxes. Especially as all sorts of oats and butter are local and easily accessible here in Ireland.
Amy
Great, I hope you love them 🙂
Ian
I had a craving for oatcakes today but couldn't find any in my local shops so I thought I'd try to make some (for the first time in my life). Found this recipe, followed it exactly, and they are perfect! It was so quick and easy, I am never going to buy oat cakes again. Thanks so much.
Amy
Fantastic, thanks Ian.
Sheila
I am just curious as to why it says there is 0 fiber in them. I am definitely going to try them. Thank you for sharing your recipe.
Amy
Hi Sheila, thanks for spotting the nutritional info. It is calculated using an online nutrition calculator and results are only estimates. I've run it through again and now fibre is registered. The results are for one of the oatcakes.
Jane Ciacci
What a terrific recipe, and so simple. Thanks for all the added information!
Amy
Thanks Jane 🙂
Kathy Clark
Easy to make and really delicious! Thanks for all the helpful explanations.
Amy
Thanks Kathy
Ross Parker
It worked well for me. Getting the best results depends on achieving the right grind. I reassigned our old burr coffee grinder to be the oat grinder. I grind 44% of the oats somewhat finely and 56% more coarsely. (I increased the amounts by 20% to fill up my baking tray.) This mix seems to produce a good texture. Thanks for the detailed explanation, Amy.
Amy
Thanks Ross, great to know what worked well for you 🙂
Jenny fo
I love this recipe it is so flavoursome easy to make and very budget recipe. A must try
Amy
Thanks Jenny!
JoAnna
Loved it and shared with a low-acid FB group. My Irish husband loved them both with a little sugar on top and also with a topping of avocado/arugula/lime zest/salt. I made a second batch replacing one T oil with a flax egg. That def changed the density but allowed me to enjoy the avocado while monitoring fat intake. I’ll make your recipe frequently in the future!
Amy
Brilliant, thanks for sharing with your group. I had notice a boost in traffic to this page and appreciate it. 🙂
Kirsten Nanson
Can I make this recipe without grinding up the oats? Can I leave 1 or both ( steel cut/rolled ) as is? Thxs
Amy
Hi Kristen, the oats need to be blended in this recipe. Amy
Jackie
Hi Amy
I left my message on the wrong recipe page, I've been looking at so many recipes as they are all so tempting.
I made the Scottish oatcakes and they are great.
Next time I will add a bit more water so they roll out better. Thank you
Amy
Thanks Jackie, I hope you enjoy some other recipes too 🙂
Penny
This looks great. I am in the USA and we have something called Scottish oatmeal. Would you know if they are the equivalent of medium oats? They say it's oats that have been ground.
Amy
Hi Penny, I think this is exactly what you are looking for. Do they look similar to the blended oats in my process shots?
Kelly H
This recipe looks terrific. If I wanted a slightly sweet cake do you think I could add 1/4 cup+ of maple sugar with a little more water? Do I need to think about adjusting the amount of oats with such an addition?
Amy
Hi Kelly, I think adding a little maple syrup would be fine but without trying I can't guarantee results. I'd maybe only add a tbsp or two first to see how the mixture holds up. You can always add some sweet toppings after baking too 🙂
judy
Not a good baker or cook but I'm going to try these
Amy
How did they go? 🙂
Margo
Awesome!!! Placed all ingredients into the food processor at once. (Took a chance). Blended. Worked out well. (Used breakfast oats.) Cut out 5cm rounds. Spectacular!!!! Will be making them regularly.
Amy
Great! Thanks Margo 🙂
Alan
Canadian here - Wow it sure is interesting with the different international standard for Oat processing - In Canada we have Rolled Oats - subdivided into Full Flake, Instant, Quick and Minute, then the Steel Cut- and there are at least 2 grades of that - then Oat Flour - its all reasonably inexpensive so in doing the same as you - testing small batches - I haven't got it perfect yet.. but i will. In the mean time - even my mistakes are very enjoyable. Many thanks for the inspiration to work this out - given our odd international milling of Oats.
Amy
Thanks Alan, I hope you testing is going well 🙂
Pam
Fellow Canadian here, trying this recipe this morning. Something labelled ‘Scottish Oatmeal’ is also available here, but a bit pricier than the product types Alan mentioned. I chose to stick with home processed steel cut and rolled oats. Will see how it goes, and perhaps try with ‘Scottish Oatmeal’ in future!
Amy
I hope you enjoy them Pam 🙂
Chris
I'm looking forward to making these. A friend, who runs a tea house, suggested I make these (I'm GF). Having never seen one, can I add blueberries or chocolate chips to the batter? I'm trying to make a quick, on-the-go breakfast type snack. Thanks for your feedback
Amy
Hi Chris, I've only ever made traditional plain oatcakes and then added toppings (savoury or sweet topping such as cheese, honey etc all work). You could probably add choc chips to the batter but I think blueberries would be a little big and may add too much moisture. You may like these fruity oatmeal cups - a great on-the-go breakfast that can easily be adapted to add more sweetness.
Jennifer
I made this recipe as I had yet to find an oat cake recipe that suited us. This one worked quite well . I doubled the recipe the second time I made it and that seemed work well,too. Thanks for recipe!
Amy
Thanks Jennifer 🙂
Cassie
My Scottish grandmother loved to toast oatcakes (flat in a toaster oven) and have them with butter and raspberry jam, and strong tea, for breakfast. I made mine with Irish butter which has a higher fat content than in the USA. The smell of them baking brought me back to my grandma's breakfasts -- lovely!
Caroline
help me understand one thing. Why have steel cut oats ande then blend it? Can´t I just mix oats in two different ways?
Amy
At the start of this post, I give reasons why I have chosen a mix of both steel and rolled oats. You need to blend them for this recipe to work. 🙂