I am trying to be conscious about getting more protein in these days. And as Australia enters into winter, I thought it would be the perfect time to kick my breakfast game into gear with this high protein porridge recipe.
High protein porridge recipe
This protein porridge recipe can be made with or without protein powder. It uses oats (which can be wheat free certified if need be) milk, an egg and a small amount of maple syrup for flavour and sweetness. You can add cinnamon, fruit, a dollop of yoghurt, hemp seeds – whatever you like to amp up the protein content of this easy breakfast.
Note only is this porridge high protein, it is also high fibre. This bowl of porridge, made as in the recipe card, contains approximately 9g of fibre. You can amp this up further by adding some raspberries, flax meal or flaxseeds or even pumpkin seeds (which also add to the protein content).
An easy, nutritious and delicious breakfast that contributes to your protein and fibre intakes in one swoop? Sign me up!
Are oats gluten free?
In Australia, oats are not considered gluten free even if they are manufactured in an allergy friendly factory. This is because avenin, the protein in oats, is similar to gluten. Coeliac Australia says that more research needs to be done to determine whether coeliacs respond to avenin in the same way as gluten (ie, not well).
There are some brands in Australia that sell wheat free oats. This means they have been manufactured in an allergy friendly space and haven’t been alternated with wheat or gluten containing crops in the yields.
In other countries, oats might be considered gluten free. It is really quite individual and up to you to determine whether or not you react well to oats. If you don’t, fear not! I have some gluten free options for you as well (more on this below).
Protein notes for your high protein porridge
If you make the recipe as outlined in the recipe card, this porridge can contain approximately 55g of protein. That said, I want this recipe to be as customisable as possible, so I thought I would go over the primary protein sources in this recipe.
Below, I will give some options to replace said protein sources to make this recipe adaptable to different diets. All protein contents are approximate and depend on the brand you are using. I used My Fitness Pal to calculate the approximate protein content for this recipe.
- Oats – approximately 6g of protein for a 40-50g serve (Australian 1/2 cup)
- Cow’s milk – approximately 8g of protein for a 250ml (1 Australian cup) serve
- Egg – approximately 7g protein for a large egg
- Hemp seeds – approximately 8g protein for 25g hemp seeds (optional)
- Protein powder (I used Bare Blends vanilla whey protein isolate) – approximately 26g protein for 30g worth of protein powder
Making swaps
Whether it be for preference or dietary needs, I realise a recipe like this needs to be as flexible as possible. Here are some approximate protein contents for varying ingredients and different toppings.
- You can use soy milk for a dairy free option. It contains approximately 8g protein per 250ml (1 Australian cup).
- Of course, you will need to use a dairy free protein powder if you are using one. Calculations will depend on the brand you choose.
- You can omit the hemp seeds and replace them with some Greek yoghurt on top. Chobani Fit contains approximately 5g protein for 50g of Greek yoghurt.
- You can omit the egg and make up the protein by adding an extra 8-10g protein powder (calculations based on Bare Blends WPI). You could also use a high protein milk like Rokeby Fitmilk
Can I make this recipe without oats?
You can definitely make a gluten free protein porridge without oats. My recommendation is to use my gluten free porridge recipe, which already has protein options included. It uses rice flakes instead of oats and tastes absolutely delicious. Topped with hemp seeds and with added egg and protein powder, it can contain approximately 50g protein.
Another option is to make the whole quinoa porridge on my paid Substack. Without any toppings, eggs or protein powder, it already contains approximately 23g protein. You could really amp that up with some high protein additions (or not!).
Can I make this recipe without protein powder?
Of course! Not everybody likes or uses protein powder, so there is absolutely the option to omit it. As the recipe stands, it contains around 31g of protein with all the toppings and additions but without any protein powder.
You could potentially amp this up a little by replacing regular milk with a high protein milk. For example, Rokeby Farms Fit Milk contains approximately 13g protein per cup. This gives you 5g extra protein per serve.
