Easy Dark Chocolate, Banana, Yoghurt and Peanut Butter Porridge

I’ve watched so many YouTube videos (and read so many recipes) that begin with something along the lines of “I ate this dish every day.”

Most of the time, that’s completely untrue.

But unlike those clickbait recipes, porridge is a dish that I really do eat every day — or at least, some variant of it.

At least, almost every day. Some days I skip breakfast, other times someone else will prepare it, etc. But if I’m making my own breakfast, it will invariably be porridge. And usually it’s a peanut butter porridge.

A good porridge is defined by a strong base, and a delicious selection of toppings.

Base Porridge

My base porridge recipe is simple.

I use a ratio of 3 parts whole-fat milk to 1 part quick oats.

You can use a lower fat milk, though it will taste less creamy.

I also add a little bit of sweetener. I am perpetually trying to reduce my sugar intake, so I use artificial sweeteners (like stevia or Splenda) but you could also use maple syrup, honey or even regular old sugar. 1-2 tsp of sugar (or equivalent_¹) will do.

Toppings

As for what to put on top of it, that’s the best part: put on top of porridge whatever you like.

Invariably I’m adding some sort of nut or seed butter, like peanut butter, almond butter or tahini. (Peanut butter porridge is, in my opinion, always a winner).

Fruit, such as banana, berries or whatever else you have on hand is also something that never fails.

Feel free to get creative and add your favourite ingredients. Chocolate, maple syrup, sour cream, granola. Hell, I’ve ever seen people adding carrots and making a carrot-cake inspired porridge.

I regularly add yoghurt. This adds creaminess, temperature contrast (I’ll add the yoghurt cold straight from the fridge) and extra protein.

And as a treat, I’ll add something sweet (and quasi-healthy) like dark chocolate.

Those are the ingredients that I’m using in this recipe, and which I know make a delicious combination of flavour and texture.

Dark chocolate, banana, yoghurt and peanut butter porridge recipe

Serves: 1

Ingredients

• 50g instant porridge oats
• 150g whole-fat milk
• 1 tsp sweetener²
• 1 medium banana, sliced
• 20g natural peanut butter³
• 20g Greek yoghurt
• 10g (1 square) dark chocolate_⁴, roughly chopped
• pinch of salt — essential⁵

Directions

1. Mix together porridge oats, milk, sweetener and salt in a small sauce pan.
   
2. Cook over medium-low heat stirring constantly until the oats form a thick consistency. This should take around 3-6 minutes.
   
3. To plate up, pour the oats into a bowl. Layer 1/2 the chocolate (this will begin melting over the heat of the oats and turn it gooey and delicious), the yoghurt, the sliced banana, the peanut butter and then top with the rest of the chocolate. Serve immediately and enjoy.
   

Notes

1. By equivalent I mean that many sweeteners are just as sweet as sugar in a fraction of the quantity. If a sweetener says that 1 tsp of it is as sweet as 1 tbsp sugar, then use only 1/3 tsp. You get the idea.
2. As I mentioned in an earlier post, I’m avoiding added sugar. You can use regular sugar here, if you prefer.
3. Use a natural peanut butter for peanut butter porridge — something with just peanuts and salt. No sugar, no hydrogenated oil, no palm oil. This has a much more appealing consistency IMO.
4. At least 70% cocoa, up to 85%. Try to find a product with no soy lecithin if that’s available.
5. It may seem odd, but just a little salt will enhance the overall flavour of the oats. It will not taste salty.