Whole grain oats are vegan. Eat it with its natural flavor or add dehydrated apples with it, and it remains vegan. Since these are plant-based products, then Quaker instant oatmeal should be vegan, too, right? Yet, the vegan community remains unsure.
Is oatmeal vegan? Let’s find out.
Oatmeal - Is It Vegan Or Not?
Oatmeal is vegan because it comes from an oat plant. Oat grains in old-fashioned oats remain vegan as long as there are no non-vegan ingredients added to them.
Quaker old-fashioned oats are the same even if these are considered instant oatmeal. It is still rich in whey protein and can even enhance its nutrients with vegan peanut butter.
On the other hand, quick cook oats may have non-vegan ingredients as this goes through a longer process.
Quaker instant oatmeal flavors are examples of the ones that may have these additives, which makes it non-vegan.
So, yes, oatmeal is vegan. Just keep the non-vegan ingredients away.
What Is It, Really?
Instant oats are not vegan in general, like steel-cut oats and rolled oats, so you should check the labels. In its natural flavor, plain oatmeal can be paired with blueberry juice concentrate, which is high in vitamin A palmitate, which oat seed has less of.
Old fashioned Quaker oats can be mixed with walnut vegan strawberries and cream and still remain a vegan diet.
Instant oats can still be vegan, like the overnight oats you make, but read the contents, ingredients, and processes it passes through. Manufacturers may have thrown in non-vegan ingredients as what you find in a Quaker instant oatmeal.
Your steel-cut oats, if mixed with not vegan raisins or artificial peach flavor or not vegan maple syrup, and that loses their nutritional value.
Nutritional Benefits Of Oatmeal
Grain rolled oats are still nutritious even if they are made into cookies. Normally, vegans eat oatmeal with almond milk or in its natural flavor.
You can find these essential vitamins, minerals, healthy fats, and antioxidant plant compounds in oatmeals.
- Fiber Beta-glucan
- Protein and Fats
- Manganese
- Phosphorus
- Magnesium
- Copper
- Iron
- Zinc
- Folate
- Vitamin B1
- Vitamin B5
- Calcium
- Potassium
- Vitamin B6
- Vitamin B3
4 Kinds of Oatmeal
1. Instant Oats
These are quick-cook rolled oats that are processed longer to have a much thinner texture for a faster cooking time—already steamed before they are pressed and thinned down to their shapes.
This kind still comes from an oat plant though not all instant oats are vegan as additives are included, containing dairy or other non-vegan ingredients.
Is oatmeal vegan if these are instant oats? There are quaker oatmeal vegans can eat, especially if it has natural flavor in it.
2. Old-Fashioned Oats
Old fashioned or rolled oats are the oat groats rolled flat with large rolling pins without cracking.
The process used produces more surfaces causing the cooking time to be lessened.
Grain-rolled oats are usually in their natural flavor since these are not processed much, and this kind of oatmeal is vegan.
It goes through steaming to soften, and the oil within the oats stabilizes, which then extends its shelf life.
3. Steel-Cut Oats
Some call it pinhead oatmeal, while others refer to it as the Irish oats, which is the closest to an unprocessed oat groat.
It goes through a straightforward process that is cut into two or three pieces using large steel blades.
This is probably the most vegan among all the oatmeal oats.
Compared to the other types, this is the oatmeal vegan usually consumes.
4. Quick-Cook Rolled Oats
These are still rolled oats but extended the process to produce a much thinner slice of whole-grain oats that will require a shorter cooking time.
Steel-cut oats pass through steaming, but the output is mushier and softer once it is blanched or cooked with water.
Are There Non-Vegan Ingredients?
Milk
Vegan milk products are simply plant-based juices that resemble a typical milk product's texture, qualities, and taste.
Other than Soya milk from soybean, it is rich in isoflavones, potassium and is high in protein. Vitamin A palmitate, too.
There are other types of vegan milk, too, like almond, coconut, and rice, to name a few.
Honey
The nonconsumption of honey by vegans is because of their stand against bee exploitation and the harmful farming practices that are harmful to bee health.
