This gluten-free orange cranberry breakfast oatcakes recipe makes the perfect breakfast! They are giant oat patties or "cookies" made with natural sugar and hearty oats - a meal that keeps you full and fueled at under 300 calories.
These healthy oatcakes are like eating a bowl of nourishing oatmeal without the liquid and are just as satisfying as baked oats (which also tastes like cake)! For more oat breakfasts, try my peanut butter and jelly baked oatmeal next.
Quick Look
- 🕒 Prep Time: 15 minutes (plus soaking the dates 2 hours or overnight)
- 🌡️ Cook Time: 15 minutes
- ⏳ Total Time: 30 minutes plus the date soak
- 🍽️ Serving: 5 oatcakes (½ cup each)
- ⚡ Calories: 278kcal per cake
- 🌶️ Flavor Profile: Soft cake-like oats with orange zest, cinnamon, sweet dates and tart cranberries
- ✋ Difficulty: Blend the wet, mix the dry, shape with a measuring cup, bake.
Quick Answer
Soak 5 pitted dates for 2 hours, then blend them with 2 egg whites, ¼ cup honey and ¼ cup Greek yogurt until smooth. Mix 2 cups gluten-free quick cook oats, ½ cup gluten-free flour, 1 tablespoon chia seeds, 1 tablespoon orange zest, ½ teaspoon baking powder, ¼ teaspoon cinnamon and salt, pour the wet into the dry with ¼ cup dried cranberries, pack the dough into a ½ cup measuring cup, tap out 5 patties onto a lined baking sheet and bake at 350 degrees F for 15 minutes.
Jump to:
Not to be confused with Derbyshire oatcakes or Scottish oatcakes which are smaller, crunchier and flatter. This oatcakes recipe has a beautiful soft texture, thick cake-like center, and resembles a breakfast cookie.
They are gluten-free oatcakes naturally sweetened with dates and honey. I used to get them all the time at Blenders and started making this copycat version without processed sugars. If cranberries are not your thing, you can swap them out for mini chocolate chips.
Why This Recipe Works
Click to see the technique science
- Soaked dates are the sweetener and the glue. Two hours of soaking (or overnight in the refrigerator) lets them blend smooth with the egg whites, honey and yogurt.
- Quick cook oats give the soft texture. They provide a soft blended texture that is slightly chewy, which is why this recipe works best with them.
- The measuring cup is the mold. Packing the dough into a ½ cup measuring cup and tapping it out makes 5 identical thick patties.
- Chia seeds and egg whites bind the cakes without any butter or oil.
- Straight to the cooling rack. Moving the cakes off the hot pan right after baking keeps the bottoms from over-browning.
Why You'll Love This Recipe
- A full breakfast in one patty that keeps you full and fueled at under 300 calories.
- No processed sugar, naturally sweetened with dates and honey.
- A Blenders copycat you can make at home.
- Swappable mix-ins: dried cranberries, raisins, or mini chocolate chips.
- Gluten-free with certified gluten-free oats and flour, like my gluten-free oatmeal muffins.
Recipe Ingredients
- 2 cups gluten-free quick cook oats - you can use rolled oats, but the texture combines best with quick cooked, and if gluten is not an issue then you can use regular oats.
- ½ cup gluten-free flour - like the oats, if gluten is not an issue you can use whole wheat flour or spelt flour.
- 5 Medjool dates, pitted and soaked. What are Medjool dates? Learn about dates here.
- 2 egg whites, ¼ cup plain nonfat Greek yogurt and ¼ cup honey - you can substitute maple syrup for the honey if needed.
- 2 tablespoons orange juice and 1 tablespoon fresh orange zest - the bright citrus flavor.
- 1 tablespoon chia seeds, ½ teaspoon baking powder, ¼ teaspoon cinnamon and ¼ teaspoon pink Himalayan salt - we use Himalayan salt for its natural minerals.
- ¼ cup dried cranberries, raisins or mini chocolate chips.
Full recipe ingredients and measurements are in the recipe card below.
Best Oats for This Oatcake Recipe
Make sure all oats say "certified gluten-free" on the packaging. If gluten is not an issue you can use ones that are not gluten-free.
- Quick cooking oats work best for this healthy oatcakes recipe. They provide a soft blended texture that is slightly chewy.
- Old fashioned rolled oats - traditional oatcakes use rolled oats, and in this particular recipe it makes the cakes a little more dry. It works, but you may need to add about 1 tablespoon of water to the batter.
- Porridge or steel cut oats - I do not recommend using these when making breakfast oatcakes. The oats do not absorb as much liquid and lend crunchy unpleasant bites.
- Extra oats? Grind them into oat flour or check the oat flour substitute guide.
How to Make Oatcakes
First soak the dates in a bowl with water on the counter for 2 hours or overnight in the refrigerator. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F and line a baking pan with parchment paper.
1In a food processor, add the dates, egg whites, honey, and Greek yogurt.
2Blend until as smooth as possible.
