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Breakfast

Savoury Porridge

May 10, 2023 by Alexandra Daum
A simple savoury porridge made with oats and garlic. This porridge uses a special cooking technique and can be topped with anything you like for a good start to the day.
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A bowl of porridge topped with mushrooms, herbs, preserved lemon, and a boiled egg.

Try savoury porridge as an alternative option to your usual breakfast routine, topped with anything you like. We usually have a sweet porridge for breakfast (and by usually, I mean almost every day of the month) with apples and frozen blueberries, but it is nice to start the day with something salty every once in a while.

Made with simple ingredients like oats, olive oil, and garlic, the toppings are what make this meal interesting. As you can top it with virtually anything, changing depending on the seasons, it’s an excellent breakfast for people who like a bit of consistency but not repetitiveness.

For some more savoury breakfast or brunch recipes, try a garden-friendly green monster swiss chard frittata, adaptable green spinach pancakes, or my favourite, sweet potato latkes.

Table of Contents hide
Ingredients
Step by Step
Recipe Notes
How to Store
Suggested Toppings
Expert Tips
More Recipes Using Oats
Savoury Porridge

Ingredients

Ingredients for savoury oatmeal with labels.

Ingredient Notes and Substitutions

  • Oats: pictured are a type of Swedish porridge oats that I really like, and they’re sort of a mix of thin rolled oats, smaller oat pieces, and a little oat flour. Any rolled or quick cook oats you like can be used, but this recipe isn’t meant for steel cut.
  • Olive oil: use any oil you like, or butter if preferred.
  • Garlic: this is a major flavour note in the porridge, but if you don’t like garlic, you could use a little onion or shallot instead.
  • Herbs and spices: use any you’d like here, and be sure to omit the hot pepper if you don’t like spice. Something like garam masala would be a nice option for spices, or another blend you like.

Step by Step

Making porridge on the stovetop, steps 1 to 4.

Step 1: heat the pot and add olive oil, then cook the garlic for about a minute.
Step 2: add the spices if using, then stir in the oats and toast for a minute or so, stirring.
Step 3: add the water and bring to a boil, then reduce the heat to a simmer.
Step 4: cooking, stirring frequently, until the oats have absorbed the water, about five minutes.

Recipe Notes

This method of cooking the oats in oil before adding liquid is from a friend of mine, Traci, and it’s what I do whenever I want a slightly fancier porridge. For sweet versions, I’ll use coconut oil (see apple porridge) but olive oil is very good here. This adds some richness and you will taste that slight bitterness from the oil as well.

The recipe makes enough for two, but the process shots show a halved version, as leftovers aren’t fantastic here and I had to eat it all.

How to Store

Storage: this doesn’t store very well and does congeal rather quickly, like any porridge will. If you want to store some, keep it in a sealed container in the refrigerator for a day or two and reheat gently with a splash or water or milk.

Freezing: I don’t recommend freezing this.

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Suggested Toppings

  • Crispy roasted mushrooms, as pictured
  • A soft-boiled or fried egg (pictured, but obviously don’t add this for a vegan version)
  • Preserved lemon
  • Caramelised onion or roasted garlic
  • Homemade or jarred pesto
  • Tomato confit
  • Fresh or pan-fried greens
  • Nuts and seeds
  • Silken or firm tofu, marinated if desired
  • Green onion or chives

Expert Tips

  • Stir frequently: to make creamy porridge, even without milk, stir it frequently during cooking. This will help the liquid to evaporate more quickly.
  • Season to taste: this will be particularly important if you’re adding a secondary salty topping ingredient, like preserved lemon. I reduce the salt in this case – keep in mind that salt can be added after cooking as well.
  • Use a small pot: something with a very wide base will cause the liquid to evaporate too quickly, resulting in undercooked oats and a less creamy texture.

More Recipes Using Oats

Gluten-Free Date Squares
Honey Oat Sourdough with spelt flour
Chocolate Coconut Overnight Oats
Honey Oat Bread

If you make this Savoury Oatmeal or any other vegetarian breakfast recipes on Occasionally Eggs, please take a moment to rate the recipe and leave a comment below. It’s such a help to others who want to try the recipe. For more OE, follow along on Instagram, Facebook, and Pinterest, purchase the Occasionally Eggs cookbook, or subscribe for new posts via email.

Yield: 2 people

Savoury Porridge

Prep Time 5 minutes minutes
Cook Time 10 minutes minutes
Total Time 15 minutes minutes
5 from 1 vote

Ingredients

  • 2 teaspoons olive oil
  • 1 clove garlic thinly sliced
  • ¼ teaspoon hot pepper flakes optional
  • 90 grams porridge oats
  • 500 ml water or milk
  • ½ teaspoon sea salt to taste
  • ¼ teaspoon black pepper to taste

Instructions

  • Heat a small pot over low-medium heat. Once hot, add the olive oil and garlic. Cook the garlic for about a minute, stirring, until lightly golden. Stir in the hot pepper flakes if using.
    2 teaspoons olive oil, 1 clove garlic, 1/4 teaspoon hot pepper flakes
  • Add the oats and toast, stirring, for about 30 seconds. Add the water, salt, and pepper.
    90 grams porridge oats, 500 ml water, 1/2 teaspoon sea salt, 1/4 teaspoon black pepper
  • Bring the porridge to a boil, then reduce the heat to simmer for about ten minutes, stirring frequently. The porridge is ready once all of the water has been absorbed.
  • Divide into two dishes and top with any desired toppings. Serve immediately.

Notes

The nutrition estimate doesn’t include toppings, it is only for the base porridge.

* For American cup measurements, please click the pink link text above the ingredient list that says ‘American’.


Nutrition

Serving: 1 Calories: 210kcal Carbohydrates: 31g Protein: 6g Fat: 7g Saturated Fat: 1g Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g Monounsaturated Fat: 4g Sodium: 610mg Potassium: 177mg Fiber: 5g Sugar: 0.5g Vitamin A: 77IU Vitamin C: 0.5mg Calcium: 36mg Iron: 2mg

Nutrition is provided as a courtesy and is an estimate. If this information is important to you, please have it verified independently.

© Alexandra Daum
Course: Breakfast
Cuisine: British
Diet Gluten Free, Vegan, Vegetarian
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Occasionally Eggs

by Alexandra Daum

If you’re looking for approachable, seasonal vegetarian recipes, you’re in the right place! Occasionally Eggs is all about healthier plant based recipes that follow the seasons.

Find vegetarian staples, refined sugar free desserts, and hundreds of vegan recipes. All OE recipes are vegetarian, dairy free, and refined sugar free.

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