Semolina pudding with cinnamon and sugar
A warm, sweet pudding in a quarter of an hour: mix milk from powder, heat it while stirring, sprinkle in the semolina and keep stirring over the lowest flame until it thickens. Then lid on and let it swell. Constant stirring stops it burning – and careful: bubbling pudding spits and sticks hot to the skin.
- About 15 minutes including swelling
Explained simply
Semolina pudding is a soft, sweet pudding – warm like a hot-water bottle for your tummy. You only need milk powder, water, semolina and sugar. Semolina is tiny little grains made from wheat.
First you make milk from milk powder and water and heat it up. Then you let the semolina trickle in slowly and keep stirring. After a few minutes the pudding thickens. Then lid on, wait a few minutes – done!
Watch out: thick pudding bubbles and can spit hot. That is why an adult holds the pot and you stir with a long spoon. And before you eat, you blow – pudding stays hot inside for a long time.
How it works
Semolina is coarsely ground wheat and consists mainly of starch. When the starch grains get into hot liquid, they soak it up, grow bigger and stick together. Experts call this gelatinisation. That is how thin milk becomes a thick pudding.
Because the grains are heavier than the milk, they sink to the bottom. That is where it is hottest, and without stirring they burn. That is why you always stir across the bottom too. Once the pudding is thick, it finishes cooking under the lid without any flame.
What really matters
Per person, allow about 250 millilitres of milk and 30 grams of semolina – that is roughly three level tablespoons. Mix the milk powder cold, not in hot water, or it clumps. Sugar and a pinch of salt go straight into the milk.
Milk boils over quickly. When it steams and shows small bubbles at the edge, it is hot enough. Now turn the flame right down, let the semolina trickle in slowly with one hand and stir with the other. A pot with high sides stops anything running over.
Once the pudding is thick, turn off the stove and let it swell under the lid for three to five minutes. That saves fuel and makes it nice and creamy.
Safety: what to watch out for
Thick pudding is hotter than it looks. It forms large bubbles that burst and throw hot blobs about. Unlike water, pudding sticks to the skin and therefore scalds worse. Face away from the pot, long sleeves, long spoon – and when it bubbles hard, take the pot off the flame for a moment.
Light stoves tip easily when you stir hard. An adult holds the pot steady with a pot grip or glove. The stove stands outdoors on level ground – never in the tent or vestibule, because of carbon monoxide and fire danger.
For children, an adult first takes a spoonful from the edge and checks that the pudding is only warm. Spread out on a flat plate it cools faster. With a scald, cool at once with cool running water and call emergency services for large areas or for children.
When it makes sense – and when it does not
Semolina pudding is ideal on cold mornings and evenings, for children and for anyone with little appetite after a hard day. All the ingredients are dry, light and long-lasting – good for longer trips.
Anyone who cannot eat gluten takes rice or maize semolina; anyone who cannot have milk uses water or a plant drink. If your stove's flame cannot be turned low, semolina pudding burns easily – then a porridge that is simply covered with hot water is easier.
Step by step
Set up a safe cooking spot
Set the stove up outdoors on firm, level ground, at least a few steps away from the tent, and shield it from the wind with a backpack or stones. Lay out all ingredients, spoons and the pot grip within reach before you light it. Children get a fixed seat at a distance.
Caution: Never cook in the tent or vestibule – carbon monoxide and fire danger.
- 1
Set up a safe cooking spot
Set the stove up outdoors on firm, level ground, at least a few steps away from the tent, and shield it from the wind with a backpack or stones. Lay out all ingredients, spoons and the pot grip within reach before you light it. Children get a fixed seat at a distance.
Never cook in the tent or vestibule – carbon monoxide and fire danger.
- 2
Mix the milk cold
Put the milk powder into the pot and stir it into a smooth paste with a little cold, clean water. Then stir in the rest of the water – about 250 millilitres per person. Mixed cold, there are no lumps.
- 3
Heat while stirring
Put the pot on the stove, add sugar and a pinch of salt and heat the milk over a medium flame. Keep stirring across the bottom. As soon as it starts to steam and shows small bubbles at the edge, it is hot enough – milk boils over very quickly.
