Masala Herb

Flavorful Recipes

  • Home
  • Recipes
  • TRAVEL
  • Contact
  • New? Start HERE!
menu icon
go to homepage
search icon
Homepage link
  • Home
  • RECIPES
  • Contact
  • New? Start Here!
    • Facebook
    • Instagram
    • Pinterest
    • Twitter
    • YouTube
  • ×
    You are Here: Masala Herb » Recipes » Breakfast

    Norwegian Porridge Recipe (Risengrynsgrøt)

    December 20, 2017 by Helene Dsouza 31 Comments

    2.1K shares
    • Share
    • Tweet
    • Flip
    • Email
    • Share
    • Threads
    • Bluesky
    Helene Dsouza
    The Norwegian porridge is a wholesome meal in itself. You can choose to add sugar to make it sweet and instead of serving it as a main meal.
    Total Time: 22 minutes minutes
    Prep Time: 2 minutes minutes
    Cook Time: 20 minutes minutes
    3 servings
    RECIPE
    Porridge with rice cinnamon and butter
    Norwegian Porridge Recipe (Risengrynsgrøt) pin picture

    Norwegian Porridge, aka Risengrynsgrøt,  is a one-pot rice meal prepared and enjoyed on Christmas day in the Scandinavian regions in Europe.

    Nonetheless, you can make the Norwegian porridge for breakfast any time of the year!

    Norwegian Porridge Recipe (Risengrynsgrøt) cover image
    Recipes from around the world E-Book

    Global Food Recipes

    with Spices and Herbs

    Free E-Book available for a limited time. Grab yours now and get instantly inspired!

    00
    Days
    :
     
    00
    Hours
    :
     
    19
    Minutes
    :
     
    59
    Seconds

    You missed out!

    Recipes from around the world E-Book

    Your Free E-Book 

    was sent to your

    E-Mail Address!

    Please check your Spam folder

    Jump to:
    • What is the Norwegian Porridge?
    • Ingredients
    • Preparation Overview
    • 📖 Recipe
    • Tips
    • Other Scandinavian Christmas Food Traditions
    • 💬 Comments

    What is the Norwegian Porridge?

    The Norwegians Porridge is a common lunch dish on Christmas day in the Scandinavian countries.

    They call this milk rice porridge Risengrynsgrøt in Norway and Risengrøt in Denmark.

    It turns out this rice porridge is common under another name in Sweden, Finland, and Iceland as well. I can't confirm this as Norwegians mentioned Denmark as another country.

    So, while we just call it a Norwegian Porridge, this rice pudding actually belongs to a many people in the Scandinavian region.

    The Norwegian porridge is prepared with short grain rice such as Paella rice/ Risotto rice.

    This particular rice porridge belongs to the Scandinavian region but does come close to other rice puddings around the world such as the French riz au lait, the Indian Kheer or the Spanish Arroz con Leche.

    Risengrynsgrøt

    Norwegian Porridge is a big deal in that sense because it's not a dessert, but rather instead the main meal.

    The original and traditional Risengrynsgrøt is a savory main course dish. A norwegian reader, @kimgiertsen, mentioned that they also eat the porridge before going to church on Christmas day.

    He also shared...

    Many people take an almond, remove its skin and put it in the rice porridge.

    This is a Christmas game, the person who gets the almond in his or her porridge is supposed to hide it, often in their mouth.

    After everyone has finished their porridge, someone asks “Who has the almond”?

    The lucky person wins a small gift., typically a marzipan pig figurine.

    Ingredients

    • Short Grain Rice
    • Water
    • Salt
    • Milk
    • Sugar
    • Cinnamon Ground
    • Butter

    From what I was told, is that the very traditional Norwegian Porridge does not mention the use of sugar.

    However, this changed in time and some people started to add some sugar to their porridge. So, you can add sugar to your Risengrynsgrøt if you like.

    Scandinavian Rice Porridge

    Preparation Overview

    Step 1

    Rinse the rice thoroughly, then cook it with water and salt until it boils.

    cooking rice with water
    cooked rice in water for porridge

    Step 2

    Add all the milk and sugar, stir well, and simmer, stirring occasionally, until the porridge thickens and the rice is soft.

    add milk
    boiling rice porridge in milk
    thicken rice milk porridge

    Step 3

    Serve hot with cinnamon and butter, and enjoy your creamy homemade Risengrynsgrøt.

