One of my very favorite takeaways from Sandor Katz’ fermentation residency was his countertop bowl of fermenting grains. The way he does it, it’s a big ol’ bowl, where any bits of leftover grain from a meal get tossed. He adds a bit of sourdough starter, or idli batter or whatever other starter he has on hand, with some liquid from time to time, then gives it a stir and uses it to make delightful pancakes a day or so later. It’s a super simple meal, quick as can be, and it can be easily jazzed up with the addition of fermented vegetables, cheese or eggs.
The first new practice I wanted to institute back at home was this grain bowl. However, we’re a family of two and I don’t eat a whole lot of grains, so it quickly became obvious that this would be more like another pet to care for than like a convenience food in my house. My husband is a fan of good old fashioned oatmeal for breakfast, though, I so I suggested he might enjoy fermenting his oats before cooking them. Not only would it definitely improve the flavor (a little bit of sour, a lot of complexity), but it would also reduce* the quantity of phytic acid naturally present in grains, nuts and seeds. Phytates aren’t great, because they bind to nutrients, preventing us from absorbing them.
He tried it, and now he’s totally hooked. It’s his almost-everyday breakfast. He now removes 3/4 of the oats about every other day (every 3rd day in cooler weather) and then adds fresh oats into the already fermented oats. For him, 2 to 3 days is the right amount for peak deliciousness. The oats are not mushy, they cook more quickly, and regular fermenters will immediately recognize the sour, yeasty flavor and aroma. If they go too long, you may see a yeasty film on top, experience a slimy texture or end up with a super cheesy aroma, so if you’re going to push it to the 3 day mark, make sure to give it a good stir at least daily. That will disrupt the surface and keep stuff from forming and it will serve as a bit of a check-in for you.
Fermented/Soaked Oatmeal Recipe
This is not so much a recipe as a guideline, because this is a truly simple practice that doesn’t require much instruction. If at any point you don’t want to feed your grains, just eat them all and start again when you’re ready to enjoy them again. This is so easy to get going that there’s really no need to keep your “starter” alive if you feel like a break. If you want to scale this up or down, go nuts. A 1:1 1/4 ratio of oats to water by volume will get you where you need to be.
Ingredients
- 2 cups rolled oats
- 2 1/2 cups filtered water
- 3 tablespoons phytase-rich grains (optional: see below). If using extra grains, use a 1:1 ratio, by volume of extra filtered water.
How-To
- Put oatmeal and other grains, if using, in a medium bowl, preferably a glass one with a lid that fits. add water. If using the phytase-rich grains, add an equal amount of water, by volume (for example, 3 tablespoons extra grains, 3 tablespoons extra filtered water).
- Cover the bowl and place it at a room temperature spot away from direct sunlight. Let it sit for 2 to 3 days, stirring daily, and taking notice of changes in aroma and texture when you stir. The water will absorb into the oats overnight, and some of the oats will not be submerged after that time. As long as you stir daily and your house isn’t crazy hot, you should be fine. If your house is crazy hot, consider a 24 hour to 48 hour fermentation instead.
- When you’re ready to cook your oats, remove about 3/4 and cook them how you normally would. Jake basically just warms them on the stove, or cooks them for 1 minute in the microwave.
- He recommends eating them with coconut oil or butter, fruit (especially blueberries and peaches) nuts, honey, maple syrup, cinnamon, candied ginger, dried fruit, jam or some combination of the above. I think the sour flavor would lend itself very well to some savory breakfast oats. Try it with fresh herbs, cheese, sesame oil and soy sauce or topped with a poached egg!
- Don’t forget to feed your grains! Add your fermented oats to 1 1/4 cups of water and 1 cup of fresh oats (or more or less if you wish, just keeping to the volume ratio of 1 part oats, 1 1/4 parts filtered water. Cover your bowl and repeat.
*Notice that I wrote “reduce” rather than “eliminate.” If you have difficulties with nutrient deficiency or absorption, I would follow a bit of advice from Amanda Rose of phyticacid.org (an excellent site on Phytic Acid [update: it appears that this site has gone away. One reader suggested using the wayback machine to check it out if you’re so motivated]) and add roughly 10% of a grain that contains more phytase and therefore more readily breaks down phytic acid during soaking. The addition of other grains will dramatically reduce the amount of phytic acid in your oats. Great options include barley, spelt, rye and buckwheat.
