What a delicious breakfast treat! This Norwegian porridge recipe is creamy, salty and sweet and is served with a sprinkle of cinnamon and dried cranberries on top.
Norwegian Porridge Recipe
What is porridge?
According to Wikipedia, porridge is a dish made by boiling ground, crushed, or chopped grain in water and/or milk, often with flavorings. It is usually served hot in a bowl.
Sounds bland and boring doesn’t it? I think most of us associate porridge with tastelessness or something that’s been overcooked and looks like baby food. Yuck!
But wait until you try GOOD porridge – WOW! Norwegians certainly know how to turn plain rice into something truly delectable.
So delicious in fact that even people who aren’t rice pudding fans (that’s you Ben) will scarf down a bowl of Norwegian porridge in record time.
And, aside from this yummy nordic preparation, there are a ton of Asian rice porridges that I adore like congee, jook and okayu.
But today is all about this delectably sweet, salty and incredibly warming Norwegian recipe!
Porridge vs Oatmeal
Many of us (including me) have wondered at one point or another what the difference between porridge and oatmeal is. Are they the same?
Here are a couple of bullet points (and a lovely graphic!) that quickly answers this question.
- Oatmeal can only be made with oats whereas porridge can be made with rice, barley, oatmeal or any other grains or legumes, as long as it’s boiled in water, milk or broth.
- Think of porridge as it’s own category. And inside that category, you will find all the types of porridges like oatmeal, cornmeal, rice porridge, etc…
So, When do you eat this traditional Norwegian food?
Traditional Norwegian porridge (AKA: risgrøt or risengrynsgrøt) is usually served for lunch the day before Christmas.
The leftovers are then used to make riskrem (rice cream), a dessert made with cold rice porridge topped with whipped cream and raspberry (or strawberry) sauce. A whole almond is then hidden in the dessert and the person who finds it wins a marzipan candy in the shape of a pig.
Sounds like a fun and festive tradition to have with family and friends! Norwegian culture is so cool!
How to make Norwegian Porridge
I’ve made a few minor changes to the traditional Norwegian porridge recipe because I wanted to give it a healthy kick. I cut down the sugar by half and added honey instead, and I am using 1% milk as opposed to whole milk.
I have to admit I was a little nervous that the porridge would come out lacking richness but it turns out using 1% milk didn’t affect the texture at all!
The porridge is still creamy, thick and incredibly satisfying!
To start, add 3/4 cup white rice and 1-and-a-half cups of water to a medium sized pot and bring to a boil. Then lower the heat, cover the pot and simmer for 10 minutes – or until all of the water is absorbed.
Add 1/3 of your milk, stir and cover until the consistency of your porridge thickens. Then add a little more milk and cover until it thickens again. I found the key to getting this step right was adding a little more milk every 5-10 minutes or so – and repeating until all of the milk is used.
It should take between 45-55 minutes to use all of your milk with this staggered approach.
Finally, add a tablespoon each of the following: butter, honey, granulated sugar and kosher salt. Then add two tablespoons of vanilla extract – and stir it up!
Serve in bowls, topped with a small pat of butter, cinnamon powder and dried cranberries.
It’s beyond delicious!
How does this Norwegian porridge taste?
I gotta tell you… I’m a huge fan of risgrøt!
Not only is there an unreal buttery creaminess – it’s got the perfect balance of salty and sweet. And, oh… that lovely hint of vanilla!
The addition of dried cranberries gives this Norwegian porridge a pop of color and fruitiness. You can serve with or without the fruit – or even substitute cranberries for other dried fruits. I bet even nuts would work!
Play around with the toppings until you find the right combination for you – and enjoy it with a warm pumpkin spice latte!
The perfect winter porridge
I think I’ll be adding this Norwegian porridge to my Christmas day breakfast menu.
This warming and comforting cinnamon spiced porridge would actually be the perfect, yummy addition to any winter morning. So, in reality, there are no holiday get-togethers required to whip up a hearty batch of risgrøt.
And, traditions are whet we make them, right!?
Regardless of the day on the calendar, your tastebuds will be celebrating!
