GLUTEN FREE NOTES: Not everyone who is gluten free can tolerate oats. I get REALLY sick with gluten, but have never yet reacted badly to oats. Oats themselves contain no wheat gluten, but cross-contamination in processing and farming practices often mean that if you eat gluten free you’ll want to be sure to buy certified gluten free oats.

LET’S TALK FLOUR In this recipe, I have you make your own oatmeal flour (which literally takes 1 minute). To do this, you can use a food processor or a blender. I prefer using my blender because it’s so much faster and the texture can get *really* fine, but either works. If you prefer to save time, you can totally use store-bought oat flour (be sure it’s certified gluten free, if needed). It’s up to you!

FRESH VS FROZEN BERRIES. You can absolutely use frozen berries here. Just know that they will have a *slightly* more wet texture. I’ve read a LOT of different methods for reducing the impact of using frozen berries. Some recommend thawing the berries and draining off any extra liquid. Others recommend tossing your berries in 1-2 Tbsp of the flour so they don’t all sink to the bottom. I haven’t noticed a huge difference with either of these, but people swear by these methods, so maybe they’ll help you?

SWAPS AND SUBSTITUTIONS: You can use any kind of milk you like here–cashew, almond, coconut, soy, rice, hemp, or even dairy (if you’re not vegan/dairy free). As for the nut butter, I like cashew butter best because it’s the most neutral, but not everyone keeps it on hand. If you swap it out for almond butter, you may want to add a little extra lemon zest or one of my lemon boosts below. Lastly, you can sub out the syrup for other liquid sweeteners, like agave or honey (if not vegan).

PUMP UP THE LEMON: If you want even more lemon flavor, you can add 1-2 drops (food grade!) lemon essential oil, or 1/4 tsp lemon extract.