Air Fryer Scottish Oatcakes are delicious traditional crackers made from oatmeal that you can make at home in your air fryer. They are easy to make and you can serve them as a snack with cheese or pate, or as an alternative to bread with soups and stews.
What are Oatcakes?
Scottish Oatcakes are a traditional oatmeal flatbread or cracker. Oats have been grown and eaten in Scotland since medieval times. Scotland’s cool climate is ideal for growing oats and not so good for wheat so oatmeal features in many Scottish recipes such as porridge, broth and cranachan (dessert) as well as in oatcakes.
Why make Air Fryer Scottish Oatcakes?
Scottish Oatcakes are traditionally baked on one side on a cast iron girdle that is also used for bannocks and Scotch pancakes (drop scones). They are then toasted on a special toasting stone by the fire. However, oatcakes can also be oven-baked so the air fryer is an ideal way to make them and doesn’t need extra toasting for a good result.
I bake oatcakes in my air fryer because it heats up quickly and uses much less power. If I have other baking that will fill the oven then I’d bake them in the oven.
What is an air fryer?
Air fryers were originally sold for their ability to create ‘fried’ food with less fat. The heating element is at the top of the air fryer and it uses a powerful fan to circulate the heat. This combination of intense heat and circulation means that food crisps up quickly. But really an air fryer is a bit like a mini oven and has the potential to cook and bake all kinds of foods.
What kind of air fryer do I need to make the oatcakes?
You can make oatcakes in all kinds of air fryers. I have two different air fryers a single drawer type and one which looks more like a mini oven and has three oven trays. If you use a drawer or top loading air fryer you will need to bake the oatcakes in batches.
Can I bake the oatcakes in my oven?
You certainly can bake oatcakes in your oven. The recipe is the same and I recommend that you use the same oven temperature and time as for the oven-style air fryer. Every oven is slightly different so you may have to adjust your temperature and timing to suit.
What ingredients do I need to make the Air Fryer Scottish Oatcakes?
You only need a few ingredients to make oatcakes. You will probably already have most of them in your larder:
- medium oatmeal
- wholemeal flour
- salt
- sugar
- bicarbonate of soda
- butter
- boiling water
All quantities of ingredients and the method to make the oatcakes are contained in the Recipe Card at the end of this article.
What is medium oatmeal?
Oatmeal is made with stone ground oats, using traditional milling stones. It is milled to different grades: coarse, medium or fine. Coarse oatmeal is sometimes called pinhead or steel-cut oatmeal. If you can’t find medium oatmeal you can put pinhead (steel cut) oatmeal into a food processor and grind it to a breadcrumb size.
Can I use rolled oats to make the oatcakes?
I wrote this recipe for medium oatmeal, you can use rolled oats (porridge oats) to make oatcakes but you would need a different recipe. The oatcakes you make with rolled oats are a lot more fragile and have a completely different texture from my recipe in this article.
What kind of flour do I need?
I use wholemeal flour for Air fryer Scottish Oatcakes because I like the nutty flavour it brings to the oatcakes.
Can I use plain (all purpose) flour in the Scottish oatcakes?
Yes, you can substitute plain flour for wholemeal flour if you prefer or don’t have any wholemeal.
What kind of salt should I use?
Use fine salt for oatcakes, it doesn’t matter what kind of salt it is. But unless you want big crystals of salt in your oatcakes then fine salt mixes most thoroughly through the flour and oatmeal.
What kind of sugar should I use?
Again I use fine sugar with small grains such as white caster (superfine) sugar. It dissolves easily and, like the salt, it will be distributed throughout the mixture. You can also use white granulated sugar but you may get some crunch from the larger crystals.
Can I use an alternative to butter?
I use butter in the oatcakes because it adds a lovely flavour. You can use alternative fats such as shortening (vegetable fat) or block baking margarine. I don’t recommend soft spreads as the fat helps to hold the oatcakes together.
Do I need any special equipment to make Air Fryer Scottish Oatcakes?
You are likely to have most of the equipment you need to make the oatcakes already in your kitchen. The only thing that is unique to this recipe is the Air Fryer. Even then if you don’t have an air fryer you can still make the oatcakes in the oven.
- Air Fryer
- Bowl
- Blunt knife
- Rolling pin or a glass bottle if you don’t have a rolling pin.
- Cooling tray
How many Scottish Oatcakes does this recipe make?
I use a 9 cm plain cookie cutter to make 12 large oatcakes. However, you can make the oatcakes any size you like. The smaller the cookie cutter the more oatcakes you will make. Small oatcakes are ideal to use for canapes and appetisers.
Can I make a smaller batch of Oatcakes?
Yes, you can half the recipe to make a smaller batch of oatcakes. I would recommend making a smaller quantity if you are batch cooking in a drawer style air fryer.
How long can I store Air Fryer Scottish Oatcakes?
Store the oatcakes in an airtight container or biscuit tin (cookie jar). They will keep for up to two weeks. If they seem a little soft then refresh them in the air fryer for one or two minutes at 190C/375F and then leave them to cool on a cooling tray.
