Quinoa Oatmeal

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Switch up your morning breakfast with this warm, healthy quinoa oatmeal! Hearty quinoa is simmered with nuts, fresh fruit and your milk of choice to create an oatmeal quinoa porridge that is creamy and satisfying. High in fiber, protein, naturally gluten-free and easily made vegan, it’s a great way to start the day!

Most of the time, we’re rushing out the door in the morning, which means we’re almost always eating something quick and healthy for breakfast before leaving the house for the day.

While our weekday morning breakfasts tend to be fast, this dish is one of our favorite breakfast recipes because it tastes like it took hours to prepare, but actually is ready in under 30 minutes!

You might be wondering, can you really use quinoa for breakfast instead of oatmeal and still get that creamy soothing texture of traditional oatmeal?

Yes you can!

This quinoa oatmeal recipe is super creamy, satisfying and totally delicious. This oat alternative for breakfast reminds me of a twist on oatmeal, but the quinoa gives it a nutritional boost with added fiber and protein.

Topped with fresh berries, bananas and nuts – it’s perfectly sweet and satisfying all at the same time!

👩🏽‍🍳 Why This Recipe Works

• A fun way to change up your regular oatmeal
• Super simple
• Great for meal prep
• Gluten free
• Easily made vegan
• Healthy and delicious
• Kid friendly
• Easy to customize
• Best breakfast quinoa recipe ever!

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🥘 Ingredients

This oatmeal quinoa recipe calls for just a few simple ingredients that you can easily find at your local grocery store!

• Milk + Water: To give this creamy quinoa porridge an oatmeal like consistency, we cooked the quinoa in a combination of milk + water. You could also just use two cups water to cook the quinoa, but it won’t have that same creamy feel. As for what type of milk – any type works! You can use coconut milk, almond milk, soy milk, oat milk, rice milk, or just regular milk to cook the quinoa in.
• Quinoa: You’ll need 1 cup quinoa for this recipe. You can use any type of quinoa you like! Red quinoa, white, black, or a mix of all 3 will work. I used white quinoa for this recipe. If you use only red or black quinoa though, you won’t get as creamy of a consistency because those tend to be firmer than white quinoa. I recommend rinsing the quinoa before using it to remove any bitterness or debris.
• Fresh Fruit: I used fresh berries and banana, but you can customize this recipe based on your preferences! Use your favorite fruit or a mix of fruits you have on hand. Coconut flakes would also taste great in this oatmeal quinoa porridge.
• Spices: I chose to use ground cinnamon, nutmeg, and a dash of salt. But you can try some vanilla extract, pumpkin pie spice, cardamom or ground ginger to add a slightly different flavor!
• Nuts: I used chopped walnuts and pecans, but you can use any nuts or seeds you like! Chia seeds, flaxseed meal, cashews, peanuts, hemp seeds, pumpkin seeds or sliced almonds would all taste great. You could also mix in a nut butter — peanut butter or almond butter would both work well!
• Sweetener: You can use any sweetener you like! A little maple syrup, honey, brown sugar or coconut sugar would all work well.

📖 Variations

You can take this base recipe for quinoa oats and mix it up in a variety of ways! Here are some of our favorite additions and flavor combinations:

• Apple Pie: Instead of berries and bananas, add in some diced apples or stewed apples. Use chopped pecans only, along with cinnamon, a dash of vanilla extract, and apple pie spice. For extra decadence, feel free to add a drizzle of caramel sauce on top!
• Pumpkin Spice: Instead of the fruit, add 1/2 cup pureed pumpkin, and pumpkin pie spice instead of or along with the cinnamon.
• Quinoa Breakfast Bowl: Add all kinds of toppings to take this quinoa oatmeal breakfast recipe to the next level! Try different fresh fruits, dried fruits or freeze dried fruits, fruit purees, compotes like this pear compote, jams, all kinds of different nuts or seeds, nut butters, granola, chocolate chips, cacao nibs, or even chocolate sauce!
• Make It Vegan: To make this into a vegan quinoa oatmeal, use any non-dairy milk of choice, and maple syrup instead of honey.
• Quinoa And Oat Porridge: Instead of just using quinoa, use half rolled oats and half quinoa, and mix them together for a quinoa oats porridge.
• Peaches & Cream: Instead of the berries and banana, add diced peaches, a dash of vanilla extract, and a drizzle of heavy cream (or coconut cream for a vegan option) on top!

🔪 Instructions

Making oatmeal with quinoa for breakfast is super easy! Here’s how you do it:

Cook Quinoa: Rinse your quinoa with cold water. Then, combine milk, water and rinsed quinoa in a medium saucepan. Bring to a boil over high heat.

Simmer: Reduce heat to medium-low; cover and simmer 15 minutes or until most of the liquid is absorbed. Turn off heat; let stand covered 5 minutes.

Add Mix-Ins To Quinoa Hot Cereal: Stir in berries, bananas, nuts, cinnamon, nutmeg, and a little honey or other sweetener if desired.

Serve: Transfer to bowls, top with nuts, additional milk if needed, and drizzle 1 teaspoon honey over each serving. Enjoy this quinoa breakfast recipe warm.

❓Recipe FAQs

💭 Expert Tips

• Any type of quinoa will work: Quinoa comes in many varieties, I used a multi-colored quinoa, but you could use white, red, or black on its own.
• Be sure to cook the quinoa covered. It will not steam and cook properly unless covered. Allow additional time to steam so that the liquid fully evaporates before serving.
• Don’t forget to rinse your quinoa! Because of quinoa’s natural bitter coating, if you don’t rinse it before eating it, you won’t get rid of that coating, and the flavor of your quinoa oats will be more on the bitter side.
• Don’t forget the salt! A pinch of salt is all you need, but it really helps to balance the flavors in this recipe and brings out the sweetness of the quinoa oatmeal more.
• Cut fruit into smaller pieces: If using larger fruit or berries such as strawberries or blackberries slice them in half or even in quarters to make it easier to eat.

🥣 More Healthy Breakfast Recipes!

• Sweet Potato Breakfast Hash
• Bananas And Cream Oatmeal
• High Protein Overnight Oats
• Tiramisu Overnight Oats
• Peanut Butter Baked Oatmeal
• Apple Cinnamon Pancakes
• Matcha Overnight Oats
• Masala Oats
• Vegan French Toast Casserole
• Cinnamon and Spice Oatmeal with Berries
• Vegetarian Breakfast Ideas

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