What to Put in Cream of Wheat to Make it Delicious!
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Cream of Wheat doesn’t have to be boring and bland. I am going to show you what to put in Cream of Wheat to take it from boring to bomb. You will gain new respect for this often forgotten breakfast cereal and you will actually want to eat it in the morning. I promise.
Once you have read this post you will know exactly how to make Cream of Wheat taste good in three simple steps for a warm, quick, and easy breakfast every day of the week without repeating the same flavor combination twice.
What to Put in Cream of Wheat
On its own, Cream of Wheat has a pretty bland flavor. The good thing about this is that it will easily take on the flavor of whatever you put in it, so you are really only limited by what you have in the house and your imagination.
My first rule is to use the directions on the box as a guide for amounts only. The directions on the box say to make Cream of Wheat with water and a little salt. B O R I N G! What does water taste like? That’s right, nothing. When you just add water, your Cream of Wheat also tastes like nothing.
How to Make Cream of Wheat with Milk
To instantly give it more flavor, use milk instead of water. After that, everything else is just added flavor. You could use whole milk, skim milk, almond milk, soy milk, or your other favorite milk-like product. Follow the measurements per serving on the box, replacing the water with milk.
I also put in my Cream of Wheat add-ins at this stage and let the milk start to boil. Do not let the milk come to a full boil. You will scorch your milk, and that’s not good eats.
Let the milk just start to bubble, then add the Cream of Wheat to the pan in the amount per serving on the box. Stir continuously for approximately two minutes or when your cereal has reached your preferred consistency.
Cream of Wheat Recipe Ideas
For some more inspiration on what to put in Cream of Wheat, check out these 16 creative Cream of Wheat recipes.
To create your recipe, keep on reading. I will show you the foundation of making a delicious farina cereal recipe that you will want to make over and over again.
How to Make Cream of Wheat Sweet
Since Cream of Wheat is so versatile, you can make it sweet in many ways. To sweeten your cereal, try adding one teaspoon at a time of the following sweeteners:
How to flavor Cream of Wheat
Now that you’ve got your sweetness, it’s time to add flavor.
The best way to give your Cream of Wheat some flavor is by using spices. Anything that you would use to add flavor to a dessert or pie is fair game here. Add an eighth to a quarter teaspoon of these spices to take your hot cereal to a new level.
- Cinnamon
- Nutmeg
- Allspice
- Pie spice
- Baking spice
- Cake spice
- Extracts (vanilla, lemon, almond, maple, etc.)
Go-to Cream of Wheat Add-Ins
Do you see what we’re doing here? Once you learn what to put in cream of wheat to start building the foundations of flavor, you can mix and match and add even more combinations to create as many Cream of Wheat recipes as you can dream up.
Some great Cream of Wheat mix-ins are:
- Fresh fruit
- Frozen fruit
- Dried fruit (apricots, cherries, etc.)
- Raisins or golden raisins
- Craisins
- Chocolate chips
- Nuts
Cream of Wheat with Fruit
My favorite add-in after adding some sweetness and some spice is fresh fruit above all else. Not only is it the healthiest option, but it’s also the one that I think tastes the best and cooks the fastest.
Cream of Wheat is a quick-cooking cereal, so you should consider that when building your flavor profile. When choosing fruit, choose one that will cook in two minutes.
For instance, fresh apples may not be a good choice since they won’t cook down in time, but berries, peaches, bananas, and raisins are great options.
If fruit is more your speed, you will love my easy Banana Cream of Wheat recipe or this Lemon Blueberry Cream of Wheat recipe.
Lemon Blueberry Cream of Wheat Recipe
Lemon Blueberry Cream of Wheat
Ingredients
- 1 1/4 cup 2% milk
- 3 tbsp. Cream of Wheat
- 1/3 cup fresh or frozen blueberries
- 1 packet of Splenda (or 1-2 tsp. sweetener of choice - sugar, honey, agave)
- 1 tsp. vanilla extract
- 1 tsp. lemon extract
Instructions
- Add milk to a saucepan and begin cooking according to package directions.
- To the pot, add blueberries, Splenda (or other sweetener of choice; stevia, honey, sugar), vanilla, and lemon extract.
- As the blueberries cook, smoosh some of them for a more even blueberry flavor.
- Once the milk is just about to boil, add Cream of Wheat and cook until desired thickness.
Recommended Products
As an Amazon Associate and member of other affiliate programs, I earn from qualifying purchases.
-
Cream of Wheat Enriched Farina Hot Cereal - 28oz -
Lemon Extract By Penzeys Spices 4 fl oz -
Vanilla Single Strength By Penzeys Spices 4 fl oz -
McCormick Pure Lemon Extract, 2 Fl Oz (Pack of 1) -
McCormick All Natural Pure Vanilla Extract, 4 Fl Oz -
Cuisinart 8919-14 Professional Stainless Saucepan with Cover, 1-Quart
Nutrition Information:
Serving Size: 1Amount Per Serving: Calories: 234Total Fat: 6.5gSaturated Fat: 3.8gCholesterol: 25mgSodium: 146mgCarbohydrates: 29.3gFiber: 1.4gSugar: 20.6gProtein: 11.1g
If fruit isn’t your thing, this Golden Raisin Cream of Wheat recipe is one of my go-to easy combinations. PS. This same flavor combination also works really well in oatmeal.
Spiced Golden Raisin Cream of Wheat Recipe
Spiced Golden Raisin Cream of Wheat
Ingredients
- 1 1/4 cups milk
- 3 tbsp. Cream of Wheat
- 2 tsp. honey or agave
- 1 tsp. vanilla extract
- A pinch to 1/8 tsp. cinnamon
- A pinch to 1/8 tsp. nutmeg, preferably freshly grated
- 1/4 to 1/3 cup of raisins; I prefer golden raisins
Instructions
- Add milk to a saucepan with raisins, honey or agave, and vanilla.
- Once it just starts to boil, add Cream of Wheat.
- Cook until desired thickness.
Recipe Cheat Sheet Printable
Print this Cream of Wheat recipe cheat sheet to keep on your fridge for endless flavor possibilities and never have boring Cream of Wheat again!
“If you don’t like fruit, try this dried fruit!”
How many raisins should I use?
Oh my goodness! All this time and I never realized that was left off the recipe card. Thank you for bringing it to my attention. It’s really personal preference but I used about 1/4 cup for one serving.
My mom also liked hot cereals. We add some butter & sugar. And sometimes cinnamon with it. Yum! Not the healthiest, but delicious.
That’s how I used to eat it as a kid, or with butter and maple syrup. I agree, it’s definitely not an everyday breakfast.
I like to go the savory route with cream of wheat….try adding a pinch of salt, and some cheese….cheddar, yellow American, parmesan, or a mix of all of them. Good for breakfast, lunch or dinner.
Oooh yummo!! These all sound amazing but I think I’ll try the spiced golden raisin one first!!
I’ve never thought of using flavor to get myself to eat cream of wheat, I want to try the lemon blueberry first.