Instead, they use these products:
- Syrup from maple
- Brown rice syrup
- Barley malt syrup
- Blackstrap molasses
- Date syrup
- Bee free honee (from apples, sugar, and fresh lemon juice)
Sugar
Not all sugar is vegan. Some manufacturers are refining the sugar using bone char which makes it non-vegan.Look for products labeled "organic or unrefined," then they are vegan-approved."
Related Posts:
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- Is Country Crock Vegan-friendly?
Butter
There is vegan butter made from water combined with oils from avocado, coconut, kernel oils, olive, palm oil, or a combination, and this can be high in folic acid. Modified food starch is mixed in for consistency.Peanut butter is just a mixture of nuts and oil, but the problem begins with the type of oil added and the extra flavors.
“To become vegetarian is to step into the stream which leads to nirvana.”- Gautama Buddha, founder of Buddhism
10 Most Popular Vegan Oatmeal Brands
Let's Make Our Own Vegan Oatmeal Recipes!
Vegan Oatmeal Cookies
Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon ground flaxseed + 3 tablespoons water
- 1 cup all-purpose flour
- ½ teaspoon baking soda
- 1 teaspoon cinnamon
- ¼ teaspoon coarse salt
- ½ cup vegan butter, softened
- ⅓ cup + 2 tablespoons organic brown sugar
- 1 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 1 ½ cups old-fashioned oats
- ¾ cup raisins
Directions
- Preheat the oven to 350˚F
- line a baking sheet with parchment paper
- Mix the flaxseed and water. Set aside
- Mix all dry ingredients
- Beat butter and sugar until light and fluffy.
- Add vanilla and the flax mixture.
- Slowly add the flour mixture to the bowl.
- Mix in oats and raisins until evenly distributed in the dough.
- Place 2 tablespoon balls of dough onto a prepared baking sheet.
- Bake for 10 – 11 minutes
- Remove from the oven and allow the cookies to cool on the baking sheet
Vegan Oatmeal Muffin
Ingredients
- 2 flax eggs (2 Tablespoons ground flax meal mixed with 5 Tablespoons warm water)
- 2 cups gluten-free old-fashioned rolled oats
- 1 cup rice milk
- ½ cup maple syrup
- ⅓ cup canola oil
- 1 Tablespoon vanilla
- ⅔ cup light brown sugar (packed)
- 1 and ½ cups gluten-free flour
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- ½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
- ½ teaspoon baking soda
- ½ teaspoon kosher salt
- Sparkling or raw sugar for topping (optional)
Instructions
- Preheat your oven to 400 degrees F. Grease or line them with paper liners
- Make the flax eggs by combining the water & flax seeds and let sit for five minutes.
- Mix all liquid ingredients
- Add all dry ingredients
- Scoop the batter into the greased muffin tin. Between ¼-1/3 cup of batter.
- Bake for 20-25 minutes.
- Turn the muffins out onto a cooling rack and allow them to cool completely.
FAQs
It depends. There are Quaker oatmeal vegan individuals can eat. However, Instant oats are labeled whether organic or not. Choose plain oats and throw in some vegan pumpkin spice or possibly vegan raisin in it to add flavor and variety. Avoid adding not vegan Cinnamon and Spice possibly, vegan coconut & caramel can take their place.Other choices for you to add are possibly vegan coconut & caramel, possibly vegan honey & almonds flavors to keep it vegan.
It depends. The oatmeal is vegan if you pick the fruit and maple oatmeal without cream. They have the brown sugar instant oatmeal and the artificial strawberry flavor, which are not vegan menus. Request for the vegan-friendly oatmeal recipe, even if these are quick cook oats. You can add chia seeds in that order or with corn syrup solids, perhaps.
So, Is Oatmeal Really Vegan-Friendly?
The answer to "is oatmeal vegan?" is a yes.
Whether it's Quaker instant oatmeal or the overnight oats you have to soak, it will serve the whey protein and remain vegan-friendly.
Non-vegan ingredients like dairy milk in instant oatmeal make it non-vegan though high in folic acid(1). It will not be vegan if added with artificial blueberry flavor.
So, is oatmeal vegan? It is if you keep it that way.
References:
- https://medlineplus.gov/ency/article/002408.htm
