Simple Semolina Pudding (Grießbrei)

This creamy semolina pudding is a simple classic dish, that you can serve as a dessert or sweet breakfast. It is an international dish, in Germany, it is known as Grießbrei, in the UK as semolina pudding and in the US as cream of wheat (affiliate link) pudding.

I will show you how we cook and enjoy this easy German semolina pudding recipe. You can cook it on the hob or in the microwave if you are short of time.

What is Semolina Pudding?

Semolina pudding is a porridge-like creamy dish that is made with fine semolina (affiliate link) / cream of wheat (affiliate link) and cooked in milk. It can be flavoured with some vanilla sugar or cinnamon and sweetened with either sugar or honey. It is very similar to German rice pudding, but a lot faster to make.

Semolina is a type of coarse wheat flour. It is made from durum wheat. When durum wheat is milled, its most nourishing parts are ground into semolina.

"Grieß" is the German term for semolina. In English, it would literally be translated as "gritty" - referring to the gritty texture of the wheat flour.

Which Semolina to use for Grießbrei?

There are two types of semolina available in the market, one is a lot coarser than the other. There are different names used for them depending on where you buy them:

USA: - For semolina pudding use cream of wheat (affiliate link) which is the finer ground semolina. Durum wheat semolina - is coarser. You can also use that if you like, but be aware that you will achieve a more grainy texture.

UK: - Have a look in the supermarkets and you will find two different semolinas called "Fine Semolina (affiliate link)" or "coarse semolina". Again you can use both.

Germany: Here is where we differentiate between. Hartweizengrieß (hard wheat semolina) and Weichweizengrieß (soft wheat semolina). The coarser Hartweizengrieß is used to make dumplings or doughs and the Weichweizengrieß is used for cakes and puddings.

How to make Semolina Pudding?

Ingredients:

• milk
• salt
• sugar
• vanilla sugar or vanilla extract (affiliate link)
• lemon peel (optional)
• cream of wheat (affiliate link)/ fine semolina (affiliate link)

cream of wheat

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fine semolina

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(affiliate link)

Recipe- Step by Step

To cook on a hob

1. Place the milk, sugar, vanilla sugar, and salt in a saucepan and bring to a boil. Do not forget to stir the milk continuously so it does not burn.

2. Remove the pan from the heat and sprinkle in the semolina / cream of wheat (affiliate link) while stirring continuously.
3. Place the pan back onto the stove and leave the pudding to cook on low heat for around 10 minutes.
4. Remove from the heat and leave to cool a little.
5. Can be served hot or cold.

To cook in the microwave

1. Place the milk, sugar, vanilla sugar and salt in a container that is suitable for the microwave. Heat the milk at 600 Watts for about 6 minutes.
2. Sprinkle in the fine semolina (affiliate link) / cream of wheat (affiliate link) and stir.
3. Heat the mixture twice for a further minute in the microwave, stirring in between.

Recipe Variations

• with egg and butter - this is a classic way of preparing Grießbrei. You separate and egg and add the egg yolk once the porridge has started to swell. Now add a tablespoon of butter. The egg whites are whisked until stiff, and then carefully folded into the pudding before serving.
• with cocoa powder - to make chocolate semolina pudding you can stir in two tablespoons of cocoa powder with the milk. Then cook as instructed.
• make semolina pudding without sugar - you can replace the sugar with either agar or honey.
• vegan semolina pudding - you can replace the cow milk with oat milk or use a 400gr can of coconut milk with 300 ml water.

How to prepare semolina pudding for babies

Semolina is easy to suggest so it is often one of the first foods that babies get to try in Germany. You can give it to your baby from 6 months.

Guidelines vary between countries, regarding when children are allowed cow milk. In Germany, you are told to avoid it until the child is a year old. I know it's different in the UK.

You can replace the milk with water or with a non-dairy alternative such as oat milk. To get the baby used to cow milk, you can start by making it with 50% water and 50% cow milk.

Omit the sugars, but you can flavour it with ground cinnamon (affiliate link) or sugar-free fruit compote.

Serving Suggestions

The choice of what to eat with semolina pudding is pretty large. In Germany, it is common to use eat it with a cinnamon-sugar mixture. However, you can also eat it for breakfast with some fresh berries, jam or seasonal fruit compote.

Here are some suggestions:

Storage Instruction

You can keep Grießbrei for up to four days in the fridge. Wait until it has cooled down and place it in an airtight container.

You can reheat it on a hob or microwave. If it has become solid when cooling down you can also cut it into stripes and fry it in butter.

Can I freeze semolina pudding?

In theory, you can, but the consistency changes when defrosting. It becomes more watery. Fresh-made pudding always tastes better.

Recipe