Banana Almond Teff Porridge

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Similar to hot oatmeal or cream of wheat, this creamy, cozy teff porridge is a filling breakfast option and high in protein. Vegan and gluten-free.

Quinoa was the “it grain” of 2013 and I have a funny feeling that teff will soon have its year to shine. Maybe 2014 will be the year! It’s the world’s smallest grain, and it’s been been growing in popularity for good reason — it’s high in protein (a 1/4 cup has 7 grams) and packed with fiber, vitamin C, iron, calcium and phosphorus. It’s also gluten-free and high in resistant starch, a type of dietary fiber that can help manage blood sugar, weight and colon health.

While teff is usually associated with Ethiopian cuisine because it’s flour is used to make injera, the fermented spongy bread used as a serving plate at all Ethiopian restaurants, it’s now popping up in a variety of recipes.

Banana Almond Teff Porridge in a light blue bowl with silver spoon.

When I bought my first package of teff, I thought I was buying teff flour — which makes sense because the grain is sooo tiny. I didn’t realize it wasn’t flour until I went to make pancakes one morning with the “flour” and it wasn’t mixing into the liquid the way flour would. Oops! I’m not one to waste food so I went ahead and made the pancakes. Although they did turn out a little crunchy, we still liked and ate the full batch — the crunch was actually a nice addition.

Package of Bob's Red Mill Whole Grain Teff.

Once I realized I didn’t have teff flour on my hands, I started brainstorming other breakfast ideas and tried my hand at making a batch of teff hot cereal similar to the way I make my oatmeal.

Banana Almond Teff Porridge in a light blue bowl. Almondmilk container in background.

It turned out to be downright delicious. The flavor of the teff is nutty and the consistency is similar to polenta or cream of wheat. The bananas melt into the porridge giving it a hint of sweetness and the coconut oil and unsweetened vanilla almond milk make it extra creamy.

I love oatmeal and usually nothing can compare, but this teff porridge was so unique and I really liked the consistency and flavor.

Banana Almond Teff Porridge in a light blue bowl. Almondmilk container in background.

I made this large batch, had a bowl for breakfast one morning and put the leftovers in a container for later in the week. The leftover porridge solidifies in the fridge (similar to polenta) so the next morning I just scooped out a serving and added a little almond milk to reheat. Worked like a charm!

I also made another recipe with the leftover porridge that I’m really excited about and will be sharing soon! Until then, I hope you enjoy this porridge as much as I do.

Banana Almond Teff Porridge in a light blue bowl. Almondmilk container in background.

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4.38 from 37 votes

Banana Almond Teff Porridge

Similar to hot oatmeal or cream of wheat, this creamy, cozy teff porridge is a filling breakfast option and high in protein. Vegan and gluten-free.
Prep Time: 2 minutes
Cook Time: 20 minutes
Servings: 4

Ingredients  

  • 1 cup whole grain teff
  • 1 1/2 cups water
  • 1 1/2 cups Almond Breeze unsweetened vanilla almond milk
  • 1 Tablespoon extra-virgin, unrefined coconut oil
  • 1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
  • 1 banana, sliced (save a few slices for topping)
  • 1/4 teaspoon sea salt
  • 1/4 cup crushed or sliced almonds
  • maple syrup, optional for drizzling on top

Instructions 

  • Bring a heavy saucepan to medium heat. Add teff, water, almond milk, coconut oil, cinnamon, banana slices and sea salt to the pan. Stir well to combine.
  • Bring the mixture to a boil. Once boiling, turn the heat to medium-low, cover and cook at a simmer for 15-20 minutes. Make sure you give the mixture a stir from time to time to prevent the teff from sticking. If the mixture gets too thick, you can add more water or almond milk but I didn’t need any extra.
  • Once the teff has cooked and the texture is to your liking, portion into bowls. Top each bowl with a sprinkle of almonds, extra banana slices and a drizzle of maple syrup, if desired.

