Rømmegrøt is a warm Norwegian porridge recipe, similar to a rich milk pudding, that’s delightful with a drizzle of melted butter and a good sprinkling of cinnamon-sugar over the top. Enjoy it as a hot breakfast, side dish, or dessert!
This easy Rømmegrøt recipe is a beloved piece of my husband’s Norwegian family tradition. It’s simple, basically a creamy Norwegian porridge or pudding. My mother-in-law taught me to enjoy it with melted butter and a hefty sprinkle of cinnamon sugar over the top. We make this all year ’round as a cozy breakfast, side dish, or dessert, and especially like to make it during the holidays.
Why We ❤️ Love This Rømmegrøt Recipe
I have an affection for special family recipe traditions. 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. Rømmegrøt, however, is from my husband’s side of the family (he is 75% Norwegian, 25% Swedish), and this has been a happy, delicious tradition addition. (Just don’t ask me to try lutefisk!) Here’s why we love this recipe:
- So simple. The ingredients list is super short, with only milk, flour, sugar, and salt. Plus melted butter and cinnamon-sugar for topping individual bowls.
- A year-round dish. While I most often make rømmegrøt during the cold months, and especially for Christmas, we do make it all year ’round. In Norway, rømmegrøt is often served during summer holidays!
- Versatile. Enjoy rømmegrøt for breakfast, or as a side dish or dessert. You can serve it more like a sweet pudding, with fresh fruit and other toppings. Or leave off the cinnamon-sugar topping and serve it with meat.
What Is Rømmegrøt?
Rømmegrøt is a Norwegian porridge that is thick and sweet and always served warm. It’s made with sour cream, as “rømme” translates from Norwegian as “sour cream” and “grøt” translates to porridge. So, for us non-Norwegians: “sour cream porridge”.
That said, there are many recipes that do not use sour cream, that use whole milk or cream instead, and still call it rømmegrøt. It all comes down to the traditions of specific families and regions. And for my husband’s family, they have always use whole milk – or heavy cream, if they’re feeling particularly indulgent. Technically, this would then be called fløtegrøt or fløyelsgrøt.
No matter the dairy you use, this dish is wonderful served with melted butter and cinamon-sugar, and you’ll often see it in Norway accompanied with cured meats. I love that you can enjoy rømmegrøt with both sweet or savory sides, or just spoon it up for a decadent breakfast option.
⭐️ To learn more about where this recipe comes from and my first experience eating it at Sons of Norway in Fargo, ND, scroll to the bottom of this post, right after the recipe card.
What is Rommegrot Made of?
Here’s what you’ll need to make this rømmegrøt recipe that’s part of Blake’s family tradition. Scroll down to the printable recipe card at the end of this post for the exact ingredient amounts.
- Milk – I was taught to make rømmegrøt with whole milk, at the approval of both my husband and my mother-in-law. 😉 I’ve given some substitution suggestions lower down if you want to experiment with using other milks or sour cream.
- Flour – This recipe calls for all-purpose flour. Use the spoon & level method to measure the flour for the best accuracy.
- Sugar – A scant amount of sugar adds a little sweetness. You can adjust this as necessary.
- Salt – A little bit of salt helps to draw out the simple flavors in this recipe.
- Butter – I like to use salted butter for this recipe, for added flavor. Don’t skimp on the butter, as this adds rich flavor and texture. And then offer extra melted butter on the side, at serving time.
- Cinnamon-sugar – To sprinkle over individual bowls of pudding.
How To Make Rømmegrøt
So, here you go. Here’s how we make rømmegrøt! Find the detailed instructions in the recipe card lower down.
- Heat milk. First, heat the milk to 195°F, stirring continuously.
- Whisk dry ingredients. Combine the flour, sugar, and salt in a small bowl.
- Melt butter. Melt the butter in a small saucepan over medium heat.
- Add flour. Whisk the flour mixture into the melted butter.
- Cook. Keep cooking the flour and butter mixture until it forms a thick paste.
- Combine with milk. Mix the heated milk with the flour-butter mixture, stirring constantly, until the milk starts to boil.