You can top your porridge with some high protein yoghurt or a bit of cottage cheese or sprinkle over some pumpkin seeds to amp up the protein.
Recipe tips
- 40-45g of oats looks a little sad, in my opinion. With that said, I do find that porridge is like gnocchi – deceptively filling. Of course, if you know your porridge limits you can definitely double the oats (and potentially the liquid).
- Make sure the porridge has really absorbed all of the liquid before adding the egg. Egg will make the porridge a bit runnier and so a runny porridge will be excessively runny once egg is added. This is fine if you like runny porridge, but not so much if you don’t.
- It is easier to add some milk to fix a stiff porridge than it is to correct an overly runny porridge.
- With that said, chia seeds are so helpful to have on hand in case of runny porridge issues. Bonus: they are a great high fibre ingredient. I haven’t tested it, but you could also potentially add a bit of psyllium husk or flax meal to address a runny porridge.
- Protein powders all have different ingredients and work in different ways. Protein powder with added gums might be quite sticky once added to the porridge. Have some milk on hand to thin it out if needed.
- Because protein powders vary dramatically in their sweetness levels, I recommend adding any sweetener at the end. It can be hard to tell how sweet your porridge is going to be before this.
More high protein recipes
- High protein green pasta sauce
- Gluten free high protein bread recipe
- Gluten free high protein bagels
- High protein sticky date Ninja Creami
- High protein chia pudding recipe
High protein porridge
Ingredients
- 45 g rolled oats (I used certified wheat free – Red Tractor brand in Australia)
- 250 ml + cow's milk or soy milk (see protein notes in body of post)
- 30 g protein powder of choice (I used Bare Blends vanilla whey protein isolate)
- 10 g chia seeds
- 25 g hemp seeds (optional)
- 1 extra large egg, whisked in a small bowl
- maple syrup or sweetener of choice, as needed (this will depend on personal tastes, the protein powder you are using and the toppings you are using)
- Cinnamon powder, to your tastes (optional but delicious)
Instructions
- Add the oats and milk to a medium pot over a medium/low heat. Cook for 5-10 minutes until the oats have softened and absorbed most of the liquid. The liquid should have become creamy and thickened. If the oats don't seem sufficiently softened, add a splash more milk or water (up to 125ml extra).
- Once the oats are cooked and the vast majority of the liquid has been absorbed, take the porridge off the heat. Adding the egg thins out the porridge considerably, so it is important that it isn't too runny prior to adding the egg.
- Stir in the protein powder, hemp seeds and chia seeds. The porridge should thicken quickly.
- Add the egg, little by little, stirring as you go. This will ensure the egg 'dissolves' into the porridge without overcooking and turning clumpy. It's important to ensure the heat is off before you add the egg for this reason.
- Stir well to combine, then add sweetener and cinnamon to your tastes. You can serve with whatever toppings you prefer.
Notes
- I have not tested quick oats in this recipe.
- In Australia, oats can only be classified as wheat free and not gluten free. If you are coeliac in Australia, use my gluten free porridge recipe (which uses rice flakes). The body of the post has options for adding protein.
- See notes in the body of the post for protein contents and ways to substitute ingredients in this porridge.
- As the recipe stands, it contains approximately 57g protein and 9g fibre.
- If you omit the hemp seeds, the recipe contains approximately 49g protein and 8g fibre.
- Different protein powders will work differently in this recipe. Brands with gums added might make a stickier, thicker porridge. Vegan brands might taste more noticeable than a whey protein isolate.
- If you are using a different protein than I am, use what constitutes 1 serve of protein as per the packet of your protein powder.
- 45g of rolled oats is a low FODMAP serve. To make a low FODMAP high protein porridge, use a Low FODMAP milk and a low FODMAP protein powder (as well as low FODMAP toppings).
- I don’t count calories and don’t offer calorie counts on my recipes.
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