Airy and creamy, softly sweet, and gently perfumed with vanilla, this Greek Semolina Pudding is one of those humble desserts that every Greek home seems to know by heart!

This Semolina Pudding, Krema Simigdali (Semolina Cream) in Greek, with its signature fluffy, slightly grainy texture, is the base for many beloved Greek desserts like Galatopita, or Galaktoboureko.

It is made on the stovetop with just a handful of simple ingredients - fine semolina, milk, sugar, a touch of butter, and vanilla - it's the kind of comfort food that instantly brings you back to your childhood.

Table Of Contents

How To Make
Semolina Cream Tips
Uses
Toppings
Storing
Recipe

And if you're unsure what semolina is, it's essentially ground durum wheat. Durum wheat is a hard wheat commonly used in Mediterranean and Eastern countries.

Semolina can be either fine, coarse, or like a grainy flour, which is called Semola, and the Italians use it a lot in making pasta.

For this recipe, we use fine semolina. It's the type used to make creams and puddings, but also fluffy, syrupy cakes like Coconut Revani, and Amygdalopita (Semolina, Almond, Syrup Cake).

How To Make

Making a semolina cream is very similar to making a custard cream. Heat the milk with sugar and vanilla until steaming hot. Then, in a separate bowl, whisk together the eggs and sugar. Finally, combine both mixtures in the pot and cook on the stovetop until a thick cream forms.

What sets this recipe apart is the addition of semolina to the milk and sugar mixture. Also, we beat the eggs and sugar with an electric mixer (it's too tiring to do with a whisk, but you can) to make them really foamy and fluffy. These two steps make the cream extra fluffy. Here's why...

First, when the semolina is added to the milk while it's still cold, it can absorb more moisture and fluff up, instead of being added straight into the hot milk (like it's done in Galaktoboureko, for example). This gives a fluffier, airier texture to the cream.

Second, when you beat the eggs with an electric mixer, you incorporate more air into them, and this gets into the cream. Again, making it fluffier.

Semolina Cream Tips

Stir it with a whisk to prevent lumps. Don't let it sit for too long without stirring.
Just as with most cases where starch is used to thicken cream, you need to let it 'boil' and bubble. When it gets to that stage, it starts to thicken.
As semolina cream 'boils', it makes explosive bubbles. You need to stir constantly with a whisk at that point so it doesn't come out of the pot.
After the semolina cream cools, it becomes even thicker and fluffier.
I find that the best temperature to serve this delicious semolina pudding is somewhere between warm and room temperature. Not too hot, just cooled enough to enhance its flavor and allow its texture to set and fluff up.

Uses

You can use this semolina pudding as a filling for tarts or other pastries. You can fold it inside phyllo. Or make something like this Greek Honey Pie, which uses phyllo as a base.

Another thing I like to do with this fluffy cream is to add it to hollowed apples and bake them. Then sprinkle with cinnamon. It's a delicious wintry dessert.

Toppings

Go classic with a sprinkle of cinnamon (that's about a whole teaspoon for me 😁) and some sugar (= cinnamon sugar). That's my favorite topping when serving this semolina cream warm. Makes it feel even cozier.

If you serve the cream cooled, you can add fresh or canned fruit toppings. Or some cocoa powder (raw unsweetened for real flavor). Or even a scoop of whipped cream topped with ground cinnamon, and some ground nuts (walnuts, pecans, almonds) to make it taste like Ekmek Kataifi, but with less fuss!

Storing

You can keep leftover cream in the fridge for up to 3-4 days, depending on your refrigerator's temperature.

Recipe