"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
What a fun way to learn about Scottish porridge and love that this is a perfect breakfast for on the go! I like adding texture to porridge, so nuts are usually what I top mine with. After looking at that fresh berry bowl, I think it's time to mix my flavors up a bit! Delicious!
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I love all your Harry Potter Recipes!! Such a fun idea! I had no idea what the difference between oatmeal and porridge was, so this was so interesting! This Scottish Porridge is so delicious!
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I am such a huge Harry Potter fan. I know my grandson would love this for breakfast next sleepover. I will too. Healthy, nutritious and fun too.
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The name of this porridge is so interesting though it sounds easy to make. I love how simple ingredients you have used.
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This porridge is the guarantee of a good start of the day - it looks great, is delicious and I am sure is very healthy. Just what I prefer in the morning!
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LOVE this literary inspired breakfast dish! I definitely have a few Harry Potter fans in my life that I'm going to have to pass this recipe along to.
This is n awesomely creative recipe, a fellow harry potter lover myself . This makes me feel like im in the castke wallas right now !
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Haha! What a great idea to make porridge from Harry Potter!) I think any picky child will eat it in minutes) I would make myself the one with berries.
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Love love love the HP theme going on in this post! This is such a great breakfast option! Thank you for the great topping idea list!
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A good porridge is always a perfect start to any day. I love the way you cleverly combine the two. Nice read and beautiful pictures. Great recipe indeed. I think I know what I want for my late breakfast now.
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As a kid, I loved porridge for breakfast in the winter. But mine never looked as good as your Harry Potter porridge! This looks and sounds delicious. I particularly like the version with pecans, almonds and brown coconut sugar!
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I love the way this looks with the fruit and greek yogurt! I think I could have this for breakfast every morning!
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We love your Harry Potter series! And we are huge fans of porridge. Actually, thanks for the inspiration, tomorrow morning that's what we're going to have for breakfast!
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What a lovely idea! How many times, reading the books, I have imagined myself sitting at those long tables and sharing a meal with Harry and his friends!
A great way to start the day -- porridge or oatmeal. I love the special additions to the porridge. We like our nuts and dried fruit with a touch of yogurt on top. I'll have to try out the Scottish oats.
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I grew up in porridge. And my sister was OBSESSED with Harry Potter, so this would be perfect for her
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I love book-inspired recipes...this is such a fun one and sounds so good! Oatmeal is so comforting in the morning...definitely looking forward to trying this!
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I love that this recipe was inspired by Harry Potter! So fun. I'm a huge fan of oatmeal especially on chilly mornings, but have never tried Scottish porridge! Very excited to try this recipe.
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I love the creativity in this dish. The flavors look amazing too!
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This post is a fun read! Your pictures really show off your scottish porridge and have me craving porridge for breakfast!
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