Long before oats, Jamaican families started the day with porridge made from what grew in the yard — and green (unripe) banana porridge is one of the most beloved. Blended smooth and cooked with coconut milk and warm spices, it's hearty, naturally sweet and deeply comforting.
Ingredients
- 4 green (unripe) bananas
- 2 cups water (for blending) + a little extra
- 1 cup coconut milk + 1 cup milk
- 1 cinnamon stick (or 1 tsp ground)
- ½ tsp nutmeg + 1 tsp vanilla
- Pinch of salt
- Sweetened condensed milk or sugar, to taste
Method
- Peel the green bananas (rub a little oil on your hands — the peel can stain). Blend with about 2 cups water until completely smooth.
- In a pot, bring a little water to a boil with the cinnamon, nutmeg and salt.
- Lower the heat and slowly pour in the banana purée, whisking constantly so it stays lump-free.
- Add the coconut milk and milk and simmer gently, stirring, 12–15 minutes until thick and creamy.
- Stir in the vanilla, sweeten to taste, and serve hot with extra nutmeg on top.
🥄 Keep stirring
Like all Jamaican porridges, the trick is constant stirring as it thickens — that's what gives you a silky, lump-free bowl.
The green-banana breakfast
Banana porridge is a Jamaican breakfast built on green (unripe) bananas — grated or blended and cooked with coconut milk and warm spices into a thick, creamy, gently sweet porridge. Filling and nourishing, it's the kind of breakfast that carries you through a morning's work.
Green bananas are starchy, not sweet — that's exactly what makes it work.
Ingredient notes & substitutions
- Green bananas — properly unripe, peeled and blended. They're starchy, which is what thickens the porridge.
- Coconut milk and milk — the creamy base.
- Spices — cinnamon, nutmeg, vanilla and a pinch of salt.
- Sweetener — condensed milk traditionally, or sugar.
🔥 Pro tips
Use properly green bananas — ripe ones are sweet and won't thicken the same way. Blend them smooth with a little water or milk, then cook, stirring constantly, until it thickens. Cook it long enough to lose the raw, starchy taste, and adjust the consistency with more milk as you go.
Common mistakes to avoid
- Using ripe bananas. Wrong texture, wrong flavour — they must be green.
- Lumps. Blend smooth and keep stirring.
- A raw, starchy taste. It simply needs longer on the heat.
- Scorching. Keep the heat low and stir the bottom of the pot.
What to serve with banana porridge
- Hot for breakfast, with a slice of hard-dough bread.
- Alongside cornmeal porridge as part of a porridge spread.
Storage & reheating
It keeps for 3–4 days in the fridge and thickens considerably as it cools — loosen it with milk or water when reheating gently. It can be frozen and reheated.
Banana porridge FAQ
Do I use green or ripe bananas?
Green (unripe) bananas. They're starchy rather than sweet, and that starch is what thickens the porridge.
Why is mine gritty or starchy-tasting?
It hasn't cooked long enough. Simmer gently until the raw starch flavour cooks out.
How do I peel green bananas?
Score the skin lengthwise and peel under running water. Rubbing a little oil on your hands helps prevent staining.
Can I make it dairy-free?
Yes — use all coconut milk and sweeten with sugar instead of condensed milk.
How do I reheat it?
Gently, with a splash of milk or water stirred through to bring back the creamy texture.