"The four long house tables were laden with tureens of porridge, plates of kippers, mountains of toast, and dishes of eggs and bacon, beneath the enchanted ceiling (today, a dull, cloudy gray). Harry and Ron sat down at the Gryffindor table next to Hermione, who had her copy of Voyages with Vampires propped open against a milk jug." - Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets
What is porridge, exactly?
Porridge is a breakfast dish most commonly comprised of crushed or ground grain, often oats, that have been boiled in water or milk with a bit of salt and served hot. Though very similar, the largest differentiator between Scottish Porridge, Irish Oatmeal, and American Oatmeal is that Scottish Porridge is generally made with fine stone ground oats, Irish Oatmeal is generally made with coarser ground steel cut or "pinhead" oats, and American Oatmeal is generally made with rolled oats.
In Scotland, porridge is often served with milk or cream and various toppings such as sugar, honey, maple syrup, butter, and fresh or dried fruit. My recipe also adds a touch of nutmeg, cinnamon, and vanilla to the porridge base for a bit of aromatic sweetness.
Scottish Porridge fit for the Hogwarts Great Hall
In the Harry Potter books, porridge makes a regular appearance at the Hogwarts breakfast table where Harry, Ron, and Hermione dine each morning. Though favored toppings aren't mentioned, one can assume that the house elves supplied plenty of options for dressing their porridge bowls up with.
Some of my favorite Hogwarts Scottish Porridge toppings are:
- Fresh fruit: strawberries, blueberries, raspberries, blackberries, peaches, nectarines, bananas, pears, apples, plums
- Dried fruit: raisins, currants, blueberries, apricots
- Nut and seed butter: peanut butter, almond butter, cashew butter, sun butter
- Roasted nuts and seeds: Almonds, hazelnuts, pecans, walnuts, sunflower seeds
- Homemade Nutella (get the recipe!)
- Jam
- Greek yogurt
- Raw honey
- Maple syrup
- Brown coconut sugar
- Butter
- Shredded coconut
- Cocoa nibs
- Milk, nut milk, or cream
Easy meal prep
The other thing that makes this Hogwarts Scottish Porridge a favorite go-to, is that it works wonderfully for easy meal prep during the week. Make a big batch of porridge on Sunday morning and pop the remaining into microwavable glass storage containers or Weck jars for easy, packable breakfasts the rest of the week.
A note for special diets
I've included nutrition information for the finished porridge, sans toppings as those can be added to preference and taste. I prefer using Scottish oats from Bob's Red Mill, who offers traditional, organic, and gluten-free Scottish oat options. Though oats are generally gluten-free in their original form, there can often be gluten contamination from the processing facility, so it's nice that Bob's Red Mill offers a specific option that is processed in a gluten-free facility for those with a strict intolerance or allergy.
Depending on your dietary preferences and choice of toppings, Hogwarts Scottish Porridge can easily fit gluten-free, refined sugar-free, vegetarian, vegan, and low-FODMAP diets.
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Hogwarts Scottish Porridge
- Cook Time: 12 minutes
- Total Time: 14 minutes
- Yield: 4 servings 1x
- Category: Breakfast
- Method: Stovetop
- Cuisine: British, Scottish
- Diet: Gluten Free
Description
Hogwarts Scottish Porridge is featured in the Harry Potter books as a favorite breakfast dish that Harry, Ron, and Hermione enjoy in the Great Hall.
Ingredients
- 1 cup Scottish oats
- 1 ½ cups milk (may sub dairy-free milk alternative if you wish)
- 1 ½ cups water
- ½ tsp ground nutmeg
- ½ tsp ground cinnamon
- ¼th teaspoon sea salt
- ½ tsp vanilla (optional)
The Hogwarts Scottish Porridge depicted in this post is dressed with the following toppings:
- Bowl #1: Strawberries, raspberries, blackberries, Greek yogurt
- Bowl #2: Pecans, sliced almonds, melted brown coconut sugar
For more topping ideas check out the Scottish Porridge Fit for the Hogwarts Great Hall section earlier in the post.
