Crema de farina (cream of wheat) is a Puerto Rican breakfast food staple that also qualifies as comfort food in my book. On its own, cream of wheat can be very bland, but as with most things, us Puerto Ricans know how to kick things up a notch when it comes to flavor. This creamy dish was a staple growing up, and it’s easy to see why. The quick cooking, rich and creamy wheat porridge is sweetened with cinnamon, star anise, cloves, and honey, then topped with a pat of butter that oozes into a puddle of golden deliciousness. This is definitely soul-hugging kind of food. Perfect for cold mornings, farina warms you from the inside out, and is a great alternative to oatmeal. Make this for someone you love, and they’ll remember you for it.
Serves 4-6
2 cups milk
2 cups water
3 cinnamon sticks
1 star anise (optional)
2 whole cloves
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/3 cup agave nectar or honey, plus more for serving
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 1/4 cups farina
2 tablespoons unsalted butter, plus more for serving
Heat a medium-sized pot on medium-low heat.
Add the milk, water, cinnamon sticks, star anise, cloves and salt, then let the mixture come to a simmer.
When the mixture has come to a simmer, add in the butter and farina, and stir to distribute it.
Finally, add in the agave or honey, and stir again. At this point you’ll want to stir constantly, to prevent the farina from sticking to the bottom of the pan.
Cook the farina for 5-7 minutes, until it’s to your desired consistency. I like it to be thick, but pourable.
Sit in the vanilla, remove the cinnamon sticks, star anise and cloves, then serve with a drizzle of agave (or honey), a sprinkle of cinnamon and a pat of butter.
Oh, those spoonfuls with a puddle of butter…those are my favorite!
Puerto Rican Crema De Farina (Cream of Wheat)
Ingredients
- 2 cups milk
- 2 cups water
- 3 cinnamon sticks
- 1 star anise optional
- 2 whole cloves
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1/3 cup agave nectar or honey plus more for serving
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1 1/4 cups farina
- 2 tablespoons unsalted butter plus more for serving
Instructions
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Heat a medium-sized pot on medium-low heat.
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Add the milk, water, cinnamon sticks, star anise, cloves, and salt then let the mixture come to a simmer.
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When the mixture has come to a simmer, add in the butter and farina, and stir to distribute it.
-
Finally, add in the agave or honey, and stir again. At this point you'll want to stir constantly, to prevent the farina from sticking to the bottom of the pan.
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Cook the farina for 5-7 minutes, until it's to your desired consistency. I like it to be thick, but pourable. If the farina gets too thick, add in a bit more milk and stir to loosen it up.
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Once it's done, stir in the vanilla. Remove the cinnamon sticks, star anise and cloves, then serve with a drizzle of agave (or honey), a sprinkle of cinnamon and a pat of butter.
25 Responses
like this is a every friday breakfast
I had been craving Cream of Wheat so I picked up a bag of farina at my local Middle Eastern market, $3 for 24 oz, vs $6 for the same size CoW at the chain grocer. The proportions were off, so here I am! I really enjoyed the addition of star anise and cloves o my usual cinnamon. Perfect with farm fresh strawberries tossed in!
I grew up eating cream of wheat and although it’s a comfort food for me, I found it extremely bland now that I’m an adult. This is literally what I needed. It’s so warm and comforting. Thank you <3
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Really enjoyed this recipe. I used 3 minute COW and had to adjust the times according. I simmered the milk combination longer for more flavour.
Agave is the better sweetener for this recipe in my opinion.
Thanks and stay safe.
I have a big bucket of Farina that I bought for cheap, so I Googled a way to make it and this was the first recipe that came up. I made it for my family this morning, and everyone loved it! My husband and all 5 of my kids, including my picky eaters, ate every last bite. I increased the serving size to serve 8 because 3 of my kids are teenagers, and it made the perfect amount for us. This will be the only recipe I use for our Farina, thank you!
Hello, maybe it’s only me but when you say cloves, you mean, cloves of what?
Thank you.
Hello, cloves are a spice. https://www.thespruceeats.com/what-are-cloves-995621
Great recipe! Reminded me of home 🙂
Yummy!
Me and my husband love this recipe, farina taste delicious, perfect for breakfast 🙂
It’s the best!
I made this dish for my Italian husband n he asked me “did my mother give you her recipe”?. It is delicious, my Nani will cook it for me before i went to school. Those were the good old days.
Aww this is awesome! Sending you love!
Note, in Puerto Rico honey will never be used, but plain sugar.
Thanks, I like using honey because of the health benefits, but use your favorite sweetener.
I’m 50 years old and started eating this again like when I was young ……
It’s the perfect breakfast!
Thank you for this recipe, my cream of wheat was boring and this will certainly spice it up!
Reminds me of home.
I love Farina (Cream of Wheat) and can’t wait to make this.
Thank you for pinning it.
I am going to try this recipe. Farina is just white flour?
Hi Rosana, farina is cream of wheat.
This is one of my childhood favorites! My Great Grandmother would make this for me. Shared your post, Coming by from Latina Bloggers. Lots of love, Lisa