It has a flouy texture and a mild, somewhat creamy flavor. It can be used as a staple food crop in either savory or sweet dishes. Used as a cereal, it is probably best known as the breakfast cereal porridge but it can also be used in many other ways. The seed can be sprouted and used in salads, the grain can also be ground into a flour and used in making biscuits, sourdough etc. The seed is especially good for convallescents and people with stomach problems.
Oats are also one of the cereals used as a basic ingredient for making whisky.
The roasted seed is a coffee substitute. An edible oil is obtained from the seed, it is used in the manufacture of breakfast cereals.