Quaker Old Fashioned Oats: 5g Protein, Labelgrade A- (87/100)
A- 87 / 100 — A single-ingredient whole grain: rolled oats, nothing else. 5g protein and 4g fiber per dry half-cup, zero sodium, zero added sugar. The protein-density grade is the only soft spot, and that's a feature of the food, not a flaw — oats are a fiber-and-complex-carb breakfast base, not a protein supplement.
🛒 Buy on Amazon →The short answer
Quaker Old Fashioned Oats deliver 5g of protein and 4g of fiber per 1/2-cup dry (40g) serving at 150 calories, from exactly one ingredient: whole grain rolled oats (USDA FDC 2723877). That works out to roughly 12.5g of protein per 100g of dry oats — modest as a protein number, strong for a whole grain. They earn a Labelgrade A- (87/100), one of the highest scores in our database, and they earn it the honest way: no added sugar, zero sodium, almost no saturated fat, a one-word ingredient panel, and meaningful fiber including cholesterol-active beta-glucan. The single thing keeping it off a straight A is protein density — a property of the food, not a defect. Read this as a breakfast and baking base you add protein to, not a protein food in its own right.
Why the A-
| Dimension | Grade | Score | Why |
|---|---|---|---|
| Protein density | C+ | 69 / 100 | 12.5g per 100g dry — good for a grain, low next to engineered protein foods. A plain oat isn’t built to compete with whey |
| Ingredient quality | B+ | 83 / 100 | One ingredient: whole grain rolled oats. No additives or sweeteners — about as clean as a label gets |
| Saturated fat load | A | 93 / 100 | 0.5g per serving; the little fat oats carry is mostly unsaturated |
| Sodium load | A+ | 100 / 100 | 0mg — any salt comes from the bowl, not the box |
| Sugar load | A+ | 97 / 100 | 1g sugar, 0g added — the 1g is trace natural sugar in the grain |
| Fiber | A+ | 100 / 100 | 4g per serving, including the beta-glucan tied to LDL reduction |
| Overall | A- | 87 / 100 | Five of six dimensions at A or A+; the lone C+ is the food being a whole-grain base, not a flaw |
The grade mirrors the salmon-and-tuna problem in reverse: canned fish aces protein and fails fiber because it’s pure animal protein; oats ace fiber and only manage a C+ on protein because they’re pure whole grain. The formula refuses to round either one up — which is how an oat with 5g of protein still sits near the top of the board.
The honest framing: oats are a base, not a protein source
The number people fixate on is the 5g, and it’s the wrong number to fixate on. Five grams is a “good source of protein” by FDA rules (10% of the 50g Daily Value), but a half-cup of dry oats was never going to anchor a high-protein breakfast by itself. What it is built to do is carry other things.
That’s the practical play with oats: keep the grain as the fiber-and-energy base and bolt the protein on top.
- Swap water for milk. Cooking the 40g in milk instead of water adds roughly 8g of protein, pushing a single bowl to about 13g without changing the oats at all.
- Stir in a protein. A scoop of Greek yogurt, a half-scoop of whey, two egg whites cooked into the porridge, or a spoonful of peanut butter each take a bowl past the 20g “high in protein” threshold.
- Lean on the fiber, not the protein. The reason to eat oats daily isn’t the 5g — it’s the 4g of fiber, much of it beta-glucan, the soluble fiber that earns oats their FDA heart-health claim. The LDL-lowering target is 3g of beta-glucan a day; one 40g serving delivers an estimated 1.5–2g, so two servings clears it. That, plus the slow-digesting complex carbohydrate and blank-canvas neutrality, is the real case for keeping a canister around.
If you came looking for a high-protein cereal off the shelf, plain rolled oats aren’t it; an engineered high-protein cereal that bolts soy or pea protein and extra bran onto a grain base will out-protein and sometimes out-fiber them. But those carry longer ingredient lists, usually added sugar, and a much higher price per serving. Oats win the trade the moment you’re willing to add your own protein — which, with milk or yogurt already in the fridge, most people are.
