Cornmeal Porridge

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This spiced Jamaican Cornmeal Porridge is a nourishing breakfast that the whole family will love with coconut milk, cinnamon, and nutmeg! This Jamaican porridge topped with maple syrup and fruit is the best and most delicious way to start your day!

Suitable for Vegan and Gluten Free diets.

Post includes Weight Watchers points.

a bowl of jamaican cornmeal porridge with fruits

So let’s just take a moment to really appreciate this hearty Cornmeal Porridge.

Think creamy cornmeal, exotic coconut, warming cinnamon and nutmeg, fragrant vanilla, and finished off with sweetness from the maple syrup.

Simple everyday ingredients from the Caribbean Islands, yet big flavors people, just like a nourishing hearty breakfast should be.

Like my Egg Bites, this recipe is frugal and easy to double or triple to feed a crowd. If you love cornmeal, feel free to have a big old bowl for brunch, a snack, dinner, and breakfast.

And any time you need something filling that is not same old same old oatmeal. And you can make it on the stovetop or Instant Pot, as you can see below.

And if you love this then check out this easy to make creamy Crockpot Oatmeal.

Need more Caribbean Recipes? Then check out this easy weeknight dinner Rasta Pasta loaded with juicy jerk chicken and classic Jamaican Rice and Peas.

Why Make This Recipe

  • Warm and comforting: It’s a cozy and hearty breakfast or snack, perfect for starting your day on a warm note.
  • Exotic flavors: The combination of creamy cornmeal, coconut, cinnamon, nutmeg, and vanilla creates a unique and delicious taste.
  • Vegan and gluten-free: This Jamaican porridge is suitable for a variety of dietary preferences, including vegan and gluten-free diets.
  • Versatile: Can be enjoyed for breakfast, brunch, as a snack, or even for dinner, providing a versatile meal option.
  • Easy to make: The cornmeal porridge recipe is frugal and can be easily doubled or tripled to feed a crowd, making it a convenient option.
white bowl of jamaican cornmeal porridge topped with fresh fruit

Yep, this traditional Porridge is one of those Caribbean recipes with warming, nourishing, cozy, tasty, decadent flavors in every mouthful. It is a great, easy breakfast meal to kickstart the day and totally worth getting up for, especially when topped with a big old bunch of sweet fruit.

Other recipes you might like are this Jamaican Sweet Potato Pudding washed down with Jamaican Sorrel Drink.

Ingredient Notes

  • Yellow Cornmeal – This is the key ingredient in this Jamaican breakfast. You can use coarse or fine yellow cornmeal depending on your preference. My kids love this with fine cornmeal.
  • Ground cinnamon – Gives is it warming fragrance.
  • Ground nutmeg – You cant cook this corn porridge without it.
  • Coconut milk – Use the thinner drinkable type, not the one from a can. You can use dairy milk if you are not vegan. 
  • Water – This helps cook the corn porridge.
  • Vanilla extract – A teaspoon of vanilla adds a little extra fragrance and taste.
  • Coconut condensed milk – Use condensed coconut milk or condensed soy milk to make it creamy. You can also use regular condensed milk if not vegan. For a sweeter porridge, feel free to use sweetened condensed milk.
  • Sweeteners – This is optional and you can use maple syrup, brown sugar, or coconut sugar to your taste.

Ready to learn how to make Jamaican Cornmeal Porridge? Then gather up your ingredients, and I will show you….

Handy Tip: Use Good Kitchen Tools!

For the best tools to help make your recipe even easier and more successful, check out my collection of the Best Kitchen Tools on Amazon.

How To Make Cornmeal Porridge On The Stove Top

Get complete ingredients list and instructions from the recipe card below.

