Busy mornings mean quick breakfasts. Enter instant oatmeal. Although a pack of the super quick, pre-flavored oats are better than no breakfast at all, they hardly compare to a bowl of pure whole grain cereal.
I wanted to see how these packs compared to a serving of Coach’s Oats®. Interestingly enough, the instant oatmeal has fewer calories than Coach’s Oats®, even with all the added sugars and flavors. Thus, I busted out our handy scale, bowls and oat sifter and set out to find the differences.
Instant Oatmeal: As I sifted the instant pack I removed large chunks of sugary flavors as well as the dried blueberries. I sifted the oats even further to have only actual oat flakes remaining. The actual amount of oatmeal in the instant pack accounted for less than half of the overall weight of the product. These packs may tout the name oatmeal, but hardly provide their weights worth of the whole grain.
Coach’s Oats: A bowl of Coach’s Oats® is 100% pure whole grain oatmeal, nothing more, nothing less. While, one serving of Coach’s Oats has more calories than an instant pack of oatmeal, they are nutritionally dense calories. The calories in the instant oatmeal are empty and full of extras such as sugars and sodium.You can easily create your own “instant” packs of Coach’s Oats®. Simply scoop out individual servings into zippered baggies and add your own favorite toppings. You are in control and you can use the best and cleanest ingredients. Add dried fruit, natural sweeteners or nuts. You can even have chopped fresh fruit ready to go in the morning for topping.
Below is a chart of my comparison between Quaker® “Blueberries & Cream” oatmeal and a serving of Coach’s Oats®.
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Nutritional Facts
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Coach’s Oats®
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Blueberries & Cream Instant Oatmeal
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Grams per serving
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40g
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35g
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Grams of oats per serving
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40g
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16g
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Calories
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160
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130
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Fat
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3g
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2g
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Sodium
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10mg
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180mg
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Sugars
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0g
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12g
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Protein
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6g
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3g
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Can you stack up Coach's Oats against regular oatmeal? That is, instant rolled oats but WITHOUT all the sweeteners and chemicals. To me that's a more fair comparison, given that most savvy dieters won't use those Quaker pre-sweetened ones anyway.
Hi Laura,
Nutritionally an oat is an oat. No matter how its cut flattened or chopped; if it's the whole grain it has all the same nutrients. However, texture/taste will vary.
When we compare Quaker Old Fashion Oats stats to Coach's it looks like this
Quaker = 150 cal. 3g fat 0 sodium 1g sugar 5g protein
Coach's = 160 cal. 3g fat 0 sodium 0g sugar 6g protein
It does however take 1/2 cup of Quaker oats to make a full 1 cup serving of oatmeal; while it only takes 1/3 cup of Coach's Oats to make the same amount.
Also, there have been some studies done about steel cut oats, which show that steel cut oats may have a lower glycemic index. Because more of the whole grain is intact, it takes longer for the body to break it down. Please feel free to let us know if you have any further questions or comments! Thanks for stopping by.
Hi Lizzy,
I will never go back to regular oats – I used to love Quaker's Old Fashioned before I found Coach's at Costco. It may take me a year to get through an entire bag (I love how dense it is and how little it takes to make a full bowl!), but I grabbed a second bag last time I was at Costco, just in case they decide not to carry it anymore. My favorite way to eat it is to pour a couple tablespoons of real dairy vanilla creamer over it, like Natural Bliss or La Creme.
Question: can I use Coach's Oats in recipes just like Quaker Old Fashioned?
Thanks for sharing Jenny!
You can definitely use our oats in recipes that call for old fashion oats. Sometimes we have used the ratio of 1/2 rolled oats to 1/2 Coach's Oats because our oats tend to take up more moisture.
We have lots of recipes here on the blog and some on the website to give you ideas. Feel free to let me know if you have any further questions or comments. Thanks for being a fan!
I would love to use your oats to make wonderful granola. My kids love it!
Tabitha, we love using our oats in granola. The toasted and nutty texture of our oats goes so naturally well in granola. Here is a link of our latest granola bars: http://www.coachsoatsblog.com/2011/07/homemade-oatmeal-granola-bars.html
And our Gold Medal Granola: https://coachsoats.com/co_recipes_gold_medal_granola.html
Coach's Oats tastes awesome! Definitely much better that regular old fashioned oats. I hope m local Costco continues carrying the product.
I keep trying for the Chico, Ca. Costco to carry it, but so far no luck 🙁
You said, "Sometimes we have used the ratio of 1/2 rolled oats to 1/2 Coach's Oats because our oats tend to take up more moisture." Did you mean to say, "… 1 rolled oats to 1/2 Coach's"?
Jenny, No…Sometimes like in the cookie recipe on our bag(for a softer cookie) I use 1/2 and 1/2. Example: if the recipe calls for 1 cup of oats I'll use 1/2 cup of Coach's and 1/2 cup rolled oats. Happy Baking 🙂
do you still have a relationship with Costco? I can't seem to find them anywhere and when I asked the administration staff they no longer see them listed anywhere in the computer. What happened?
Craig Jameson, I know you posted your question three months ago, but I've seen Coach's Oats in our Phoenix Costco stores as recently as two weeks ago. Maybe it's a seasonal thing?
Absolutely Love coaches oats!! 100% recommend them to everyone!! My body can’t handle Regular oats.. causes a lot of gas… but because of the way these are processed I have no problems in that area thank goodness! I have always loved everything with oats: oatmeal, granola, and now I can enjoy them again thanks to coaches oats!! Thank you for creating such a great and healthy product!!
Alicia, thank you so much for being a fan and your kind words!
When reading about Oat benefits, I always see them listing oats containing rich vitamins and minerals, but I didn’t see much of that on my coaches oats. Is this because they are quicker to cook so have less? Thanks.
Hi Brandon,
Nutritionally, our oats have the same benefits as any other oats. Our patented cracked & toasted process brings the natural sugars to the surface of the oats, allowing them to cook faster without sacrificing any health benefits.