Nutrition

Serving: 1bowl | Calories: 286kcal | Carbohydrates: 46g | Protein: 8g | Fat: 9g | Saturated Fat: 4g | Fiber: 6g | Sugar: 4g

Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.

Additional Info

Course: Breakfast
Cuisine: American
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About Brittany

Hey there, I’m Brittany, the creator of Eating Bird Food, cookbook author, health coach and mama of two littles. Here you’ll find quick and easy recipes that make healthy fun and enjoyable for you and your family!

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Recipe Rating




57 Comments

  1. 5 stars
    LOVE the experimentation!!!! And trying to give TEFF some fame 😉 I hope it breaks out soon! It’s a hidden gem.

  2. Hmm… never heard of it but eager to try. Been making lots of things with quinoa for added protein so maybe this will be a good substitute from time to time!

  3. Thank you!!!!! I have never heard of teff. I just got diagnosed with celiac, am vegetarian and with Passover coming up had no clue how to get protein in (and have my hot cereal for breakfast). Not only is this gluten free it’s kosher for Passover. Awesome!

  4. This looks fantastic and like a great alternative to oatmeal. Thanks for sharing, I’ll be looking for teff at the store.

  5. 5 stars
    What a great recipe! I’ve always wondered about this little grain, but just love oats so much I can’t see parting with them. I have heard teff is a wonderfully healthy grain, and after reading your recipe, I’d be more up to trying it now:) Besides, you just can’t go wrong with Bob’s Red Mill anything:) Great recipe!

  6. I’ve seen this grain a bunch lately. But I never knew what I could do with it! I love oatmeal and this would be a fun switch up. What’s the texture like?

  7. I’ve had a bag of teff languishing in my pantry too long and your porridge is the perfect inspiration to tear into it! Thanks!

  8. I’ve never used teff before, but now I’m interested. This porridge looks delicious, a nice change from the usual oatmeal!

  9. This looks so delicious! I’ve used teff flour quite a bit (especially in my GF pancake mix), but never tried the actual grain. I am a huge breakfast oatmeal/quinoa/buckwheat fan. I’ll have to try this recipe soon!

    1. I need to start experimenting with the flour — I’ve only used the grain thus far! I’ll check out your pancake recipe.

  10. This looks great! I’ve never tried teff before. I think I need to pick up a bag and give it a go!

  11. I love how you said it is like cream of wheat!!! I have been looking for something like cream of wheat at health food stores but ran out of luck! The great nutty flavor is something that really must make this dish! A keeper recipe!

  12. I am wondering…when do you add the banana? The ingredient list makes it sound like some goes in while cooking and some on top, but i don’t see that in the directions.
    Thanks 🙂

    1. Oops. Looks like I forgot to include that you add most of the banana slices into the teff while cooking and save some for topping each bowl. Just updated it — thanks for noticing that!

      1. Thanks, Brittany — that’s what I suspected. Can’t wait to try this in my Instant Pot pressure cooker!!

          1. Just wanted to lyk that this porridge turned out great cook in my Instant Pot pressure cooker! I used a 3:1 liquid to grain ratio and cooked it for 5 minutes!! Thanks for this great recipe 🙂

            1. It’s awesome that you can cook it up in 5 minutes with your pressure cooker! So glad it turned out.

  13. So I just made this for breakfast!!! What an awesome gluten-free alternative to cream of wheat which is an all time favorite around here!!! I am so excited! *I also tried it with coconut milk giving it an interesting flare!*

    1. Oh yay! I’m so glad you came back to comment and let me know how it turned out. I bet it was delicious with the coconut milk too.

  14. Hi Brittany, do you think I could use Steel Cut Oats in place of the Teff and it would still turn out okay? I look forward to trying teff at some point, but just happen to have the oats on hand. Thanks!

    1. I’m not 100% sure because I haven’t tried it but let me know how it turns out if you do end up trying it!

  15. Brittany, I just love your recipe!!! I saw it this afternoon and couldn’t wait to try it. Since I had all the ingredients, decided to make it for my supper tonight. I had made it as porridge before and liked it OK, but yours is so, so much better, like a gourmet version. I live in Colorado, at 7000 altitude, so had to cook it the last 10 minutes with lid off. Will probably use less liquid the next time. Thank you for such a wonderful treat! Looking forward to more of your recipes in the future.

