Christina's Cucina

An impassioned Italian Scot sharing how to cook authentically, and travel with enthusiasm.

Christina’s Scottish Oatcakes

| 66 Comments

Scottish Oatcakes can easily be made in your kitchen and are naturally gluten free. Perfect for breakfast, brunch a snack or cheese platter.

scottish oatcakes recipe

You should really get to know Scottish Oatcakes. Scotland Now (an online Scottish publication for a global audience, and a subsidiary of Scotland’s Daily Record) and I are going to help.

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Once Scots leave their homeland, we miss so many foods from home that it actually seems that we’ve left part of ourselves behind. I’m sure this is applicable for many people who immigrate from other countries all over the world, but Scots are particularly passionate about our food (and drink). To add to the other Scottish recipes I’ve shared on Scotland Now, since I’m their featured “chef” this month, will be Scottish Oatcakes.

scottish oatcakes recipe

Oatcakes are truly unique, not being a cake in any way, shape or form and not really being what we would term a “cracker”, oatcakes are in a class by themselves. If you’ve never tasted one, put it on your culinary bucket list and if you are so inclined. You can make them yourself using the recipe which follows (which is extremely easy using a food processor). However, you should know that not only are they really versatile and delicious, they are sugar free, gluten free and really quite healthy.

You may also enjoy more of my Scottish recipes.

Scottish Tea Bread

I usually just eat them with butter, and when using a really good quality butter, such as Kerrygold, the flavor of the oatcakes is simply enhanced. Of course, they can also be served with jam, marmalade or honey, or alongside soup or with cheese. They are savory, but can be sweetened with the topping you choose, so I hope do choose to try them!

Christina’s Scottish Oatcakes

recipe by Christina Conte

Ingredients

  • 1 1/3 cups (8 oz) steel cut (pinhead) oatmeal (with a little extra for sprinkling on workspace)
  • 1/2 tsp Kosher or sea salt
  • 1 oz butter (or lard)
  • 1/4 tsp baking soda
  • 4 tbsp hot water

Preheat oven to 375°F (190°C)

Place the oatmeal in a food processor and process until it has become like flour; a few hard pieces are fine. I love Hamlyn’s Pinhead Oats from Scotland.

Add the salt, butter, and baking soda and begin to process.

 Then add the hot water through the feed tube on top until the mixture just comes together.


Sprinkle some oatmeal flour on the workspace and working quickly, divide the mixture in two.

Roll out into a round shape, about 1/4″ thick and cut into sixths. Repeat with the second half.

You can trace around a plate for clean edges if you like. As you can see in the lower left photo below, I trimmed one and not the other. A large cake lifter is excellent for moving the oatcakes to the tray, as well as moving cakes.

Place on a baking sheet (I use a silicone mat), and bake for about 20 minutes.

Allow to cool, then store in a tin.

You can warm them in the oven just before serving, or just as they are with butter, jam, or cheese. The slate board and old fashioned scale are both very Scottish props! Aren’t they lovely?

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Yield: 12

Christina's Scottish Oatcakes

Christina's Scottish Oatcakes

A gluten free oatmeal "cracker" that is part of Scottish cuisine.

Bake Time 20 minutes
Total Time 20 minutes

Ingredients

  • 1 1/3 cups (8 oz) steel cut (pinhead) oatmeal (with a little extra for sprinkling on workspace)
  • 1/2 tsp Kosher or sea salt
  • 1 oz butter (or lard)
  • 1/4 tsp baking soda
  • 4 tbsp hot water

Instructions

  1. Place the oatmeal in a food processor and process until it has become like flour; a few hard pieces are fine.
  2. Add the salt, butter, and baking soda and begin to process.
  3. Then add the hot water through the feed tube on top until the mixture just comes together.
  4. Sprinkle some oatmeal flour on the workspace and working quickly, divide the mixture in two.
  5. Roll out into a round shape, about 1/4" thick and cut into sixths. Repeat with the second half.
  6. You can trace around a plate for clean edges if you like.
  7. As you can see in the lower left photo below, I trimmed one and not the other.
  8. Place on a baking sheet, and bake for about 20 minutes.
  9. Allow to cool, then store in a tin.

