If you like having a hot, delicious breakfast, this Puerto Rican Avena is for you. This is an oatmeal that tastes good and is made in less than 15 minutes!
Avena is one of the island’s favorite breakfasts. Oatmeal is so popular that it is served in all schools in Puerto Rico just like Puerto Rican farina and Puerto Rican cornmeal porridge.
It is sold in almost every Puerto Rican cafeteria or bakery where you can get your Avena, coffee, Puerto Rican sweet bread, and quesito all in the same place.
But I’m not going to lie, for breakfast I prefer to eat something fried like a sweet sorullitos de maiz.
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Why This Recipe Works
- It is a recipe made with simple ingredients you can find in almost any supermarket.
- A good breakfast recipe that can be enjoyed any time of the day, especially when you want something hot but not heavy.
Recipe Ingredients
You can usually find instant oatmeal in the Hispanic section of big-brand supermarkets. It can also be easily found in Latin grocery stores usually by the Quaker brand. You will find it regular, vanilla, and cinnamon-flavored oats.
- Oatmeal- I used ½ cup of regular flavor instant oatmeal. You can use the regular kind, the vanilla, or cinnamon kinds which are the most popular types on the island.
- Sugar- I used 4 tablespoons of white sugar. I find that this quantity makes a sweet avena but not overly sweet.
- Salt- I used ¼ teaspoon of salt to balance out the sugar. The salt enhances the flavors of all the other flavors. If you leave it out, you will taste the difference and know you missing something.
- Milk- I used 1 ½ cups of full-fat milk but also have used 2% milk.
- Cinnamon- I use ¼ of a teaspoon to sprinkle on top.
- Vanilla extract- I used 1 teaspoon of vanilla extract. Almond extract is also very good in this recipe.
Instant Oats
Puerto Rican-style oatmeal is very different from other oatmeals because it uses instant oats. This is why the recipe is very creamy, and has a soft texture. The texture is thanks to the instant oats being finely chopped. Quaker gives a really good explanation of the difference between oats if you’re interested.
How to Make Puerto Rican Avena
- Photo 1: In a medium size pan add the oats, milk, sugar, vanilla, and salt. Give it a good stir and let it cook.
- Photo 2: After 2-3 minutes have passed you will notice the oatmeal start to bubble. This is when you start stirring.
⭐️ Tip: Try to use a pan that is not too small because oatmeal tends to bubble and rise when cooking. You want to avoid a mess.
- Photo 3: Now you must stir until the oatmeal is done. This is to prevent the oatmeal from sticking and burning at the bottom.
- Photo 4: The best part, serve! Traditionally, it is topped with cinnamon but you can leave it out if you like.
Recipe Tip
- You can make Avena in a rice cooker! It is very simple you just have to heat the milk, add all the ingredients to the rice cooker, stir, and cook for about 5 minutes. Stir and cook for 5 more minutes and enjoy.
More Sweet Breakfast Ideas
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Puerto Rican Avena
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Ingredients
- ½ cup instant oatmeal
- 4 tablespoons white sugar
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- 1 ½ cups milk
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- ¼ teaspoon cinnamon to sprinkle on top
Instructions
- In a large pan over high heat add the oats, sugar, salt, vanilla and milk. Stir and let it cook for 2 minutes.
- After the 2 minutes have passed, begin stirring constantly without stopping. Do this for 5 minutes or until you notice your oatmeal to reach a creamy thicker consistency. Serve and enjoy!
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