Creamy Porridge Oats
Porridge stands or falls on its ratio. A hundred grams of oats to six hundred millilitres of liquid — roughly 1:3 by volume — gives a porridge that holds the spoon without standing up in it. The second thing that matters: the oats go into cold milk, not boiling milk.
- Prep
- 5 min
- Cook
- 15 min
- Rest
- 5 min
- Total
- 25 min
- Servings
- 2
- Level
- Easy
- Per serving
- 370 kcal
Ingredients
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What to use instead
Instant oats are not a swap for rolled: they want 1:4 and three minutes, or they collapse into slurry.
Makes: 2 deep bowls, about 700 ml
Shopping list
The ingredients for the servings you chose — copy them or send them to a messenger. Tick what you already have at home: only the rest goes on the list.
Method
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Step 1: Measure the ratio
Use 600 ml of liquid to 100 g of oats — 1:6 by weight, about 1:3 by volume. For a looser porridge add another 100 ml; for a stiffer one take the same amount away.
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Step 2: Start everything cold
Tip the oats into a heavy pan and add the milk and water while the pan is still cold. The water stops the milk catching, and the cold start lets the starch come out slowly, which is what makes the porridge creamy.
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Step 3: Bring it up slowly
Set it over medium heat and bring it to a first boil, stirring across the base with a spatula. The moment it starts to rise, drop the heat to its lowest setting.
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Step 4: Cook for 12–15 minutes
Keep it at a barely visible simmer and stir every couple of minutes. It will look thin for most of that time — it thickens in the last five minutes.
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Step 5: Salt it, butter it
A pinch of salt at the end does not make porridge salty, it fills in the hollow in the flavour. Add the butter off the heat and stir until the surface shines.
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Step 6: Let it stand
Cover and leave for 5 minutes; the oats take up the last of the liquid and the porridge visibly thickens. If it goes too far, loosen it with a spoonful of hot milk.
Tips & variations
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Tip
Control thickness with liquid, not cooking time. Longer cooking does not thicken porridge, it breaks the flakes down into paste.
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Swap
Instant oats are not a swap for rolled: they want 1:4 and three minutes, or they collapse into slurry.
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Variation
Toast the dry oats in a dry pan for 3–4 minutes until they smell nutty; the finished porridge tastes noticeably deeper.
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Storage
Two days in the fridge. Reheat with an extra 50 ml of milk per portion or you will be reheating a solid slab.
Nutrition
| 1 serving | Whole dish 2 servings | |
|---|---|---|
| Energy | 370 kcal | 740 kcal |
| Protein | 14 g | 28 g |
| Fat | 15 g | 30 g |
| Carbohydrates | 45 g | 90 g |
Approximate values calculated from standard ingredient data.
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