Brian says
Amanda, you mentioned that Sandor adds a starter, but you don’t mention that in your recipe. Is it safe to assume the starter isn’t necessary?
Amanda says
Absolutely! I don’t use a starter, but you could if your home is cool or if you wanted a shorter fermentation time.
jim says
Use a little whey off of plain yogurt in the water for a starter.
Richard says
Nobody asked but here’s a reply that might help: add about 3T yogurt to your muesli grain mix (including a high phytase grain- buckwheat sprouts are the best I think) along with some and cinnamon and set the bowl to float in a crock pot filled with warm water and keep on the “warm” setting for about 12h or more. No need to cook this as it will be very soft. Can then add preferred extra ingredients,
Amanda says
Just FYI: The warm setting on many crock pots is much hotter than a temperature you would want for live bacteria to stay live.
Hane says
That’s true. But aren’t you killing the bacteria by cooking on the stovetop or in the microwave?
Amanda says
Yes, but the previous person indicated that they specifically did not want to cook or kill the bacteria. Thus my comment.
Eneia says
The bacteria are used to change the state of the oats so that they are more absorbable, not so that we ingest the bacteria. Once their state has changed, heating them doesnt undo the transfomation.
However if you heat up over 40 C while the transformation should be happening, you will damage the phytase/bacteria thus not do what we are talking about here. The oats will still taste good but the phytic acid will ne intact. You would nee a yogurt maker rather than a crockpot.
Heidi says
My understanding is that oats have a hard time getting rid of the Phtyic acid because it has naturally little natural Phytates (like rice too). By adding a litte rye flour, which is high in phytates, it greatly increases the reduction of phytic acid by 50%! Regular method only reduces maybe 25%. And like someone else says, incubate it for 24hr at about 100f and it will be both cooked and ready to eat in the morning having rid of the most phytic acid you can get rid of. I use the small instant pot on yogurt setting (so I don’t take up use of my big one!). I make my next days breakfast after eating my oatmeal and the next morning the next breakfast is waiting!
Kelly says
Thanks for this post–I’ve been trying the Nourishing Traditions soaked oats from time to time, and of course adding whey as they suggest is not necessary–just like vegetable ferments. Do you know Bircher Muesli? I make that most often and I’m not sure how to incorporate fermented oats into that preparation. Any thoughts?
Amanda says
I lived in Switzerland for a couple years and Muesli was definitely a staple (with LOADS of variations). I think you could definitely just add the traditional (or your preferred) Bircher Muesli ingredients after soaking, and maybe splash some apple juice or kefir into the mix (again, after soaking).
You could also do a much shorter soak in kefir if you enjoy acidic flavors (I do!) and add apples and stuff just before serving. Great idea!
Kelly says
So many great ideas, including the kefir soak! Genius. I’m looking forward to trying these. Thank you!
Amanda says
I hope you enjoy your oats!
Kelly says
Look what you inspired! Thank you. http://www.stringandtwig.com/blog/2015/8/9/bircher-muesli-its-whats-for-breakfast
Jacqui says
How long must the oats be soaked in kefir?
DawnT says
This may be a silly question, but would this work with steel cut oats as well? I prefer the texture of the steel cut. Thanks!
Amanda says
I would always encourage you to try! The mush factor might be a problem with steel cut, but please come back and share your experience either way!
Tine says
I was wondering the same thing and just made a batch:2 cups steel cut oats + 2,5 cups of water + 3 tsp of barley + tsp of water (tap water, non-filtered). More news next week 🙂
Amanda says
I would definitely appreciate it if you came back to share your results! It would help future readers!
Tine says
Hi,
Unfortunately I don’t know how it must taste, but the result is definitely not tasty to me, and i think to a lot of other people too…
I stirred 1-2 times a day, but the batch stayed really watery/mushy.
