Plantain porridge is a thick, creamy mixture of green plantains, sweet potatoes, nut milk, and spices. Start your morning with this classic Caribbean breakfast.
Plantain Porridge Recipe
In Guyana most families make plantain porridge for babies. They finely grate the green plantains into a smooth paste. Then it’s boiled with water. Sometimes they use plantain flour. When my children were old enough to start having porridge this was the first porridge I tried. As my children got older I tried adding sweet potatoes to this porridge and it was a hit.
Porridge is a staple in most Caribbean households so try more porridge recipes like Sago Porridge and Cornmeal Porridge.
- Plantain Porridge Recipe
- Why You’ll Love This Recipe for Plantain Porridge
- Plantain Porridge Ingredients
- How to Make Plantain Porridge
- Make the plantain and sweet potato porridge your own:
- Storage
- Tips for the Best Plantain Porridge
- Frequently Asked Questions
- What makes this porridge whole30?
- Plantain and Sweet Potato Porridge
Why You’ll Love This Recipe for Plantain Porridge
- Quick & Easy: This meal takes less than 30 minutes to prepare.
- Breakfast Comfort Meal: For those cold mornings when you don’t feel like getting out of bed, whip up a bowl of plantain and sweet potato porridge. It’s hot, hearty, and comforting; the perfect way to ease into your day.
- Nutritious: This naturally gluten-free, dairy-free porridge is perfect regardless of your dietary needs. It is loaded with flavor and packed with nutrients. Plantains are a great source of vitamin B6 (pyridoxine). Green plantains, in particular, are rich in resistant starch, a fiber that promotes gut health.
Plantain Porridge Ingredients
The ingredients for plantain porridge are simple and delicious. While some recipes would add sugar or condensed milk, I use sweet potatoes and dates as a natural sweetener.
- Green plantains: For unripe plantain porridge, green plantains are essential. They have a savory taste
- Caribbean or Japanese sweet potatoes: These sweet potatoes add a great flavor to the porrdige but American sweet potatoes work just as well.
- Medjool Dates: These dates are perfect to turn up the sweetness of the porridge a notch
- Water: Use water to form a plantain and sweet potatoes puree.
- Coconut milk: Coconut milk adds a richness to the flavor of the porridge but you can use any kind of non-dairy milk, like almond or cashew.
- Spices: Use warm spices like cinnamon sticks, whole cloves, and freshly grated nutmeg for extra flavor.
- Vanilla extract: When combined with the warm spices feels like a hug in a bowl.
- Ground cinnamon: Just a pinch to garnish.
See recipe card for quantities.
How to Make Plantain Porridge
Peeling Green Plantains
If you’ve never peeled a green plantain before, taking a vegetable peeler to it is not the way to go. Use a paring knife to make slits along the diagonal of the plantain. Then from the top of the plantain, slide the blade into one of the slits and under the skin and peel the skin (similar to peeling a banana) using the knife to help guide the skin away from the flesh.
Making the Plantain and Sweet Potato Porridge
Making this porridge is quite easy. Add the milk and spices to a pot and bring to a boil. While the milk and spices are simmering, peel the plantain and sweet potatoes. Then add them to a blender with a small amount of water and puree until smooth.
Next add the pureed plantain and sweet potatoes to the pot of boiling spiced coconut milk and whisk together until fully combined and smooth.
Let the porridge come up to a boil, stirring constantly to prevent lumps from forming. Then reduce the heat and let the porridge simmer for about 10 minutes.
When the porridge is ready, add the nutmeg and vanilla extract and whisk until combined.
Make the plantain and sweet potato porridge your own:
I love how versatile this porridge is. You can enjoy it as is or switch it up for variety”
- Milk: Try different types of milk or even some french vanilla nut pod creamy if you like
- Garnish: Add a dusting of cinnamon to your porridge before serving or top it off with some nut butter and/or dried fruits or fresh fruit.
- Protein: Serve your porridge with a side of boiled eggs or make some bacon.
Storage
Store leftover porridge in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 3 days. It will get thicker as it cools in the refrigerator and it may get darker (that’s fine). When you want to reheat, just add a splash or water or milk to loosen the porridge before microwaving or reheating over medium low heat on the stove.
