Porridge Basic Recipe – The 5 Best Tips

Organic oat porridge – The best porridge recipes

Porridge is easy to prepare. Porridge originally comes from Scotland and the first porridge recipe consists of just three ingredients: oats, milk and salt. However, you can prepare the breakfast porridge in just as many different ways and with different toppings such as fruits, nuts and seeds. We at Verival are porridge experts and we will show you 5 tips on how to make Scottish organic porridge yourself.

Porridge is becoming more and more popular. This hot breakfast not only tastes good, but also has many health benefits.

This article will show you how to prepare your own delicious porridge breakfast and how to best refine it. We have the perfect porridge recipes for you to make yourself.

Now to the Verival porridge

Porridge recipes: porridge made from oats that you can make yourself.

Basic porridge recipe – sugar-free and vegan

Scottish porridge is quick and easy to prepare. You only need three ingredients for the basic recipe, and then you can add your favourite fruits and spices.

Preparation time 10 mins.

Course: breakfast

Servings: 1

Ingredients

• 180 ml milk or plant-based drink
• 3-4 tbsp oats
• 1 pinch of salt
  

Preparation

• Bring the milk (or plant-based drink) to the boil in a pan.
• Add the oats and turn the heat down to low.
• Simmer for about 5 minutes (stirring constantly with a wooden spoon to prevent the milk from burning and to give the porridge a nice creamy texture).
  
• Remove the pot from the stove and let the porridge steep until it reaches the right consistency.
• Finally, add a pinch of salt. This will bring out the flavour of the oats even more, whether you like your porridge with sweet or savoury toppings.

Basic recipe: oat porridge

Here is the simple recipe for the popular oat porridge that is an indispensable part of most breakfast tables.

Preparation time: 2 min.

Steep porridge: 3 min.

Total time: 5 min.

Calories: 320 kcal

Ingredients

• 250 ml milk or a plant-based alternative for vegans (oat milk, almond milk, soy milk, etc.)
• 50 g oats (grams of oats)
• 1 pinch of salt
• 2 teaspoons of agave syrup optional
• 1/2 teaspoon of cinnamon of your choice

Preparation

• Bring the oats to the boil with a pinch of salt and the sweetener of your choice in the milk or plant-based drink (ideally stirring constantly). Cooking the cereal with just hot water is also an option.
• Leave the porridge to stand for 3 minutes.
• Empty the porridge into a bowl and sprinkle with cinnamon.
• Enjoy!

Nutritional information

Calories: 320 kcal

Basic porridge recipe: How to prepare it

Making your own warm organic porridge is easy and takes about 5 minutes to cook. You can, of course, adjust the portion size. In these five simple steps, we'll explain how to cook and prepare your porridge – let's get started:

1. Toast the oats briefly

The first step is not absolutely necessary, but it does make your porridge all the more aromatic. If you briefly roast the delicate oat flakes, coarser or seeded oat flakes – whichever you prefer – in a pot or pan (without oil), you will give them a nutty aroma for your porridge.

2. Add the liquid of your choice

Then add the oats together with the liquid of your choice, such as water, cow's milk or a plant-based alternative (e.g. almond milk, rice milk, etc.), to a pan. Use milk in your porridge for a guaranteed creamy texture. If you like your porridge to have a fruity flavour, you can also add a grated apple, fruit or berries when it comes to the boil. The low-calorie option is porridge with water. Read more about whether porridge with milk or water is healthier.

3. Bring the oats to the boil slowly and stir

Bring it all to the boil on a medium heat, and then comes the most important step in making porridge: the stirring. To get the porridge the right consistency, which is often referred to as ‘sloppy’, you should constantly stir the ingredients in the pot well – this is how the wonderfully creamy porridge is created.

Traditionally, in Scotland, the country where porridge originated, a tool called a spurtle was used to stir the oatmeal. Alternatively, you can of course simply use a wooden spoon.

4. Add a little salt to your porridge

A pinch of salt is not only a must for savoury dishes, but also for sweet porridge dishes. Once you have removed your porridge from the heat, you can refine the oatmeal with various spices such as cinnamon, cocoa and vanilla.