Instructions
- Bring oats, milk, water, and salt to a simmer in a medium pot over medium-high heat.
- Once oats begin to simmer, lower heat to medium-low and allow to cook for 5-7 minutes, stirring occasionally. The porridge should have begun to thicken by now.
- Add nutmeg, cinnamon, and vanilla, stirring to combine.
- Cook for an additional 1-2 minutes or until the porridge is thick but pourable.
- Remove from heat and allow to cool for 1-2 minutes. The porridge will thicken even further at this time.
- Serve immediately with desired toppings. Leftovers make for great packable meal prep breakfasts when stored in microwavable glass storage containers or Weck jars.
Notes
Nutritional information on Whip & Wander is provided as a courtesy and is approximate only. We cannot guarantee the accuracy of the nutritional information given for any recipe on this site.
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 serving porridge made with whole milk (no toppings)
- Calories: 199
- Sugar: 5 g
- Sodium: 134 mg
- Fat: 5 g
- Saturated Fat: 2 g
- Carbohydrates: 31 g
- Fiber: 3 g
- Protein: 7 g
- Cholesterol: 9 mg
Keywords: harry potter, porridge, breakfast, hot cereal, Scottish, Hogwarts
Would just like to say that if you have a coffee grinder or a Nutri-bullet with a seed grinder or whatever, you can make your own Scottish oats, just use 1 cup rolled oats throw them in the grinder until all the whole oats disappear, it only takes a couple seconds, or else you will end up with oat flour if you grind it too long. This was my first time having real porridge, I was skeptical about the liquid quantity,it is way more than regular oats, but the recipe is quite right. Thanks. I really enjoyed it.
★★★★★
My children and I ‘conjured’ this porridge to celebrate Harry Potter’s birthday. One added sliced bananas, the other maple syrup, Thumbs-up all around!! The novelty of eating like at Hogwarts was powerful: the one who is usually revolted by oatmeal asked for more porridge the following morning! Thank you for sharing your recipe and your beautiful photos!
Rebecca, thank you so much for your kind words. I am delighted that your children loved this recipe and you all had fun celebrating the occasion together!
We have porridge most mornings when it's cold - I even use a spurtle! I like mine with a little bit of cream on top too (only on special occasions for that!).
★★★★★
I'm loving this Harry Potter series! Definitely making this with my kiddo when we start reading the books. Nutritious AND exciting. 🙂
★★★★★
Thanks, Trish! I hope you and the kiddos enjoy!
Your creativity is awesome! I love oatmeal. I could eat it every day...and this is anew prep method for me. YAY. More ways to enjoy it. I think the toppings are the best part...great suggestions.
★★★★★
Thanks, Debra! No excuses for a boring bowl of porridge!
I make breakfast at our house and I'm always looking for new ways to prepare oatmeal. Haven't tried the porridge but sounds like a great way to switch things up.
★★★★★
It's really a fun recipe. Make sure to check out the full list of ideas for topping your porridge. There's no excuse for a boring bowl of cereal with it!
You know, I never knew what the difference crease between porridge and oatmeal! Thanks so much for that little lesson! Also, I just love love love all yourHarry Potter recipes. I’m bookmarking them all for when my girls start reading the books. It will be soooo fun to create these with them!!
★★★★★
Thanks, Tracy! I hope you and your girls love making and eating them together!
I've always been a little on-the-fence about porridge, but a) the way you've dressed it up in these gorgeous photos is making me wonder why exactly I've resisted in the past, and b) Harry Potter! C'mon, who hasn't wished that they could dive into one of those gigantic Hogwart's spreads? It's literary-culinary-escapism at its best. My kids are just a touch on the young side to start diving into Harry Potter but I figure it's coming soon. We'll have to plan a themed breakfast 😀
★★★★★
I think so many people are on the fence about hot cereal because they've had bad experiences in the past (cough instant packets). But homemade porridge is totally delicious! I hope you give this recipe a try!