Oats Puttu

Name: Oats Puttu
Prep time: 10 min
Cook time: 12 min
Total time: 22 min
Yield: 4 servings
Cuisine: Indian (Kerala)
Ingredients: 2 cups (180 g) rolled oats (quick or regular); 1/2 cup (50 g) freshly grated coconut; 1/2 tsp (3 g) salt; 5–6 tbsp (75–90 ml) water (add gradually); 1 tsp (5 ml) coconut oil (optional); Oats absorb water much faster than rice flour — add water very gradually.; Roasting oats first is optional but adds a pleasant nutty flavour.; For a sweet version, add jaggery and cardamom to the oats layer.; Excellent with banana and honey for a complete nutritious breakfast.

🍗 Non-veg📊 Easy

A modern health-conscious adaptation of classic puttu that replaces puttu podi (rice flour) with rolled oats — producing a lighter, fibre-rich version with the same layered coconut structure and steam-cooking method. Oats puttu has become enormously popular in urban Kerala households as a quick weekday breakfast retaining the familiar puttu format. Served with banana, honey, or traditional kadala curry.

⏱️10 minPrep

🔥12 minCook

🕒22 minTotal

🍽️4Serves

🧺 Ingredients

2 cups (180 g) rolled oats (quick or regular)
1/2 cup (50 g) freshly grated coconut
1/2 tsp (3 g) salt
5–6 tbsp (75–90 ml) water (add gradually)
1 tsp (5 ml) coconut oil (optional)

👩‍🍳 How to make Oats Puttu

Dry-roast rolled oats in a pan over medium heat for 2–3 minutes until lightly golden and fragrant.
Transfer to bowl.
Sprinkle water 1 tbsp at a time, mixing between additions.
Oats absorb water faster than rice flour — be conservative.
Texture should be like wet oatmeal that holds shape when squeezed but crumbles easily.
Alternate layers of coconut and moistened oats in the cylinder, starting and ending with coconut.
Steam over high heat for 8–10 minutes until steam rises from top holes.
Push out and serve immediately.

📖 Cultural notes

|---|---|---|---|---| | 240 kcal | 7 g | 36 g | 8 g | 5 g | Oats puttu emerged in Kerala's urban fitness culture around 2010–2015 as nutrition awareness grew. It is enthusiastically promoted across Malayalam-language health food blogs and YouTube cooking channels. The genius lies in using the familiar puttu maker unchanged — retaining the format and ritual while modernising the nutrition profile. It represents Kerala's ongoing conversation between tradition and modernity. ---

Track the macros of Oats Puttu and 100s of Indian dishes with Nutri Macro India.