Can I freeze oatcakes?
Yes, you can freeze oatcakes. Pack them into a rigid freezer-proof container and freeze them for up to 3 months. Refresh them as above to make them crisp again.
Vegetarian
Air Fryer Oatcakes are suitable for a vegetarian diet.
Gluten Free
This recipe contains wheat flour and is not suitable for a GF diet. I use flour in this recipe because I find the oatcakes are too crumbly without it. Try this recipe for Gluten-Free Scottish Oatcakes.
For more information regarding any dietary information provided on this website, please refer to my Nutritional Disclaimer.
How should I serve Air Fryer Scottish Oatcakes?
Serve oatcakes as you would any crackers, here are some ideas:
- Serve with cheese and chutney or relish as part of a cheese board or as a tasty snack.
- Spread Oatcakes with butter for a really delicious and simple snack.
- Or try Scottish Oatcakes spread with peanut butter, one of my favourite ways to eat them!
- A traditional Scottish way to serve oatcakes is with pickled beetroot to accompany a dish of Scottish Stovies.
- Small oatcakes are a great base for canapes. Try cream cheese topped with smoked salmon or they are delicious with Smoked Mackerel Pate.
- At the table crumble baked oatcakes into gravy or stew on your plate. The flavour is delicious and it is a great alternative to bread to mop up the juices.
More Air Fryer Recipes
Air Fryer Scones are classic light and fluffy British scones baked in your air fryer! This quick and easy recipe makes four delicious scones that simply melt in your mouth.
Air Fryer Cheese Scones is a quick and easy recipe for four delicious light and fluffy savoury scones packed full of cheese and baked in your air fryer.
You can easily make Apple Crumble in your air fryer! It’s a delicious and very simple apple dessert that is a breeze to make in your air fryer.
Air Fryer Irish Soda Bread is a tasty wholemeal bread that has no yeast and is quick and easy to make. It’s ideal to serve with soup or with butter and cheese.
More Oatmeal Recipes
PIN FOR LATER
Air Fryer Scottish Oatcakes
Equipment
- 1 Air Fryer
- 1 medium bowl
- 1 weighing scales
- 1 Measuring spoons
- 1 knife
- 1 rolling pin
- 1 9 cm cookie cutter 3½ inch
Ingredients
- 225 grams (1⅓ cups) medium oatmeal
- 60 grams (½ cups) wholemeal flour
- ½ tsp (½ tsp) salt
- ½ tsp (½ tsp) sugar
- ½ tsp (½ tsp) bicarbonate of soda
- 60 grams (¼ cups) butter
- boiling water
Instructions
- Mix 225 g (1⅓ cups) oatmeal and 60 g (½ cup) wholemeal flour in a bowl.
- Add ½ tsp salt, ½ tsp salt, ½ tsp sugar and ½ tsp bicarbonate of soda to the dry ingredients and mix well.
- Cut 60 g (¼ cup) of butter into cubes and add to the oatmeal mixture.
- Rub the butter into the dry ingredients until it is the consistency of breadcrumbs.
- Boil the kettle and add enough water to form a stiff dough.
- Sprinkle a little flour on a work surface or pastry mat and also on your rolling pin. Roll out the dough to thickness of about ½ cm.
- Cut into rounds (I use a 9 cm cookie cutter and get 12 large oatcakes). For more oatcakes use a smaller cutter.
For an oven type air fryer
- Preheat your air fryer for 3 minutes at 170C.
- Lay the oatcakes on the tray or trays of your air fryer and bake at 170 C for 20 minutes.
- If using an air fryer with multiple trays, then swap the trays after 10 minutes.
For a drawer or top opening air fryer
- Cut your oatcakes to a size to fit four into your air fryer and bake the oatcakes in batches.
- Preheat your air fryer for 3 minutes at 170C.
- Place a piece of baking parchment in the base of your air fryer and bake each batch at 170C for 15 minutes.
To bake in the oven
- Preheat your oven to 170C.
- Place the oatcakes onto a baking tray lined with baking parchment or a non-stick baking mat.
- Bake at 170C for 15 minutes.
For all bakes
- Carefully lift the oatcakes onto a cooling tray and leave to cool.
- Store in an airtight container.
- Serve the oatcakes with butter and cheese.
Lesley says
What a great recipe, I love oatcakes and this is such an easy recipe to do in the air fryer.
Sisley White - Sew White says
I loved how easy it was to cook these in the air fryer. What a brilliant recipe too.
Cat says
These oatcakes are fantastic! I had great fun making them in my air fryer.
Janice Pattie says
Thank you, they are so simple to make in the air fryer.
Chloe says
I’ve never made oatcakes before but these are wonderful and very easy to make in my basket fryer. I’ll keep experimenting but i think just slathered with butter is my favourite way to eat them so far!
Janice Pattie says
Oatcakes and butter are certainly a match made in heaven.
hanna says
I just bought an air fryer! I am sure my son will be happy with these 😉
Janice Pattie says
That’s brilliant, Hanna. I’m sure you and your son will love the oatcakes.