Cream of Wheat is making a huge comeback in a new viral trend. The basic breakfast item has been around since 1893, gaining and losing traction as a household staple. Now, creators like Queen of Wheat (@queenofwheat1) and Lyss (@thatfoodielyss), are introducing Cream of Wheat back into the breakfast cycle, making mornings even more delicious.
Cream of Wheat is a hot porridge made from finely milled wheat called farina. It is known for its creamy texture and bland flavor, which makes finding sweet or savory toppings a fun experimental activity. The porridge can be cooked with hot water or milk on the stovetop or in the microwave until the wheat thickens. Cream of Wheat gained traction after multiple creators started making cozy mukbang style videos in early July. The soothing preparation and nostalgic feel of the food made many people want a bowl of their own.
Queen of Wheats account features primarily Cream of Wheat content, growing viral over eating a creamy bowl with her wooden spoon. Unlike other creators, she eats her Cream of Wheat with little to no sweeteners or toppings. Sometimes adding a drizzle of honey or splash of milk, her mukbang style videos are keeping the Cream of Wheat trend alive.
She posted a hit video with step-by-step instructions on how to make her perfect bowl of Cream of Wheat. She started by measuring a cup and half of water, pinch of salt, dollop of butter, and a spoonful of sugar into a pot. Once the water mixture started to boil, she turned the stove to low and added ¾ cup of the Original Cream of Wheat. She adds the Cream of Wheat as one small mound in the middle of her pot and after letting it cook for a few minutes, she bastes it with the buttery water. After a few more minutes of cooking, Queen of Wheat adds a splash of milk and raises the heat to high to get the milk nice and warm. Once the milk has been heated up, she adds a little bit more Cream of Wheat and mixes everything together. After the porridge comes to a boil, she puts it back on low and adds a few more sprinkles of sugar.
Creator Rachel @vintagegingerr, who has received online criticism for her political views, kicked off the Cream of Wheat trend. The staple of Rachel’s videos is the spoonful of butter at the very end. Once the porridge is finished cooking, Rachel adds a dollop of butter right into the middle of her steaming bowl and watches it melt. The melted butter and warm brown sugar makes for a mouth watering breakfast. And most importantly, Rachel eats each bowl of Cream of Wheat with a wooden spoon, adding to the cozy aesthetic and making the meal look even more desirable.
Following her instructions, Josh Ernest (@joshhernst) went viral for poorly recreating the popular meal. Ernest goes wrong by adding too much Cream of Wheat, a common mistake in many creators’ videos. Cream of Wheat has a specific ratio of ¼ cup per one cup of milk, which means it’s easy to make the porridge too thick if adding more than recommended.
Food influencer Lyss @thatfoodielyss quickly hopped on the chance to try her own warm bowl. She described how excited she was that Cream of Wheat is trending because it reminds her of early mornings when she was a kid, constantly saying it is “so nostalgic.” Lyss follows the recipe of the back of the box, adding her own brown sugar and cinnamon flavoring. Her video also features the famous dash of butter and wooden spoon.
During Lyss’s video, she points out the affordability of the porridge. Cream of Wheat comes in all different varieties, ranging from maple brown sugar to instant protein packs. The standard box sizes range anywhere from four to six dollars depending on the store and a standard 28-ounce box can make 24 servings while single-serve packet boxes make 10 to 12. Substituting out milk for water and sticking to basic sweeteners around the house makes this a very cheap meal.
While maple syrup, brown sugar, and cinnamon toppings have become the most popular toppings, other creators have added frozen raspberries, blueberries, peanut butter, bananas, chocolate chips and other combinations to create their perfect bowl.