Notes

Nutrition info using butter (not lard).

Nutrition Information:

Yield:

6

Serving Size:

2 oatcakes
Amount Per Serving:Calories: 70 Total Fat: 4.5g Cholesterol: 0mg Sodium: 0mg Carbohydrates: 6g Fiber: 0g Sugar: 0g Protein: 2g
© Christina Conte
Cuisine: Scottish / Category: Bread, Cookies & Pastries

Life in LA…

got lucky with a shot of this little guy as I was taking pictures of my oatcakes!

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Reader Interactions

66 Responses

  1. Just back from a wonderful 3 week trip to Scotland where we had some delicious oatcakes made with caraway seeds. So glad to have found your recipe, it worked perfectly the first time I made it. I added 1 tsp. caraway seeds to the dough and may add more the next time. Also used a round cookie cutter rather than cutting into pie shapes. Perfect with a cup of ice coffee on a warm fall day. Brings back memories of Scotland!

    Reply

  2. Absolutely lovely recipe! Reminds me of the ones I ate in Scotland while I was there this past summer. Will definitely be making them often.

    Also, substituted coconut oil for butter since I was running low. Turned out perfectly.

    Reply

  3. Recipe worked beautifully except tasted too salty. I followed it exactly, including measuring the lard, except I added a tbsp of sugar to counter the salt. The texture is perfect though and I will make many times again. It came together so easily.

    Reply

    • Sorry to hear they were too salty. The salt I use is much less salty than regular table salt, so I’m guessing that might be why. You can absolutely adjust going forward, though. Glad you liked them! :) Thanks, GVC!

      Reply

  4. When we were little my mom always made oatcakes but at that time people kept all their bacon drippings so that was what she used, they were so good. However I am going to try these, love oatcakes.

    Reply

  5. I can’t believe it’s taken me so long to try making oatcakes, I am gluten intolerant so eat a ton of them in place of bread. I usually eat Nairn’s, which are very good, but I am trying to make as many things as I can from scratch and when I saw this recipe it looked so simple (and somehow I’d had run out of oatcakes at the time) I gave it a go. Very easy, love anything you can just toss into the food processor, and the end result are lovely authentic oatcakes (I use lard as the fat and cut them into round biscuits as this is more convenient for me) I have made them several times now and make some variations depending on what I will have them with. The quantity of water in the recipe is great for slightly crumbly oatcakes, especially good straight out the oven with lashings of butter, I prefer them like this for eating with soups or stews. If I want a more cracker style to eat with cheese I add a little extra water. If I make a big batch and want them to last a bit longer I double bake. I also sometimes toss in some seeds ( chia, linseed, flax, pumpkin, depending what I have in the cupboard) and add a bit extra water. Yet another thing I have come to realise is so easy to make yourself it’s a bit daft to go out and buy it ready made. This recipe has been written in my recipe book and not everything makes it there 😊

    Reply

    • This makes me SO happy, Marj! How wonderful that you have become an oatcake pro! Love it. I need to make some as my dad is here and he loves them, too. Thank you so much for the lovely comments and I hope you find some other recipes to enjoy from my site! (I have a gluten free option under RECIPES).

      Reply

  6. I just made this recipe today. I’ve never seen or eaten an oatcake before. Is it suppose to be crispy and flaky or a little bit chewy? I’m trying to determine if what I made was actually an oatcake or not. It seemed very salty. Otherwise the recipe was very easy, I’m only rating it a 4 because it would have been nice to know what the texture should be like when it’s cooked. Thank you! :-)

    Reply

    • Goodness, Erica! I hope you’re not a teacher, as I can imagine you’d grade harshly!