And – hey – if you’re still curious about how to make rice porridge, here are a couple global porridge recipes you might be interested in: ginger and cilantro congee and okayu (Japanese congee).
Did you like this Norwegian Porridge Recipe? Are there changes you made that you would like to share? Share your tips and recommendations in the comment section below!
This recipe is one of many included in my ecookbook!
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51 of the best appetizers, sides, stir fries, main, noodles & rice, desserts & drinks from the blog.
Simple and easy dishes made healthier, with calories and fat content provided. Tried and tested by my readers and loved by everyone!
Norwegian Porridge With Dried Cranberries

What a delicious breakfast treat! This Norwegian Porridge Recipe is creamy, salty and sweet and is served with a sprinkle of cinnamon and dried cranberries on top.
- Prep Time: 5 minutes
- Cook Time: 60 minutes
- Total Time: 65 minutes
- Yield: 3 people 1x
- Category: Breakfast
- Method: Stove top
- Cuisine: Norwegian
Ingredients
- 3/4 cup white (medium grain rice)
- 1 1/2 cup water
- 2 1/2 cups 1% milk
- 1 tablespoon butter
- 1 tablespoon honey
- 1 tablespoon granulated sugar
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- cinnamon powder for topping
- dried cranberries for topping
- butter for topping
Instructions
- In a medium size pot, add rice and water and bring to a boil. Lower heat to a gentle simmer, cover and leave for 10 minutes, or until all the water is absorbed.
- Add 1/3 of the milk, stir, cover and leave until the consistency thickens. Add a little more milk every time the porridge’s consistency thickens – approximately every 5-10 minutes or so. Repeat until all the milk is used, porridge is thick and rice is tender. The entire process should take 45-55 minutes.
- Add butter, honey, sugar, salt, and vanilla extract and stir well.
- Turn the heat off and serve porridge in bowls topped with a small pat of butter (optional), a little cinnamon powder and dried cranberries.
Notes
This Norwegian porridge recipe will keep refrigerated for up to 2-3 days.
Keywords: recipe, brunch, rice pudding, Christmas
Melanie says
This the exact recipe my Norwegian family uses for rice pudding except with more sugar. We serve it warm with cinnamon and sugar sprinkled on top!
★★★★★
Andreya says
It looks so delicious and tempting a lot. Thanks for sharing the post
Jennifer says
Have you tried this with vegan butter or know of anyone who has? Or do you think it would even taste good?
Caroline Phelps says
Hi Jennifer, I haven’t but I use vegan butter all the time and to me, it tastes very similar to regular butter, so I think it would be fine 🙂
Emily says
Can i use almond milk instead of 1%?
Caroline Phelps says
Hi Emily, yes you can 🙂
Meghan says
Could I use long grain rice instead?
Caroline Phelps says
Hi Meghan, unfortunately long grain rice won’t work for this recipe, you won’t get the same ooey gooey texture. You can get medium grain rice easily at the store, Goya is the brand I use 🙂
Taylor L says
Does this recipe do well as leftovers? I’d love to meal prep this! Looks delicious!
Caroline Phelps says
Hi Taylor! Yes you can keep the risgrot as leftovers, the texture will be thicker but you can add a little milk and extra butter to thin it and bring back the silkiness 🙂
Tawny says
Thought Id add my two cents, and say that risgrøt the next day is my favourite! Straight out of the fridge, with the same toppings its like a chilled pudding, delicious!
Caroline Phelps says
That’s great to know Tawny, thank you for sharing!
Henrik says
Combined with with wipped cream, a little sugar and a pinch vanilla, cold risgrøt makes a very nice dessert called riskrem. Traditionally eaten during the yule-holiday, often served with strawberry sauce. In my opinion best if you hold back on the sugar!
Lauren says
This is amazing. A new family favorite!
★★★★★
Caroline Phelps says
Thank you Lauren! 🙂
Hannah says
This was so easy to make and so delicious I love the sweet and salty combination! I also added granola on top for crunch and a little more sweetness. Thanks for sharing!
★★★★★
Mary Beth Elderton says
This sounds wonderful!