Oatmeal porridge

Oatmeal porridge

15 min
Traditional oatmeal porridge is a wonderful breakfast for children and adults alike. With our easy oatmeal porridge recipe with water and milk, making this breakfast classic is quick and simple. To add a bit of crunch and brightness, we have chosen a wonderful selection of crispy toppings in the form of red apples, dried cranberries, and almonds.
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Instructions

  • Transfer oats, milk, water, and salt to a thick-bottomed saucepan.
  • Bring the porridge to a boil at medium heat as you stir it continuously.
  • Cook it at low heat as you continue to stir for about 5 minutes – or until it has reached the right consistency.
  • Pour the oatmeal porridge into four bowls and garnish with apples, almonds, and cranberries before you serve it.
Enjoy!
Tips

If you enjoy a recipe that gives you an incredibly smooth and creamy result without any chewiness, you might like to make a blended oatmeal porridge. Grind the oats well and cook the oat porridge slowly on low heat to avoid overcooking the fine oats. It will yield a silky smooth, almost pudding-like texture.

Tips

If you are wondering what to do with your leftovers, you will be delighted to know that you can use them to make delicious oatmeal muffins and cookies. Simply replace regular oats with leftover porridge to make baked treats that are deliciously tender and buttery.

Questions about oatmeal porridge

With our quick and easy recipe, there is no excuse not to make a deliciously creamy breakfast or snack for yourself. To learn more about the breakfast staple, read our answers to the most frequently asked questions about it below.

What is oat porridge?
Oat porridge is a smooth, creamy treat prepared by cooking hard-rolled oats in salted water and milk. The dish is quick to prepare and is usually enjoyed as a snack or breakfast with a range of different toppings like fresh or dried fruit and berries, fruit preserves, nuts, and spices. When fashioned as a savoury dish, it works well for lunch and dinner as well.
How to make oatmeal porridge?
Why not start the day right and take 15 minutes out of your morning schedule to make yourself a bowl of creamy oatmeal porridge? It is incredibly simple to prepare. Start by getting your garnishing ready and then bring salted water, milk, and hard-rolled oats to a boil at medium heat while you stir them. Decrease to low heat and continue to cook it for 5 minutes. Keep stirring, then pour it into four bowls and garnish with crisp red apples, crunchy almonds, and chewy dried cranberries for beautiful pops of colour and a bit of bite.
Is oatmeal porridge?
Since both terms have dual meanings, the answer is both yes and no. Though the term 'porridge' is often used to refer specifically to oatmeal porridge, it may be prepared by boiling a range of different ground or crushed starchy plants like grains in water and/or milk. As such, oat porridge is simply one specific kind made with processed oats. The term 'oatmeal' may similarly be used as a shorthand to refer to this specific dish, but it can also refer to the de-husked, steamed, and flattened oats used to make the dish. Thus, talking about oatmeal vs porridge does not make much sense.
What is the best oatmeal porridge consistency?
The texture should be thick, smooth, and creamy. Ideally, the oats should have a bit of an al dente bite to them. As such, they should be slightly chewy rather than entirely soft. If it seems watery, you can thicken it by stirring in ground flax seeds, nut butter, or coconut flour, depending on whether or not you would also like to add additional taste.

Ingredients

Oatmeal porridge:
Thick-rolled oats (approx. 4 dl)
125 g
Mini milk, 0.4%
400 ml
Water
400 ml
Coarse salt
¾ tsp
Garnish
Red apples, cut into small cubes
Almonds, coarsely chopped
Dried cranberries

Creamy and smooth oatmeal porridge

Oat porridge with milk makes for a hearty meal. Cooking it with milk gives it a round, rich flavour. Though the consistency is mostly smooth, the cooked oats have a slightly chewy texture which means that the oat porridge has a little bit of a bite even before you add the crunchy toppings.

The mild taste of oatmeal, which has a slightly nutty flavour with earthy notes, makes it well-suited for a vast range of different topping selections. As such, this staple breakfast dish presents a wonderful opportunity to get creative.

Delicious breakfast or tasty snack

A hot bowl of creamy oat porridge leaves you warm for hours to come. Fortunately, making it from scratch does not take much time out of a busy morning schedule. Though most people probably consider it a breakfast staple, it also makes for a great snack for long afternoons.

In case you are on the lookout for more tasty oat recipes that may double as breakfast dishes and snacks, our collection also includes overnight oats, baked oats, and oatmeal pancakes with skyr.

Crunchy and flavourful oat porridge toppings

A bowl of smooth and soft oat porridge is great with a selection of crispy toppings that will give it a bit of bite and textural contrast. The combination of apples, almonds, and dried cranberries beautifully hits the mark and adds lovely fresh flavours as well.

With these toppings, the overall flavour profile of the oat porridge is provided with delicious nutty and sweet-tart undertones that brighten the creamy dish considerably. Chewy dried cranberries and crisp red apples like Fuji, Honeycrisp, and Gala also add beautiful pops of colour to make it wonderfully vibrant.

Experiment with a savoury oatmeal porridge

Have you ever considered trying a savoury oatmeal porridge recipe? If not, now may be the time to give it a shot and try it as lunch or dinner.

One great option is a shredded chicken oat porridge with colourful vegetables like carrots, peas, and onions, while another delicious variety is an Asian-inspired one with vegetables like pak choi, spring onions, and mushrooms.

To make the best oat porridge with savoury flavours, cook it with either chicken stock or vegetable broth and try sprinkling it with a crispy topping like chopped peanuts, toasted sesame seeds, or fried onions like the ones featured in our homemade hot dog recipe.

If none of these savoury options is making your mouth water, you may be more interested in trying a sweet chocolate oatmeal porridge made with either melted chocolate or cocoa powder.