5. Add toppings such as fruits and seeds

To round off the flavour of your porridge dish, you need the right toppings. You can add various seeds such as flaxseed or chia seeds to your porridge, as well as healthy nuts (hazelnuts, walnuts, cashews...) for a high concentration performance. You can also turn your porridge into a special treat by adding fresh fruit, apple sauce or a variety of berries (raspberries, strawberries, blueberries, etc.). And every now and then, you can even add a few chocolate shavings.

Find out why porridge is so healthy and what the health benefits of a warm porridge breakfast are. You will also learn more tips on how to eat porridge every day.

Verival porridges – discover them now

Preparing porridge when you're short of time?

If you prefer to have breakfast at the office during the week or sometimes just don't have time to prepare your own porridge, you can try our delicious Verival varieties.

They can be prepared in just three minutes with the help of a kettle or microwave. Our organic porridges contain only the highest quality ingredients, and a portion of Verival porridge will give you all the good feelings in your tummy.

Here is a helpful video on how to prepare porridge:

What is porridge actually?

What exactly is porridge? For those who have only heard about porridge so far, we would like to briefly explain what it is. Porridge is quite simply a warm oat mixture made from combining the two ingredients oats and milk (cow's milk, plant-based milk as a milk alternative (such as oat milk, rice milk or almond milk) or water and boiling them together until a mushy consistency is achieved.

This warm porridge breakfast is particularly popular at the moment because it is so healthy. But why is it so healthy? Porridge keeps you full for a long time and the oat flakes it contains are a real superfood. Porridge is an excellent source of fibre. A portion of porridge provides almost a third of the recommended daily requirement of fibre. The German Nutrition Society (DGE) recommends that adults consume 30 g of fibre per day. Find out more about the health benefits of a warm porridge breakfast in this article.

What is porridge? Read more now!

Porridge without oats – is that possible?

Even if you prepare the classic breakfast with oat flakes, it doesn't always have to be oats. You can also mix it with rice, spelt, quinoa, amaranth, millet or buckwheat, for example.

Buckwheat, for example, is a pseudocereal that is gluten-free and also contains numerous vitamins and minerals. To do this, simply soak 50 grams of buckwheat in water overnight.

The next day, you should then rinse the buckwheat well. Then you can add the swollen buckwheat to a pan with a liquid of your choice, such as water, cow's milk or plant-based milk, and simmer until it has reached the desired consistency.

If you fancy a change, why not try our new gluten-free coconut and orange rice porridge (calories: 361 kcal per 100 g).

We can warmly recommend our new apricot-strawberry spelt porridge to all spelt fans. The apricot-strawberry spelt porridge from Verival has 334 calories per 100 g. So you can see that it doesn't always have to be oats.

Verival porridges without oats

Toppings give your porridge that extra something

In another article, we have already introduced you to the eight best toppings for your porridge, with which you can get more out of your breakfast.

Here is a brief summary of the various toppings that you can use to quickly and easily modify your warm oat porridge:

1. Apples

2. Berries

3. Nuts

4. Honey, cinnamon and cocoa

5. kiwi, mango and passion fruit

6. currants and pomegranate

7. chia seeds, flax seeds and hemp seeds

8. pumpkin seeds and sunflower seeds

Organic porridge from Verival – another delicious recipe

Organic porridge from Tyrol – at Verival you will find a wide range of varieties and recipes that you can easily make yourself at home.

Here you will find a low-calorie and healthy breakfast porridge recipe that also tastes great. And you don't always have to use milk for your porridge.

Would you like to know your calorie requirement? The calorie calculator will tell you! Try it out!

Calculate your calorie requirement now

3 different porridge variations

Cold breakfast porridge as overnight oats

If you don't feel like having a warm porridge, you can also prepare overnight oats.

Overnight oats are simply oats that have been soaked overnight and mixed with milk (cow's milk, plant-based milk) or water and stored in the refrigerator overnight.

Find out more about how to prepare overnight oats and the benefits of overnight oats and porridge. Which flavour do you like best?