    Serve rice porridge with butter and cinnamon

    📖 Recipe

    Porridge with rice cinnamon and butter

    Norwegian Porridge Recipe (Risengrynsgrøt)

    The Norwegian porridge is a wholesome meal in itself. You can choose to add sugar to make it sweet and instead of serving it as a main meal.
    4.50 from 4 votes
    Print Pin Rate
    Course: Breakfast, Main Course
    Cuisine: Scandinavian
    Prep Time: 2 minutes minutes
    Cook Time: 20 minutes minutes
    Total Time: 22 minutes minutes
    Servings: 3 servings
    Calories: 518kcal
    Recipe by: Helene Dsouza

    Ingredients

    To cook the Norwegian porridge:

    • 1 cup Short Grain Rice
    • 1 cup Water
    • ½ Teaspoon Salt
    • 5 cups Milk
    • 2 Tablespoon Sugar

    For each bowl:

    • 1 Teaspoon Cinnamon Ground
    • 1 dollop Tablespoon Butter
    US - Metric

    Instructions

    • Wash your rice until the water is clear then take to the pot with the water and heat up. Let cook, add salt and bring to a boil.
      1 cup Short Grain Rice, 1 cup Water, ½ Teaspoon Salt
    • Then add all the milk to the rice and sugar if you make it sweet. Mix well and simmer slowly for 20–40 minutes. Remember, the longer you let it cook slowly on the heat, the better the Norwegian porridge will turn out. Make sure to stir occasionally so that the content doesn't stick to the bottom of the pan. The porridge will slowly thicken while it is simmering.
      5 cups Milk, 2 Tablespoon Sugar
    • The porridge is ready when it has thickened, turned very creamy and when the rice is properly well cooked and soft.
    • Then add some hot porridge into a bowl, sprinkle some cinnamon on it and add the butter into the center of the bowl on the porridge. Then you just need to make the whole contend and enjoy your homemade Risengrynsgrøt!
      1 Teaspoon Cinnamon Ground, 1 dollop Tablespoon Butter

    Notes

    This will make a bigger batch, which I think comes handy. Just eat what you can and want, and then store the rest in an airtight container in the fridge. Take it out whenever you want and heat it up. Makes a great breakfast meal after a workout!

    Nutrition

    Nutrition Facts
    Norwegian Porridge Recipe (Risengrynsgrøt)
    Amount Per Serving (413 g)
    Calories 518 Calories from Fat 126
    % Daily Value*
    Fat 14g22%
    Saturated Fat 8g40%
    Trans Fat 0.01g
    Polyunsaturated Fat 1g
    Monounsaturated Fat 3g
    Cholesterol 50mg17%
    Sodium 549mg23%
    Potassium 664mg19%
    Carbohydrates 80g27%
    Fiber 2g8%
    Sugar 28g31%
    Protein 18g36%
    Vitamin A 669IU13%
    Vitamin C 0.03mg0%
    Calcium 512mg51%
    Iron 3mg17%
    * Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.

    Tips

    Most Norwegian will tell you to cook it for about 45 minutes.

    In fact, I got the suggestion to first cook the Risengrynsgrøt on the stove until the rice boils with the milk. Then to cover and transfer the whole content to the oven to further bake it there for a total of 45 minutes or until the whole content is super creamy.

    I thought a one-pot dish would be more useful as I try to avoid washing too many dishes, and you know, I like to keep it simple if possible.

    While 45 minutes is the suggested cooking time, I only cook my rice porridge for about 20 minutes.

    The longer you slow cook the rice pudding on the stove, the better the Norwegian porridge turns out!

    The result in general should be that the rice is soft and never al dente. The Risengrynsgrøt needs to be creamy and thick.

    After cooking the rice porridge, pour some into a bowl, sprinkle with cinnamon powder and add a spoon full of butter into the center and serve it that way.

    The butter is then mixed in, and yes, I know I took a gigantic dollop of butter in the video, but I will tell you, the taste was incredible!

    Christmas Porridge
    Scandinavian Rice Porridge

    Other Scandinavian Christmas Food Traditions

    Norwegians mostly associate the Norwegians' porridge with Risengrynsgrøt and not Rømmegrøt, which is another pudding, but the main difference is that it's prepared without rice and with sour cream.

    Julekake is another Christmas specialty prepared in Norway for Christmas. It's a spicy and fruity soft bread loaf.

    More Rice Recipes

    • Chicken and Rice One-Pot Dish
    • Fragrant rice with Clove
    • Indian Lemon Rice
    • Cilantro Lime flavored Rice
    • Fried Rice with Egg
    Norwegian Porridge Recipe (Risengrynsgrøt) pin picture
    2.1K shares
    • Share
    • Tweet
    • Flip
    • Email
    • Share
    • Threads
    • Bluesky

    I am Helene, and I created Masala Herb in 2011. Here you will learn to cook with spices and herbs. I share from scratch, international food recipes and my mission is to teach you to cook flavorful food at home. Read More…

    MasalaHerb.com as seen on

    Welcome

    Hi there! I'm Helene and here you will learn how to cook with spices and herbs. Discover global food and learn to season your food like a pro. Read more about my work and mission or head over to my food ingredient space, Unknownbite.com, and our travel space, Paulmarina.com!

    More About Me ->








    Home
    About
    As seen in
    Contact
    Terms and Conditions
    Privacy Policy

    By continuing to use the site, you agree to the use of cookies.

    Masala Herb is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to Amazon.com

    Copyright © 2025 · Magazine Pro Theme On Genesis Framework · WordPress

    Rate This Recipe

    Your vote:




    A rating is required
    A name is required
    An email is required