Cheesy Scottish Oatcakes | Recipes | Moorlands Eater (2024)

Cheesy Scottish Oatcakes are easy to make with simple ingredients. But they’re wickedly good! Based on a traditional savoury biscuit or cracker, the addition of cheese takes them to another level.

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You can eat the cheesy oatcakes as part of a cheeseboard, with pates or even instead of bread with the likes of soup.But I think they’re tasty enough as a snack or nibble all on their own.

Traditionally made with oatmeal, if you don’t have it, simply substitute porridge oats or rolled oats, whizzed up in a blender.

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WHEN IS A CHEESY SCOTTISH OATCAKE NOT A CHEESY SCOTTISH OATCAKE?

How do you make cheese and biscuits even cheesier?By adding cheese to the biscuits, of course!

In this case I mean Scottish Oatcakes which are a simple but delicious type of biscuit or cracker.

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However, despite not being Scottish myself, I really do have to call these delights cheesy Scottish oatcakes.That’s because, here in north Staffordshire, the word oatcake doesn’t mean biscuit or cracker at all. Staffordshire Oatcakes are yeasted pancakes often eaten for breakfast stuffed with bacon or sausage plus cheese.

A local delicacy, to us they’re just ‘oatcakes’, hence my need to specify the current recipe as Scottish oatcakes.Is that clear?Okay, now we can talk oats.

OATS & OATMEAL

One thing I discovered after posting my recipes for Homemade Digestive Biscuits and my non-cheesy Scottish Oatcakes is that many people find oats, oatmeal and all their various guises really confusing.

It’s particularly baffling for Brits looking at US recipes to read that ‘oatmeal’ seems to be what we call porridge.

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However, here in the UK oatmeal simply means a flour that’s made from oats. It’s usually sold as fine, medium or coarse. You can see examples of all three in the image above, along with rolled oats scattered about.

You’re unlikely to find the different grades of oatmeal in supermarkets, but independent stores like my local wholefood shop sells all three. You’ll also find them online.

But the good news is, even if you can’t find oatmeal, you can easily make your own!

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Simply whizz up in a blender or food processor rolled oats (sometimes labelled jumbo oats) or porridge oats.

Grind them up until you get the fineness you like. Coarse, medium or fine, or any combination of these, will all work in Scottish oatcakes.

EASY CHEESY SCOTTISH OATCAKES

For something with such simple ingredients and so easy to make, Cheesy Scottish Oatcakes are wickedly good.

You start by putting in a bowl equal amounts of rolled oats and oatmeal (or ground up oats, as above), plus mature Cheddar cheese and some salt and pepper.

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To bring the dough together, stir in two wet ingredients: melted butter and boiling water from a kettle.

Then it’s just a case of rolling the dough and stamping out oatcakes with a cutter. These days, I prefer to roll out on wholemeal flour as it’s less sticky. But use more oatmeal instead if you like.

If you find the dough comes apart at the edges as you roll, just use your hands to push it together and keep going.

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In my classic Scottish Oatcake recipe, I suggested you roll the dough 3-5 mm thick. But for this cheesy version I recommend you stick to the thinner end of the range.

The reason for that is I found the toasty, cheesy flavour much more pronounced in the thinner oatcakes. And that’s got to be a good thing, hasn’t it?

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As you cut them out, place on a baking tray, ideally lined with baking parchment to prevent sticking.

Once you’ve stamped out the first batch, bring together the scraps and make more oatcakes.

It’s worth noting that oats can be quite ‘thirsty’. This means that as you re-roll you may need to add a drop more water to the dough to stop it going crumbly.

Rolling the dough 3-4 mm thick and using a 6-7 cm cutter should give you at least 24 oatcakes.

BAKING & STORING

Unless you’ve rolled the dough thickly, the oatcakes should be golden and baked all the way through in 25 – 30 minutes.

Oven temperatures aren’t always accurate though, so I suggest you check after the 15 minute mark and turn the oven down if the oatcakes are browning too quickly.

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Thicker oatcakes will also benefit from being turned over part way through.

Then it’s onto a wire rack to cool. Of course the cook is allowed to sample one (merely for quality control, you understand 😁) as soon as the cheesy lovelies can be safely handled.