The winter version with cinnamon, apples and nuts

In winter and during the cold season, you can refine the porridge with various delicious spices such as cinnamon, cloves or vanilla powder. You can also use various nuts and apples as toppings to prepare your own baked apple porridge, which tastes great. Agave syrup or maple syrup is also a good way to round it off. How about adding a glass of milk or a milk alternative?

Summer porridge with fresh fruit and coconut

You can easily transform your porridge into a summer version. One option would be apricot crumble with coconut-apricot porridge and vanilla ice cream. The apricot coconut porridge from Verival has calories: 398 kcal per 100g. In addition, berries are also in season in summer and are perfect as a topping for your porridge.

As you can see, with a small shopping list and a little love, it's not difficult to prepare your own oat porridge. You only need two ingredients for the basic recipe and it doesn't take longer than ten minutes to prepare. Would you like to learn more about hot breakfasts in general and their positive effects on our body? Then read more about it here in our article about hot breakfasts according to TCM.

Breakfast porridge from Verival

In our Verival blog, you will also find many porridge recipes and inspiration for your power breakfast that you can easily make yourself. You are welcome to try our porridge variations for preparation. Let us know which recipe or recipes you liked best.

When developing our products, we focus not only on healthy nutrition but also on a wide range of flavours – many breakfast ideas are waiting to be discovered by you. You can buy the different porridges in our online shop.

Fancy some porridge?

Frequently asked questions

Why is porridge so healthy?

The main ingredient in the basic recipe is oats. Wholegrain oats are high in nutrients and contain lots of magnesium, iron and folic acid. They are also a great source of protein. 100 g of oats contain 14 g of protein. Oats are also high in fibre, which is why a healthy bowl of porridge will keep us full for hours and even help us lose weight.

What is the difference between oat rings and porridge?

Porridge is the classic oat dish, also known as oatmeal. It is prepared with hot water, milk or plant-based milk. The basic recipe uses oat flakes as the main ingredient. Nowadays, this breakfast classic is prepared in a wide variety of ways, including without oat flakes. Rice, spelt, quinoa, amaranth, millet or buckwheat can be used as a substitute.

Can you lose weight with porridge?

The clear answer is yes! Oats contain a lot of fibre, which is essential for good digestion and a healthy gut. The complex carbohydrates in porridge are perfect for losing weight, even though they are not low carb. But these carbohydrates keep you full for longer and give you the right energy for the day.

How much oatmeal do you need for a bowl of porridge?

The basic recipe: 50 grams of oats and 200-250 ml of cow's milk, plant-based milk or water. The amount can be adjusted according to your preference. You can also add toppings to your porridge.

What is the difference between muesli and porridge?

The difference is the preparation. For porridge, the oats are heated with liquid (water, cow's milk, plant-based milk) and stirred to a creamy consistency. For muesli, the oats are simply soaked in liquid. Muesli and porridge can then be refined with a wide variety of ingredients.

Which is healthier, oats or spelt?

Both oats and spelt are very healthy. They contain lots of fibre and are high in protein. Oats and spelt also contain B vitamins and phosphorus.

Is porridge healthy in the evening?

Thanks to its valuable ingredients, porridge is very healthy to eat both in the morning and at night. Having a warm bowl of porridge for dinner replenishes your nutrient stores, which support the body's repair processes during the night. Verival offers a variety of different flavours, including savoury options.

Which is healthier, porridge with milk or water?

It depends on what you want to achieve. If you want to lose weight, it is certainly better to prepare the porridge only with water or unsweetened tea. Because with milk, it is naturally higher in calories. Many people also tolerate it better with just water. If you want to gain weight and build muscle mass, then you should enjoy it with milk. The iron in the oats can be better utilised and absorbed by your body if you prepare it with water.

How do I make porridge?

You can easily prepare a healthy porridge yourself, especially the basic porridge recipe is quick and easy. You only need three ingredients. Briefly roast the oats in a pan. Put the roasted oats and liquid in a small saucepan. Cook on a medium heat and stir constantly with a wooden spoon, reducing the liquid until the mixture has a mushy consistency. Season with a pinch of salt. Add any toppings you like, such as fruit, dried fruit, nuts, seeds, spices, etc.

Do you eat porridge warm or cold?