3In a large bowl combine oats, flour, chia seeds, orange zest, baking powder, cinnamon, and salt. Mix well and set aside.
4Pour the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients, add the cranberries or chocolate chips, and mix to form a dough ball.
5Using a ½ cup measuring cup, scoop out the dough and press it into the cup. Gently flip upside down and tap it on the parchment lined baking sheet to remove the oatcake. Repeat for the remaining batter, making 5 patties total.
6Bake at 350 degrees F for 15 minutes. Remove from the oven and put directly onto a cooling rack. Let cool 10 minutes before serving.
As always, be sure to check out the full recipe details in the recipe card below.
Expert Tips
- Soak the dates ahead. On the counter for 2 hours or overnight in the refrigerator; they blend far smoother.
- Pack the cup firmly so the patties hold their shape when you tap them out.
- Not gluten-free? Use regular quick cook oats, and for the flour whole wheat or spelt flour.
- Rolled oats need a splash of water, about 1 tablespoon, since they absorb less.
- Cool 10 minutes. The cake-like center sets as they rest on the rack.
- Batch breakfast week: pair them with homemade granola bars or a pumpkin breakfast cookie to-go.
Serving Ideas
Enjoy one warm with a drizzle of honey for breakfast, pack one as an afternoon snack, or crumble one over yogurt. They ride along anywhere a caramel chocolate oat bar would, and a stack next to creamy instant oatmeal makes a weekend brunch. If the cookie shape wins your family over, bake a batch of no-bake oatmeal cookies or peanut butter oatmeal cookies next.
Oatcakes FAQs
This recipe for oatcakes is a healthy breakfast full of whole grains and fiber from oats and chia seeds that keep you full and fueled for hours. Oats are a slow digesting food for sustainable energy.
This oatcakes recipe is a wonderful low fat choice for breakfast under 300 calories, with 9 grams of protein, and 273 mg of potassium per cake. They are filling and incredibly good for you made with natural sugars that keep blood sugar levels stable.
Plain oats are healthy to eat, but taste pretty bland, wouldn't you say? They taste much better creamed into instant oatmeal, turned into oatmeal cookies, blended into cake, and try them in these healthy oatcakes.
Oatcakes are packed with fiber and protein, which can help with losing weight. This oatcake recipe is a good choice to add to your weight loss diet since it is a filling meal with only 278 calories per serving.
Yes, but the cakes come out a little more dry. Add about 1 tablespoon of water to the batter. Quick cook oats give the softest, slightly chewy texture.
Porridge and steel cut oats. They do not absorb as much liquid and lend crunchy unpleasant bites. Stick with quick cook or rolled oats.
Oatcakes Recipe
Would you like to save this?
We'll email this post to you, so you can come back to it later!
Plus get latest recipes and emails.
Ingredients
- 5 dates pitted, soaked 2 hours ahead of time on the counter or overnight in the refrigerator
- 2 egg whites
- ¼ cup plain nonfat Greek yogurt
- ¼ cup honey
- 2 tablespoons orange juice
- 2 cups gluten-free quick cook oats
- ½ cup gluten-free flour
- 1 tablespoon chia seeds
- 1 tablespoon fresh orange zest
- ½ teaspoon baking powder
- ¼ teaspoon cinnamon
- ¼ teaspoon pink Himalayan salt
- ¼ cup dried cranberries raisins or mini chocolate chips
Instructions
- Soak the dates in a bowl with water on the counter for 2 hours or overnight in the refrigerator.
- Preheat oven to 350 Degrees F. Prepare a baking pan with parchment paper or liner.
- In a food processor, add the dates, egg whites, honey, and Greek yogurt. Blend until as smooth as possible.
- In a large bowl combine oats, flour, chia seeds, orange zest, baking powder, cinnamon, and salt. Mix well and set aside.
- Pour the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients, add the cranberries or chocolate chips, and mix to form a dough ball.
- Using a ½ cup measuring cup, scoop out the dough and press it into the cup. Gently flip upside down and tap it on the parchment lined baking sheet to remove the oatcake. Repeat for the remaining batter, making 5 patties total. Place on your baking sheet.
- Bake at 350 Degrees F. for 15 minutes. Remove from oven and put directly onto a cooling rack. Let cool 10 minutes before serving.
Carmen Reid says
I grew up eating these in portland Oregon in the late 90s. Always searching for a recipe. Thank you these look spot on and I am excited to try them. I will make them as you have written and the. May try to make a vegan WFPB version with some swaps.
Danielle Fahrenkrug, Certified Health & Nutrition Life Coach says
Enjoy the recipe! xx
Lorraine Shuba says
These were wonderful! Less sweet than commercial oatcakes I buy at a coffee shop, good texture and so easy. I can't wait to make more batches and try different combinations..
Danielle Fahrenkrug says
Thank you for your comment- I am so glad to hear your experience and how you enjoy these!
Ann Kadowaki says
Although I made substitutions and used what I had on hand, the oatcakes still turned out very well. And easy to make too!
Danielle Fahrenkrug says
Thank you!