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.
Hello! I was looking for a way to use up a couple cups of faintly soured milk. I mostly only use milk in tea but then hate to throw the leftovers away. I made this dish, and it is nice…but somehow not …well, it just seems too…Something. I feel like if I were freezing cold & just coming into the house from trudging through deep snow, I’d LOVE this. But as just a Use Up The Milk leftover, I feel like its missing something for me. I added sliced almonds & a little almond extract, and a sprinkling of poppy seeds in addition to the melted butter & cinnamon/sugar mix. I like it a lot more but I still feel sort of like I’m just eating a bowl of fat. I feel like I want it to have a crust and be a pie somehow. Which is Still like eating a plate of fat but somehow more ok in my head. I know, totally weird. Anyone know how I could turn this into a pie? Would I just toss this into a pie crust & bake for 20 min. on 350 or something? Thanks! I will try using the leftover ‘batter’? for pancakes tomorrow with the addition of a little bit of baking soda and baking powder but I’d like to try a pie next time.
This is Fløyelsgrøt (velvet porridge), also a norwegian dish! Rømmegrøt is made with sour cream and often served with cured meat(spekemat) and flatbread(flatbrød) especially on May 17th . Rømmegrøt and spekemat is “summer food” for me , and for most norwegians :)
For some reason when the Norwegians came to the US, the recipe for Rommegrot which was passed down from generation to generation got confused with the Norwegian recipe for Flotegrot. Although this is a delicious recipe, it is not Rommegrot. “Romme” means sour cream in Norwegian, and this recipe does not have sour cream in it. There are recipes online for that as well. This recipe is actually for Flotegrot.
My family too, has this as a treat added to the Christmas Eve meal. But only on my mother’s side if the family. They would even fry leftovers the next day as a form of “pancake”.
My Father’s side of the family however, did not consider it a treat. His mother grew up on a dairy farm and it was often a frequent breakfast option. As you mentioned in your article, it was a cheap easy offering for them in times of limited budgets. So for her, it was just “mush” and nothing to be “enjoyed and treasured”.
I love it and make it every Christmas Eve.
I’ve never heard of this. But sounds good..it’s not only the tradition but the love and memories as kids..
My father and his parents were all 100% Norwegian. The food I remember them making were: lefse, krub (sp), lutefisk, donuts, cookies, mush, swedish meatballs and much more that was considered Norwegian food.
Becky – I thought my family was the only one who calls it “krub”. It’s one of my favorite foods.
I wish my Mom was still alive so that I could ask her about this. She was 100% Norwegian but rarely made us Norwegian treats growing up, except at Christmas…Krumkaka (I have her iron), pickled herring, cookies,…sometimes she’d make lefse, but we would eat it faster than she could make it. Her Mom, my Grandmother would make us lefse when we visited (and always a batch or three to go home with us). Missing those traditions…
I’d like to know the Norwegian pronunciation of rømmegrøt. Anyone ?
Also, the pronunciation of klübb.
Thank you !
My family pronounces it “room-a- grute”. We just enjoyed it as part of our Thanksgiving dinner, here in Decorah, Iowa. Join us for Nordic Fest some summer!
Hey Pat, from Caledonia here and am wondering if you have ever made Rommegrot in a crockpot? I have heard that people do and would like to know how. I took my granddaughters to Nordic Fest this year and they had their first taste of it and loved it! I remember my grandmother making it as a breakfast treat!
Hi Catherine
I’ve given it some thought and hope this explanation will help you in knowing how to say Rømmegrøt.
Write down the name Bert.
Cross out the B and the t.
The “er “ sound is the sound you need to make in the word Rømmegrøt.
When starting the word (the “R”) place your tongue to the roof of your mouth ….tip of tongue near your top front teeth. Your tongue should vibrate a little as you say Røm and then grø
Good luck with it!
PS I was born in Norway and grew up with a surname that had an “o” in it..
Living in Australia was difficult with that name
Hi!
