How long does it take to make Porridge?

Bring the oats to a boil with milk and water, and cook over a low flame, stirring, until the porridge is soft and thick: about 15 minutes, longer for whole oats.

12 minTotal

6 minActive time

6 minSetting

Step by Step

#	What to do	How long
1	Bring the milk and salt to a gentle boil in a saucepan	5 min
2	Add the oats. Turn down to low and simmer, stirring 5–7 minutes	6 min
3	Pour into bowls and serve hot	1 min

How to Tell It's Done

until the porridge thickens

Common Mistakes

A gentle simmer, not a boil: a hard boil dries the food out and clouds it, a slow simmer cooks it evenly.

More Ways

Add the semolina slowly to the boiling liquid, stirring or whisking vigorously so no lumps form, and cook over low heat about 5 minutes, until the porridge is thick and smooth.
Polenta: 1 cup polenta (cornmeal) to about 4 cups liquid (water, stock or milk) with salt; bring to a boil, sprinkle in the cornmeal gradually while stirring, and cook 5–10 minutes, until soft, thick and bubbling; turn off the heat and stir in butter and Parmesan.

The full recipe: Porridge →

Recipes with Porridge

Oatmeal with Berries and Honey

Creamy Mamaliga with Parmesan Cheese

Oatmeal with Fruit

Asida – Sweet Semolina Porridge

Creamy Polenta with Cheese

Mamounia – Sweet Iraqi Semolina Porridge

Traditional Semolina Porridge

Basisa - Yemeni Semolina Porridge

Milk Semolina - Semolina Pudding

Semolina Dessert with Berries