Cream of Wheat (Farina)
intro
Smooth, warm, customizable stovetop farina porridge: a cozy, ultra-quick comfort food easily dressed up with your favorite sweet or savory toppings.
Ingredients
Steps
Heat cooking liquids
Place a heavy-bottomed 3-quart saucepan over medium-high heat. Pour in 2 cups (480ml) water and 3 cups (720ml) whole milk, add 1/4 teaspoon (1.5g) fine sea salt, and bring to a gentle rolling boil over 4–5 minutes, stirring occasionally to prevent milk from scalding on the pan base.
Whisk in farina
Once the liquid reaches a steady gentle boil, reduce heat to medium-low. Slowly pour 1 cup (160g) dry farina into the pan in a thin, steady stream over 1 full minute, whisking nonstop with a wire whisk to prevent dry lumps from forming as you pour.
Simmer to thicken
Maintain a low simmer (small bubbles just breaking the porridge surface) and cook for 2.5–3 minutes, whisking thoroughly every 20 seconds to prevent porridge from sticking and burning on the pan bottom. The finished porridge will be smooth and thick enough to lightly coat the back of a spoon.
Stir in butter
Turn off the stovetop heat, move the saucepan to a cool burner, and add 2 tablespoons (28g) cold unsalted butter to the porridge. Stir vigorously with a whisk for 30 seconds until the butter is fully melted and incorporated, giving the farina a glossy, rich sheen.
Rest to set
Cover the saucepan with a tight-fitting lid and let the farina rest for 2 full minutes off heat. This resting period allows the grains to fully hydrate, creating a smooth, spoonable texture without a gluey or over-thick consistency.
Portion and serve
Ladle 1-cup portions of the warm farina into individual ceramic bowls. Top each serving with 1/2 tablespoon granulated sugar (or preferred toppings like cinnamon, fresh berries, or maple syrup) and serve immediately while hot.
Tips
2.If porridge thickens too much after resting, stir in 1–2 tablespoons of warm milk or water per serving to adjust it to your preferred consistency.
3.Customize bowls to taste: swap sweet sugar and fruit for savory toppings like shredded cheddar, black pepper, or a poached egg for a hearty, quick meal any time of day.
OMG this is exactly the creamy cream of wheat I remember my grandma making when I was little! No lumps at all if you follow the tip of whisking as you pour the farina in. I topped mine with a little brown sugar and sliced banana and it was SO good. Perfect quick breakfast for these cold Colorado mornings.
Game changer for our weekday morning rush! I make a big batch of this on Sunday, portion it out into mason jars, and reheat it all week for the kids’ breakfast. They beg for extra cinnamon on top every time, no more fighting about what to eat before school!
Wait, I’ve only ever made the instant packet stuff before—does this really only take 10 minutes total? I’m nervous about getting lumps, I always mess up hot cereals.
Hadn’t had cream of wheat since I was a kid in the 70s, decided to give this recipe a shot on a rainy Saturday. Turned out perfect, just the right consistency—no weird gummy texture like the microwave kind. Added a pat of butter and a drizzle of maple syrup, felt like I was 10 years old again sitting at my mom’s kitchen table.
Love that this is so customizable for my high protein breakfast! I stir in a scoop of vanilla protein powder once it’s done cooking, top with peanut butter and chia seeds, and it keeps me full all the way through my morning workout and work meetings. Way less sugar than the flavored instant packets too.
Taste was great but I ended up with a ton of lumps my first try, even though I thought I was whisking enough. Maybe I poured the farina too fast? Ended up straining it which was a hassle, but the part that didn’t have lumps was really creamy and tasty.
My kids are so picky about hot cereal—they refuse oatmeal, hate grits, but they devoured this! I let them pick their own toppings (sprinkles for the youngest, blueberries for the middle, cinnamon sugar for the oldest) and they all asked for seconds. Total win for a weeknight dinner when we did breakfast for supper last night!
Has anyone tried making this with oat milk instead of regular dairy? I’m lactose intolerant and miss creamy hot cereal so bad, but I don’t want to waste ingredients if it turns out weird.
Made this for a little brunch potluck with my neighbors last weekend, set out a whole topping bar with brown sugar, fresh berries, chopped nuts, coconut flakes, and different syrups. Everyone was raving about how cozy and comforting it was, multiple people asked for the recipe! 10/10, will be making this again for every brunch from now on.
I feel like cream of wheat is such an underrated breakfast! Everyone is all about overnight oats and fancy smoothie bowls these days, but nothing hits like a warm bowl of this on a freezing morning. This recipe nails the exact creamy texture that’s so hard to get right, no gumminess, no thin runny mess.
Wait, has anyone tried adding a little cocoa powder to this to make it chocolatey? I feel like that would slap, but I don’t want to mess up the texture.
Solid recipe, super straightforward. Only note is that I needed a little extra milk than the recipe called for to get it to the consistency I like—mine got a little thick after sitting for a couple minutes, but that’s an easy fix. Tasted great with a pinch of salt and a little honey.
So easy to make in my tiny dorm kitchen! I don’t have a fancy whisk, just used a fork to stir, and it still came out almost completely lump free. Way cheaper than buying breakfast on campus every day, and it fills me up through my 8am lectures. Total win for a broke college kid.
I grew up eating grits for breakfast, so I was skeptical about cream of wheat, but my husband asked for it so I gave this recipe a shot. Y’all, it is SO good! Smoother than grits, mild flavor, perfect with a little butter and cane syrup. I might even start making this as often as grits now!
Do you have to add the salt? I’m on a low sodium diet and try to cut out added salt wherever I can, will it taste totally bland without it?
I’ve been making cream of wheat for years following the directions on the farina box and it always came out kinda gluey, no matter what I did. This recipe? Perfectly silky, creamy, not thick and sticky at all. The ratio of milk to water is spot on, I will never go back to the box directions again!
Made this for Christmas morning breakfast this year alongside pancakes and bacon, and it was the surprise hit of the spread! Even my uncle who swears he ‘doesn’t like mushy breakfast food’ had a full bowl and asked for the recipe. So easy to make while the rest of the holiday food is cooking too, since it only takes 10 minutes.