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Once completely cold, the oatcakes can be stored in an airtight container where they’ll keep for a month.

If you can resist them that long, that is.

SERVING CHEESY SCOTTISH OATCAKES

You don’t need me to tell you that savoury biscuits and crackers go wonderfully well with cheese, maybe topped with a bit of chutney too.

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I love the rough, rustic nature of these oatcakes which complement beautifully both smooth, creamy cheeses and tangy, crumbly ones.

But oatcakes aren’t just for a cheeseboard.

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Traditionally a major source of carbohydrate, they would be served with all sorts of meals. Try them instead of bread or toast at breakfast or alongside soups.

And the really great thing about Cheesy Scottish Oatcakes is that, so tasty, they can be eaten with no embellishments at all.

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Full of toasty, cheese flavour, you can eat them as a snack or nibble just as they are. Or pack a couple in work and school lunchboxes for a treat.

Made from wholesome, real foods, they’re a million miles from the ultra-processed crisps, crackers and savoury nibbles packing the supermarket shelves.

Give my Cheesy Scottish Oatcakes a try and I think you’ll be surprised at just how good something this easy can be be!

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Cheesy Scottish Oatcakes

Easy to make and with simple ingredients this cheesy take on a traditional savoury biscuit or cracker is wickedly good! Enjoy as part of a cheeseboard, at anytime instead of bread, or as snack just as they are.

CourseSnack, Bread, Cheese

CuisineBritish, Vegetarian, Scottish

Keywordcrackers, biscuits, oats, oatmeal

Prep Time 25 minutes

Cook Time 30 minutes

Total Time 55 minutes

Servings 24 oatcakes (approx)

Author Moorlands Eater

Ingredients

  • 140grolled oats or porridge oats
  • 140goatmeal (fine, medium or coarse)plus, optionally, extra for rolling out. See Recipe Notes #1 and #2
  • 100gmature Cheddar cheesegrated
  • ¾tspsalt
  • ¼tspblack pepper
  • 75gbuttermelted
  • 100-120mlboiling water
  • wholemeal flour for rolling outoptional: see Recipe Note #2

Instructions

  1. Preheat the oven to 180C/160C Fan/Gas 4.

  2. Line 2 baking trays with baking parchment or greaseproof paper.

  3. Mix together in a bowl the oats, oatmeal, Cheddar cheese, salt and pepper, then make a well in the centre.

  4. Pour the melted butter into the well, along with 100ml of boiling water.

    Stir quickly to bring the mixture together into a firm dough. Add a little more boiling water or oatmeal if necessary.

  5. Dust your worksurface with oatmeal or wholemeal flour (wholemeal flour is less sticky and easier to work with) then transfer the dough onto it.

    Sprinkle the dough and a rolling pin with oatmeal or wholemeal flour and roll out 3-4 mm thick.

    If the dough starts to come apart at the edges, just push it back together with your hands.

  6. Cut out oatcakes using a 6-7cm cutter then, using a round bladed knife to help you lift them from the worksurface, transfer to the baking trays.

    Bring together the scraps and re-roll to make more oatcakes until all the dough is used up.

    Tip: the oat dough can be very 'thirsty': you may need to add a little more water when bringing together the scraps, especially if you've added a lot of oatmeal or flour to your worksurface.

  7. Put the trays in the preheated oven and bake until golden and cooked all the way through.

    Unless you've rolled the dough very thickly, this should take 25-30 minutes.

    Check after 15 minutes and reduce the oven temperature a little if the oatcakes are browning too quickly. Thicker oatcakes may benefit from being turned over part way through.

  8. Transfer the oatcakes to a wire rack to cool.

    When completely cold, store in an airtight container. Should keep at least a month.

Recipe Notes

Note #1 To make your own oatmeal, whizz rolled oats or porridge oats in a food processor, blender or coffee mill. Whizz briefly for coarse oatmeal, longer for fine.

Note #2 Wholemeal flour is less sticky than oatmeal and makes rolling out easier, but use extra oatmeal if you prefer.

