Cue the trumpets! I am pleased to present (doot dee doot) breakfast quinoa!
I came across Joy’s recipe for breakfast quinoa this week in perfect timing. Quinoa for breakfast sounded satisfying and delicious, and I happened to have all the ingredients on hand: mango, milk, apple sauce, almonds and coconut. The next morning, I woke up and cooked quinoa for breakfast.
Breakfast quinoa, it turns out, is just as filling as oatmeal and as easy to make, with endless variations. Quinoa has a nutty flavor that goes great with breakfast toppings, plus it’s a highly nutritious way to start the day. Quinoa is a complete protein that’s packed with vitamins and minerals.
Breakfast quinoa is a perfect way to use up leftover quinoa, and you can easily make it a vegan meal if you use almond, coconut or soy milk instead of regular milk. I’m hooked!
To cook quinoa, measure out one cup of grains, pour into a colandar, and rinse them under water for a few minutes. Rinsing removes the bitter saponins coating the outside of the quinoa. Then, pour the rinsed quinoa into a pot and add two cups water (you’re going for a 1:2 ratio of quinoa and water). Bring to a boil, then cover and simmer for 15 minutes. Remove from heat, let sit for a few minutes, and fluff with a fork.
Some of the other breakfast quinoa recipes I’ve come across recommend cooking the quinoa with milk instead of water, or a combination of milk and water (e.g. this recipe on 101 Cookbooks). Emma at The Kitchn recommends cooking the quinoa with water, as usual, and then adding a cup of milk at the end and letting is cook down a bit. Both methods sound delicious, but I like using leftover quinoa for other recipes, so I cooked my quinoa with all water. I just poured milk into my bowl when I was ready to eat quinoa for breakfast.
Per Joy’s recommendation, I toasted sliced almonds and unsweetened coconut in the oven. It’s an unnecessary step if you’re in a hurry. Almonds and coconut are good, toasted or not!
On Tuesday, I followed Joy’s recipe. I added warm quinoa, apple sauce (no sugar added) and milk to a bowl, and topped it with fresh mango, coconut and almonds. YUM.
The next day, I reheated some quinoa, added it to a bowl with some milk, and topped it with thawed frozen blackberries, blueberries, coconut, almond and a splash of balsamic vinegar. Also yum.
Today, I heated quinoa, mixed it with applesauce and added milk. I diced a granny smith apple and heated in the microwave with a sliver of butter and a dash of cinnamon until the apples were soft. Then I topped the quinoa with coconut, almonds and a dash of maple syrup.
PrintBasic Breakfast Quinoa Recipe
- Author:
- Prep Time: 5 mins
- Total Time: 5 minutes
- Yield: 1 1x
- Category: Breakfast
- Method: By hand
- Cuisine: American
- Diet: Gluten Free
Start your day off right with breakfast quinoa—a quick, nutritious and filling meal. Enjoy endless variations of fruits, nuts and milks with nutty quinoa.
Ingredients
- ½ cup or more cooked quinoa, warmed
- ½ to 1 cup milk of choice (almond milk, coconut milk, cows milk)
- ⅓ cup or more fruit (berries, chopped apple or pear, tropical fruit)
- Optional add-ons: toasted nuts, apple sauce, coconut flakes, balsamic vinegar, chopped dark chocolate, spices like cinnamon and nutmeg
- Optional sweeteners: honey, real maple syrup, agave nectar, raw sugar, brown sugar
Instructions
- In a bowl, combine warmed quinoa with milk.
- Top with fruit, add-ons and sweetener of choice. Good morning to you!
▸ Nutrition Information
More flavor combinations to try:
- Almond milk, fresh or dried cherries, chopped dark chocolate, maple syrup
- Almond milk, fresh or defrosted frozen raspberries, toasted almonds
- Coconut milk, pineapple chunks, chopped and toasted macadamia nuts, coconut flakes
- Almond milk, chopped pear, toasted pecans (or walnuts), honey
- Any milk, sliced banana, any toasted nuts
- Almond or cows milk, chopped peaches or nectarine, dash of cinnamon
I’m officially a fan of quinoa at all times of the day. How about you?
Vegetable enthusiast. Dog lover. I'm probably making a big mess in my Kansas City kitchen right now. 
sarah @duchess fare
so delicious & your photos are wonderful!
Lucent Imagery
Hee hee. When I read “Cue the trumpets”, I saw Cue the Crumpets!! Do you have things you call crumpets for breakfast over there? Must be all this food on the brain. I just made bircher muesli and have sat down to catch up on blogs whilst it’s setting into yumminess.
kate
I’m so glad an Aussie reads my blog. :) No, we don’t eat crumpets around here. I love that word, though. Maybe I’ll name my next dog Crumpet!
Heather
hahaha I love the trumpets reference! I also love the brightness of these photos since this dish is for breakfast. Hope you’re enjoying more free time at home. It looks like you are!
kate
I love my newfound free time! My two weeks of funemployment end this weekend, so I’ll have to get more focused starting next week!
Karla
Wow, I love, love, LOVE quinoa, but I would have never thought to use it as breakfast! I’ve always been very savory-ish with it..almost like a rice substitute. I think I’ll try the apple one first. :-D
Mindi
I can’t believe I still haven’t even TRIED quinoa! I live in a really small town and I’d have to drive over an hour to get to a place that might sell it, because my small town grocery store doesn’t have it :( These all look sooo yummy! I’m favoriting this post to come back to once I get some!
Mary
This looks incredible! I can’t wait to try this out… stunning photography!
New to your blog and I love it!
Vivienne
i love this post! stumbled upon it when i was looking for ideas to use up my bag of quinoa in my pantry! i know what ill be having for brekkie tmr morning~!
