A cozy warming breakfast, this creamy coconut milk porridge will fast become a family favorite! Easy to make with pantry staples, it's a vegan and gluten free oatmeal that comes together in just 10 minutes.
Have a peek at my oat milk porridge for another quick and easy breakfast idea!
Making this coconut milk porridge recipe is so easy, yet it feels quite special with its indulgent creamy taste. Perfect for both a quick weekday breakfast or a more leisurely weekend brunch during the fall and winter months, it goes down well with kids and adults alike!
Much like my popular apple porridge and berry porridge, this recipe is super simple and uses ingredients most of us have in the pantry or are on our weekly shopping list. You can of course add fun toppings, and I've given some suggestions below.
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⭐ Why this recipe is so good
Creamy and indulgent. Coconut milk has the best creamy, slightly sweet and comforting taste, and gives the oatmeal so much flavor.
Pantry staples. We use just 5 ingredients to make this porridge, or 3 if you prefer to leave out the spices!
Easy to make. As such an easy breakfast idea, and a one pot recipe, it's so good for a weekday family treat to start the day.
🥥 Ingredients
All the ingredients and their quantities are set out in the recipe card below.
Some notes to help guide you:
- Oats - I suggest to use rolled oats rather than steel cut oats or quick-cook oats. They have the best texture for making oatmeal, and of course use certified gluten free oats if you have that dietary requirement.
- Coconut milk - while you can use light coconut milk that comes in a can, this porridge is better made with the pouring or drinking kind of coconut milk that comes in a carton and is often called 'coconut drink'.
- Ground ginger and cardamom - these are optional, but do give the porridge a lovely spiced flavor.
🍎 Suggestions for toppings
While this porridge is delicious as it is, you can always make it extra special with some additions:
- Fresh fruit
- Mango coulis or rhubarb sauce
- Apple and pear compote, mango compote or rhubarb compote
- Nuts or seeds, such as pumpkin seeds or chia seeds
- Desiccated coconut
📖 Swaps and variations
Swap coconut milk for another non-dairy milk. Of course, it wouldn't make this a coconut milk porridge, but you can use oat milk or other milk if you're out!
Swap the spices. If you prefer the taste of nutmeg, a little pinch would work as a nice swap, perhaps alongside cinnamon if it works for you (some readers may wish to have a read of my low histamine spices post for more on this topic!).
🔪 Step by step instructions
Making this creamy oatmeal with coconut milk is very easy to do with minimal ingredients, and just a few steps.
Full instructions are given in the recipe card below, but these photos should help guide you.
Step 1: Combine porridge ingredients.
Add the oats, coconut milk and spices to your pot (image 1).
Step 2: Cook the coconut porridge.
Bring the porridge to a light simmer, and cook for 6-8 minutes, stirring frequently (image 2).
Adjust with more milk if you prefer a thinner consistency, then spoon into your bowls and drizzle over maple syrup.
💭 Expert recipe tips and notes
- Don't let it boil. There is always debate as to whether you should boil porridge or not. Personally I think it has a better taste and texture to simply bring to a light simmer, not a boil.
- Keep stirring the porridge. To get a deliciously creamy porridge it's best to stir quite frequently.
- Adjust the texture. We all like our porridge to a different consistency, whether very thick or thinner. This recipe makes a fairly thick porridge, so pour in more milk to thin, to preference.
- Up the spice! For a spiced porridge, you can always sprinkle in a little more ginger or cardamom, or add some other spices too.
📋 Frequently asked questions
I suggest using drinking coconut milk that typically comes in a carton and is often labelled coconut drink.
Yes, they are the same breakfast! In the UK it is typically called porridge, whereas in the US it is called oatmeal.
If you are gluten free then you need to use certified gluten free oats to make porridge.
Coconut milk is given as low histamine on the SIGHI list. However, it is always best to check the ingredients label of all products to be sure you tolerate them. You may like to see my low histamine breakfast ideas round-up for more tasty ideas!
🍽 How to serve coconut milk porridge
Serve with these fun sides, toppings and drinks for an indulgent breakfast:
- Top with fresh fruit, or perhaps my blueberry applesauce or blackberry apple compote for extra sweetness.
- Serve with a cozy drink such as my honey milk, cardamon spice milk, nutmeg warm milk or lemongrass tea for caffeine free options. See my low histamine tea ideas for even more options!
- Pair with a healthy smoothie or juice such as my pear apple smoothie or apple ginger juice for all the vitamins!
📖 Freezing guidance
It is possible to freeze porridge. Simply portion into a freezer safe container for up to three months, then reheat on the stove top. You may need to add extra coconut milk to adjust the texture to preference.
🥣 More breakfast recipes
Find lots of cozy warm breakfast recipes here, including my popular spiced pear porridge and oat milk rice pudding, as well as these tasty sweet and savory options:
I'm always in the kitchen, so come join me on Instagram, Facebook and Pinterest to be the first to hear of new recipes! And I love to hear from you - so please do leave a star rating ⭐⭐⭐ and comment if you've tried the recipe!
📖 Recipe
Coconut Milk Porridge
Ingredients
- ½ cup oats gluten free, if required
- 1 cup coconut milk*
- ¼ teaspoon cardamom optional
- ¼ teaspoon ground ginger optional
- 1 teaspoon maple syrup
Instructions
- Tip the oats into your pot along with the cardamom and ground ginger, if using. Pour in the coconut milk. Stir and bring to a light simmer. Cook for 6-8 minutes, stirring often.
- Spoon the porridge into your bowls, drizzle on the maple syrup and top with fruit, nuts or seeds if you like. Serve immediately.
Notes
- Don't let it boil. Bring to a light simmer, not a boil.
- Keep stirring the porridge. For a creamy porridge it's best to stir quite frequently.
- Adjust the texture. This recipe makes a fairly thick porridge, so pour in more milk to thin, to preference.
- coconut milk scores 0, but be mindful of any additional ingredients.
- ginger, which scores 1.
- cardamom scores 0, but has a note that some varieties may not be tolerated.
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