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Cheesy Scottish Oatcakes | Recipes | Moorlands Eater (2024)

FAQs

How do you eat Scottish oatcakes? ›

Scottish Oatcakes are made with oats but the result isn't a traditional cake! This recipe can be mixed and baked in about 30 minutes. The result is a crisp and cracker-like Oatcake to be eaten with cheese, butter, jam or meat. Oatcakes are almost a Scottish icon like whisky, highland cows and castles.

Are Scottish oatcakes healthy? ›

Deliciously packed full of coarse, wholegrain oats, they're high in soluble and insoluble fibre. Not only that, but they are full of complex carbohydrates and rich in vitamins and minerals giving you a wholesome boost to help you get the most out of your day.

Why are oatcakes so high in calories? ›

Yes – oats are high in carbs. Around 66% - two thirds – of the calories in oats come from carbohydrates. But they're slow-releasing carbohydrates so can help give us long-lasting energy.

Who eats oatcakes? ›

Seen as a typically Scottish food item, oatcakes have also long been made elsewhere in Britain. Oatcakes may replace toast at breakfast in Scotland.

What do oatcakes taste like to eat? ›

The North Staffordshire oatcake is floppy and pancake-like, as opposed to the more famous Scottish biscuit, but it has a delicious oaty taste. The batter-whisking aerates each one like a crumpet or pikelet (the latter are often sold alongside) or the closest physical relative I can think, of a galette.

Are oatcakes healthier than bread? ›

1. Lots of calories – there are about 80-100 calories in a slice of bread and about 40-50calroies in an oatcake. Also condiser that a bagel or croissant can have 3-4 times the number of calories than a single oatcake and have very little fibre.

Do oatcakes spike blood sugar? ›

As we have seen, oats are a superb food choice for blood sugar control. You can eat them as oat flakes (cold) or soak and cook them to make porridge. Oatcakes are the best 'bread' choice, for example, with your scrambled or boiled egg, or as a snack during the day with a high-protein spread such as hummus.

Are oatcakes Irish or Scottish? ›

Oatcakes have been a staple of the Scottish diet since at least Roman times and probably long before. In the 14th century, Jean le Bel accompanied a French count to England and Scotland, and describes nuns making "little pancakes rather like communion wafers", and this is thought to describe the making of oatcakes.

Are oatcakes good for the gut? ›

Oats are one of the foods that can help keep our gut happy. They're high in gentle fibre, which not only helps us stay regular, but also 'feeds' the friendly bacteria in the gut. These bacteria then make a substance called butyrate, which helps keep the gut lining healthy.

Are oatcakes anti inflammatory? ›

And it's not just the fibre in oats that can benefit our gut. It's been discovered that oats contain two unique types of plant nutrients with potential anti-inflammatory and antioxidant properties, which could benefit our gut as well as our overall health.

What do you eat with oatcakes? ›

Sweet oatcake toppings

Try making salted caramel and top Highland oatcakes with cream and bananas for a mini banoffee. A grating of chocolate on top is the final touch. You can also mash bananas (adding a squeeze of lemon juice to avoid them going brown) and add chopped walnuts and a drizzle of honey.

Are oatcakes and peanut butter healthy? ›

Sugar-free and filling, oatcakes are the perfect solution to nagging hunger pangs. Team with protein-rich peanut butter for an added hit of healthy fats.

What is the best way to eat oatcakes? ›

You can put pretty much anything savoury or sweet onto an oatcake, roll it, wrap it or leave it open. Traditionally oatcakes were served as part of an English breakfast. They are a great way to use up leftovers, especially if they contain some sauce such as curry.

What to eat with oatcakes for breakfast? ›

Try topping it with mixed berries, chopped banana or a little honey for a tasty start to your day.

Can you eat oatcakes cold? ›

Freshly Baked Oatcakes

You can also grill them, or eat them cold. The North Staffordshire oatcake is a culinary delicacy that until recently, was almost entirely unknown outside of North Staffordshire, England.

What do you put on top of oatcakes? ›

For fish-fans, three-seed oatcakes topped with sliced cucumbers, tinned salmon and some chives is a very nutritious snack. If your children like stronger tastes, try putting a layer of fresh pesto with goat's or feta cheese and slices of cherry tomatoes on top. Other cheeses can be substituted.

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