Joanna goes vegan
I don’t know why, but I always assumed quinoa as a savoury stuff, but this breakfast idea is brilliant and sweet and I like it a lot :-)
Vivienne
had this for brekkie this morning :D its nice but i think im still trying to get used to the texture/flavour of quinoa…its def diff from my usual breakfast oatmeal! think im gonna try out your choc chip banana cookie this weekend! :) thanks for all the lovely recipes!
kate
What kind of quinoa have you tried? I just assumed all colors of quinoa taste the same, but I recently tried the white kind and wasn’t impressed. It seems like the red kind (pictured) has a more nutty flavor, which lends itself well to breakfast foods.
I really like throwing some warm quinoa on salad, too. Have you tried that?
Vivienne
haha guess what – i was just telling my mum that this morning too. yesterday we tried the white kind (which ive always used for breakfast) and this morning the black and we noticed such a difference…def more palatable hahaha. love it! know that ill be buying black/red from now on! :) will have to give the salad idea a go next time too.
RHG
Thanks for the ideas. I always cook a big batch of quinoa, and then vacuum seal it 2 cups at a time. I liked everything I read except for the microwave part, there is some research on it’s effects on nutrients. Stove works just as well, and better texture.
Selena
This sounds delish!
Oh, regarding crumpets: in Seattle we do! We have a shop in Pike Place Market that sells tea and crumpets. SO TASTY. We have a few stores that market Australians and New Zealanders. :)
Meg
This sounds SUPER yummy! I’m always making things like this and experimenting with what will taste scrumptious with my beloved quinoa and steel cut oatmeal. Thanks for sharing :).
★★★★★
Monique
Kate,
Thanks for sharing this. I love the options you provide :)
Chris Ortiz
Love this! have been experimenting w/quinoa, & so far have only had it as a side w/dinners – goes great w/grilled chicken & steak! ; ) your breakfast options sound divine — would it be possible to get nutrition info? tracking protein, fiber as well as sugar & fat, total calories. thanks!
Kate
Sorry Chris, I don’t do nutritional breakdowns at this time. This is such a basic recipe that the nutrition content would vary depending on the toppings and milk chosen, too.
Kurt Jacobs
I just stumbled across your site thanks to pintrest.
So many great recipes here!
Can you suggest any breakfast’s for Type 1 Diabetics? And Quinoa/Coconut/Almond or Soy milk?
ps im another Aussie!
Kate
Hi Kurt, I’m glad you’re enjoying my recipes. I don’t feel qualified to suggest recipes for diabetes because I am not a registered dietitian, I’m sorry! I’d hate to tell you the wrong thing.
kristin
Hi Kate, just wondering if you’ve ever used quinoa flakes instead??? I’ve made quinoa porridge before an loved it but I usually use rolled oats as they’re so much quicker in the morning. So I thoguht maybe I could use quinoa flakes….
Kate
Hi Kristin, great question! I have never tried quinoa flakes, no. I just googled them and learned that they may be a quick alternative for porridge. Please let us know if you give the flakes a try!
Eve
Hi Kate! Thank you so much for this amazing recipe! I made it this morning with banana, vanilla coconut milk, chia seeds, and pumpkin spice. It was amazing!
Seriously though, your recommendation to rinse the quinoa changed my life. Previously, my quinoa always turned out dry, and generally unappetizing. Now, however, it is fluffy and delicious as can be! Thanks! Definitely adding this to my breakfast list from now on.
★★★★★
Kate
Your breakfast quinoa sounds terrific, Eve! Glad you are enjoying better quinoa now.
Kristin Murray
I had leftover quinoa cooked with shredded carrots (1-1/2 c quinoa + 2 c shredded carrots) and I wanted to use it up. Your breakfast solution caught my eye. I made it with almond milk, toasted almonds/coconut, pumpkin seeds, and maple syrup and LOVED it! Thanks for the new breakfast idea! I can’t wait for tomorrow morning to do it again. :)
Kate
Great idea! Thanks, Kristin!
Elsa
Oh my goodness that was delicious! It is winter where I am writing and thanks to you I may have found the perfect breakfast for this season! I cooked red quinoa last night and had it today with some soymilk, banana and tahini, seriously amazing
★★★★★
Kate
Thank you, Elsa!
Jess
This was great! Thank you! This has been my breakfast for the past 3 mornings. The toasted almonds and coconut really elevate this dish. My favorite so far is 1 mashed banana, topped with fresh blueberries, and coconut milk. I reduced the milk to a quarter cup, better still since coconut milk can be high in calories.
★★★★★
Kate
Thanks, Jess! Your variations sounds great.
Jeanne
Have you tried freezing this dish? I am preparing meals for sister with new baby.
Kate
That’s a good question. I wish I knew for sure which recipes freeze well, but I haven’t tried freezing all of them. I think my enchiladas and lasagna would be good choices, as would my lentil soup and quinoa soup.
Lavinia
Hi Kate,
This looks delicious. Is it okay to use canned coconut milk? Tetrapaks aren’t recycled here so I tend to use canned coconut milk for my recipes.
Thank you!
Kate
You’re welcome!
dani
I use quinoa flakes for breakfast…works better. Very versatile can be used for a lot of other recipes, instead of flour.
Kate
Thanks for sharing, Dani!
Jennifer
I had my first quinoa breakfast bowl at a local coffee shop (The Filling Station) and was inspired to make my own at home. Your recipe is perfect…I topped it with farmer’s market strawberries, local blueberries, added a spoonful of oatmilk yogurt to make it a little creamy, and sprinkled with lemon zest.
The coffee shop topped theirs with a sliced banana and spoonful of nutbutter, which was a really nice touch.
Lots of ways to improvise – thanks for the recipe!
Kate
You’re welcome, Jennifer! I’m glad you found this recipe.