What changes across Quaker’s oat formats
Before you reach for a different tub: nutrition is essentially identical across Quaker’s plain-oat formats. The 18 oz and 42 oz canisters, and the rolled “Old Fashioned” versus the thinner “Quick 1-Minute” cut, all share the same single-ingredient panel and per-gram macros — you’re choosing on texture and cook time, not nutrition. The sharp break is the flavored instant oatmeal (Maple & Brown Sugar, Apples & Cinnamon): those add sugar, salt, and flavorings, run a ten-plus-ingredient list, and score nowhere near this. Buying the plain canister and adding your own fruit is what keeps the A- intact. One caveat — these standard oats are not certified gluten-free despite oats being naturally gluten-free, so check the package if that matters.
Ingredients
Whole grain rolled oats. (Verbatim from the USDA Branded Foods entry, FDC 2723877 — a true single-ingredient food.)
Where to buy
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Quick Facts
Per serving · 1/2 cup dry (40 g)
00030000010402Full nutrition facts
| Nutrient | Per Serving (1/2 cup dry (40 g)) |
|---|---|
| Calories | 150 |
| Protein | 5g |
| Total Fat | 3g |
| Saturated Fat | 0.5g |
| Trans Fat | 0g |
| Total Carbohydrates | 27g |
| Dietary Fiber | 4g |
| Total Sugars | 1g |
| Added Sugars | 0g |
| Sodium | 0mg |
| Cholesterol | 0mg |
| Calcium | 20mg |
| Iron | 1.5mg |
| Potassium | 150mg |
Scope: This page applies specifically to Quaker Old Fashioned Oats (42 oz (1.19 kg) canister) · UPC 00030000010402. 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
How much protein is in Quaker Old Fashioned Oats?
5g of protein per 1/2-cup dry (40g) serving (USDA FDC 2723877) — about 12.5g per 100g of dry oats. That's a 'good source' (10% of the 50g Daily Value), not a high-protein food. The bigger nutritional story here is the 4g of fiber, not the protein.
Is 5g of protein enough to call oats a high-protein breakfast?
On their own, no — and that's the honest framing of this whole page. Oats are a fiber-and-complex-carb base you build protein onto. Cook the half-cup in milk instead of water and you add roughly 8g, putting a bowl near 13g; stir in Greek yogurt, a scoop of whey, or an egg and you clear the 20g 'high in protein' mark. The oats supply the fiber and slow energy; the add-in supplies the protein.
Are old-fashioned oats and quick oats nutritionally different?
Barely. Old-fashioned (rolled), quick, and steel-cut oats all start from the same oat groat and have nearly identical protein, fiber, and calorie numbers per gram. The difference is the cut and cook time: steel-cut are chopped and chewy (15-30 min), old-fashioned are steamed and rolled flat (5 min), quick are rolled thinner (1-2 min). Rolled sit in the middle and are the most versatile — they hold their shape in overnight oats, bake into cookies, and blend into flour.
Is the 4g of fiber the soluble kind that lowers cholesterol?
About half of it. Oats are notable for beta-glucan, a soluble fiber the FDA grants a heart-health claim for (3g/day is the threshold associated with lowering LDL cholesterol). One 40g serving delivers roughly 1.5-2g of beta-glucan, so two servings a day clears the bar. The remainder of the 4g is insoluble fiber from the bran. This is the single biggest reason oats grade so well despite modest protein.
Why does the protein-density dimension only score C+?
Because 12.5g per 100g is solid for a whole grain but low next to engineered protein foods, and Labelgrade scores every food on the same protein-density curve. It's the model being honest rather than a flaw in the oats: a plain rolled oat isn't trying to be a protein product. Every other dimension lands at A or A+, which is what pulls the overall up to A-.
Is it gluten-free?
Oats are naturally gluten-free, but standard Quaker Old Fashioned Oats are NOT certified gluten-free — they run on equipment shared with wheat and can carry cross-contamination. The USDA panel here lists only 'whole grain rolled oats,' but that doesn't address shared-facility risk. If you have celiac disease or are highly sensitive, buy a product explicitly labeled gluten-free (Quaker makes a separate certified line).
Why an A- and not an A+?
The lone C+ on protein density drags the weighted average down even though sodium, sugar, fiber, and saturated fat all score A or A+. We don't inflate the grade by pretending a breakfast grain is a protein supplement. Among foods worth eating every single day, this is about as clean as a packaged label gets.