Oats Porridge Recipe | Oatmeal Porridge
Oatmeal Porridge is a delicious breakfast staple that is easy and quick to prepare. And it is fantastic to customize! Make it with water or milk or a combination of both and with either quick cooking oats or rolled oats (old fashioned oats). Here I share my favorite no fail Oats Porridge recipe with step-by-step photos.
About Oats Porridge
Oatmeal Porridge is a traditional breakfast dish that’s enjoyed in many different form around the world. Wonderfully hearty oats are simmered with water or milk until thick and creamy for a satisfying morning meal that keeps you full for hours.
In India we call this Oats Porridge; in the UK it’s simply known as Porridge – and in the US it’s called Oatmeal. But the ingredients and cooking methods are all basically the same!
This classic oatmeal porridge recipe only takes about 5 minutes to make with quick-cooking and 10 minutes with rolled oats. It’s terrific to customize with your preference of water and/or milk, and top with nearly any sweet goodies you like.
Adults and kids alike love cuddling up with warm bowls loaded with their favorite toppings! Give this family-friendly recipe a try and I’m sure it will become your new go-to breakfast recipe for busy weekdays.
How to Make Oats Porridge
1. First, add ½ cup quick-cooking oats or rolled oats in a pan.
Note: When buying oats or oats products for babies, be sure to check the contents label on the pack. It should only list oats and no other flavorings or additional ingredients.
2. Add 1 cup of water.
3. Then add ½ cup milk or as needed. You can also add more water for a dairy-free recipe.
Consistency can be easily adjusted as per your requirements. ½ cup milk gives a slightly thick consistency. For a thinner consistency, you can add more milk or water.
Note that the water or milk can be added less or more depending on the type and brand of oats. So do also read the instructions on the packet.
4. Add sugar as per taste. I just added 2 tablespoons raw sugar or white sugar. Sugar is completely optional. If adding fruits later, then you can skip sugar.
If adding honey, then add when the porridge becomes lukewarm or cools down at room temperature, as honey when heated becomes toxic.
5. Stir very well as you heat the oats porridge mixture on low to medium heat.
6. Bring the oatmeal porridge to a gentle simmer as you continue to stir frequently.
7. The porridge will thicken as it cooks. Continue to cook for a total of 5 to 6 minutes (if you have used quick cooking oats) or until it reaches the consistency you like.
For rolled oats, cook for 10 to 12 minutes on low to medium heat. If the consistency is too thick for you add some more water or milk
8. Turn off heat when the and the oats have softened well and you get the preferred consistency.
Serve Oats Porridge hot or warm or at room temperature. Keep in mind that the Oatmeal Porridge will thicken as it cools.
FAQs
How can I make oatmeal porridge for young toddlers and babies?
You need to powder the oats in a spice grinder or food processor before cooking. Also, avoid adding dried fruit or nuts and sugar. Instead I suggest you add a bit of fruit puree, like mango or banana.
Can oats porridge be made with milk instead of water?
Yes, you can substitute milk for water in this recipe. Or even use a 50/50 combination of milk and water. However, if you plan to add fruit to the dish I recommend not using milk as the combination of dairy and fruit is not advised per Ayurveda.
What add ins and garnishes can you include in oat porridge?
Let the cooked oatmeal cool slightly before adding chopped dry fruits, fresh fruits, nuts, or a little bit of each. You can also add honey once the oatmeal cools down a bit.
Can this oatmeal porridge recipe be doubled or tripled?
Absolutely. As-is this recipe yields 2 servings. Simply double or triple the ingredients and prepare in a larger pot to make as many servings as you need.
How long do leftovers last?
Homemade oats porridge is best when enjoyed right after it’s made. If it sits too long it will become gluey. They can be stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 1 day if you need. Reheat in the microwave or on the stove by adding a bit of water or milk.
