Overnight Oats vs Haferflocken: Difference and Comparison

 Overnight Oats and Haferflocken are two different kinds of dietary meals. They are called by many different names in different parts of the world.

They have different methods of preparations and the time required to prepare each meal may increase or decrease according to the elaborate increase on the ingredients used.

All oats are eaten for breakfast or dinner to sustain a person for a long period.

Key Takeaways

  1. Overnight oats are a no-cook oatmeal preparation soaked in liquid overnight, while Haferflocken is the German term for rolled oats, which can be used to make various oat dishes.
  2. Overnight oats are served cold and combined with various toppings and flavors, while Haferflocken can be used for hot and cold preparations.
  3. Both overnight oats and Haferflocken are nutritious options, offering fiber, vitamins, and minerals.

Overnight Oats vs Haferflocken

Overnight oats refer to a dish made by soaking oats in a liquid, milk, yogurt or juice, overnight. This soaking process allows the oats to sand absorb any additional flavours or ingredients. In German language, the word oats are commonly referred to as “Haferflocken”.

Overnight Oats vs Haferflocken

Overnight oats are prepared with a long amount of time given to the cooking part.

And the best part is, there isn’t much cooking involved in the preparation of overnight oats as it is just kept to soak in the preferred liquid which may vary from person to person or from region to region.

The soaking part is what gives overnight oats their unique texture and flavor.

Haferflocken is the traditional or the native name was given to rolled oats.

It is clear from the name itself that Haferflocken is a processed oats variety that undergoes many procedures before it reaches the markets for sale.

It takes the bare minimum amount of time to prepare and is the best breakfast option if someone is running late to work or school.

Comparison Table

Parameters of ComparisonOvernight OatsHaferflocken
Time to Prepare MoreLess
DigestionEasierHarder
Fiber ContentLessMore
Commonly Eaten With SugarYesNo
Health BenefitsLoose weight, heart issuesLowers cholesterol and blood pressure

What is Overnight Oats?

Overnight oats are the plainest oats kind which has not undergone much processing to reach the end product.

They are taken from the packets and separated into small jars or bowls as needed by the people consuming them depending on the quantities and the number of people.

They are then completely soaked in a liquid that is of the user’s preference.

It could be anything from yogurt to soy milk, almond milk, hemp milk, or even plain milk. People are known to soak it in plain water too.

After filling it up with water, the jar or the container should be left overnight closed to soak up all the liquid and ease on the texture of the oats.

This prompts the oats to be a bit softer and has a slightly easy texture while chewing. But the overall texture is a bit solid and semi chewy.

By the time it’s morning, the one eating it could add in fruits of their choice and even pair it up with an additional amount of the liquid they had used the night before as it might be completely absorbed.

To sweeten the taste, it is common for people to add in either sugar before it is left to soak up the liquid or later on in the morning.

There are many syrups with dietary elements that act as natural sweeteners for such diet food.

Overnight oats are always consumed for breakfast as they would be in their perfect texture and state to be eaten with fruits and nuts like almonds and walnuts along with an array of berries.

It might not be a completely tummy-filling meal for those people who tend to eat a lot for breakfast.

This is solely for diet purposes and is recommended to try for a few days and check if the body has any negative reaction to this diet.

It is known to reduce the weight of a person if they follow it in the right manner for a regular period.

It also helps in keeping the individual’s nutritional requirements in check.

The weight reduction, also makes sure to decrease the issues brought about by heart-related ailments.

Overnight oats are rich in Vitamin D, Manganese, Copper, Vitamin A, and Thiamine.

Of the total nutritional presence in Overnight oats, the composition of carbohydrates is 33%, that of fats is a mere 5% and finally, proteins take up about 9% of the nutritional value.

overnight oats

What is Haferflocken?

Haferflocken is another called the rolled oats and since ancient times have been referred to as the porridge in old Britain.

It is a common breakfast meal that has been practiced in the hinterlands of Scotland and therefore its common name has been derived from the Scottish language itself, haferflocken.

Haferflocken is not a direct source of oats harvested in the fields. It is instead processed and has to go through many processes before it is packaged.

It is steamed after the harvest process is done to release as much husk from the grains as possible and then it is flattened under rollers to get the flat-rolled oats.

It is really easy to cook and would take a maximum of 5 minutes for the whole meal to be prepared.

The oats could be simply taken out of the packaging and added to lukewarm water still on the stove.

This mixture should then be mixed constantly with a slight addition of salt to taste.

After a concoction is prepared with a thick base, the porridge or the Haferflocken is ready to be consumed.

Due to its high fiber content, it is harder to digest and is known to give people constipation when eaten continuously over some time.

Haferflocken is less flavored and only salt is added in the traditional cooking method adopted by people since times immemorial.

It is known to have a smooth and soft texture after it is cooked completely making it easier for older people or for people with dentures to eat it.

Sometimes it is served semi-cooked by just roasting the processed oats in a pan and seasoning it with salt.

This cooking can also result in a smoother texture that while being consumed is easier to chew and swallow in small bites.

Haferflocken doesn’t have much of a taste and it tastes neutral without the salt.

It is not common to eat rolled oats with sugar or other such syrups.

There are two types of rolled oats. The thick rolled oats are longer and fuller whereas the thinly rolled oats are more fragmented and in pieces.

It contains all the basic dietary elements such as Thiamine, Manganese, Phosphorus, other minerals, etc.

The nutritional composition includes a massive 68% carbohydrates, 13% proteins, and 6% fats.

haferflocken

Main Differences Between Overnight Oats and Haferflocken

  1. While overnight oats need to be soaked up in any liquid of the user’s choice to make it consumable, Haferflocken need not be soaked to eat.
  2. Haferflocken is not recommended for people with diabetes as it has a higher amount of carbohydrate content in them than overnight oats.
  3. Overnight oats come only in a single form and are all eaten the same way whereas Haferflocken comes in two different packed ways of thick and thin rolled oats and are eaten with different recipes.
  4. Haferflocken is traditionally eaten as a breakfast meal, but in recent times, people have learned to improvise and now it’s eaten for all three meals a day but overnight oats are always a breakfasts meal as it can’t be left for long soaked up.
  5. Overnight oats is more of a diet meal as it has lower carbohydrate, proteins, and fats when compared to Haferflocken.
Difference Between Overnight Oats and Haferflocken
References
  1. https://www.nature.com/articles/s41430-018-0329-1

Last Updated : 13 July, 2023

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