This Rømmegrøt recipe has been passed down for generations in my husband’s Scandinavian family! It’s similar to a rich milk pudding and served warm with a drizzle of melted, salted butter and a good sprinkling of cinnamon-sugar on top. I make it with whole milk — or with heavy cream if I’m feeling indulgent, just like my Norwegian mother-in-law enjoyed when she was a little girl.
I Always Follow My Mother-In-Law’s Advice For Enjoying Rømmegrøt.
Family recipe traditions have my heart. At Christmastime, Mom’s soft & tender caramel rolls, Grandma Klein’s chocolate caramels, and Grandma Renelt’s oyster stew stand out for me, with my mostly-German heritage. However, rømmegrøt, a warm, creamy Norwegian porridge, is from my husband’s family (Blake is 75% Norwegian, 25% Swedish), and this has been a happy, delicious tradition addition. (Just don’t ask me to add lutefisk!)
Loree, Blake’s mom, recalled her own mom making this dish whenever there was excess cream from milking the cows — which provided an inexpensive way to put food on the table. And Loree passed down this food tradition to her own family; she would serve it warm with melted butter and (lots of) cinnamon-sugar. The first time I enjoyed it myself, she advised me, with a twinkle in her eye: “Eat it with a spoon. First skim off the top crusty layer of cinnamon-sugar. Then add another layer of cinnamon-sugar and repeat. Continue to repeat – until you see the bottom of the bowl!”
Rømmegrøt is typically made with a mixture of sour cream and milk, but I was taught to make rømmegrøt with only whole milk (or heavy cream if feeling indulgent), at the approval of both my mother-in-law and my husband.
Besides milk, flour, sugar, and salt, I use salted butter for this recipe, to subtly boost the flavor of this simple dish. And I always include extra for serving, along with extra cinnamon-sugar. Don’t skimp on the butter as it truly adds to the enjoyment factor, with its glorious rich flavor and texture.
Our family most often serves rømmegrøt as a cozy dessert or a festive, decadent breakfast during the holidays. In Norway, it’s traditionally served alongside cured meats. My mother-in-law remembers eating it as a very simple meal (minus the butter and cinnamon-sugar).
I love to share stories about food and traditions. If you’d like to see where I learned to make rømmegrøt, you can find my story at the end of this post.
“It tastes like a warm bowl of sugar cookie, it’s Divine – why isn’t this a thing everywhere?!”
Crystal
How I Make Rømmegrøt
My Top Tip: Do Not Walk Away From The Stove.
I learned the hard way. The first time I made rømmegrøt on my own, I walked away from the stove while it was thickening and finishing up. And I lost track of time. By the time I returned, it was overcooked and had burnt to the bottom of the pan. I quickly added a note to my recipe card: Do not walk away from the stove. Do not overcook!
Creamy Rømmegrøt (with milk)
Ingredients
- 1 quart whole milk
- ¾ cup all-purpose flour
- ¼ cup granulated sugar
- ⅛ teaspoon Morton kosher salt
- ½ cup salted butter, plus more for serving
- cinnamon-sugar
Instructions
- Set a large heavy-bottomed saucepan over medium heat. Using a kitchen thermometer, heat milk to 195°F. Stir almost continuously, scraping the bottom of the pan, so the milk does not burn.
- While milk is heating, whisk together flour, sugar, and salt in a small bowl. Set aside.
- While milk is heating, gently melt butter in a small saucepan over medium heat. Turn off heat and hold until milk has reached 195°F.
- Once milk temperature has reached 195°F, stir flour mixture into melted butter to form a thick paste. Add this to the heated milk, stirring constantly, until milk starts to boil.
- Then turn heat down to low and let cook for 5 minutes more, stirring often. The mixture will become smoothed-out and thickened, like a thick pudding. Do not walk away from the stove. Do not overcook! After you've whisked the milk and flour together, keep stirring the porridge as it cooks, scraping the bottom of the saucepan. This will ensure that the milk doesn't overcook or burn.
- Remove saucepan from heat. Spoon rømmegrøt into individual bowls. Drizzle warm melted butter over the top and then add a hefty sprinkle of cinnamon-sugar. Enjoy right away!
Notes
- Fridge – Place cooled leftovers in an airtight container and store in the fridge for up to 4 days.
- Reheat – Gently rewarm the rømmegrøt in a saucepan over medium-low/low heat, using a whisk to smooth it out. If needed, add a splash of milk to loosen it up. Or place it in a microwave-safe bowl with a loose cover to prevent any splatter, and heat it in 20-second increments, stirring after each time, until heated through.
Nutrition Information:
my First Rømmegrøt Experience
It was a cold March day, sun-less and dreary, when our family visited the Sons of Norway in Fargo, North Dakota with Blake’s parents and the rest of his family.
Inside, every dark wood paneled wall displayed Norwegian ancestry. There were whimsical wood troll carvings, beautiful rosemåling pieces, gigantic framed paintings of Vikings, and vibrant patterned wallpaper.
