Out of Oatmeal, one case
Keto oatmeal substitute
5 options, ranked, with the exact amount
Use Hemp hearts + chia seeds
Per ½ cup of oatmeal
¼ cup hemp hearts + 1 tbsp chia seeds
For a keto bowl of hot cereal, stir ¼ cup hemp hearts and 1 tablespoon chia seeds into ½ cup hot unsweetened almond milk and let it stand 5 minutes. That is about 3 grams of net carbs, against about 23 grams in the ½ cup of dry oats it replaces. In meatloaf, replace the oats with the same volume of crushed pork rinds. Quinoa, buckwheat and other grains are not low in carbs.
- Verdict —
- You'll taste it
- The tweak —
- Stir into ½ cup hot unsweetened almond milk or water, simmer or let stand 5 minutes until thick, and add a pinch of salt and cinnamon.
- Best for —
- a hot breakfast bowl
One casethe full oatmeal card
Every option, one card
Ranked| # | Substitute | Instead of ½ cup oatmeal | Verdict |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Hemp hearts + chia seedsa hot breakfast bowl | ¼ cup hemp hearts + 1 tbsp chia seedsYou'll taste it | You'll taste it |
| 2 | Chia seedsovernight oats | 2 tbspYou'll taste it | You'll taste it |
| 3 | Ground flaxseeda quick hot cereal | ¼ cupYou'll taste it | You'll taste it |
| 4 | Crushed pork rindsmeatloaf | 1 cupTweak it | Tweak it |
| 5 | Unsweetened shredded coconutcookies and bars | 1 cupYou'll taste it | You'll taste it |
| Not a swap | Quinoa, buckwheat or millet | not a swapNot for this | Not for this |
Hemp hearts + chia seeds
nutty and creamy; softer than oats, with no chew
Hemp hearts are soft, shelled hemp seeds that turn creamy in hot liquid. Chia seeds swell and thicken the bowl the way oat starch would. This mix contains no coconut.
- Best for
- a hot breakfast bowl, anyone avoiding coconut, overnight "oats" in the fridge
- Prep
- Stir into ½ cup hot unsweetened almond milk or water, simmer or let stand 5 minutes until thick, and add a pinch of salt and cinnamon.
- Suits
- vegan, gluten-free
- Where it fails
- Cookies, granola and crumble toppings, where the seeds do not give the flake texture of rolled oats.
About 3 g net carbs for the seeds in one bowl. Check the label on your own bags, and count the milk and any toppings.
Chia seeds
neutral; the texture is like tapioca, not like oats
Chia pudding is the low-carb stand-in for overnight oats. The seeds absorb liquid and set into a thick, spoonable gel with almost all of their carbohydrate as fiber.
- Best for
- overnight oats, make-ahead breakfast jars
- Prep
- Stir 2 tbsp chia into ½ cup unsweetened almond milk, stir again after 5 minutes so it does not clump, and chill at least 2 hours.
- Suits
- vegan, gluten-free
- Where it fails
- Hot porridge on its own: it gels but has little body. Combine it with hemp hearts or ground flaxseed for a warm bowl.
Ground flaxseed
earthy and nutty; the texture is smooth and slightly gluey
Ground flaxseed thickens hot liquid within a minute or two into a porridge. Nearly all of its carbohydrate is fiber.
- Best for
- a quick hot cereal, thickening a hemp or chia bowl, binding meatballs and meatloaf
- Prep
- Whisk ¼ cup into ½ cup hot water or almond milk and let it stand 2 minutes. Thin with more liquid if it sets too thick.
- Suits
- vegan, gluten-free
- Where it fails
- On its own it is slick, not chewy. Most people prefer it mixed half and half with hemp hearts.
Use ground flaxseed (flax meal). Whole seeds do not thicken.
Crushed pork rinds
savory and salty; not noticeable once baked into the meat
In meatloaf and meatballs, oats are a binder that holds moisture. Finely crushed pork rinds do that job with no carbohydrate.
- Best for
- meatloaf, meatballs, burger and salmon patties
- Prep
- Crush to fine crumbs, measure after crushing, and cut the recipe's salt by about half, because pork rinds are salted.
- Suits
- gluten-free
- Contains
- pork
- Where it fails
- Anything sweet, and any dish for people who do not eat pork.
Unsweetened shredded coconut
clearly coconut
Of the low-carb options, coconut flakes come closest to the chew of rolled oats in baking. Keto "oatmeal" cookies usually rely on them, often with sliced almonds.
- Best for
- cookies and bars, granola, crumble toppings
- Prep
- Use unsweetened coconut, and check the bake 2 to 3 minutes early, because coconut browns faster than oats.
- Suits
- vegan, gluten-free
- Contains
- coconut
- Where it fails
- Coconut does not absorb liquid the way oats do, so a cookie dough spreads more. Chill the dough 30 minutes before baking. Sweetened coconut is not low in carbs.
Quinoa, buckwheat or millet
grain-like
These are the usual stand-ins for oatmeal, and they make a good porridge, but they are starchy grains and seeds with about as much carbohydrate as oats.
- Best for
- nothing on a keto diet
- Where it fails
- A cup of cooked quinoa has about 39 g of carbohydrate. Oat bran and steel-cut oats are also oats, with a similar count.
Tips for substituting oatmeal
5 tips- One bowl: ¼ cup hemp hearts, 1 tbsp chia seeds, ½ cup hot unsweetened almond milk, a pinch of salt. Let it stand 5 minutes; it thickens as it sits.
- Without coconut: hemp hearts, chia and ground flaxseed are all coconut-free. Use almond milk or water, not coconut milk, as the liquid.
- Meatloaf: replace ¾ cup oats with ¾ cup finely crushed pork rinds and halve the added salt. Almond flour also binds; start with half the volume of the oats and add more only if the mix is too wet to shape.
- Overnight jar: 2 tbsp chia seeds per ½ cup almond milk, stirred twice in the first 10 minutes, then chilled.
- Sweeten after cooking and count it. Maple syrup, honey, brown sugar, banana and raisins are the usual oatmeal toppings, and all are high in sugar.
Questions
5 questionsIs oatmeal keto?
No. A ½ cup of dry rolled oats has about 27 grams of carbohydrate and 4 grams of fiber, which is about 23 grams of net carbs in one serving. Steel-cut oats, quick oats and oat bran are in the same range.
What replaces oatmeal in keto meatloaf?
Finely crushed pork rinds, in the same volume as the oats, with the added salt cut by about half. Almond flour and ground flaxseed also bind: start with half the volume of the oats. Grated Parmesan can make up part of the binder as well.
What can I use if I cannot have coconut?
Hemp hearts with chia seeds or ground flaxseed, cooked in almond milk or water. Many keto "noatmeal" recipes use shredded coconut or coconut flour for bulk, but the bowl works without them.
What replaces oats in keto cookies?
Unsweetened shredded coconut, cup for cup, often mixed with sliced almonds for chew. The dough spreads more than an oat dough, so chill it 30 minutes and check the bake a few minutes early.
Does keto oatmeal taste like oatmeal?
Not exactly. A hemp and chia bowl is creamy and nutty and takes cinnamon, butter and berries the same way, but it lacks the chew of rolled oats. It is a warm cereal in its own right.