Farina, or Cream of Wheat, is known as 'Harina del negrito' in the Dominican Republic, and it is a very comforting hot cereal breakfast dish with kids and adults. What makes this easy-to-make farina such a special, popular dish is its creaminess and combination of spices.
By - Last reviewed . Published Jun 22, 2013
Why we ❤️ it
This Cream of Wheat® recipe for Dominican-style farina is one of the most searched for in our blog and very popular breakfast food. It was one of our Saturday morning staples growing up.
This hot breakfast cereal, though very warm, creamy, comforting, and popular, is actually a very simple dish that I thought most people could cook without a recipe.
Let's answer some questions you've asked me about this farina recipe.
What's Farina?
Farina is the generic name for a quick cook wheat flour used to make porridge. Farina is sometimes called Cream of Wheat™, but that is a commercial brand of this cereal grain.
In the Dominican Republic, farina pudding or hot is best known as Harina del Negrito® after the most popular brand of farina sold here.
Dominican-style Farina.
How to make farina
Dominican farina, together with Harina de maíz (cornmeal porridge) and Desayuno de avena (oatmeal porridge) are our favorite porridge-like breakfast dishes, and they are made in a similar fashion: cooked with milk, sugar, and spices.
I think that right after Mangú with Los Tres Golpes, and our hot breakfast drinks, it may well be our favorite breakfast.
Top tips
- You can make a vegan version by using oat or almond milk instead of milk, and leaving out the butter. The flavor is not the same, but it's still a very appealing dish.
- Some people add raisins to farina, but I have honestly have never, but if you love raisins, add it when combining ingredients in the first step.
- You can save leftovers in an airtight container and refrigerate it. To reheat – either on the stovetop or in the microwave – add a bit of milk to make it thinner.
About this recipe
I have written this recipe in the same way my mom made Harina del negrito when I was a child. Generally, this will almost have a pudding-like consistency, which is the result we show here.
You can make a dairy-free version by substituting almond or soy milk for milk in the recipe.
Video
Recipe
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Farina [Video + Recipe] Cream of Wheat Breakfast Porridge
Ingredients
- 3 cup milk (whole or skim)
- 1½ cup farina, (cream of wheat)
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon vanilla extract
- 3 sticks cinnamon
- ¼ teaspoon clove powder
- ½ cup brown sugar
- 2 tablespoon salted butter
- ¼ teaspoon nutmeg (freshly-grated)
Instructions
1. Combine ingredients
In a medium-sized saucepan combine milk, cream of wheat, salt, vanilla, cinnamon sticks, clove powder, 2 cups of water, and half the sugar. Stir until the sugar has dissolved and taste (it's safe to do so), add more sugar if you find it necessary (I found ½ cup too sweet, but too sweet is the preferred sweetness for some people, so do it to your taste).Let it rest for 5 minutes.
2. Cook
- Heat over medium heat stirring constantly to prevent it from sticking to the pot.When it breaks the boil, add butter and lower the heat to very low. Simmer stirring until it reaches the desired consistency, taking into consideration it will get much thicker when it cools down. I suggest a thick but still liquid consistency.
3. Serve
- Remove from the heat and pour into individual servings, and sprinkle with the nutmeg. Serve warm.
Nutrition
Nutritional information is calculated automatically based on ingredients listed. Please consult your doctor if you need precise nutrition information.
More porridge recipes
We have several nutrient-rich porridge-like dishes that we routinely serve for breakfast, like Dominican avena, Harina de maíz cornmeal porridge, and Maicena, a porridge made with cornstarch, Trigo con dulce, a wheat bulgur porridge, and Chacá or Maíz caquiao, a hominy porridge.
FAQs
Cream of Wheat™ is a commercial brand of farina.
Farina is a coarse flour made from wheat, while grits is a coarse flour made from corn. They have a similar texture and can be used similarly but are not the same.
It's a wheat product, so it's definitely not gluten-free. I also can't think of a suitable GF substitute at this time.
As consistency is a matter of taste, I suggest you do not let it get as thick as you want it to be in the end; take into consideration that it always gets thicker as it cools down. You can also mix in a bit of extra milk at the end if it gets too thick.
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