      I don’t know if you missed the part where I spoke about categorizing oatcakes and said they’re not cakes, and can’t truly be classified as a cracker (meaning they’re crispy). Yes, they are hard and crunchy, but I wouldn’t say “flaky”. They could be salty if you didn’t use Kosher or sea salt which is less salty than table salt?

      Reply

  8. Hello I’ve made this recipe twice and I need help as it is not working !!. They are very crumbly and do not stick together.
    I used Hamlyns scottish oatmeal and ground it in my food processor.
    My oakcakes are delicious but a crumbly mess
    I really want this to work so am willing to try again
    Second time I doubled my butter with no better results
    Can you offer any suggestions?
    Also I took a pic ….how can I show you ??
    Help !!!!

    Reply

    • Hi Charlene, I have no idea what you’re doing that it’s not working as you can see mine stay together. You can send the pic to christina@christinascucina.com. Is your water hot enough? I don’t know what to suggest, but it sounds as though something’s definitely off. You weighed the ingredients, I take it?

      Reply

      • Hello no I didn’t weigh…I measured ! Yours are beautiful and so perfect. Maybe my oats are not small enough? I did very hot water but not boiling . It just seems not enough butter and or water . Shall I try a different kind of oats ???
        Thank you for helping ….I sent you the photo
        Loooooove the taste of these! I must master this recipe for my scottish hubby

        Reply

        • Ah, there’s the problem, I bet you anything! Honestly Charlene, if I could have my readers take one thing away from my site it would be for the importance of weighing ingredients especially in baking. I had to take the cups out of my doughnut recipe as I was getting so many bad reviews. Once I did, what a difference! People were raving about them, because it’s a GREAT recipe. However, if you don’t use the correct measurements in any recipe, you won’t get the right results. Scales are super inexpensive now. I suggest you get one and try it and whenever you bake use a recipe with weight and not volume and I bet your success in baking with follow suit!

          Reply

          • Ok I’m game to try ! I’ve never weighed my ingredients but it it makes perfect sense .
            Thank you for helping me!
            I’ll try and let you know

  9. Just returned from Scotland and love anything Scottish :-) Those oatcakes are absolutely delicious! Thank you for the recipe.

    Reply

  10. I just made these and they are wonderful. I’ve been missing them ever since my trip to Scotland. These taste just the way I remember them. It’s back to the kitchen for me to make a double batch.

    Reply

  12. As you can see from my photos, this recipe turns out perfectly. Without seeing or knowing what you did, I can’t offer assistance. Did you use cups or weigh the ingredients, Cherilyn?

    Reply

    • Hi Francine, if you don’t have a food processor, you’ll have to used pre-ground oats or oat flour. You could then soften the butter to add it, but I wouldn’t melt it completely. Good luck!

      Reply

  15. My Brother and I were taking about a bakery we had in Pacific Grove CA. (Monterey county) ‘The Scotch Bakery’
    Where as kids our Mom would take us to have Scottish Oat Cakes & OH how we *loved* them. I am So happy to have found this blog!
    I really want to try this recipe because they looked exactly like these! However, I do remember a slight sweet taste – maybe I will add a little sugar? Thank you!

    Reply

    • Hi Caitilin! I’m glad you found my blog, too! Yes, if you’d like your oatcakes a little sweet, just add a tiny bit of sugar, as they won’t need much. I prefer savory, which is why I shared this recipe-it’s more traditional. Enjoy, and let me know how they turn out! CC

      Reply

      • I added 1.5 TBS of sugar as well as some sprinkles on top before baking. Perfect! I too had issues with my very old Cusinart (1988!) not being able to grind the Oats down, so I used my dry Vitamix canister and the oat mixture came out perfect!

        I do notice another issue hoping you can help me with – one round comes out perfect the other kind of breaks up- any ideas would be helpful, too much water – not enough? Thank you so much

        Reply

  19. Thank you for the recipe. Had just made some little biscuit like things and tasted so addicting. Had some Scottish oats soaking for a day and added some lamb fat had saved and dribbled the batter into a skillet. Does it change if stir or work the dough or batter?
    Thank you
    Is rendered beef fat sold and what is it called?

