Rolled Oats vs Overnight Oats: Difference and Comparison

To start a day healthily is to have an appropriate breakfast with balanced quantity and quality; reading this line makes us think about Oats.

So, having Oats in the morning feels filling for a greedy person and perfect for extremely health-conscious people.

There are the different ilk of Oats, but here we are stating the crucial differences between Rolled Oats and Overnight Oats, their similarities, meaning and which is best among the two Oats.

Key Takeaways

1. Rolled oats are a type of oatmeal that has been steamed and then flattened with large rollers, while overnight oats are made by soaking rolled oats in liquid, such as milk or yogurt, overnight in the refrigerator.
2. Rolled oats are cooked on the stove or microwave, while oats are eaten cold overnight.
3. Rolled oats have a chewy texture and can be used in various recipes, while overnight oats are softer and are eaten as a breakfast dish with toppings such as fruit, nuts, or honey.

Rolled Oats vs Overnight Oats

Rolled oats are oat groats that undergo light processing to give them a flat and disc-like structure. The oats help regulate blood pressure and cholesterol levels. It requires a short cook time. Overnight oats are soft, chewy, textured oats that soak in milk or water overnight. It helps in weight maintenance and prevents heart disease.

Rolled oats are normally a traditional breakfast used in Scotland that is served uncooked. They are toasted and stirred in a pan to make them partially cooked. The food has a soft texture but tastes tempered as neither sweet nor syrup is added. In some cases, Rolled Oats take time to digest as the grains are tough to masticate, and an enzyme that leads the oats to uncooked. They are also known as porridge in the olden days.

Overnight Oats are so good to have in the morning after keeping the oats soaked in milk or yoghurt for a night. Overnight oats taste so good, but you can add extra, like syrup, almonds, cherries or blueberries. They may not be filling for a greedy person, but it is considered a healthy breakfast as it reduces weight and controls a person because of their rich content.

Comparison Table

Parameters Of Comparison	Rolled Oats	Overnight Oats
Meaning	Rolled Oats are archaic oats that are processed through steam and flattening. They have a soft texture which is partially cooked,	Overnight Oats are raw oats kept soaked in liquid, adding- coconut milk, Yogurt or hemp milk. The Overnight Oats absorb the liquid substance and give a semi-solid texture.
Healthy	Rolled Oats are uncooked, which may give you a stomach ache due to indigestion because they are made of 8.5 grams of resistant starch.	Overnight Oats are good for health; which has been kept overnight, adding liquid substance to make the oats easy to digest in the morning.
Benefits	Rolled Oats are low in cholesterol and also help to control blood pressure. They have tempered flavour, which keeps diabetes patients under control.	Overnight Oats are made by adding liquid substances such as almond milk, Yogurt or coconut milk or syrup into the bowl of Oats. Rest the Oats for a night; the following day, the oats would be in softening texture, and you can add fruits to them.
How to make	Rolled Oats are easy to make and hardly take 2-5 minutes. Pour 1 cup of water into a pan, and add a tinge of salt. Later add two cups of Oats to the pan. Stir in medium heat until the Oats turn brownish.	As the Rolled Oats don’t taste sweet or bitter. They have a mild taste with a creamy and smooth consistency, which also feels so filling for a greedy person.
Taste	As the Rolled Oats don’t taste sweet or bitter. They have a mild taste with a creamy and smooth consistency, which also feels so filling for a ravenous person.	Overnight Oats taste sweet according to your preference; if it is sweet, add more syrup to it.

What are Rolled Oats?

Rolled oats are classified into two groups- thick-rolled oats, which are large whole flakes, and thin-rolled oats are smaller, fragmented flakes. Rolled oats look like cereals– having them with milk. 

Rolled oats contain various nutrients such as Carbohydrates, a high amount of vitamin B- Thiamine and Pantothenic acid, manganese, dietary minerals and phosphorus.

Rolled Oats carry 6% fats, 13% proteins and 68% carbohydrates. 

What are Overnight Oats?

OatsOvernight oats are raw oats soaked in any liquid substance to make them absorbed and softened.

Making Overnight oats takes 5 minutes to add the essential ingredients, but the outcome completes only after leaving the food for a whole night.

It has great nutritional value- contains Vitamin D, manganese, selenium, copper, Phosphorous, Riboflavin, Vitamin A and Vitamin B. Overnight oats carry 33% carbohydrates, 5%fat and 9%protein. 

Main Differences Between Rolled Oats and Overnight Oats

1. Rolled Oats are light-weighted and are made of Whole-grain food. Rolled Oats were prepared in the Olden Days, also known as Traditional breakfast- where people dehusk and steam the oats before being rolled into flat flakes. Later toasted or stirred lightly. Overnight Oats are raw oats which rest overnight that form a semi-solid texture the next day.
2. Rolled Oats are an instant breakfast that can be done within 5 minutes. On the other hand, Overnight Oats are kept for 12 hours to absorb the liquid element overnight.
3. Overnight Oats are rich in fibre and protein content which helps to curtail weight. At the same time, Rolled Oats contains avenanthramides, which help to soothe blood pressure and cholesterol level. To say so, Overnight Oats are healthy compared to Rolled Oats’ contents.
4. Rolled oats contain fats and proteins in a high range, which may be filling but hard to masticate because of the uncooked manner. Contradict that, Overnight oats have fewer proteins than rolled oats- but are considered a healthy breakfast.
5. Rolled oats may cause indigestion problems, whereas Overnight oats don’t cause any trouble to your stomach or reduce weight.

Reference

1. https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0733521009000393
2. https://www.liebertpub.com/doi/abs/10.1089/109662004322984734

Last Updated : 11 June, 2023