Oatmeal porridge or perfect oats porridge for breakfast is easy to prepare on stove top, microwave or using instant pot! This simple and easy to make oats porridge is also creamy in texture and tastes delicious!
If you prepare the oatmeal porridge in advance you can save it in the refrigerator or even freeze it and use later for busy weekdays or weekend morning breakfast.
This best, easy and perfect oatmeal porridge recipe is for stove top preparation and as I mentioned, its so creamy and delicious on its own even if you enjoy it as a plain oatmeal porridge.
You can also top with fresh fruits like apples, bananas or dried fruits or nuts as you like.
What Is Porridge?
Porridge is a popular breakfast dish made using grains like oatmeal, cornmeal, semolina etc in different parts of the world.
A porridge is usally a creamy mixture made using cooked grains, milk, sweetener etc although sometime savory porridge without sugar is also made.
The simple of definition of porridge says it’s a dish made using grains or cereal which are cooked by boiling in water or milk.
In some porridges, sweetened condensed milk is used to sweeten the porridge.
You can also use sweeteners like honey, maple syrp etc to sweeten the porridge.
Sometimes fruits, cream, nuts, cinnamon etc are also added to porridges.
Porridge made using oats, known as oatmeal porridge, is one of the most popular, easy to make and healthy porridges in the world!
Porridge Vs Oatmeal
You might wonder what is the definition of porridge or what is the difference between and oatmeal.
It is very simple. Oatmeal is a kind of porridge made using oats, be it quick cooking oats or rolled oates.
There are other kinds of porridge as well, as you can make porridge using different grains.
I have also made this popular and delicious semolina porridge using semolina flour!
We can also make porridge using cornmeal, broken wheat and other grains!
Can you make porridge with rolled oats
I used this old fashioned rolled oats (from Quaker oats) to make this oats porridge.
You may use quick cooking oats or rolled oats to make oats porridge.
The only thing is that rolled oats will take slightly more time to cook and will have a more chewy texture.
It is so easy to make the oatmeal porridge whether you use porridge oats or rolled oats.
If you love oats porridge, it makes an easy, healthy, delicious breakfast option which mostly kids will also like.
Oatmeal prepared from wholesome grain oats has a lot of health benefits and you can read more information on oats health benefits and types of oats here.
The best thing about oatmeal porridge is that it is so flexible to prepare it based on what you like or what you have in hand, even to suit the liking of each family member as you can add everyone’s favorite topping to the basic porridge that you prepared, as they like.
Toppings For Oatmeal Porridge
What Are The Different Kinds Of Popular Toppings For Oats Porridge?
If you prepare the basic oats porridge, you can add different kinds of toppings and add even different flavors, sweeteners or even make it savory if you wish, to accommodate individual preferences.
While I love the apple cinnamon oatmeal the most, I know there are many of us who love a lot of different other toppings for their oatmeal.
Some of the popular toppings include fresh fruits like apples, strawberries (or any kind of berries like raspberries, blackberries etc), bananas, peaches etc.
You can add dried fruits like raisins, apricots, dried peaches, dates etc which will all add natural sweetness to the prepared oatmeal.
Instead of white sugar, you may use brown sugar, maple syrup, honey etc to add more sweetness to the oatmeal.
You can also add a variety of healthy nuts and seeds to make your oatmeal crunchy, if you like a crunchy texture for your oatmeal.
Some popular choices of nuts and seeds for oatmeal include walnuts, cashews, almonds, pistachios, toasted pumpkin seeds, sunflower seeds, the super healthy chia seeds or flax seeds etc.
You may also add in nut butters like cashew butter, peanut butter, sunflower seed butter etc if you like.
You can also add toasted coconut flakes if you like and add fruits like pineapple (fresh, canned or dried), if you want a tropical flavor!
Or you can always enjoy it just plain as it is which is very delicious on its own!
So here is how you can make easy delicious, creamy oatmeal porridge at home.
How To Make Oatmeal Porridge?
We use the following ingredients to make the perfect, delicious oatmeal porridge.