    1. Yay!! I’m so happy that you enjoyed this recipe, Frances. Thanks for coming back to comment and let me know. 🙂

  16. The only thing I would add would be to melt the coconut oil first, or sub almond oil, and “toast” the teff for a couple minutes in there, when you get a nutty aroma out of the pot, then add everything else, bring to a boil, etc.

  17. Just had this for breakfast and it was so delicious!! I’m so excited to have another option for a healthy breakfast besides steel cut oats. Thanks so much for posting this recipe. :-))))

  18. I’ve been making this on and off for a month or two and I love it – I’ve also swapped amaranth for the teff every other batch and it also works great. I just made a batch with amaranth but instead of banana I used whole pitted dates and then mashed them up at the very end. Good stuff – give it a try…

  19. 5 stars
    Amazing! Such a nice change from oats. I loved the flavor that cooking in Thebes banana added! I topped mine with honey, too, and it added the perfect touch of sweetness!

  20. I have been this porridge for years and enjoys it a lots. I used to make this on my stove, over time I starting to my crockpot which is better. I do used cup almond milk and water, also I use 3/4 cup Tiff plus 1/4 cup quinoa to my recipe that my changes.
    Its always happy waking up to the smell of cinnamon inside my place. I just have a bowl with kiwifruit and a few dried mulberries.

    Thank for this recipe, I still enjoy still.

  21. 5 stars
    This is such a cozy dream on cold weekend mornings! If you are getting sick of the same oatmeal every morning, try this out! The cooked bananas create the most amazing flavor and aroma. Yummm

  22. 5 stars
    I bought teff a few years ago out of curiosity, but didn’t use it until seeing this recipe! Used Unsweetened Vanilla almond-banana blend milk, everything else as directed. Did not use maple syrup, but the sliced almonds add a nice texture/flavor! We enjoyed this meal! Thank you!

    1. I’m so glad you found a recipe to use your teff with! Thanks for trying it and for coming back to leave a comment + star rating. I really appreciate it. <3

  23. 5 stars
    In my excitement to make this, I just jumped to the recipe without reading your post. So I did the opposite and used teff flour instead of whole grain teff and didn’t realize the mistake until it was almost cooked. It had such a smooth texture. It really tasted good even with oat milk plus vanilla flavoring from Trader Joe’s instead of vanilla almond milk. It reminded me of the Chinese black sesame dessert. And it got even better when I topped it with peanut butter. Thanks for a yummy breakfast!

    1. Yay! I’m so glad you enjoyed this recipe, Kimery! Thanks for the review. I really appreciate it!

  24. I made a Chocolate porridge similar to Chocolate MaltOMeal. For a single serving I put 1/4c Teff and 3/4 c water in a small sauce pan. Then add a pinch of salt, rounded tsp of Ghirardelli cocoa powder, and 1/2 tsp chocolate extract. Bring to a boil then simmer 10-12 minutes. Pour in a bowl with milk and sweetener of choice.

  25. 5 stars
    I’d purchased teff on a whim, because our sponsored children in Ethiopia eat it, and I wanted to try their food. I didn’t know how to prepare it, but found this recipe and decided to give it a go. I didn’t have almond milk, so I used coconut milk, and used an almond/cranberry granola instead of the crushed/sliced almonds. This was very good!

    1. Aw yay! I am so glad that you are loving this recipe, Sonya. Thank you for sharing your review + star rating, I so appreciate it.

      1. 5 stars
        I was looking for something to replace oatmeal as well as add in healthier foods. Very delicious!! So yummy! Only thing I added was nutmeg. I will definitely continue to make and eat this.

        1. Aw yay! I am so glad you found this recipe and you’re loving it. Thank you for coming back and sharing your review + star rating, I really appreciate it!