Step by Step Photo Guide Above
Oats Porridge Recipe | Oatmeal Porridge
Ingredients
- ½ cup quick cooking oats or rolled oats
- 1 cup water or add as required
- ½ cup milk or water
- 2 tablespoons raw sugar or white sugar, add as per taste – optional
Instructions
- Take the oats in a pan. Add water and milk.
- The consistency can be easily adjusted as per your requirements. This recipe makes for a slightly thicker consistency. For a thinner consistency, you can add more milk or water.
- Add sugar. Sugar is completely optional. If adding fruits later, then you can skip adding sugar.
- If adding honey, then add when the porridge becomes lukewarm or cools down at room temperature, as honey becomes toxic on being heated.
- Stir very well and heat the porridge mixture on a low to medium flame.
- Do stir often and allow the porridge to simmer.
- It will also thicken as it cooks. Cook for a total of 5 to 6 minutes for quick cooking oats. If you have used rolled oats, cook for 10 to 12 minutes.
- If the consistency looks very thick, add some water or milk to thin it.
- When the oats have softened and you get the desired consistency, switch off the heat.
- Serve Oats Porridge hot or warm or at room temperature.
- If serving oats porridge at room temperature then do note that it will thicken more as it cools.
- If adding chopped fruits or berries, then add it when the porridge becomes lukewarm or cooled completely. You can also add chopped nuts or dried fruits of your choice.
Notes
- You could opt to make the oatmeal with only water or milk or both.
- Adding sweetener is optional.
- For a savory version, add some steamed/boiled veggies and season with salt and black pepper or your choice of spices and seasonings.
- You can also opt to cook the oatmeal in a stovetop pressure cooker or the Instant pot, adding water as needed.
- Adjust the consistency, by adding less or more of the liquids like water and milk. I have used 1.5 cups of liquids, but add less or more as needed depending on the type and brand of oats you use.
- Note that steel cut oats and oats groats will need more water and take more time to cook and soften.
- Recipe is scaleable to make for more servings.
Nutrition
This Oats Porridge recipe from the archives, originally published in May 2015 has been updated and republished on January 2023.
a good breakfast to start the day
Superb
A grind of black pepper, some kosher salt, and a glug of good extra virgin olive oil is a good quick savory way to enjoy the oats that I eat almost every day.
This a great recipe. Tast good and healthy.
Most welcome and thanks.
Super easy and delicious.
thanks haven’t had roll oats since I was a kid
Hy! I wanted to know if I could use jaggery instead of honey or sugar.
If yes, then which stage should I incorporate it.
Thank u.
you can use jaggery or honey. for adding jaggery, let the oats porridge cook first. then let the temperature or heat reduce a bit. so keep aside for 5 to 7 minutes and then add the jaggery. for honey, add when the oats porridge becomes warm. honey should not be added to hot foods or heated as it becomes toxic.
Hi Dassana, will definitely try out this recipe. This also reminded me of a porridge (Navara Knaji) with coconut milk. This is mainly an ayurvedic recipe prepared during the Malayalam month ‘Karkadaka’ (July- August). A healthy diet during this month where one is believed to have less immunity. If interested, one can try this recipe too.
thanks hema for sharing this info. i know about this porridge, but have never made it at home. reason being navara rice is not easily available here. but if i get navara rice then i will try this kanji.
p.s. – i have removed the link as the fb post was not displayed and also the comment goes in spam with links.
Hi… As u said in your post.. “Since Milk and Fruits are an incompatible match as per ayurveda..” just wanted to clear as I stopped giving banana shake(chickoo/strawberry) to my son though he use to love it a lot… As some mother’s suggested me same ayurveda Concept… But still I see many parents feeding such shakes and even we get same in restaurants… Can I start it again..