Just cooked 3/4 of them slowly for 1,5 minutes. It tasted like it smelled 🙂
Worth the try but i will retry with the other oats (it’s harder to find those in my country, here oatmeal is just oatmeal .. not a lot of differences)
Steph says
What type of rolled oats did you use? I’ve regularly done sourdough starters from scratch (w/ no added cultures), but I’ve heard a successful sourdough fermentation is as much a result of what’s in the flour as what’s in the air. Given that, I wonder if this requires a brand of rolled oats that wasn’t heated too much during processing. Since if they’re steamed to soften them for rolling, that may have killed some of the yeasts etc. that live on the oat groats naturally.
Amanda says
My husband makes them with a lot of different varieties of rolled oats (depending on price and where we’re shopping). They have never failed to ferment, so I wouldn’t worry about it too much!
Martin says
Will gluten free oats ferment?
Amanda says
Yes!
Rebecca says
Followed your instructions and love the results. A new breakfast staple for me. Thanks!
Amanda says
Cool! Great to hear that!
Davis says
Wouldn’t cooking the oats before eating them kill the cultures present or is the cooking time made so abbreviated by the fermentation that the good bacteria aren’t harmed?
Amanda says
Yes. Cooking them kills the probiotic bacteria, but it doesn’t erase the benefits of decreased phytic acid and improved nutrient absorption!
Taz says
I have heard briefly of fermenting techniques where a person can cook something, then innoculate it with some starter and then eat as is without cooking, like natto. Do u know much about that kind of style? Can u tell me more about it and how to apply it?
Amanda says
Yes, you can inoculate lots of different things with starter to make them ferment. Some ferments only happen with a starter, or always have cooked components. If you’re looking for a specific type of ferment, let me know what and I’d be happy to help or you can use the search function here on the site.
Glenn Smith says
hmmm, seems like it would be helpful to at least mention this in the original instructions for those of us who want the probiotics. i plan on not cooking mine and getting all the good stuff!
Steve says
A variation like what you’re suggesting might be something I discovered at my inlaws in Kazakhstan, and which could be used as a guide . The stuff is called ashymyk, made by cooking a grain in lots of water, letting cool (like milk being prepared for yogurt), then adding some kefir and then keeping in a warm place for 12-24 hours, then refrigerated. My sister-in-law made several batches with barley, and it was slightly tart, very nice. It seemed beneficial for my gut. Proportions were about 1 : 10 : 1 grain to water to kefir I will try making oatmeal that way, cooking the steel cut oats and then mixing with kefir and fermenting for a while. But I don’t want slimy oatmeal!
Amanda says
Slimy oatmeal has never been a problem for us using this method.
Karen says
Thanks for the tutorial, Amanda! I like to add yogurt to my soaked oats, it gives it such a nice tang. But I never thought to soak for more than just one day. I can imagine the flavor is all-the-better for it. Thanks for the inspiration!
Nikola says
This is SUCH a great article! 🙂
Will try out definitely, and thanks so much on including the bit at the end about mixing in some grains that are high in phytase – I’m big on soaking nuts and grains, but didn’t know you could combine different sorts to get a greater reduction in phytic acid..
In any case I’ll check out the site you kindly referenced, but just quickly – that principle should also work with nuts, right? Also when I’m soaking rice, kamut, spelt, etc. before cooking?
Amanda says
Thank you! In theory yes, the same thing should work with nuts. I do recommend checking out the site I linked too, though. She almost certainly has specific data on different nut varieties and their phytase content.
Mom says
Hello ,
I have read a few different things regarding the soak (use acid, don’t use acid, use whey, don’t use whey, add other grains, etc.) and also read to checkout the website you once linked up to. I see you no longer are linked up, is there a reason? I’m so confused! Thanks for your time
Amanda says
I believe it says there! That site unfortunately no longer exists. There is no need to add whey, although that can speed up fermentation. In general, I do not add a starter to anything that can be wild fermented. Here’s a post about using starters in fermentation.