Ingredients To Make Oatmeal Porridge
1.5 cups oatmeal (I used old fashioned steel cut oatmeal)
1 cup water
2 cups milk
3 tablespoons sugar adjust as needed
½ teaspoon cinnamon powder
chilled milk as needed, optional
Few Recommendations For Toppings (optional, use any of them)
chopped apples as needed
raisins, chopped nuts, cut strawberries, bananas etc as needed
Step By Step Instructions
First add the oats, water and milk to a medium sized saucepan.
Also then add the sugar and cinnamon powder also to the pan and mix everything well.
Heat the pan and bring the mixture to a boil, while you stir the contents to avoid the mixture burning at the bottom of the pan.
Make sure to stir frequently if needed, or the contents may burn.
Once the mixture starts to boil, reduce the heat to medium and cook for another three minutes or until the oatmeal is cooked and soft. Make sure to keep stirring!
Once the porridge is cooked, allow the oatmeal porridge to cool down a little and also you can add more chilled milk if the consistency is thick for your preference.
It’s that easy to make!
You can always adjust the consistency of your oatmeal porridge by adding more milk if needed.
Also you can add your favorite toppings like fresh fruits or dry fruits or chopped nuts etc (topping ideas given above in the post) or enjoy it plain if you like, as its very delicious! You may also top it with more cinnamon powder if you like!
Can you make oats porridge vegan?
Yes! You may make this oatmeal porridge vegan if you wish.
To make this oats porridge recipe vegan, you may cook the oatmeal using water and once the oatmeal is almost cooked, add you favorite vegan dairy free milk like coconut milk, almond milk, soy milk, cashew milk etc.
If you love oatmeal porridge, see more oatmeal recipes here:
oatmeal without milk (vegan oatmeal using water)
How To Make Oatmeal Without Boiling Over
Delicious Chocolate Flavored Oatmeal Recipe
How To Make Oatmeal Taste Better Without Sugar
You can prepare the perfect, basic oatmeal on stove top following this easy, simple and perfect oats porridge recipe, so you can enjoy it as it is, or add your favorite toppings and enjoy it as you wish.
Below you can get the recipe for perfect oatmeal porridge in detail.
Perfect Oatmeal Porridge For Breakfast – Stove Top Oatmeal
Ingredients
- 1.5 cups oatmeal (I used old fashioned steel cut oatmeal)
- 1 cup water
- 2 cups milk
- 3 tablespoons sugar adjust as needed
- ½ teaspoon cinnamon powder
- chilled milk as needed, optional
Few Recommendations For Toppings (optional)
- chopped apples as needed
- raisins, chopped nuts, cut strawberries, bananas etc as needed
Instructions
- Add the oatmeal, water and milk to a medium sized saucepan.
- Also add the sugar and cinnamon powder and mix well.
- Heat the contents and bring the mixture to a boil, stirring occasionally to avoid the mixture burning at the bottom of the pan. As the mixture gets heated and is nearing to boiling, you will need to stir more frequently. This will take around 3 to 4 minutes.
- Once the mixture starts boiling, reduce the heat to medium and cook for another 3 minutes or until the oats is cooked and soft. Make sure to keep stirring or the oatmeal porridge may burn at the bottom of the pan.
- Once the porridge is cooked, allow it to cool down a bit and if needed, you can add a little more chilled milk if its more thick for your preference (adding chilled milk will help with cooling down the oatmeal fast and also reduces the chances of thickening it further). Delicious oatmeal is ready to serve, you can serve the oatmeal warm with your favorite toppings for best results!
This is the best porridge I ever made. Reduced the cinnamon as I’m not a huge fan and added cold milk in our bowl. Next time hubby wants to add raisins.
Thank you for sharing this great recipe 😊
Hi Sylvie, I am so glad to hear that! Thank you so much for sharing your feedback, it’s much appreciated. Adding raisins to the porridge will be great! Thanks again 🙂
I just saw your site yesterday and made this recipe today for breakfast. It was wonderful. Thank you so much!
Hi Lois, I am so glad to hear the porridge turned out wonderful! Thank you so much for your feedback, much appreciated 🙂
Soak raisins in gin overnight and add to the porridge.
Interesting! Thank you!