Wild Rice Porridge

This Wild Rice Porridge is a classic, Minnesota breakfast favorite! It's hearty, sweet and has such a great texture from the wild rice, hazelnuts and cranberries!

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This recipe was photographed and updated 2/2025.

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Shopping list:

• cooked wild rice
• roasted hazelnuts
• dried cranberries
• maple syrup
• heavy cream

Hey friends!  Sheena's sister Shannon here with a recipe that is too good to be true, that I am totally excited to share with you!!!!  

So a couple months ago, my husband and I decided to take an impromptu overnight trip to downtown Minneapolis.  We are so incredibly lucky to have such an amazing city just a short car drive away - so much culture, so much to see and do... and SO many amazing restaurants!  One of the restaurants we visited was Hell's Kitchen.  

I have to confess, the night before we visited we had decided weren't even going try it because we aren't really into chain restaurants or celebrity chef inspired restaurants, but when we woke up in the morning I was peeking at a city guide in our hotel room and was drawn to a picture of some amazing looking breakfast, and right then we decided we without a doubt had to go to Hell's Kitchen for breakfast!  SOOO glad we did... boy would we have totally missed out on something incredible!  

We tried several things on the menu because everything looked so amazing.  

One of my favorite things was "Minnesota Icon: Mahnomin Porridge".  The server shared with us a background story about this hearty, savory and slightly sweet concoction.  

Apparently Chef Mitch got the idea for this recipe when he was reviewing 19th century fur trader journals.  The fur traders described a porridge meal eaten by the Cree tribe and Chef Mitch was inspired to mimic it.  If I remember correctly, the original recipe did not have the cream component that Chef Mitch added, but I cannot imagine this without it.  It gives it such a smooth, rich flavor.  

After a friend told me she makes this porridge, I knew I had to try making it.  And it's so yummy and creamy! The wild rice and hazelnuts have such a great texture. The maple syrup adds a little sweetness, which is the perfect touch. 

This would be a perfect addition to your Thanksgiving or Christmas brunch menu!

(Side note: I do not like blueberries, so I used all Craisins, and a friend of mine uses part wild rice and part regular rolled oats, and sometimes almonds instead of hazelnuts.)

From the Hell's Kitchen menu: "Minnesota Icon: Mahnomin Porridge - Native-harvested, hand-parched wild rice from the Leech Lake Band of Ojibwe simmered with heavy cream, roasted hazelnuts, dried blueberries, sweetened cranberries and pure maple syrup."

We love wild rice so much here in Minnesota! If you're looking for more wild rice recipes, try my Creamy Wild Rice Cranberry Soup or Minnesota Wild Rice Hotdish!

Keep scrolling for the full printable recipe 💙

Recipe tips and substitution ideas:

• Refrigerate leftovers in an airtight container for up to three days. Reheat in the microwave or on the stovetop. Additional heavy cream may need to be added, depending on how much the rice absorbs.

• You can purchase wild rice already cooked, or cook your own. I always cook a big batch, then use it for soups, pancakes and more over the next few days. Just store in an airtight container in the refrigerator.

• Please don't skip the step of roasting the hazelnuts. It adds so much flavor and texture. It's so easy to roast and peel hazelnuts!

• Try using dried blueberries or cherries instead of cranberries, almonds instead of hazelnuts or use oats instead of wild rice.

• Add vanilla extract or ground cinnamon. Use honey instead of maple syrup, half and half instead of heavy cream or use a non dairy substitute instead of heavy cream.

Our favorite kitchen equipment and supplies used with this recipe:

• OXO Good Grips 7-Piece Nesting Measuring Beaker Set
• OXO Good Grips 6-Piece Plastic Measuring Cups

Yield 4 servings

Author Hot Eats and Cool Reads

Prep time

10 Min

Cook time

10 Min

Total time

20 Min

Wild Rice Porridge

Ingredients

• 2 cups cooked wild rice
• ½ cup halved roasted hazelnuts
• 1/2 cup dried cranberries
• 1/4 cup pure maple syrup
• 1 1/2 cups heavy cream

Instructions

1. Add cooked wild rice, roasted hazelnuts, dried cranberries, maple syrup and heavy cream in a saucepan over medium heat.
2. Cook, stirring often until heated through.

Nutrition Facts

Calories

626.16

Fat

41.87 g

Sat. Fat

21.21 g

Carbs

56.64 g

Fiber

4.51 g

Net carbs

53.89 g

Sugar

27.06 g

Protein

10.05 g

Sodium

26.67 mg

Cholesterol

100.85 mg

Hot Eats and Cool Reads is not responsible for the outcome of any recipe you try from this blog/website. You may not always have the same results due to variations in ingredients, humidity, altitude, cooking temperatures, typos, errors, omissions, or individual cooking abilities. 

You are solely responsible for ensuring that any nutritional information provided is accurate, complete, and useful. I am not a certified nutritionist and make no claims to the contrary. Each individual's dietary needs and restrictions are unique to the individual.

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