Dairy-Free Portuguese Papas
With just 5 simple ingredients this dairy-free papas recipe is creamy, delicious and comforting. The perfect after dinner treat.
Hi, it’s Kat again! I’ve been inspired to make my childhood favourites vegan-friendly and the next up is Portuguese Papas. It’s one of those recipes that when your parents start making you’d get so excited that you’d just stand by the stove until it was ready. It’s so simple, but such a comforting treat. Luckily papas is a fairly quick recipe.
Papas is a Portuguese porridge traditionally made for breakfast because of its simplicity. Some recipes call for an egg but the recipe I grew up with never had egg in it – instead it had just 5 simple ingredients! Our version of this traditional Portuguese breakfast simply swaps the milk for non-dairy milk and the rest is just as simple as the original.
While it’s typically a breakfast treat, we always had it as an after dinner or late night treat. My dad would whip it up and it would truly be the perfect way to end the day. It’s a recipe I make when I need a little extra comfort.
Top tips for making Portuguese Papas:
Different non-dairy milks will change the results. We tested this with four different non-dairy milks and they all had different results. Soy milk worked the best, followed by oat milk and almond milk. We also tested the recipe with macadamia nut milk and don’t recommend it for this recipe.
Don’t let it sit on the heat unstirred. This recipe needs to be stirred consistently to keep the milk from burning and boiling.
Adjust sugar for a sweeter taste. If you want your papas a little bit sweeter you can add 1-2 tablespoons of additional white sugar.
Adjust cinnamon to taste. Papas is topped with ground cinnamon and can be adjusted to taste. Kat loves it with a lot of cinnamon but you can use less if you’d prefer.
Allow the papas to rest before eating. The papas needs to set just for a moment before you eat it. Once you’ve poured it on your plate, let it rest for about 1 minute before you dig in.
Eat from the outside in. Papas can be VERY hot but the outsides cool down quicker than the middle does. To avoid a burnt mouth eat the papas from the outside in working your way to the middle like a spiral.
How to make Portuguese Papas:
Prep Time: 5 Min | Cook Time: 10 Min | Total Time: 15 Min
Makes: 2 servings
Ingredients
480 mL (2 cups) soy milk
40 g (4 tbsp) cornstarch
24 g (2 tbsp) white sugar
1/2 tsp salt
2 g (1 tsp) cinnamon, for topping*
Instructions
To a small saucepan over medium heat add soy milk, sugar, salt, and sift in cornstarch. Whisk until combined and smooth – the cornstarch should not be clumpy in the milk.
Whisk constantly until it just starts to come to a simmer. Once it JUST starts to simmer, turn down the heat to medium-low and continue to whisk until thickened to a yogurt-like consistency – it should take about 5-8 minutes.
Once thickened, pour the papas onto a shallow plate and sprinkle with cinnamon. Use more or less cinnamon to your taste. Allow to cool about 30 seconds before eating.