Meet your new go-to porridge recipe! This flavour-rich Cacao Porridge with mixed berries, nuts and seeds makes for a nutritious and indulgent start to your day. With a total of 9 plant points, eating more plants has never been easier!
This cacao porridge is a delicious and wholesome way to kickstart your morning. I love it because even though it feels really indulgent, it’s actually packed with lots of nutrients!
You can switch up the toppings of this cacao porridge if you like, but my all time favourite topping combination is this one: mixed berries, nuts, seeds and a small dollop of almond butter.
And better yet? This breakfast is full of fibre from the oats, berries, nuts and seeds, so it’s the perfect meal to keep you satisfied right through until lunch.
Eating more plants really doesn’t have to be difficult and I promise, after trying this cacao porridge, you won’t be able to get enough!
Why You’ll Love This Cacao Porridge
- Rich in nutrients: This cacao porridge is rich in fibre, vitamins, minerals and antioxidants due to the nutrient-rich berries and cacao powder.
- Boost of daily plant points: With a total of 9 plant points, this cacao porridge can help you get more plant diversity into your diet. It’s the perfect breakfast if you’re aiming for 30 plants a week!
- Delicious: There is so much flavour packed into this cacao porridge! If you have kids, this recipe is particularly great for encouraging them to eat a more nutritious breakfast – because who doesn’t love chocolate?!
Ingredients Notes and Substitutions
Below are some helpful notes about the ingredients used in this cacao porridge recipe. You can find the precise ingredients you’ll need in the recipe card further down.
- Oats: Packed with fibre, oats are an excellent choice for promoting heart health, aiding digestion, and providing sustained energy throughout the day.
- Cacao powder: Naturally rich in copper, magnesium and zinc.
- Ground flaxseeds: Source of fibre, protein and plant-based omega 3. You can also use chia seeds instead if you have these.
- Milk: I use fortified unsweetened soya milk to make this cacao porridge, but you can use whatever milk you like.
For the toppings:
- Defrosted mixed berries: Berries are rich in antioxidants and fibre. You can buy bags of mixed frozen berries from the supermarket and defrost a portion in the fridge the night before or in the microwave on a low setting. Alternatively, you can use a mix of fresh berries if you prefer. Aim for up around 4 different types of berries like raspberries, blueberries, cranberries and cherries.
- A variety of nuts and seeds: These are a source of unsaturated fats (the good kind of fat). I like to aim for around 3 different types. For this cacao porridge I used walnuts, pumpkin seeds and sunflower seeds.
- Optional: nut butter (almond butter is my favourite!)
🌱 Plant Points: 9 (if you use 4 different types of berries and 3 types of nuts and seeds)
Recipe Variations
For some additional plant points, you could include some chia seeds along with the flaxseeds in the cacao porridge mixture. Alternatively, to keep costs down, you could use flaxseeds on one day and chia seeds on the next and you’ll still benefit from those extra plant points.
If you want to make this cacao porridge even more indulgent, try adding some grated dark chocolate. This won’t add any extra plant points, but it’s nice to mix things up and treat yourself sometimes!
How to Make this Cacao Porridge with Berries
- Make the Cacao Porridge: Add the oats, cacao powder and flaxseeds to a medium-sized saucepan. Mix together so there are no lumps of cacao powder. Then add the milk and cook on a medium-low heat until the cacao porridge is cooked to your desired consistency. You can add more milk or water if the mixture becomes too thick or dry.
- Defrost the Mixed Berries: If you are using frozen mixed berries, you can either defrost them overnight in a container in the fridge, or defrost them in a bowl in the microwave on a low setting.
- Serve: Serve the cacao porridge in a bowl and top with the defrosted mixed berries, and your choice of nuts, seeds, nut butter or any other toppings you’d like.
More Nutritious Breakfast Recipes
If you like this Cacao Porridge recipe, be sure to check out my other nutritious breakfast recipes:
🍫 Cacao Banana Shake Smoothie (with protein)
🫐 Raspberry and Blueberry Smoothie
Cacao Porridge with Mixed Berries
Ingredients
- 3/4 cup oats
- 1 tbsp cacao powder
- 1 tbsp ground flaxseeds
- 1.5 cups milk (plant-based or dairy)
- 1 cup defrosted frozen mixed berries (I used a black forest frozen fruit mix with 4 types of berries)
- 2 tbsp mixed nuts/seeds (I used chopped walnuts, pumpkin seeds and sunflower seeds)
- 1 tbsp almond butter (optional)
Instructions
- To a pan, add the oats, cacao powder and flaxseeds. Mix together so there are no lumps of cacao powder.
- Add the milk and cook on a medium-low heat until the porridge is cooked to your desired consistency. You can add more milk or water if the mixture becomes too thick or dry.
- Serve the porridge in a bowl and top with the defrosted mixed berries, and your choice of nuts, seeds and almond butter.
Notes
- You can defrost the frozen mixed berries in some tupperware in the fridge the night before or in the microwave in a bowl.