Oumayma Boualla says
Hi,
I live in France and usually, we cook our oats in milk. I tried soaking them (following another recipe), overnight, and the result was awful.
they were watery, mushy and just plain tasteless. any tips on how to remedy that? Would soaking in raw milk and whey or yogurt/kefir for a few hours be beneficial too? Eaten cold or warmed?
thanks
Amanda says
Hi Oumayma,
I would recommend a couple things. You could try soaking them a bit longer than overnight for a more developed flavor (2 or 3 days). Soaking them in raw milk or yogurt/kefir would also be a good direction to try. You definitely don’t want to cook them as long as you would cook unsoaked oats. We basically consider it just heating them, since the texture is pretty much there after a couple days of soaking.
I hope that helps!
Sharon says
Hi Amanda,
Thanks for the fermenting tips for oats and grains!
Do you think this would work for an overnight oats recipe? Ferment as you suggested, and then flavor and put in the fridge overnight with some milk or yogurt? Currently I make them without the fermenting step. Thanks!
Amanda says
Hi Sharon,
I’m not sure I understand the distinction. Both soaking them in yogurt and soaking them in water will be fermenting them. The question of how fermented they taste is just how long you let them soak and at what temperature.
If I totally misunderstood your question, sorry! Please let me know if I did and I’ll happily clarify!
Anne D. says
Why filtered water? Is there a health concern over using tap? Or is it more a flavor distinction? I’m going to whip up a batch tonight but I have only fresh tap water to use so fingers crossed my first Phickle recipe works!
Amanda says
Hi Anne,
You’re most likely fine. I have fermented many times with tap water and I’ve never had a problem, but I’ve heard from other fermenters that they have occasionally had difficulty. Most municipal tap water contains cholramine, or chlorine bonded with ammonia, which cannot evaporate or be boiled out. It is in the water as an anti-bacterial agent, and so in theory, it can kill the bacteria that make fermentation possible. Again, unless my tap water reeks of chlorine, I have no problem using tap water, but if it just doesn’t ferment, tap water could be the culprit.
Caden says
Ate my fermented oatmeal today for the first time, and it was fantastic! Only slightly soured, like the difference between regular bread & sourdough bread. I used ordinary Quaker rolled oats + pearled barley from the local health food store. Fermented it for 4 days on my enclosed front porch (this time of year ranges from 50-60 degrees F). Found it was much more watery than I hoped for, and the microwaving time extended to 2.5 mins in order for the oatmeal to get hot enough to melt butter. But in the end it was all worth it. Will definitely keep this going! But one thing is confusing about this article. It says after removing 3/4 of the jar to cook, add in 1 1/4 more water & 1 cup more oats… but it didn’t replace volume-wise the 3/4 jar I’d taken out. Maybe the volume will expand with time… Anyway, this one’s a winner for me!
suebob says
Do you rinse your oats after soaking? I’m guessing that the added phytase-rich grains you are using are whole grains–the groats. Are these grains cooked together with the oats?
I have been soaking steel cut oats for awhile now, and the closest grain I have access to is buckwheat flour at my local grocery store. After soaking I normally drain and rinse the oats to wash away the flour before cooking. I then add fresh water and more steel cut oats to the leftover starter for the next batch. If I tried soaking rolled oats, would buckwheat flour work as the grain, and should I rinse the oats after soaking since flour is being used?
Julie k says
I have the same question. Additional grains….does that not mean the flour? Spelt berries??
Kayla says
Hey there 🙂
I had a few questions. I’ve read on a lot of other blogs to also add something acidic like buttermilk, lemon etc… is there a reason you don’t? Would it hurt to do it that way? If I do that way does it change fermentation time? You say your always taking some out, and putting it back in, wouldn’t the older stuff begin to mold or taste bad? Do you rinse your glass bowl in between ever? Doing it this way,you’d be able to have oatmeal every 2 to 3 days is that right? So if I wanted oatmeal every day just make a bigger batch? Meaning when I have to add more oats and water, I still have to wait another 2 to 3 days for it to be ready again, correct? TIA! 🙂
Kayla says
OH! And is it ok to rinse them after fermentation to get rid of some of that taste?
suebob says
This is my personal experience on fermenting oats. I was rather disappointed in my own attempt to ferment rolled oats. It turned into a liquidy mushy mixture. Maybe I fermented it too long (3 days)? I cooked it without rinsing, and to me the oatmeal ended up quite thick and pasty in texture and quite tangy as well. I went back to using steel cut oats because I feel it holds up to the fermenting process better, but I will continue to add the optional extra grains mentioned in the recipe. It’s personal preference–I happen to prefer the texture of steel cut oats.