It was there that I experienced rømmegrøt for the first time.
The kind lady behind the buffet line handed me a bowl of this simple, warm Norwegian recipe tradition, and then showed me how to add warm melted butter and cinnamon-sugar over the top — just like my mother-in-law Loree had told me about.
After finishing bowl #1, I went back for bowl #2…this time with more butter and more cinnamon-sugar than before. My MIL was 1000% right!
A Shared Rømmegrøt Recipe
Then I asked if they could to share their rømmegrøt recipe with me. Because, first, I wanted to make this at home because it was so delicious. And, second, I wanted to preserve a bit of Blake’s heritage, to pass this tradition on down to our own daughters.
I was immediately invited back into the kitchen, where I met Vivian (above).
Standing at the stove with a red apron tied around her back, Vivian was stirring the thickening milk mixture, watching the thermometer rise. She chatted me through the recipe and was happy to share it with me. This is the same recipe I’m sharing with you here!
This post was first published in 2016, then updated in 2024.
I made this for breakfast on Christmas morning! What a fabulous treat! I put the leftovers in the fridge covered in vanilla cinnamon and sugar. I had it cold the next day. It tasted like my Swedish grandmothers custard! Love it and thank you so much for posting this incredibly delicious recipe.
Thank you so much for coming back to let me know. SO FUN!!!
I love this story! (and the Rommegrot looks really delicious!)
I am a full Norwegian, my siblings and I were raised on Rommegrot. We ate is as a meal. It t was made with sweet cream and milk. The basic recipe is the same procedure as others have listed. We also used melted butter, cinnamon and sugar for a topping. Mom would make a huge kettle full, we all loved it. I made some for myself last week. Tasted just as it did when I was a kid!
This is what our Scandinavian ancestors would call milk mush. It was eaten for a meal. There was no cream in it. Romegrot is made from at least 50% cream!
Can you make this ahead of time and heat up in a crock pot??
I’ve never tried that, but love the thought of it. If you do try it, I’d love to hear how it turned out!
Yes, I help make it for my church bazaar and we make tons and put in roasters to keep warm then transfer to smaller crockpot for the serving line.
Fun to know! That’s exactly how it was served at the Sons of Norway, in big roasters. :)
My Nana used to pour rommegrot over some type of dense bread/cake for Christmas desert. Would anyone know what type of cake that would be? We are taking our kids to Fargo for a trip and I am putting together some of Nana’s recipes to make while we are there. Thank you!
I love that you’re doing this!
I was at Fargo Sons of Norway for lunch today and it was my first time sampling this. I was hesitant but was not disappointed. I wondered how it was made and yours was the first post I found. Thank you for sharing, I’m glad I stumbled across it.
That’s so awesome!! Thank you for leaving a note – I love to hear these kinds of stories. :)
I’ve heard nothing but good things about this! Thanks for sharing the recipe and the story. No matter what it is called, we’re looking forward to having this very soon!
Let me know know what you think!! :)
I haven’t made this specific recipe, yet. But in 1990 I made this from a recipe in Bon Appetite (?), and LOVED it. But I lost the recipe and the magazine stopped publishing. I am so excited, I get to make it again! Thank you!!!
Wonderful!! I hope you like this!
I just heard of rømmegrøt on Twitter, so looked it up and found this post. So I just tweeted a link to this post to the person on Twitter. This is such an interesting dish. I think she was planning to make it with sour cream.
Hello Jean – thank you for sharing!
Thank You for being a great wife and making a Norwegian history dish for your German husband…..
I am 100 % Norwegiam and we had this Rommegrote pudding as an appitiser before the main meal at Christmas and New Years…My dad use to cook it in a double boiler to prevent burning ….
I learned a new way of making it in an electric crock pot……
We use heavy whipping cream and sift in flour to thicken the pudding…I usually ad a little vanilla and almond flavoring…….We cook it 2-3 hrs a bit longer on a low setting…..till the butter cooks off to the top…My relatives would put the butter in a gravy type pour cup and ADD the butter back into the pudding ,,,and add cinnamon and sugar to taste,,,I thought they called it a “Poor mans pudding”
My Swedish mother in law thought it tasted like “School Paste”…… the old white kind…
My family and grand kids LOVE it any way we cook it…
THANK YOY for helping keep Norwegians eating GOOD stuff….Peter Aftreth Minnesota born…Alaskan by choice
I love the idea of adding a little vanilla and almond flavoring!!
I always thought the school paste tasted minty lol Thank you for the crock pot way!
Our family recipe also includes sifting flour into the whipping cream and constantly stirring until the butter had cooked out. Then scalded milk is added to get to a pudding consistency. Salt to the taste is added, followed by sugar. Once finished, the grot is transferred to the serving bowl, sprinkled lightly with cinnamon and sugar, followed by spooning the rendered melted butter on top. It’s labor intensive, but a labor of love in our family.
Scott— That’s exactly how my Norwegian-American friends made it for me when I was visiting their house years ago as a student.