Thanks
mahek, having such fruit combinations largely depends on the person’s constitution as per ayurveda. if the person has a high vata dosha, then its better to avoid the milk-fruit combinations. as its difficult to digest and can lead to stomach or digestion issues. what i do is i use coconut milk, cashew milk or almond milk with fruits. only for apples, strawberries and mango, i use dairy milk.
with an almond milk or a thin coconut milk, the milkshake is easier to digest for kids. you can use soy milk too. but do make sure that the soy milk is made from organic and non gmo soy beans (soy beans which are not genetically modified). also its best to make almond milk at home as the store brought ones have carageenan which can cause inflammation issues.
mango milkshake is the safest to give as a sweet ripe mango (mango has to be sweet and not sour) is the only fruit as per ayurveda which is compatible with milk. in my extended family also i have seen that kids are given this fresh fruit-milk combination. the best part is that the kids are also able to digest it. so i think it depends on the child’s health and constitution. so do take that in account. having said this, i still feel its best to avoid such combinations on a regular basis. once in a while its fine, but not everyday.
you can try preparing banana milkshake with coconut milk. it tastes very good. also you can make smoothies. just soak almonds in hot water for 30 minutes. then peel it. add bananas and the almonds in a blender. add some honey. blend till smooth. this will give you a thick smoothie which tastes good and is healthy too.
Pls suggest oats porridge with salt n Indian spices which can be made for weight loss
will try to add this recipe.
Hi Dassana
I like your recipes,way of presentation, n step by step pictorial view which us to understand them better,really appreciate your good work.
thank you.
Hi Dassana
For oat porridge do you recommend to use full fat milk or skimmed milk to get ultimate result please let me know, thanks
I use full fat milk with some water. You can use skimmed milk also. Even with water the consistency is good.
thanks for letting me know the logic behind throwing the water in which dal and rajma got cooked. i always thought one way to prevent the stomach problem was to throw water in which they were soaked in and today I learnt from you another way of preventing stomach problem is cooking them first and discarding the stock. Thankyou for this valuable info.
welcome simmi
Hello Dassana
Oat porridge looks yummy and easy to make will try soon your way.
Also I tried your Punjabi karela sabzi, turned out very well reminded me the taste from my MIL’s way of cooking karela sabzi only difference is she fries the karela pieces and she adds potatoes in it too. you also advised me if I am not rinsing karela then squeeze the karela which I did again something new that I learned. Just a question in case I rinse then I shouldn’t squeeze the karela but If I won’t squeeze then don’t you think karela will have water in them please let me know.
Also I want to try your dal makhni dhabha style but I need to ask you question as when you are pressure cooking the dal again (already boiled) with fresh water and tomato puree etc…why are we discarding the water in which dal was cooked in. Can’t we use that water in which we boiled the dal coz I think it has all the nutirents in it please let me know, thanks
Your site has all wonderful recipes and whenever I have to try something new I don’t forget to visit your site. great Job. When will you be posting some recipes on tinda?
hi simmi, the karela will have water or some moisture, if you don’t squeeze them. in this case, you can just pat dry them with a clean kitchen cotton towel or paper towel.
in the dhaba style dal makhani the water is discarded only once after cooking both the urad dal and rajma. its not discarded with tomato puree in it. tomato puree is added later. beans have phytic acid in them which causes trouble in the stomach. one way to get rid of them is soaking them in water and throwing the soaked water. another way is to cook them first and then discard the stock. usually when i cook the home style dal makhani, i just discard the soaked water. rinse the beans again and pressure cook everything together. this recipe was also adapted from book and the author has noted the recipe from a dhaba. could be that the dhaba folks follow this method so as to avoid customer complaints 🙂
i will add tinda recipes.
I make this often for my baby-i add vanilla extract ( non alcoholic obviously)and cinnamon powder – he just lAps it up !have u tried overnight oats – if nt then google for ideas – they r a treat in summers
thanks shweta for your suggestion. nice to know this. i make it simple as my family prefers without any flavorings. but cinnamon powder and vanilla will really make it very nice. i always cook fresh food as it has more prana (life force… according to ayurveda) and i generally avoid left over or refrigerated food unless the recipe demands it. i just cook whatever is required and never cook in excess.