  1. Add the coconut milk, water, nutmeg and vanilla extract, cinnamon into a heavy bottomed medium pot and slowly bring to a boil.
  2. Then slowly add in the cornmeal whisking all the while till it thickens. Whisking helps prevent lumps.
  3. Reduce to low heat and stir for a few minutes with a wooden spoon.
  4. Then cover and stir porridge frequently (every 8 or so minutes) until the cornmeal is cooked. The whole cooking process takes about 45 minutes. The cornmeal is cooked when it is very thick and the porridge starts to fall away from the side of the pan.
  5. When the cornmeal porridge is cooked, stir in any sweetener and condensed coconut milk, switch off the heat and serve warm.image collage showing how to make cornmeal porridge

Fun fact –  Did you know that this sweet cornmeal porridge was also Pop or Cog?  

How to Make Cornmeal Porridge in the Instant Pot

You can also make this Jamaican Porridge in the Instant Pot using the Pot-in-Pot (PIP) Method!

  1. Coat your oven-safe Pyrex dish with cooking spray or olive oil to reduce the sticking of the polenta.
  2. Add the cornmeal, 2 cups of milk, 2 cups of water, maple syrup, and vanilla to the bowl and mix well.
  3. Add 1 cup of water to the Instant Pot insert, then place the trivet in the bottom and set the bowl of cornmeal on top of the trivet.
  4. Cover the Instant Pot and set the valve to seal, select the manual/pressure cook function at high pressure, and set the timer for 9 mins.
  5. Switch off the Instant Pot to avoid further cooking. Allow for a 3 minutes NPR (natural pressure release) before manually releasing any remaining pressure.
  6. Open the lid and whisk the cornmeal until the ingredients are thoroughly blended, and the mixture is nice and creamy. Next, stir in the rest of the milk.
  7. Carefully remove the bowl of hot cornmeal porridge, decant into serving dishes, and add top with maple syrup and nuts.
image collage showing how to make cornmeal porridge

Recipe Tips

Use these tips to make this Jamaican breakfast really, really easily:

  • Do use a whisk to stir the cornmeal frequently during cooking to avoid getting a lumpy porridge.
  • Do not let the cornmeal mixture stand after cooking or it will solidify. As soon as it is done, mix and decant into serving bowls while still warm.
  • You can vary the flavoring to suit your taste. For example, swap the sweetener for honey if not vegan.
  • Top Cornmeal Porridge with yogurt, fruit preserves, fresh berries or a handful of tropical Caribbean fruits. Yum!

Delicious Variations

The beauty of this absolutely delicious Jamaican cornmeal porridge recipe is that you can add so many flavor variations to it. Basically, you can add anything you like, and various Jamaican households have their own additions.

Flavor Variations

  • Vary the spices – Cardamom and cloves make great additions.
  • Add citrus – A little extra orange zest and orange juice work well in this.
  • Vary the milk – Try making this with some nutty almond milk or soya milk.
  • A dash of rum – not for breakfast though 🙂 – more like early supper.

Topping Ideas

  • Mango
  • Banana slices
  • Shaved chocolate
  • Passion fruit
  • Papaya
  • Berries
  • Star fruit
  • A dusting of cinnamon or vanilla sugar

FAQs

What is the difference between polenta and cornmeal?

Polenta is a dish made from boiled cornmeal, while cornmeal is the raw, ground corn that is used as the main ingredient to make polenta. Polenta is essentially the cooked and solidified form of cornmeal.

How do you make porridge thinner?

  • If Jamaican cornmeal porridge too thick, then stir in some extra water or coconut milk to thin it out. Do this during cooking and it will thicken up as it cools.
  • What is cornmeal?

    Cornmeal is a type of flour that is made from dried and ground corn (maize). It comes in different textures, including fine, medium, and coarse, and is commonly used in various culinary applications, such as making cornbread, polenta, and porridge.

    How long does cornmeal last?

    Unopened cornmeal, when stored in a cool, dry place in its original packaging, can last for up to one year or more past its “best by” date. However, once the package is opened, it should be transferred to an airtight container to maintain its quality and can last for several months to a year, depending on storage conditions.

    sweet cornmeal porridge in a bowl with berries and kiwi

    More Jamaican Recipes You May Like

    More Breakfast Recipes You May Like

    Serving Suggestions

    Weight Watchers Points

    There are 4 Blue Plan SmartPoints in a serving of this.