The day you remove the soaked oats from the bowl to cook is also the day you make a new batch to ferment, so putting aside a small portion (uncooked) to create your next batch is perfectly fine. Soaked steel cut oats holds up to draining and rinsing, which is what I prefer to do. I do wash my glass jar before making the next batch. I always put aside a portion (roughly 1 cup) of the soaked oats for the next batch. The rest of the oats are cooked and then stored in the refrigerator, which gives me breakfast for the next 3 days. I prefer making this every 3 days instead of trying to make a big batch at once because the oatmeal stays fresher that way.
Glenn says
I do this using a homemade home brewing type 1 gallon jar made from a Costco pickle jar and a home brewing air lock. I do a wild ferment (no starter) while adding apple cider vinegar and a bit of honey to the water. I let mine go for two to three weeks. The grains begin to develop an alcohol aroma. That’s when I know mine are done. I dry them in a dehydrator and keep them in the freezer. They make a really nice breakfast, cooked with diced apples and blueberries. Very easy to digest
Steven says
I actually got the alcohol smell with a batch that was maybe a week and a half old. It smelled kind of like Elmer’s Glue mixed with alcohol. I prefer it to have more of a lactic acid/sour taste rather than…glue. I can’t imagine letting mine go for 3 weeks! You’re basically bootleggin’ at that point.
Amanda says
Nah. Even if there are tons of available sugars and no bacterial fermentation, wild yeasts generally tap out between 4 and 5% alcohol, and even that would be VERY hard to achieve in this scenario.
Charzie says
Have you ever tried miso fermented oats? I adore these…cook the oatmeal before retiring for the night, and when they cool down, mix in a heaping TBS of a light miso. Cover and let sit on your counter overnight, by morning (unless your house is too cool) you will have an awesome flavored dish. I always eat it at room temp to preserve the beneficial microbes, but if you don’t care, you can certainly warm it up. It becomes creamy, a bit sweet and full flavored, very umami. Sometimes I will add some sesame paste or ground nuts when cooked for an even better treat!
Nancy says
What confuses me about soaking or fermenting grains is that it seems like the grains would have to be rinsed to get rid of the phytic acid, just like nuts need to be rinsed after soaking. Have you found any information on why the grains wouldn’t need to be soaked? I am trying to ferment some rolled oat with buckwheat groats as our first foray back into grains after being grain free for 3.5 years. Thanks!
Amanda says
Hi Nancy,
I’m not familiar with rinsing nuts after soaking so I don’t rinse those either. There is an erroneous bit of info that circulates the internet that just misunderstands the phytic acid thing, though, and I know some people think rinsing is necessary to get rid of the phytic acid.
The phytic acid isn’t leaching out of the grains into the liquid that the grains have been soaked in: it’s actually gone. This is a biochemical process whereby the phytic acid is transformed, not moved to the liquid, so you don’t need to rinse the grains to get rid of it. I’m not sure if that answers your question, but I hope it does! I was going to recommend that you check out the excellent site “phyticacid.org” but it looks like it no longer exists! That is a real bummer, since there was some great science and debunking of common claims on that site.
Nancy says
That is the best answer I have seen so far. Thanks!
Dee says
Silly question: When you say to cover the container, what are you covering with, a towel or cloth of some kind, or are you actually putting a lid on it?
Steven says
I just loosen the top of the metal lid that comes with the mason jar I use (it’s one of those ring/plate deals). You just need it loose enough so it can “burp.”
Vege-tater says
I love to cook a thick bowl of oats with sunflower seeds, sesame seeds or nuts, and once it is cool stir in a heaping TBS of light miso. The enzymes in the miso will immediately thin the oats. Cover lightly to keep out debris, bugs, or pets, and let sit on the counter overnight to ferment. The miso turns the oats into savory, yeasty (in a good way) yumminess you can either enjoy at room temp, or warm carefully so as to keep the beneficial microbes alive!
