McCann's Steel Cut Irish Oatmeal: Labelgrade A- (87/100)
A- 87 / 100 — Clean ingredient list, very low saturated fat, effectively zero sugar, very low sodium, and substantial fiber.
🛒 Buy on Amazon →The short answer
Mccann’S Quick & Easy Steel Cut Irish Oatmeal delivers 4g of protein and 150 calories per 0.25 cup (USDA FDC 2056742). Per 100g that’s 10g of protein; per oz, 2.8g. The Labelgrade is A- (87 / 100): Clean ingredient list, very low saturated fat, effectively zero sugar, very low sodium, and substantial fiber.
Why this Labelgrade
| Dimension | Grade | Score | Why |
|---|---|---|---|
| Protein density | C+ | 65 / 100 | 10g per 100g — moderate; the per-serving total matters more than the per-unit density |
| Ingredient quality | A- | 88 / 100 | Short 1-ingredient list, no additive flags |
| Saturated fat load | A | 93 / 100 | 0.5g per serving (1.3g per 100g) — very low |
| Sodium load | A+ | 100 / 100 | 0mg sodium — perfect |
| Sugar load | A+ | 97 / 100 | 1g sugar, no added sugar listed |
| Fiber | A+ | 100 / 100 | 4g per serving — excellent, particularly in this category |
| Overall | A- | 87 / 100 | Weighted blend: protein 25% · ingredients 22% · saturated fat 18% · sodium 15% · sugar 12% · fiber 8% |
How it compares
| Product | Protein per serving | Per 100 g | Per oz | Calories |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mccann’S Quick & Easy Steel Cut Irish Oatmeal (this product) | 4g | 10g | 2.8g | 150 |
| Quaker Life Original Multigrain Cereal | 6.36g | 9.8g | 2.8g | 244 |
| Kellogg’s Raisin Bran Cereal | 2.76g | 7.9g | 2.2g | 114 |
| Quaker Instant Oatmeal, 11.6 oz | 5g | 12.5g | 3.5g | 160 |
| Plain cooked chicken breast (benchmark) | — | 31g | 8.8g | ~165 |
Steel-cut vs. rolled vs. instant: the texture is the only real difference
The “steel-cut” label carries a health halo, and it’s worth being precise about what it does and doesn’t buy you. Every form of oats — steel-cut, old-fashioned rolled, and instant — begins as the same whole oat groat. Steel-cut means the groat is sliced into two or three coarse pieces and left otherwise intact; rolled oats are steamed and pressed flat; instant oats are rolled thinner and partially pre-cooked so they rehydrate in a minute. None of that processing strips the bran or germ, so the fiber, protein, and beta-glucan survive essentially unchanged across all three.
What does change is the eating experience and the glycemic curve. Because steel-cut pieces are coarser and less gelatinized, they digest a touch more slowly and give a chewier, nuttier bowl — McCann’s is the benchmark here. The cost is time: this is the “Quick & Easy” line and it still simmers far longer than the one-minute instant cup. So the honest framing is that steel-cut is the premium texture tier of an already-excellent food, not a nutritionally upgraded one. If you love the bite and don’t mind the wait, it’s worth it; if you’re choosing it because you think rolled or instant plain oats are inferior, they aren’t.
Why this is the breakfast carb to anchor on
Most of the breakfast aisle is a sugar-delivery problem dressed up as nutrition. McCann’s is the opposite: a single whole-grain ingredient with the macros that actually make a breakfast carb worth eating. The 4g of fiber per dry serving is largely beta-glucan, the soluble fiber oats are famous for — it’s the one with the FDA-authorized heart-health claim and the mechanism behind oats’ steady, no-spike blood-sugar response. Pair that with 1g of naturally-occurring sugar, no added sugar, and 0mg of sodium, and you have a base that keeps you full for hours instead of crashing you mid-morning.
The catch worth naming is that a plain bowl is a little bland, which is exactly why the flavored packets exist — and why they undo the benefit. The fix is to sweeten it yourself: stir in sliced banana, berries, or a spoonful of nut butter. You add flavor, more fiber, and potassium while keeping control of the sugar, rather than accepting the 11-14g a flavored packet bolts on before you’ve taken a bite. Build your own bowl on this base and there’s very little in the breakfast aisle that beats it.
