Breakfast Quinoa
Start your day off right with breakfast quinoaโa quick, nutritious and filling meal. Enjoy endless variations of fruits, nuts and milks with nutty quinoa.
Updated by Kathryne Taylor on June 6, 2025
Cue the trumpets! Iโm pleased to present breakfast quinoa!
I came across Joyโs recipe for breakfast quinoa this week at the perfect moment. 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 itโs a highly nutritious way to start the day. Quinoa is a complete protein rich in 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. Iโm hooked!
Hereโs how I like to cook quinoa. Some of the other breakfast quinoa recipes Iโve 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 it cook down a bit.
Both methods sound delicious, but I like using leftover quinoa for other recipes, so I cooked my quinoa with water. I just poured milk into my bowl when I was ready to eat quinoa for breakfast.
For a milk-free option, try my Cinnamon Toast Breakfast Quinoa.
Per Joyโs recommendation, I toasted sliced almonds and unsweetened coconut in the oven. Itโs an unnecessary step if youโre in a hurry. Almonds and coconut are good, toasted or not!
On Tuesday, I followed Joyโs 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 it 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.
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
Basic Breakfast Quinoa Recipe
Start your day off right with breakfast quinoaโa quick, nutritious and filling meal. Enjoy endless variations of fruits, nuts and milks with nutty quinoa.
Ingredients
- ยฝ cup or more cooked quinoa, warmed
- ยฝ to 1 cup milk of choice (almond milk, coconut milk, cows milk)
- โ 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 the warmed quinoa and milk.
- Top with fruit, add-ons and your sweetener of choice (if using). Good morning to you!
Nutrition
The information shown is an estimate provided by an online nutrition calculator. It should not be considered a substitute for a professional nutritionistโs advice. See our full nutrition disclosure here.
Iโm officially a fan of quinoa at all times of the day. How about you?
so delicious & your photos are wonderful!
Hee hee. When I read โCue the trumpetsโ, 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 itโs setting into yumminess.
Iโm so glad an Aussie reads my blog. :) No, we donโt eat crumpets around here. I love that word, though. Maybe Iโll name my next dog Crumpet!
hahaha I love the trumpets reference! I also love the brightness of these photos since this dish is for breakfast. Hope youโre enjoying more free time at home. It looks like you are!
I love my newfound free time! My two weeks of funemployment end this weekend, so Iโll have to get more focused starting next week!
Wow, I love, love, LOVE quinoa, but I would have never thought to use it as breakfast! Iโve always been very savory-ish with it..almost like a rice substitute. I think Iโll try the apple one first. :-D
I canโt believe I still havenโt even TRIED quinoa! I live in a really small town and Iโd have to drive over an hour to get to a place that might sell it, because my small town grocery store doesnโt have it :( These all look sooo yummy! Iโm favoriting this post to come back to once I get some!
This looks incredible! I canโt wait to try this outโฆ stunning photography!
New to your blog and I love it!
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~!
I donโt 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 :-)
had this for brekkie this morning :D its nice but i think im still trying to get used to the texture/flavour of quinoaโฆits 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!
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 wasnโt 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?
haha guess what โ 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 differenceโฆdef 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.
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 itโs effects on nutrients. Stove works just as well, and better texture.
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. :)
This sounds SUPER yummy! Iโm always making things like this and experimenting with what will taste scrumptious with my beloved quinoa and steel cut oatmeal. Thanks for sharing :).
Kate,
Thanks for sharing this. I love the options you provide :)
Love this! have been experimenting w/quinoa, & so far have only had it as a side w/dinners โ goes great w/grilled chicken & steak! ; ) your breakfast options sound divine โ would it be possible to get nutrition info? tracking protein, fiber as well as sugar & fat, total calories. thanks!
Sorry Chris, I donโt 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.
I just stumbled across your site thanks to pintrest.
So many great recipes here!
Can you suggest any breakfastโs for Type 1 Diabetics? And Quinoa/Coconut/Almond or Soy milk?
ps im another Aussie!
Hi Kurt, Iโm glad youโre enjoying my recipes. I donโt feel qualified to suggest recipes for diabetes because I am not a registered dietitian, Iโm sorry! Iโd hate to tell you the wrong thing.
Hi Kate, just wondering if youโve ever used quinoa flakes instead??? Iโve made quinoa porridge before an loved it but I usually use rolled oats as theyโre so much quicker in the morning. So I thoguht maybe I could use quinoa flakesโฆ.
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!
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.
Your breakfast quinoa sounds terrific, Eve! Glad you are enjoying better quinoa now.
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 canโt wait for tomorrow morning to do it again. :)
Great idea! Thanks, Kristin!
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
Thank you, Elsa!
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.
Thanks, Jess! Your variations sounds great.
Have you tried freezing this dish? I am preparing meals for sister with new baby.
Thatโs a good question. I wish I knew for sure which recipes freeze well, but I havenโt tried freezing all of them. I think my enchiladas and lasagna would be good choices, as would my lentil soup and quinoa soup.
Hi Kate,
This looks delicious. Is it okay to use canned coconut milk? Tetrapaks arenโt recycled here so I tend to use canned coconut milk for my recipes.
Thank you!
Youโre welcome!
I use quinoa flakes for breakfastโฆworks better. Very versatile can be used for a lot of other recipes, instead of flour.
Thanks for sharing, Dani!
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 perfectโฆI topped it with farmerโs 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 โ thanks for the recipe!
Youโre welcome, Jennifer! Iโm glad you found this recipe.
I have been diagnosed with cirrohis and need a protein diet that eliminates fatty foods. I am going to try quinoa for the first time, I am afraid Of not liking it but it is a great way to get enough protein for my situation.
Great to hear, Kathleen!