Melkkos Recipe

Melkkos is a traditional South African milk porridge made with milk, flour, butter and cinnamon sugar. This version uses the frummels method, where little flour-and-butter crumbs are whisked into hot milk until thick, creamy and softly lumpy.

This recipe comes from our family friend Pikkie, whose melkkos has proper legendary status in our house. It is simple, old-fashioned “huiskos” – warm, filling, buttery and ready in about 15 minutes.

Serve it in bowls with plenty of cinnamon sugar and a small knob of butter melting over the top. It makes 2 generous bowls, or 4 smaller portions if you are serving it as a pudding.

Updated in July 2026 with a clearer method, extra texture cues, useful serving and storage notes, and an updated recipe card.

What is melkkos?

Melkkos means “milk food” in Afrikaans. It is a simple South African comfort dish made by cooking flour, butter and milk together, then serving it hot with cinnamon sugar.

There are two common ways to make it. The frummels method uses little flour-and-butter crumbs, which cook in the milk and give the melkkos its soft, porridge-like texture. The snysels method uses small strips of dough cooked in milk, almost like tiny homemade noodles.

This recipe uses the frummels method because it is quick, easy and gives that cosy bowlful many South Africans remember from childhood.

Ingredient notes and substitutions

You’ll find the full ingredient list with measurements in the recipe card at the bottom of the post.

Milk

Full cream milk gives the creamiest melkkos. Semi-skimmed milk will also work, but the finished texture will be a little less rich.

Flour

Plain flour/all-purpose flour works best here. It combines with the butter to make the little frummels that thicken the milk as they cook.

Butter

Use cold, cubed butter for rubbing into the flour. This creates the little crumbs, or frummels, that give melkkos its texture.

You can use margarine if you prefer, but butter gives the best flavour. Add a separate small knob of butter on top when serving, if you like.

Baking powder

This is part of Pikkie’s version and helps the flour crumbs cook up a little softer. Use plain flour with baking powder, not self-raising flour as well.

Cinnamon sugar

White granulated sugar and ground cinnamon are the classic topping. You can use light brown sugar if you prefer a slightly deeper flavour.

How to make melkkos

Step 1: Mix the sugar and cinnamon in a small bowl. You can also add them to a small lidded container and shake until combined.

Step 2: Rub a thin layer of butter over the base and sides of a large saucepan. This helps reduce the chance of the milk catching as it heats.

Step 3: Pour the milk into the saucepan and warm it over medium heat until it reaches a gentle, frothy simmer. Don’t let it boil hard. Milk can catch quickly once it gets too hot.

Step 4: While the milk warms, add the flour, salt, baking powder and cold cubed butter to a bowl. Rub the butter into the dry ingredients with your fingertips until the mixture looks like coarse breadcrumbs. A few pea-sized pieces are fine.

Step 5: Once the milk is gently simmering, turn the heat down low. Add the flour-and-butter crumbs a few tablespoons at a time, whisking as you go. Add them slowly so they cook evenly and don’t clump into one big lump.

Step 6: Keep the heat low and let the melkkos simmer gently for about 10 minutes, stirring often. You want slow, lazy bubbles, not a fierce boil.

The melkkos should thicken into a creamy porridge with soft little lumps. If you prefer smaller lumps, whisk it more firmly. If you like larger frummels, stir with a wooden spoon instead.

Step 7: Take the pan off the heat and let the melkkos stand for 5 minutes. It will thicken slightly as it rests.

Step 8: Spoon into bowls and serve hot with plenty of cinnamon sugar and a small knob of butter melting over the top.

Troubleshooting

My melkkos is too thick

Stir in a splash of warm milk until it loosens to the texture you like. Melkkos thickens as it stands, so this is easy to fix.

My melkkos is too thin

Simmer it for a few more minutes over low heat, stirring often. It will also thicken slightly as it rests.

The milk caught on the bottom

Keep the heat lower next time and stir around the base of the pan often. If it has only caught slightly, don’t scrape the browned bits into the melkkos. Carefully pour the good part into a clean pan and carry on.

The lumps are too big

Whisk the melkkos firmly while it is hot to break them down. For a very smooth version, you can use a stick blender, although this will remove the traditional frummels texture.

The melkkos tastes flat

It probably needs a little more salt or a more generous topping of cinnamon sugar. Melkkos is simple, so the balance of milk, butter, salt and cinnamon sugar matters.

Variations

Condensed milk melkkos: For a sweeter, richer version, replace 400ml of the milk with one 397g tin of sweetened condensed milk. Because condensed milk is already sweet, taste before adding any extra sugar.

Smoother melkkos: Use a whisk for smaller, softer lumps. For a very smooth texture, blend it briefly with a stick blender after cooking.

Cinnamon milk: Add a cinnamon stick to the milk while it heats, then remove it before serving.

Citrus melkkos: Add a strip of orange or naartjie peel to the milk as it warms. Remove it before serving.

Custard-style melkkos: Add 1 tablespoon custard powder to the flour mixture for a gentle custard flavour.

Cardamom melkkos: Add 2-3 lightly crushed cardamom pods to the milk as it heats, then remove them before serving.

Vegan melkkos: Use a creamy plant-based milk and plant-based butter. Coconut milk also works, but it will change the flavour.

Serving suggestions

The classic way to serve melkkos is hot, with cinnamon sugar and a small knob of butter melting into the top.

It also works well with:

• extra ground cinnamon
• a little orange zest
• sliced banana
• toasted almonds or pecans
• honey and cinnamon
• a cinnamon stick for serving

Melkkos can be eaten as breakfast, pudding or a simple light meal. In South Africa, it is proper cold-weather huiskos: warm, milky, cinnamon-sugary comfort often associated with mums, rainy days and childhood kitchens.

Storage and reheating

Melkkos is best eaten hot and fresh, but leftovers keep well in the fridge for 2-3 days.

Spoon leftovers into an airtight container and cool before refrigerating. The melkkos will thicken as it chills.

To reheat, warm it gently in the microwave or on the stovetop, stirring often. Add a splash of milk to loosen it and reheat until piping hot.

I don’t recommend freezing melkkos. Milk-based mixtures like this can become grainy or watery after thawing.

FAQ

More South African comfort food

If this bowl of melkkos has you in a nostalgic mood, try these next:

South African pancakes with cinnamon sugar

Milk tart with condensed milk

Easy malva pudding

Peppermint Crisp tart

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