- 4
Sprinkle in the semolina
Turn the flame right down. An adult holds the pot steady. Let the semolina trickle in slowly with one hand and stir constantly with the other so no lumps form.
Face away from the pot – it can spit now.
- 5
Stir constantly until thick
Keep stirring for two to three minutes over the lowest flame, always across the bottom and into the corners too. The pudding thickens and starts to bubble slowly. If it bubbles hard and spits, take the pot off the flame for a moment.
Hot pudding sticks to the skin – long spoon, long sleeves.
- 6
Let it swell under the lid
Turn off the stove, put the lid on and set the pot down on a level, safe spot. Let the pudding swell for three to five minutes. If it is too thick for you, stir in a splash of warm water.
- 7
Cinnamon sugar and eat carefully
Share the pudding out into mugs or bowls and sprinkle cinnamon and sugar over it. Pudding stays very hot inside for a long time: take spoonfuls from the edge, where it is cooler, and blow first. For children, an adult checks with a spoon beforehand that it is only warm.
- 8
Soak the pot straight away
Pour some water into the empty pot straight away so nothing dries on. Do not leave leftovers standing, eat them up at once. Strain the washing-up water and scatter it well away from water; food scraps go into the rubbish bag.
Common mistakes
- Pouring milk powder into hot water – it clumps
- Tipping in the semolina all at once – big lumps
- Not stirring – the pudding burns on the bottom
- Too high a flame – milk boils over, pudding spits
- Not holding the pot while stirring
- Spooning from the middle of the pot and burning your lips
- Leaving the pot unwashed
Quick view
Materials
Milk powder (whole milk powder)
For about 250 ml of milk per person: powder with clean water as the packet says
Only mix with clean water (drinking water or treated).
Use mixed milk promptly, do not leave it standing in the warmth.
Allergen: milk (also lactose).
Semolina (soft or durum wheat)
About 30 g (3 level tablespoons) per person
Allergen: cereals containing gluten.
Store dry and out of animals' reach.
Sugar and cinnamon
1 tablespoon of sugar for cooking plus cinnamon sugar on top
Keep dry in a tight tin or bag – damp sugar clumps.
Table salt
A pinch
Salt improves keeping quality but does not replace heating through.
Apples
Dried apple rings or raisins to cook along
Wash with clean water before cutting.
Take cores and peel back with you – apple scraps are rubbish too.
Metal pot (stainless steel, aluminium, titanium)
Pot with high sides and a lid, about twice as big as the amount
Hot – scalding risk.
Spatula and cooking spoon
Long spoon for stirring
Do not leave a plastic spatula on the hot rim of the pan – it melts.
Leather or heat-resistant gloves
Or a pot grip for holding
Synthetic gloves melt onto the skin – only leather or certified heat-resistant gloves.
Wet gloves conduct heat quickly.
Stove
Never operate inside a tent, shelter or enclosed room – carbon monoxide and fire risk.
Stove fuel (canister, liquid fuel, alcohol)
Store fuels apart from food and in original containers or bottles intended for them.
Store cool, well ventilated and out of children's reach.
Suitable for
- Breakfast or a warm dessert
- Cold evenings and mornings
- Children and people with little appetite
- Longer trips – all ingredients keep dry
Not suitable for
- People with gluten intolerance or milk allergy (without adapting it)
- Stoves whose flame cannot be turned low
- Wobbly cooking spots
- Cooking in the tent or vestibule
Prerequisites
- Able to use a stove safely and turn the flame very low
- A stable cooking spot where the pot cannot tip
- Clean water for the milk
- Someone to hold the pot while stirring
Safety
- Light stoves with small pot supports tip over easily while stirring. An adult holds the pot with a pot grip or glove while it is stirred. Children only stir with a long spoon and only when someone is holding the pot.
- Allergens: cereals containing gluten (semolina) and milk. For gluten-free food use rice or maize semolina, for milk-free a plant drink (oat drink can contain gluten, soy drink contains soy).
- Eat cooked food hot straight away and do not leave it lukewarm for hours – germs multiply quickly in warm food. Without refrigeration, do not keep leftovers for later.
How it works
Semolina consists mainly of starch. In hot milk the starch grains soak up liquid, swell and gelatinise – the pudding thickens. Because the starch settles quickly on the hot bottom of the pot and burns, you have to stir constantly. Once the pudding is thick, it finishes cooking in its own heat under a closed lid; no more fuel is needed for that.