Tips for the Best Plantain Porridge
- Hot porridge burns worse than hot oil or boiling water. Continuously whisk or stir. Otherwise, you might get burned by bubbling hot porridge. Alternatively you can reduce the heat, cover and let the porridge simmer.
- Taste test as you go. If at any time the taste is off, make the necessary adjustments to suit your taste.
- Feel free to adjust the consistency. If you prefer a thicker porridge, use less liquid, and for a thinner porridge, use more.
Frequently Asked Questions
Yes, this is a healthy breakfast option. Plantains, the main ingredient, is high in fiber. This recipe also includes nutrient-rich sweet potatoes and is made with natural sweeteners.
Plantain porridge is made with green plantains, white sweet potatoes, spices, water, and milk.
In Guyana, most families make plantain porridge for babies. The green plantain is grated on the fine side of a grater until it forms a smooth paste. That paste is then added to boiling water to make a porridge.
Green plantains are very high in potassium. Potassium is an essential mineral that maintains proper heart and muscle function, as well as promoting healthy digestion.
The porridge cooks within 10-15 minutes on the stove.
What makes this porridge whole30?
For this recipe I am using Whole30 compatible ingredients like coconut milk, plantain and sweet potatoes. If you are on a round of Whole30 skip the dates and allow the natural sweetness of the sweet potatoes to serve as a sweetener.
Plantain and Sweet Potato Porridge
Equipment
- Blender
- Saucepan
Ingredients
- 2 green plantains peeled and diced
- 2 Caribbean or Japanese Sweet Potato peeled and diced (about 12 ounces)
- 5 Pitted Medjool dates
- 1 cup water
- 3 cups coconut milk may use other nut milk
- 1 cinnamon stick
- 1 teaspoon whole cloves
- 1 teaspoon nutmeg freshly grated
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- pinch ground cinnamon to garnish (optional)
Instructions
- Cut the sweet potatoes and plantains into small pieces (about 1 inch each). Then add to a blender along with 1 cup of water and blend until smooth (about 2-3 minutes).
- Then add the coconut milk, cinnamon stick and whole cloves to a large pot on medium heat and bring to a boil uncovered. Continue to boil for about 5 minutes stirring occasionally, to infuse the spices into the milk.
- Next, scoop out the large spices and discard. Then add the blended plantain and sweet potatoes to the pot, whisking to combine. Bring the mixture up to a boil then reduce the heat to medium low, cover and let simmer for about 10 minutes or until the mixture darkens a bit.
- Then add the grated nutmeg and vanilla extract and whisk to combine. Porridge should be smooth and creamy.
- Serve hot.
Notes
- Can’t find Caribbean or Japanese sweet potatoes use golden or white sweet potatoes instead. As a last resort use American sweet potatoes or yams.
- I love keeping this porridge dairy and refined sugar free but feel free to use any kind of milk you choose and any sweetener of your choice.
Nutrition
The information listed in the recipe card is an estimate provided by an online nutrition tool. The tool evaluates ingredient names and amounts then makes calculations based on the number of servings listed for the recipe. It is provided as a general guideline and not as a precise calculation. For precise nutrition information please feel free to add the ingredients to your preferred nutrition calculator or consult a doctor or licensed nutritionist.
Soft & Fluffy Bake and Saltfish
Guyanese Soft Bakes
Must Try Caribbean Porridge Recipes
Flour Porridge
ro Says
So filling and delicious
Simone Says
Why does porridge have to be considered a side instead of the main meal during whole30? I did a whole7 last month (I heard some whole30 horror stories about people almost fainting from starvation so I figured I’d start low and slow with 7 days and see how that went). I made plantain porridge as my main breakfast meal for a few days and thought I was winning! I’d be pretty bummed to know that I wasn’t even doing “whole7” right! I’d sweeten it with a date paste, bc lets be real – unsweetened banana porridge tastes like punishment. Do tell me all the ways I went wrong here please.
Aruna Says
This porridge would make for a filling breakfast. In India,. We also use a few drops of oil to grease our palms before peeling a plantain or raw banana to prevent the slightly sticky stuff in the peel sticking to your fingers.
Althea Brown Says
Yes it would. And you’re right I forgot to mention that step. That’s exactly how we do it the Caribbean.