When I came to the United States I tried many words to find the right sound.
The Ø in Norwegian is pronounced the same way as the U in BURN
Have been making Rommegrot for my family for decades as a special Christmas Eve treat! I rarely sway from making it once a year to keep it special, even tho neither me or my husband are Norweigen! It is SOOO easy to make, but very rich and creamy. My mother-in-law, who passed in ’95 started our tradition because she was married to a Norweigen and tried to replicate many of his favorites. However, I drew the line at Lutefisk…. we think it tastes like slimy boiled fish in butter! What are YOUR Christmas food traditions???
Just wondering, is the pudding ever served cold?
Warm
We would not get grot often but when we did we usually put brown sugar on it. My mom would make it once in awhile when we had fresh milk from a local farmer.
My mother made this on the farm and called it milk pie. I begged for it as a child. But as an adult could never find anything similar. Then I found your recipe and knew it was what she made.
Since then I actually traced our ancestry and was tickled to find that we were of Norwegian and Scottish descent. This must have been handed down as a simple dessert for those who had farms with plenty of extra milk and cream.
I love this, Cindi – thanks for sharing! That’s exactly how my MIL relayed her memory of this dish when she was growing up (she’s now in her 80’s) – that this is what they would make with any extra milk and cream.
My Norwegian father made this every Christmas Eve. Used heavy cream that had soured and cooked it up with flour. Served it over steamed rice, cinnamon and sugar. It was a success if butter appeared on the edges. Some cooks would collect the melted butter in a bowl to be pored back onto each serving. It was a whole meal. When I was in Norway, the cousins made me some and used sour cream( like for baked potatoes) and it tasted perfect. I still make it esp if I’m missing my dad.
Hello, Mary. My Norwegian father did the same! Did your father also make Norwegian eggnog on New Year’s Eve?
I grew up the same way! As a kid I remember my father on Sunday morning making sure we all had a bowl of grout to stick to our ribs . I want to thank you for sharing this with me. It’s brought back so many good thoughts of my father.
My mother used to make something very similar except she would put it in a pie shell and bake it. She called it Ritzacoocoo pie. I think the name was just for us kids. We always loved it. Can’t wait to try your recipe.
So fun! I’d love to try that Ritzacoocoo pie!! :)
My children’s grandmother is German and calls this “milk mush” she always added a scoop of her bottled raspberries in with the sugar and cinnamon. Glad I came across this. Thank you
With raspberries? I love that! Thank you for sharing, Nicolette.
My family is not Norwegian, but we ate this as children growing up, for breakfast. We called it Milk Pudding and put sugar and cinnamon on it. My niece is the only one in the family who can make it right today!
Beautiful. Thank you, Cindy!
My grandma used to make this and we had it 2 ways. We had it as supper with salt and pepper and butter then as dessert with sugar and cinnamon. Loved it.
Thanks for the recipe
I am Norwegian on my dads side, but never had this until I visited Norway a few years back. It was served on 17th of May. I was shocked that “ pudding” was the whole meal, nothing else was served. My hosts had made one from scratch & one from a package and wanted me to say which I liked best – really couldn’t tell any difference.
My grandma Betty made this and we would eat it before Christmas dinner! We kids called it flour pudding . We put cinnamon and sugar on top along with some cream.
I think I’ll bring this back this Christmas!
I am smiling. Keep those traditions alive! :)
My very Norwegian family uses whipping cream. My Grandma was raised in Norway and came to Canada in 1925. Our Nygarrd family still lives on her farm in Norway. That’s interesting what you said about families would use the cream on the top of the milk so that’s probably why my Grandmother Beret used whipping cream here in Canada. We now use the microwave to cut down on time and elbow grease to bring the fat out. Thank you for your post.
And Yes She called it Rommegrot!
Hi I was wondering if anyone has the microwave recipe I moved & it got lost during the move. Thank you.
Hi, so what is your exact recipe when you microwave. And thank you for your time