    Reply

        • Holy cow (no pun intended)! I can’t believe I wrote that, Robert! You are correct, and I know that, too. Must have still been partially asleep when I answered Lynn! Thank you! ;)

          Reply

        • I thought it all was called lard and depended what stage of process called tallow. So then a different name when using the
          fat from sheep ? Am saving when make soup from the sheep neck bones.
          Thank you

          Reply

          • Now that I don’t know, Lynn! I’ve actually never heard of using sheep’s fat, in fact if anything I don’t think it’s actually used.

  21. Thanks for this easy recipe! For some reason I couldn’t get my steel-cut oatmeal to grind small enough in my food processor (maybe the blades are getting dull?), so when I added the wet ingredients it created a lumpy, mushy mess. The next time I tried the recipe, I bought Bob’s brand oat flour and used 1 cup of that plus 1/3 cup of the processed steel-cut oats.

    Reply

    • Were you using a really large food processor for a small amount of oats, ZD? Sometimes there’s not enough in the large bowl to work properly. If this is the case, I’d do a large amount of oats and just keep the unused flour for the next time you make them. Hope the second ones turned out better!

      Reply

    • I looked at your blog and I’m sorry I can’t comment, because I can’t read what looks like Korean to me :( Thank you for letting me know and I’m so happy you liked the recipe! :) CC

      Reply

  27. Dear Christina,
    I have never had the pleasure of eating one of these, but it looks very interesting. Like you said it looks like a cracker, but it is not. I like that they are made from Steel cut oatmeal. I have had that before. The recipe is really simple, but the dough seems like it may be difficult to deal with being so thin. I can understand why you cut it beforehand. Something like shortbread where you cut them ahead of time. When you say butter or lard, do you mean like Crisco? I think I would use butter, we can get Kerrygold here.. Very healthy and just a perfect treat to go with a cup of hot tea. Love the photo of the hummingbird. They are so beautiful. Thanks for sharing this recipe…have a glorious weekend! Dottie :)

    Reply

    • Dear Dottie,

      Thank you for taking the time to write such lovely messages on my posts! I really appreciate it. I think the most difficult part about working with the dough it rolling it out quickly, while it is still warm. Once it starts to cool off, it’s not as pliable, but the fact that it’s thin isn’t a problem at all; it’s quite a workable dough, not too delicate as it may seem.

      I used butter, but please do not use Crisco in these; the only lard I would use would be organic, if you can get it from a butcher. Lard is fat from pork that is rendered down. I’m sure your relatives cooked with it years ago, as it gives food an incredible boost in flavor. Now that butter is back on the “good” list, I’m sure lard will be next. :) Kerrygold is fabulous and in fact, that’s what I used in these oatcakes. Just in case you do use Crisco, this is the list of ingredients: SOYBEAN OIL, FULLY HYDROGENATED PALM OIL, PARTIALLY HYDROGENATED PALM AND SOYBEAN OILS, MONO AND DIGLYCERIDES, TBHQ AND CITRIC ACID (ANTIOXIDANTS). I stay away from ingesting things that I cannot decipher! ;) Have a great weekend!

      Christina :)

      Reply

    • Thanks, Christina for your lovely words. I enjoy your posts and I always learn something that is important and fun. Yes, I do remember the lard from when my grandmother baked, it was in a brick shape and it added much flavor. That is why I asked, I didn’t think that Crisco was a good idea, I would use the Kerrygold butter. Just wanted to get the ingredients correct! I don’t blame you I stay away form that list and I can’t decipher it either.
      Not sure if I mentioned to you, but my (Lori) sister-in-laws mom, (Agnes) comes from Scotland. She was born there and has a glorious accent. She was born in Kirkcaldy and lived there till she came to the States before she got married. She is always telling me stories about Scotland. I love to hear about where she lived.
      Well, thank you again for clearing that up for me nad you as well have a great weekend! :) Dottie

      Reply

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