Name: Jamaican Cornmeal Porridge Recipe
Prep time: 10 min
Cook time: 20 min
Total time: 30 min
Ingredients: 4 cups water ( separated); 1 13.5 oz can coconut milk; 1 cup fine yellow cornmeal; 1 ½ teaspoon vanilla extract; ½ teaspoon ground cinnamon; 1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg; ¼ teaspoon ground all-spice; 1/2 cup sweetened condensed milk (or to taste)

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Jamaican Cornmeal Porridge is smooth, creamy, and comforting. A popular breakfast dish in Jamaica, this porridge is the perfect recipe to start the day.

cornmeal porridge in bowl with spoon on side

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The full recipe with ingredients/instructions is available on the recipe card at the bottom of the post. Important tips/tricks are also included in the blog post.

This porridge is the breakfast of champions! It's comforting and keeps you full and ready to tackle your day. I grew up eating it, and I'm happy my kids now love it, too.

When prepared just right, cornmeal porridge is a unique blend of smoothness, sweetness, and spice. The traditional Jamaican flavors of allspice, cinnamon, and nutmeg create a perfect harmony of tastes that you won't find in any other breakfast dish.

I've made this version with a can of coconut milk, but you could also use dairy milk in its place, whichever you prefer. The only must-have ingredient for this recipe is fine cornmeal, which yields the smoothest and creamiest porridge.

Be sure to try my green banana porridge, too.

How to make Jamaican Cornmeal Porridge

First, add 2 ½ cups water and one can of coconut milk to a four-qt heavy-bottomed pot. Bring to a boil over medium-high heat.

Meanwhile, add 1 cup cornmeal and 1 ½ cup water to a large mixing cup and whisk until smooth. This is how to avoid getting lumps in your cornmeal porridge. Please do not skip this step.

Once the liquid in the pot begins to boil gently, whisk in the cornmeal mixture and continue to whisk for about 1 minute, ensuring there are no lumps. Reduce heat to low and cover with a tight-fitting lid.

cornmeal and water in measuring cup with whisk sticking out

Cook over low heat for 15-20 minutes, stirring occasionally. When there are about 5 minutes left, stir in vanilla extract, cinnamon, nutmeg, and allspice.

Remove from heat and stir in condensed milk to sweeten it.

condensed milk being puted into porridge

Serve and enjoy.

What is cornmeal?

Cornmeal is a meal ground from dried corn. Various grain sizes are available. For this recipe, ensure the label states "fine cornmeal" for the best results.

Are cornmeal and cornflour the same?

Although they come from the same type of grain, they are not the same. Corn flour is ground until it takes on a powder form. You want to ensure you use "fine yellow cornmeal" for this recipe.

What do you serve cornmeal porridge with?

Typically, I eat this by itself. A bowl really fills you up. You can serve it with fruit, breakfast meat like bacon, and eggs on the side if you wish.

What does cornmeal porridge taste like?

Cornmeal porridge is smooth, creamy, and rich, similar to polenta. Polenta is usually savory. Porridge has a sweet, nutty flavor. People often season it with cinnamon and nutmeg.

Additional Notes

The condensed milk does add a delicious flavor to the porridge. If you prefer to keep the recipe dairy free, you can either leave out the condensed milk and use sugar to sweeten or use sweetened condensed coconut milk.
I used a can of coconut milk in this recipe but regular dairy milk can be used instead. In fact, I grew up eating it made with regular dairy milk and it's still delicious.
For thicker cornmeal porridge, reduce the liquid you add initially or simmer for longer. If your porridge gets too thick, whisk in more water or milk until you reach your desired consistency.

Looking for other Jamaican breakfast recipes? Try these out:

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4.71 from 34 votes

Jamaican Cornmeal Porridge Recipe

Jamaican Cornmeal Porridge is smooth, creamy, and comforting. A popular breakfast dish in Jamaica, this porridge is the perfect recipe to start the day.

Course Breakfast

Cuisine Caribbean

Keyword cornmeal porridge, jamaican cornmeal porridge

Prep Time 10

Cook Time 20

Total Time 30

Servings people

Calories 518kcal

Author Tanya

Ingredients

4 cups water separated
1 13.5 oz can coconut milk
1 cup fine yellow cornmeal
1 ½ teaspoon vanilla extract
½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
½ teaspoon ground nutmeg
¼ teaspoon ground all-spice
½ cup sweetened condensed milk or to taste

Instructions

Add 2 ½ cups water, 1 can coconut milk to a 4 QT heavy bottomed pot. Bring to a boil over medium-high heat.
Meanwhile, add 1 cup cornmeal and 1 ½ cup water to a large mixing cup and whisk until smooth.
Once the pot begins to boil, whisk in cornmeal mixture and continue to whisk for about 1 minute, ensuring there are no lumps. Reduce heat to low and cover with a tight fitting lid.
Cook over low heat for 15-20 minutes, stirring occasionally. When there is about 5 minutes left, stir in vanilla extract, cinnamon, nutmeg, and all-spice. Remove from heat and sweeten with condensed milk.
Serve and enjoy.

Notes

The condensed milk does add a delicious flavor to the porridge. If you prefer to keep the recipe dairy-free, you can either leave out the condensed milk and use sugar to sweeten or use sweetened condensed coconut milk.
I used a can of coconut milk in this recipe but regular dairy milk can be used instead.

Nutrition

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Although myforkinglife.com attempts to provide accurate nutritional information, these figures should be considered estimates. Varying factors such as product types or brands purchased, natural fluctuations in fresh produce, and the way ingredients are processed change the effective nutritional information in any given recipe. Under no circumstances will myforkinglife.com be responsible for any loss or damage resulting for your reliance on nutritional information.

This post was originally published on August 17, 2021. It has been updated with new and helpful information.