Scope
This page covers Mccann’S Quick & Easy Steel Cut Irish Oatmeal (24 oz/680 g), UPC 072463000583, as represented in USDA Branded Foods FDC 2056742. Mccann’S sells multiple variants in this product line — other sizes, flavors, or fat levels may have different macros and Labelgrade scores. Manufacturers periodically reformulate; always cross-reference the actual package label, especially if you have allergies or dietary restrictions.
Ingredients (from the USDA Branded Foods entry)
100% WHOLE GRAIN IRISH OATS
Where to buy
Affiliate links — we may earn a commission at no extra cost to you. The Labelgrade score is independent of affiliate relationships. More.
🔬 Compare this product side-by-side with any other →
Quick Facts
Per serving · 0.25 cup
See how this fits your day — protein calculator · macro calculator
Full nutrition facts
| Nutrient | Per Serving (0.25 cup) |
|---|---|
| Calories | 150 |
| Protein | 4g |
| Total Fat | 2.5g |
| Saturated Fat | 0.5g |
| Trans Fat | 0g |
| Total Carbohydrates | 27g |
| Dietary Fiber | 4g |
| Total Sugars | 1g |
| Sodium | 0mg |
| Cholesterol | 0mg |
| Calcium | 20mg |
| Iron | 1.44mg |
Scope: This page applies specifically to Mccann'S, Quick & Easy Steel Cut Irish Oatmeal (24 oz/680 g) · UPC 072463000583. Other sizes, flavors, or formulations may differ.
How this fits each diet
Each score is computed from the same USDA nutrition + ingredient data, against the published rules of each diet. They tell you "does this food fit this diet" — not whether the diet is right for you.
contains no listed animal products
contains no listed meat or fish
no wheat, barley, rye, or malt detected in USDA ingredient list
Frequently Asked Questions
Is oatmeal healthy?
Plain oatmeal is one of the best breakfast carbohydrates there is, and McCann's is about as plain as it gets — one ingredient, whole-grain Irish oats. You get 4g of beta-glucan-rich fiber, slow-digesting starch that keeps you full, real plant protein, and zero added sugar in a 1/4 cup dry serving. The only oatmeal that isn't a great choice is the flavored, pre-sweetened kind. See our [guide to whether oatmeal is good for you](/guides/is-oatmeal-good-for-you).
Why does McCann's Steel Cut Irish Oatmeal earn an A- (87/100)?
It's a clean one-ingredient whole grain with 4g of fiber, 1g of naturally-occurring sugar, no added sugar, and 0mg of sodium — top marks on fiber, sugar, sodium, and saturated fat. The only thing keeping it out of the A/A+ range is protein density: at 10g per 100g, oats are a carbohydrate food, not a protein food, and our score weights protein heavily. For a breakfast carb, this is the ceiling.
Is steel-cut oatmeal nutritionally better than rolled or instant oats?
Not really — and that surprises people. Steel-cut, rolled, and instant oats all start as the same whole oat groat; the difference is how finely it's cut or rolled, which changes texture and cook time, not the underlying nutrition. Steel-cut has a chewier bite and a lower glycemic response because the pieces are coarser, but the fiber, protein, and beta-glucan are essentially the same as plain rolled or instant oats. Choose steel-cut for the texture, not because it's a different food.
How do you serve steel-cut oats, and is the data dry or cooked?
The 150 calories, 4g protein, and 4g fiber are for 1/4 cup of dry oats — the amount that cooks up into a full bowl. Steel-cut oats simmer in water (or milk) for roughly 20-30 minutes, longer than rolled or instant, which is the trade-off for the firmer texture. Cooking in water keeps it at 150 calories; milk adds calories and protein but also a little sugar from the lactose.
How do I keep oatmeal low in sugar?
Buy it plain, like this — then sweeten it yourself with fruit. Half a sliced banana or a handful of berries adds natural sweetness, more fiber, and potassium for a fraction of the sugar in a flavored packet. A maple-brown-sugar packet bolts on 14g of added sugar before you've touched it; plain oats plus fruit lets you control the amount and keeps the bowl genuinely healthy.
When was this data last verified?
2026-06-05, against USDA FoodData Central FDC 2056742. We re-verify top-traffic pages monthly and update within 7 days when a manufacturer reformulates.