This vegan Maple Millet Porridge with Candied Coconut-Maple Topping offers the best of everything: creamy, nourishing, sweet, crunchy, filling, and buttery with toffee-like notes and just the right amount of sea salt to make those flavors pop.
Good morning!!! ♥ Or top o' the morning to you, since it's March after all. ♣
A bit of enthusiasm on a Monday morning does a week good, doesn't it? Fingers crossed.
If a cheery greeting (yellow heart and all) isn't enough to elevate your spirits, then perhaps this divine breakfast will do the trick.
Plus, there's something about this breakfast that feels a bit decadent. And decadence on a Monday morning is my favorite way to gain an upper hand and remind this potentially manic weekday who's boss. No need to hoard all the fun and deliciousness within the weekends; we can make each and every day an opportunity for excitement if we put our hearts to it.
This dreamy breakfast is a two-part process.
You'll start with the candied coconut-walnut topping. Sounds more complicated than it is, I promise. This game-changing topping is easy like Sunday Monday morning.
You'll toss raw walnuts, coconut flakes, coconut sugar, coconut oil, cinnamon, and sea salt together; spread them out over a small baking tray; and bake until they're rich golden brown and wafting an enticing sweet, toasted scent.
While the topping bakes, you'll take on part two: the maple millet porridge.
If you're not familiar with millet, allow me to briefly introduce you to this lovely gluten-free grain. First thing's first: millet looks like bird seed. Which makes a whole lot of sense, because it is birdseed (or at least the main ingredient found in it). And you know what? The birds are onto something. Because millet is nutrient packed, serving as a good source of copper, manganese, phosphorus, and magnesium. Plus, this mildly-flavored, nutty seed has a creamy starchiness that makes it an excellent stand-in for oats in this porridge.
To make the maple millet porridge, you'll start by gently toasting the millet in a saucepan until it's light golden and wafting a subtle toasted scent. Once it's toasted, you'll add a couple cups of water and simmer the millet until it's tender and fluffy. Then, stir in coconut milk (from a carton, not a can), pure maple syrup, vanilla, and sea salt and continue to simmer until it reaches your preferred consistency. If you'd like an added boost of delectability, stir in a pat of virgin coconut oil once you've removed it from the heat -- it adds a silkiness to the texture as well as a smooth richness to the flavor.
Once both components are complete, divide the porridge between bowls and generously sprinkle with the coconut-walnut topping.
You can enjoy it as is, but if you really want to up the ante, lightly drizzle the top with maple syrup and coconut milk. Go on and get a little wild and show that Monday who's boss.
Maple Millet Porridge with Candied Coconut-Walnut Topping
Ingredients
Candied Coconut-Walnut Topping
- ½ cup raw walnut pieces
- ¼ cup coconut flakes
- 1 to 2 tablespoons coconut sugar, to taste
- 1 tablespoon virgin coconut oil, melted
- ¼ teaspoon ground cinnamon
- â…› teaspoon fine grain sea salt
Millet Porridge
- 1 cup millet
- 2 cups filtered water
- 1 cup unsweetened coconut milk (from a carton, not a can), plus more for topping
- 2 to 3 tablespoons pure maple syrup, to taste, plus more for topping
- ½ teaspoon pure vanilla extract (optional)
- ⅛ to ¼ teaspoon fine sea salt, to taste
- 1 tablespoon virgin coconut oil (optional)
Instructions
For the Candied Coconut-Walnut Topping
- Preheat oven to 275F. Line a small baking sheet with parchment paper.
- Combine the walnuts, coconut flakes, coconut sugar, coconut oil, cinnamon, and sea salt in a small bowl. Toss to coat. Spread the mixture out over the lined baking pan. Bake for 20 to 22 minutes or until golden and wafting a rich toasted scent. Remove from oven and let cool completely.
For the Millet Porridge
- While the candied coconut-walnut topping is baking, add the millet to a large, dry saucepan and toast over medium heat for 3 to 5 minutes or until golden and wafting a soft toasted scent, stirring occasionally and being careful not to let it burn.
- Add the water. The water may sputter, so be careful as you're pouring. Stir and increase heat to high. Once the liquid is boiling, reduce the heat to medium-low, cover, and simmer for 12 to 15 minutes or until most of the water is absorbed and the millet has puffed up a bit.
- Stir in the coconut milk, maple syrup, vanilla (if using), and sea salt, and increase heat to medium. Simmer for another 4 to 6 minutes or until the porridge has reached desired texture and thickness, stirring frequently to prevent the porridge from sticking the bottom of the pan. For a thinner porridge, simmer for less time and for a thick and creamy porridge, simmer until most of the coconut milk has been absorbed. Remove from heat and stir in the coconut oil (if using).
- Divide the porridge between 3 to 4 bowls and sprinkle with the coconut-walnut topping. Drizzle with more coconut milk and maple syrup, if desired. Serve warm.
This looks and sound wonderful! The thought of the maple mixed with that candied, crunchy topping is practically making me drool!
This is a nice change up to oatmeal. I am anxious to try it.
I’m curious what difference it makes if the coconut milk is from a carton. Is the product that different? I typically keep canned coconut milk on hand for curry. Can’t wait to try the crunchy topping!
Hi, Alex! The finished result is much lighter with coconut milk from a carton because it's quite watered down. You can use canned coconut milk, but the end result will be much richer and thicker. Hope this helps clarify! And yes, enjoy that crunchy topping. :)
Why hello luscious and delicious non-oatmeal goodness! Millet is new to me, but I would gladly welcome it into my breakfast bowl! And like you said, that topping is a total game changer! Crunchiness for the win!
This looks lovely. I have an odd question, is there a way to make this with puffed millet cereal?
Hi, Julie! Unfortunately, no. I have a feeling the puffed millet would become a soggy mess because it has a very, very soft, absorbent texture compared to dried millet.
Made this this morning and its pretty good! I think it might taste even better with vanilla protein powder or cacao powder. Thank you for introducing another way to use millet :)
Happy to hear you enjoyed it, Melissa! Love the idea of adding protein powder for boost of plant-based protein. Will have to try that the next time I make it. Have a beautiful week! xo
I'd like to try this, but I'm the only one in my family who would eat it. SO, how well would this sit in the fridge? Are the leftovers still good, or does this need to be eaten the day-of?
Also, I've never eaten millet, but I'm interested in trying some new grains. What is the texture like? Is it soft after it's cooked? Is it chewy? Thanks!
Hi, Kristin! The leftovers are absolutely still tasty. I've enjoyed them up to three days later, and still delicious. The texture of cooked millet is quite different from other grains. Since it's a grain-like seed, it has a bit more bite to it (but is generally soft after cooking), and it's not at all chewy. If I had to compare it to something, I'd say it's a bit similar to grits when prepared in this manner. Hope this helps and enjoy!