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    a bowl of jamaican cornmeal porridge with fruits
    Print Recipe
    4.89 from 9 votes

    Jamaican Cornmeal Porridge

    This spiced Jamaican Cornmeal Porridge is a nourishing breakfast that the whole family will love with coconut milk, cinnamon, and nutmeg!
    Prep Time5 minutes
    Cook Time45 minutes
    Total Time50 minutes
    Course: Breakfast, Snack
    Cuisine: Caribbean, International, jamaican
    Diet: Gluten Free, Vegan
    Servings: 6
    Calories: 128kcal
    Author: Bintu Hardy

    Ingredients

    Jamaican Cornmeal Porridge Ingredients

    • 2 cups (500ml) water
    • 2 cups (500ml) coconut milk (the thinner drinkable type) use regular milk if you prefer
    • 1 cup (160g) yellow cornmeal
    • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
    • 1/2 teaspoon nutmeg or to taste
    • 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon or to taste
    • Condensed coconut milk (or other condensed milk), to your taste
    • maple syrup Optional, to your taste (or other sweeteners)

    Instructions

    Jamaican Cornmeal Porridge Stove Top Instructions

    • Add the coconut milk, water, vanilla extract, nutmeg, and cinnamon into a heavy-bottomed large saucepan and slowly bring to a boil.
    • Then, slowly add in the cornmeal, whisking all the while till it thickens. Reduce the heat to low and stir for a few minutes with a wooden spoon.
    • Then cover and stir every 8 or so minutes until the cornmeal is cooked. The whole cooking process takes about 45 minutes. The cornmeal is cooked when very thick and falls away from the side of the pan.
    • When the cornmeal porridge is cooked, stir in maple syrup and condensed coconut milk, switch off the heat, and serve warm.

    Make It In The Instant Pot Pot-in-Pot (PIP) Instructions

    • Coat your oven-safe Pyrex dish with cooking spray or olive oil to reduce the sticking of the cornmeal.
    • Add the cornmeal, 2 cups of milk, 2 cups of water, maple syrup, and vanilla extract to the bowl and mix well.
    • Add 1 cup of water to the Instant Pot insert, then place the trivet in the bottom and set the bowl of cornmeal on top of the trivet.
    • Cover the Instant Pot and set the valve to seal, select the manual/pressure cook function at high pressure, and set the timer for 9 minutes.
    • Switch off the Instant Pot to avoid further cooking. Allow a 3 minutes NPR (natural pressure release) before manually releasing any remaining pressure.
    • Open the lid and whisk the cornmeal until the ingredients are thoroughly blended, and the mixture is nice and creamy. Next, stir in the rest of the milk.
    • Carefully remove the bowl of Instant Pot Cornmeal porridge, decant into serving dishes, and add top with maple syrup and nuts.
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    Notes

      • You can use coarse or fine cornmeal, depending on your preference.
      • If Jamaican cornmeal porridge is too thick, stir in extra water or coconut milk.
      • Do use a whisk to stir the cornmeal frequently during cooking to avoid getting any lumps.
      • Do not let the cornmeal stand after cooking, or it will solidify. As soon as it is done, mix and decant into serving bowls while still warm.
      • You can vary the flavoring to suit your taste. For example, swap the maple syrup for honey if not vegan.
      • Top Cornmeal Porridge with yogurt, fruit preserves, fresh berries, or a handful of tropical Caribbean fruits. Yum!
    Suitable for Vegan and Gluten-Free diets. 
    There are 4 Blue Plan SmartPoints in a serving.

    Nutrition

    Calories: 128kcal | Carbohydrates: 22g | Protein: 3g | Fat: 3g | Saturated Fat: 2g | Sodium: 5mg | Potassium: 85mg | Fiber: 3g | Sugar: 3g | Calcium: 37mg | Iron: 0.8mg

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