Classic porridge is eaten warm. It is particularly easy on the stomach and warms your body comfortably from the inside. The cold version is the so-called overnight oats - oats that are soaked overnight in the refrigerator. So both are possible. Everyone can decide according to their taste what they prefer and what agrees with them better.

Is it healthy to eat porridge every day?

Yes, it definitely is. Oats are rich in nutrients and fibre. They contain iron and many vitamins. Porridge keeps you full for a long time and prevents you from reaching for a snack straight away. Unlike a bread roll, which is made only from white wheat flour, porridge made from oats is a real power food – every morning!

1. Briefly roast oatmeal

The first step is not absolutely necessary, but it makes your porridge even more aromatic. If you roast the tender oatmeal, coarser or gritty oatmeal – whichever you prefer – briefly in the pot or in the pan (without oil), it gives it a nutty aroma for your porridge.

2. Add the liquid of your choice

Then put the oatmeal together with the liquid of your choice such as water, cow's milk or plant-based alternative (e.g. almond milk, rice milk,...) in a pot . Use milk in the porridge , this guarantees a creamy porridge. If you want your porridge to be fruity, you can also add a grated apple, fruit, or berries when cooking. The low-calorie version is porridge with water . Read more about whether porridge with milk or water is healthier .

3. Slowly bring oatmeal to the boil and stir

Let the whole thing boil on medium and then comes the most important step in the porridge preparation: the stirring. In order for the porridge to achieve the right consistency, which is often referred to as "sloppy," you should constantly stir the ingredients in the pot well – this creates the wonderfully creamy porridge.

Traditionally, in Scotland, the country of origin of porridge, the so-called "spurtle" has been used to stir the oatmeal. Alternatively, you can of course simply use a wooden cooking spoon.

4. Refine porridge with a little salt

A pinch of salt should never be missed not only in savory dishes but also in sweet porridge dishes. Once you have removed your porridge from the stove, you can refine it with various spices such as cinnamon, cocoa, and vanilla.

5. Add toppings such as fruits and seeds

To round off your porridge dish in terms of taste, we also have the right toppings . You can therefore also add various seeds such as flaxseeds or chia seeds to your oatmeal , as well as healthy nuts (hazelnuts, walnuts, cashews...) for high concentration performance. You can also make your porridge a special treat with fresh fruit, applesauce, or a variety of berries (raspberries, strawberries, blueberries,...). And from time to time, it may also be a few chocolate sprinkles.

Why porridge is so healthy and what the health benefits of the hot porridge breakfast are, we will tell you here. You will also learn more tips on how to eat your porridge every day.

Porridge preparation when time is short

If you prefer to have breakfast in the office during the week or sometimes you just don't have time to prepare your oatmeal yourself, you can try our delicious Verival variants.

They can be prepared in just 3 minutes with the help of a kettle or microwave. Our organic porridges contain only the highest quality ingredients, and a serving of Verival porridge ensures all the good feelings in your stomach.

Here is a helpful video on porridge preparation:

What is porridge?

What exactly is porridge? For those who have only heard of porridge so far, we would like to briefly explain what this dish is. Porridge is simply a warm oatmeal, in which the two ingredients, oatmeal and milk (cow's milk, plant milk as a milk alternative (such as oat milk, rice milk, or almond milk) or water, are boiled together until a mushy consistency is formed.

This hot porridge breakfast is particularly popular right now because it's so healthy. But why is it so healthy? Porridge keeps you full for a long time, and the oat flakes it contains are a real superfood. Porridge is an excellent source of fiber. One serving of porridge provides nearly one-third of the recommended daily intake of fiber . The German Nutrition Society (DGE) recommends that adults consume 30 g of fiber per day. You can find out more about the health benefits of a hot porridge breakfast in this article.

Porridge without oats – is that possible?

Even if the classic is prepared with oatmeal for breakfast, it does not always have to consist of oatmeal flakes. You can also mix it with rice, spelt, quinoa, amaranth, millet, or buckwheat, for example.

Buckwheat, for example, is a pseudocereal that is gluten-free and also contains numerous vitamins and minerals. Simply soak 50 grams of buckwheat in water overnight.

