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.

Add a tablespoon each of the following: butter, honey, and granulated sugar, and one teaspoon of 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!

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