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This is my vegan style rendition of a classic porridge made with nutritious brown rice. It is super creamy made with plant based milk, spices and packed with an abundance of flavour.

I'm so excited to share this sweet rice porridge with my lovely readers because it is an absolute favourite of mine.

This Caribbean breakfast is packed with tons of energy thanks to the slow releasing carbohydrates.

Have this for breakfast and I promise you that this amazingly tasty porridge is guaranteed to sustain or as island people say "hold you" until the lunch time.

The Caribbean is known for it's variants of porridge - cornmeal, cream of wheat, green banana, cassava, plantain, hominy etc..

However, with that being said, rice porridge is the least popular but don't let that deter you from making it. We are simply more partial to the former (no reason why just preference).

My beloved grandmother would fix us a bowl of rice porridge especially during the harsh UK winter time and boy was I happy to drink a bowl or two.

It felt as if I had to wait forever for her to cook it because granny made sure the rice was extremely soft.

Despite having to wait a lifetime for some Jamaican rice porridge I have to admit, it certainly was worth the wait.

I would stand by her side and watch her prepare this huge pot of rice before adding the remaining ingredients - milk, condensed milk, cinnamon, nutmeg, vanilla and a pinch of salt.

My rice porridge recipe is a vegan rendition of what my grandmother taught me.

It is plant based inspired and even I took the liberty of using brown rice and using my trusty vegan Coconut Condensed Milk.

Ingredients you need

Brown rice - this is the star of the show, you will need some basmati rice to make this porridge.
Plant based milk - I like to use 2 types of vegan nut milk, coconut milk and almond milk but you can use just one instead.
Water - for cooking the porridge and also soaking the rice grains overnight.
Cinnamon, nutmeg, vanilla and pink salt - used to enhance the flavour of the rice porridge.
Condensed milk - homemade vegan condensed milk is used for sweetening.

A far more healthier choice of grain as opposed to using white rice which contains zero nutritional value.

I also omitted the use of flour, a common ingredient that you will find featured in most of the traditional rice porridge recipes.

Prior to preparing this recipe dairy free I never felt the need to include flour (used as a thickening agent).

My grandmother made her porridge without flour and she would only use it if she become heavy handed with the liquid to grain ratio but this was seldom.

The key to making a good plant based style rice porridge is to ensure the brown rice is cooked thoroughly then add my homemade coconut condensed milk.

I am a huge fan of using this in all my recipes and adjusting grain recipes with brown rice.

Unlike white rice, brown has the germ and bran in tact giving it a nutty taste and texture. Furthermore, brown rice also takes a little longer to cook.

Reasons to make this porridge

It's super filling and delicious
Gluten/wheat free and safe for vegans since it is dairy free
You can make a big batch to eat for breakfast throughout the week.
A great alternative to oatmeal or smoothies in the morning
It's a rice porridge breakfast with a taste of the Caribbean

The steps

Presoak the brown rice grains in lukewarm water mixed with 1 tablespoon of lime. Leave this for a few hours or preferably overnight to soften. This is an OPTIONAL step!!
Drain off the lime water and rinse the grains several times.
Pour the rinsed off rice grains into a large saucepan with 3 ½ cups of water and bring to the boil.

Reduce the heat to a low simmer for 20-25 minutes (approx) with the pot covered.
During this time the water level will reduce so check periodically as you don't want the liquid to completely recede (add more water if needed). You only need ¼ worth of liquid leftover which should happen 20 minutes into the cooking time.

Steps 9-12 adding spices and condensed milk

Add the milk after 25 minutes and allow to simmer for a further 10-15 minutes, stir occasionally so the rice doesn't stick to the bottom of the saucepan (check the consistency of the porridge as you may want to add more milk if it's too thick).
Finally stir in the spices - cinnamon, nutmeg, vanilla and pink salt.
Carefully pour in the coconut condensed milk and sweeten according to taste.
Serve accordingly

Notes and tips

Presoak the rice grains in warm water - a few hours or preferably overnight add 1tbsp of lime to remove the starch and ease digestion (this is an optional step).
The porridge may thicken even more as it cools down so add some more water/milk to loosen it up.
Use any plant based milk you want to Coconut Milk, Almond Milk or Cashew Milk etc...
The porridge should be soft but slightly nutty in texture
Aim to cook the rice for quite some time 20-25 minutes (approx)
Be careful not to over saturate the rice with liquid. If the liquid levels seem low add a ¼ cup at a time. Remember the finishing product should look similar to risotto.

Other porridge recipes to try

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