- Cook on low. Turn the heat down to low and cook for 5 minutes more, until smoothed-out and thickened, like a thick pudding.
- Serve! Spoon rømmegrøt into individual bowls, drizzle warm melted butter over the top, and sprinkle with a good amount of cinnamon-sugar.
Tips for Success + Variations
Rømmegrøt is not at all fussy, but here a few helpful tips to keep in mind as you make this dish:
- Whisk it well. For the smoothest, creamiest porridge, whisk the flour very well with the milk. You want to eliminate any lumps, so keep whisking until it’s very smooth.
- Cook it long enough. Similar to a roux, when you cook flour and butter together to form the base of a sauce, rømmegrøt needs to be cooked long enough so that the flour cooks fully. Bring the flour-milk mixture to a true boil before lowering it to a simmer, then simmer it for at least a full five minutes so that the flour doesn’t taste raw.
- But 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.
- Use a thermometer. For the best, most consistent results, use an instant-read thermometer to easily tell when the milk reaches the proper temperature of 195°F.
- Try heavy cream. You can substitute the whole milk for heavy cream, for a much richer rommegrot. Or try swapping out just 1 cup of the milk for 1 cup of heavy cream.
- Or use skim milk. For less richness, use skim milk. My MIL shared with me that her three boys asked her to switch from cream to skim milk…because they wanted to eat more of it!
- Add sour cream. To make a more traditional version of rømmegrøt, swap out 1 to 2 cups of the milk for full-fat sour cream.
How to eat rømmegrøt?
Blake’s mom, Loree, 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. Most often, they enjoyed it these two ways:
- as a side dish: a special treat (especially during the holidays) topped with melted butter and cinnamon sugar
- as a simple meal: served plain with soda crackers for dipping, along with a glass of milk
Loree most often served rommegrot to her own family with melted butter + cinnamon-sugar. The first time I enjoyed it myself, she advised me: “Eat it with a spoon, and skim off the top crusted layer of sweet cinnamon-sugar. Then repeat, repeat, repeat – until you see the bottom of the bowl.” 🥰
What To Serve With Norwegian Porridge
There are many ways to enjoy this porridge, besides the way my MIL taught me (above). Here are a few more ideas for you:
- Toppings. You can think of rømmegrøt a bit like oatmeal, and add toppings such as berries, raisins, nuts, seeds, nut butter, maple syrup, honey, or a spoonful of jam. Try my raspberry blackberry freezer jam or strawberry freezer jam.
- As a side dish. Rømmegrøt is served mostly as a side dish in Norway, beside fish or meat, especially ham, and various cured salamis and sausages.
- With juice & flatbread. I’ve also read that Norwegians like to eat rømmegrøt with a glass of raspberry juice, plus cured meat and Norwegian flat bread.
Proper Storage
Here’s how to easily store and reheat any leftover porridge:
- Fridge – Place cooled leftover rømmegrøt in an airtight container and store it in the fridge for up to 4 days.
- Reheat – Gently rewarm the rømmegrøt in a saucepan over medium-low to low heat. 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.
More Side Dish Recipes To Try
Rømmegrøt
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 should be smoothed-out and thickened, like a thick pudding. 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
Nutrition Information:
my First Rømmegrøt Experience
It was a cold March day, sun-less and dreary, when we visited the Sons of Norway in Fargo, North Dakota with Blake’s family.
Inside, the dark paneled walls displayed Norwegian ancestry everywhere we turned. There were whimsical wood troll carvings, beautiful rosemåling pieces, gigantic framed paintings of valiant Vikings, and oh-so-lovely wallpaper designs.
It was there that I experienced rømmegrøt for the first time.
A kind lady handed me a bowl of the simple, warm Norwegian pudding, and then advised me to pour some melted butter over the top, followed by a generous sprinkling of cinnamon sugar…the very same advice my mother-in-law had already given me.
After finishing bowl #1, I went back for bowl #2…with more butter and more cinnamon sugar the second go ’round. That stuff was wonderful!
A Shared Rømmegrøt Recipe
Then I asked one of the servers if they might be able 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.
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 – and that’s the 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