Coconut Porridge

On chilly mornings I love this easy, creamy and delicious coconut porridge. Although fabulous on its own I like to top with fruit, seeds, nuts or nut butter for a nutritious, filling breakfast. To ring the changes, I sometimes flavour my Coconut Porridge by cooking fruits like banana or apple and blackberry along with the oats.

Porridge Ain’t What It Used To Be… Thankfully

In my childhood home, back in the 1970s and early 80s, porridge was a pretty dismal affair. Firstly, my family bought sterilized milk. Sterilized milk. Why? This thin, tasteless stuff is heated to a high temperature so can be kept at room temperature for long periods. But even our humble home had a fridge, so why?

We’d sprinkle white sugar over our bowl of porridge, occasionally jam or, my favourite, a drizzle of Lyon’s Golden Syrup. That was about as exciting as it got.

Thankfully, those days are over and porridge has come into its own. Gone is its worthy but boring image. Instead we have porridge bars, porridge vans and even pop-up porridge cafes where all manner of oaty goodness is served up.

When I make porridge, its base is almost always a creamy coco-nutty delight. And in our house it never appears without a bright topping of fruits, seeds, nuts or a drizzle of nut butter. Or all of the above.

CREAMY COCONUT MILK

Coconut is one of my favourite flavours. I love it whether fresh, dried, as milk or crunchy shavings and in so many things, sweet and savoury. But I think coconut milk has to be just about the best coconut product there is. Rich and creamy, I could eat it by the spoonful and it makes a fabulous base for porridge.

Of course it tastes so unctuous because it’s pretty high in fat. But most of that it is in the form of medium chain fatty acids (MCFAs) and, eaten in moderation, coconut milk is thought to have health benefits.

While I have no problem with cow’s milk, we don’t routinely buy it as we rarely use it. I love cow’s milk yogurt and always have some in the fridge, but milk we buy as needed – usually for making something like cheese sauce.

I always keep cans of coconut milk in the cupboard, and some bags of coconut milk powder too. Coconut milk powder is great for small amounts as you just mix up exactly what you need.

For Coconut Porridge, I use a 50:50 mix of canned coconut milk and water. I find this gives plenty of creaminess without making it cloying or too calorific.

COCONUT PORRIDGE

For Coconut Porridge, besides rolled oats (bigger and with more chew than those labelled ‘porridge oats’), coconut milk and water, I add vanilla extract for flavour plus a little sweetness. Honey is my choice of sweetener, but you could substitute maple syrup, coconut sugar, ordinary sugar or just leave it out. I also add a level tablespoon of desiccated coconut per person, simply because you can never have too much coconut!

I always make my porridge in the microwave as it’s so quick and easy. If you don’t use microwaves, then cook over a low to medium heat, stirring, until done to your liking. As I like my oats to still have some texture, I don’t want them cooked too long, so I mix everything together, microwave on high for 2 minutes, stir, then microwave for another 2 minutes.

After stirring again, you can serve up the coconut porridge and then the fun really starts as you add your toppings.

TOPPINGS

For Coconut Porridge, shavings of coconut are a fitting and satisfyingly chewy addition, so I almost always scatter a handful over each bowl.

I think some crunch in the form of nuts and seeds is a good idea and increases the nutritional value too. Pecans, hazelnuts, walnuts, almonds, sunflower, sesame, pumpkin and hemp seeds are all good, so use whatever you have.

There will always be some fruit on my porridge too, such as bananas, nectarines, strawberries or plums. Fresh fruit is great, but don’t forget frozen fruit. I always keep a range of fruit in the freezer as it’s great for whizzing up smoothies, but there’s still a place for them in the colder months. Slightly warmed (1 – 2 minutes in the microwave if frozen) so they begin to release their juices, blackberries, blueberries, raspberries and dark cherries are all wonderful spooned over Coconut Porridge.

I’m a fan of canned fruit too. One unexpectedly chilly morning, I even used some leftover canned pineapple that had been destined for a smoothie.  Fancying porridge instead, I firstly browned the drained chunks of tinned pineapple in butter, brown sugar and mixed spice. Then I bubbled it to reduce the liquid to a syrup. This delicious warm topping complemented the tropical flavour of Coconut Porridge wonderfully.

Finally, don’t forget nut butters like peanut, almond or cashew. I often use these in smoothies to add flavour and nutrition, and a little drizzle over Coconut Porridge is good too.

FLAVOURING THE PORRIDGE

As well as adding different toppings, you can vary the Coconut Porridge by using different milks such as almond, hemp, cashew or cow’s.

I love to stir different fruits and flavourings into the oats before cooking and here’s a few of my favourites:

• mashed or chopped ripe banana
• grated apple & raisins
• grated carrot, orange zest, sultanas & mixed spice for a taste of carrot cake
• chopped or grated apple, blackberries & cinnamon, topped with hazelnuts plus more apple & fresh blackberries

How do you serve your porridge?

Print

Coconut Porridge

Easy, creamy & delicious coconut porridge, fabulous on its own or top with fruit, seeds, nuts or nut butter. You can also flavour the porridge with fruit such as banana or blackberries.

Course Breakfast

Cuisine British

Keyword porridge, coconut porridge

Prep Time 5 minutes

Cook Time 5 minutes

Total Time 13 minutes

Servings 2 servings

Ingredients

• 90 g rolled oats or porridge oats
• 2 tbsp desiccated coconut
• 200 ml coconut milk, canned
• 200 ml water
• 2 tsp honey or other sweetener optional
• 1 tsp vanilla extract optional
• to serve: coconut shavings, fruit, nuts, seeds, nut butter optional

Instructions

1. Take a large microwave-safe bowl and add the oats, desiccated coconut, coconut milk and water plus sweetener and vanilla extract if using.
   

2. Give everything a good stir, then microwave on high for 2 minutes.
   

3. Stir again then microwave for a further 2 minutes, or until done to your liking.
   

4. Stir again, then divide between two serving bowls. Top the porridge with your choice of fruits, nuts, seeds and nut butter.

Recipe Notes

To include more fruit or flavouring in the Coconut Porridge, add these with the rest of the ingredients before micowaving, e.g. mashed banana, grated apple, blackberries, grated carrot or ground spices such cinnamon or ginger.

To make on the hob instead of a microwave, combine all the porridge ingredients in a saucepan and cook over a low to medium heat, stirring constantly until cooked to your liking.