The next day you should rinse the buckwheat well. You can then simmer the soaked buckwheat in a pot with a liquid of your choice, such as water, cow's milk, or plant milk until the desired consistency has been achieved.

If you feel like a change of pace, try our new gluten-free coconut orange rice porridge (calories: 361 kcal per 100 g).

We can highly recommend our new apricot-strawberry spelt porridge to all spelt fans. The apricot-strawberry spelt porridge from Verival has calories: 334 kcal per 100 g. So you can see that it does not always have to be oats.

Toppings that give your oatmeal an extra edge

In another post, we have already introduced you to the 8 best toppings for your oatmeal , with which you can elevate your breakfast.

Here's a quick recap of the different toppings you can use to quickly and easily transform your warm porridge into a delightful meal:

1. Apples
2. Berries
3. Nuts
4. Honey, cinnamon, and cocoa
5. Kiwi, mango, and passion fruit
6. Ribs and pomegranate
7. Chia seeds, flax seeds, and hemp seeds
8. Pumpkin seeds and sunflower seeds

Verival organic porridge – another delicious recipe

Organic porridge from Tyrol – At Verival you will find a wide variety of variants and recipes that you can easily make at home.

Here, you will find a low-calorie and healthy breakfast porridge recipe that also tastes great. And you don't always have to use just milk for porridge.

Breakfast Recipe: Low-Calorie Weight Loss Porridge (Sugar-Free)

Simple, classic porridge recipe for weight loss. Garnish your porridge with the right toppings, and you have a dreamy, healthy porridge that will help you lose weight.

Preparation time 3 min.

Let the porridge steep for 3 min.

Total time 6 min.

Servings: 1 serving

Calories: 200 kcal

Ingredients

• 50 g oatmeal
• 1 pinch of salt
• 130 ml water
• To taste: Healthy toppings such as berries (e.g., blueberries), chia seeds, flax seeds, healthy oils, fresh fruits, or dried fruits (e.g., apricots or plums). Attention: dried fruits contain many calories.

Preparation

• Heat the water (for example, in a kettle).
• Put the oatmeal in a bowl with the pinch of salt.
• Pour the boiling water into the bowl.
• Stir the porridge well until it reaches a creamy consistency.
• Decorate it with your toppings.

Nutritional values

Calories: 200 kcal

Do you want to know your calorie needs? The calorie calculator will tell you! Try it out!

3 different porridge variations

Cold breakfast porridge as overnight oats

If you don't feel like a warm oatmeal, you can also prepare overnight oats .

Overnight oats are simply oatmeal soaked overnight, mixed together with milk (cow's milk, plant milk) or water, and stored overnight in the refrigerator.

Learn more about how to prepare overnight oats and the benefits of overnight oats and porridge. Which variant do you like best?

The winter version with cinnamon, apples, and nuts

In winter and the cold season, you can enhance your oatmeal porridge with various delicious spices such as cinnamon, cloves, or vanilla powder. Additionally, you can use various nuts and apples for topping, preparing your own roasted apple porridge that tastes great. Agave syrup or maple syrup is also very suitable for rounding off. How about a glass of milk or a milk alternative?

Summer porridge with fresh fruit and coconut

You can also easily turn your oatmeal into a summer version. One option would be the apricot crumble with coconut apricot porridge and vanilla ice cream. The apricot coconut porridge from Verival has calories: 398 kcal per 100g. Additionally, berries are also in season in summer and are perfect as a topping for your porridge.

As you can see, with a small shopping list and a little love, it is not difficult to prepare your oatmeal yourself. You only need two ingredients for the basic recipe, and the preparation does not take longer than 10 minutes. Would you like to learn more about hot breakfasts in general and their positive effects on our bodies? Then read more about the hot breakfast after TCM here in our article.

Verival breakfast oatmeal

In our Verival blog, you will also find many porridge recipes and inspirations for your power breakfast. You can also try our porridge variations for preparation. Tell us which recipe or recipes you liked best.

In addition to healthy nutrition, our product developments also focus on flavor diversity – many breakfast ideas are waiting to be discovered by you. You can buy the different porridge in the online shop.