By the way, phytates in a whole food diet may be a very good thing!
http://nutritionfacts.org/video/phytates-for-the-prevention-of-cancer/
Sarah hoad says
can you over ferment them. I’ve been leaving them 2 days on the side in kefir. I’ve not been ill but just wondered how safe is it.
Petr says
Thanks Amanda, I had your fermented oats more times and feel much better after eating them. Plus their tangyness is great 🙂 I even made fermented flapjacks by drying the whole mixture on the sun, and then adding walnuts & date paste – they were good! I am wondering – how long the fermented oats bowl can last in a fridge once fermented?
Amanda says
Hi Petr,
First of all, yum! I’m definitely passing your sun-dried flapjack idea on to my husband! I’m sorry to say I don’t have a great answer for you. I would try a week and see how that goes?
Konstantinos Koukopoulos says
You can browse phyticacid.org at the WayBack Machine: https://web.archive.org/web/20160716123113/http://www.phyticacid.org/
Amanda says
Good point!
Mandy Sutter says
For some time I’ve been soaking oats in kefir overnight then just adding a drizzle of honey and some raspberries before eating. It is a delicious breakfast and it seems to increase the benefits of kefir – my digestive system calms down immediately when I eat it, which isn’t the case when I drink kefir on its own. Does that make sense, in your view?
Amanda says
Hi Mandy,
I can’t say that my understanding of fermentation explains that at all. Personally, I drink kefir as a digestive aid (more a general health aid, now, but I started drinking it for digestive help), so I would just say woohoo! You’ve found a thing that works well for you! That’s awesome and definitely not as easy as people always seem to think it is.
Lili says
Hello
I got confused. After putting the oats, water and phytase rich grains, you said: Let it sit for 2 to 3 days, stirring daily. Question during 2 – 3 days, should I add water? or nothing ?
Thanks
Lli says
I follow the instructions but the whole water was not absorbed. But even though the water was not absorbed. Do you think the fermentation took place? How could I know? Any tips?
Bridget says
Thanks for this helpful site! I searched “Is it ok to eat fermented oats” and found everyone here. I put 1/4 organic steel cut oats in a glass bowl uncovered for two days (sitting in a microwave without ever turning on the microwave) with 1 c alkaline free water. 48 hours later it has a yeasty fermented scent with some white bubbles on top. Do you recommend
a) rinsing and refrigerating the fermented oats so I can have them for breakfast
b) just refrigerate the oats until morning, no rinsing
c) rinse the oats and leave unrefrigerated
d) don’t rinse and don’t refrigerate
I am vegetarian who is mostly vegan, so dairy kefir and yogurt are not options for me. I like oatmeal for its plant-based protein and eat it with fruit. This year I have discovered cold soaked-overnight-only-in-water oats and am a big fan! The fermenting step is all new for me.
Amanda says
Hi Bridget,
I guess I’m not sure about the questions about rinsing? There’s no need to rinse. Refrigeration after 48 hours is up to you. They can definitely start to get funky at that point if left at room temp, especially if it’s warm where you live. If you have a film on top, I’m betting they’re going to start turning towards the unpleasant (subjective, of course) soon.
Just FYI, fermenting grains is going to primarily be a yeast ferment (not a probiotic bacterial one like yogurt or kefir), and whatever probiotic bacteria are present would be killed if you then heated your grains. So your original reasons for soaking seem like the best ones.
I hope that helps!
Yemisi says
Just seeing this, but I cooked my fermented oat soak in water from morning till evening. Add honey, currants, chai seed and skim milk. I will give it a trial over and over again..
Heather wiese says
Does teff contain enough phytase to add to the mix?
Amanda says
I don’t know the answer, unfortunately!
Matthew says
Great stuff!
I ferment all my grains; love the flavour and benefits.
Big tip: Add some buckwheat flour for the phytase – can use rye if don’t have problems with gluten. Grains like oats, rice and millet need it.
Best wishes
Cassandra says
Hello! We love this method; thanks for sharing! QUESTION: When feeding the grains with the 1:1/4 oats, water ratio, do I continue to add the phytase rich grains to the mixture? If so will it be a 1.5:1.5 phytase rich grain to water ratio?