Advantages
- All ingredients dry, light and long-lasting
- Short cooking time, little fuel
- Soft and easy to digest – even with little appetite
- Warms you from the inside on cold days
Disadvantages
- Burns quickly without constant stirring
- Spits hot – risk of scalds
- The pot is a chore to clean afterwards
- Contains gluten and milk
Deep knowledge
Background
Semolina pudding is a classic food for children and the sick because it is soft, warm and easy to eat. Outdoors it has another advantage: semolina cooks very quickly and can swell in the retained heat at the end – that saves fuel.
Children scald themselves on hot pudding and hot drinks particularly easily because they grab quickly and impatiently. The first aid guidelines of the European Resuscitation Council recommend cooling burns and scalds at once with cool running water.
Variants
- Kids' version: semolina pudding with a face
- Children may make a face on their cooled pudding with raisins, apple pieces and cinnamon. Spread the children's portion on a flat plate – that way it cools faster.
- Vegan and milk-free
- Instead of milk powder, use a long-life oat, rice or soy drink, or simply water with a little more sugar and a pinch of vanilla. With water the pudding is less creamy but just as warm. Watch out for the allergens in the drinks.
- With dried fruit or apple compote
- Heat finely chopped dried apricots, raisins or apple rings with the milk from the start – they soften and add sweetness. Or put warm apple compote on top (see the apple pancake recipe).
- Savoury semolina
- Cook with stock instead of milk and without sugar, and stir in some cheese and pepper at the end. A good, warm supper in the cold. Stock powder can contain celery.
Common mistakes
- Pouring milk powder into hot water – it clumps
- Tipping in the semolina all at once – big lumps
- Not stirring – the pudding burns on the bottom
- Too high a flame – milk boils over, pudding spits
- Not holding the pot while stirring
- Spooning from the middle of the pot and burning your lips
- Leaving the pot unwashed
Limits and risks
- Amounts are guidelines – depending on the semolina a little more or less liquid
- Always mix milk powder as the packet says
- No statement on baby food – infants need their own food
Material alternatives
Derived from material properties: a substitute must have all relevant properties. Observe the notes on the substitute.
- Metal pot (stainless steel, aluminium, titanium)
- Single-wall stainless steel bottle (Heat only single-wall bottles without paint/plastic; remove the lid before heating.)
- Stove fuel (canister, liquid fuel, alcohol)
- Dry firewood (Collect only where permitted.), Tinder (Carry in waterproof packaging.), Char cloth (charred cotton) (Store dry in a tin.), Finest-grade steel wool (Store separately from batteries – fire risk.), Fatwood (resin-rich wood) (Collect only dead wood where permitted.), Petroleum jelly cotton balls (Use only pure cotton.), Cooking oil or cooking fat (tallow, lard) (Never put out burning fat with water – cover it with a lid to smother it.), Tree resin (spruce, pine) (Resin is flammable and sticks to the skin when hot – melt it only slowly over low heat.), Birch bark (from dead, fallen wood) (Never peel from living trees.)
Results come exclusively from structured entries. No improvised instructions are generated.
Sources (5)
- World Health Organization (WHO) (2006): Five Keys to Safer Food Manual · Use safe water, heat thoroughly, do not leave food unrefrigerated
- European Resuscitation Council – Resuscitation (journal) (2021): European Resuscitation Council Guidelines 2021: First Aid · Cool burns and scalds at once with cool running water; call emergency services for severe burns
- Centers for Disease Control and Prevention: Carbon Monoxide Poisoning – Prevention guidance · Never run fuel-burning appliances in enclosed spaces such as tents – carbon monoxide is invisible and odourless
- European Parliament and Council of the European Union (2011): Regulation (EU) No 1169/2011 on the provision of food information to consumers · List of major allergens that must be labelled (incl. cereals containing gluten, milk, eggs, nuts, soy, celery)
- Leave No Trace Center for Outdoor Ethics: The Seven Principles of Leave No Trace (Principle 5: Minimize Campfire Impacts) · Pack out rubbish and food scraps, keep fires small and put them out completely