Turn leftover quinoa into a protein-packed breakfast with this simple, seasonal apple cinnamon overnight quinoa recipe. It’s similar to overnight oats but made with quinoa and absolutely delicious!
Quinoa for breakfast?!? It’s a good thing, I promise! I’ve actually made quinoa overnight oats with quinoa flour before, but hadn’t ever tried making a version with plain quinoa.
I’ve thought about making overnight quinoa many times because we pretty much always have cooked quinoa in the fridge. The only reason I waited so long to try my hand at it is because I was a little worried that unlike rolled oats, the cooked quinoa wouldn’t absorb much of the liquid and that I’d wake up to itty quinoa bits floating in almond milk. Although now that I think about it, that wouldn’t be a bad thing — just more like quinoa cereal and not what I was going for.
To make sure much of the almond milk did get absorbed I added some chia seeds and protein powder to the mix. They worked perfectly and also give the breakfast an added boost of nutrition. If you like chia seed pudding you’ll like overnight quinoa because the texture if very similar.
Since it’s apple season I decided to make an apple cinnamon version with chopped apple chunks, a hefty sprinkle of cinnamon and vanilla. It’s basically the perfect breakfast option for August and September when you’re craving fall flavors, but it’s still too warm out for stove-top oats and/or cooked quinoa flakes. <– I don’t know about you but I’m not a huge fan of sweating while I eat breakfast. 😉
As you probably noticed, the quinoa in the photos is a lovely shade of red. That’s because I used Ancient Harvest’s Organic Inca Red Quinoa. Red and white quinoa are nutritionally the same, but I’ve found that red seems a bit more firm, holds its shape better and takes a bit longer to cook. It’s also really pretty — especially in quinoa parfaits or salads.
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PinDescription
Use leftover cooked quinoa to make a healthy, portable breakfast! Studded with fresh apple chunks and spiced with ground cinnamon, this overnight quinoa is tasty, gluten-free and vegan.
Ingredients
- 3/4 cup cooked red or white quinoa
- 1 cup unsweetened almond milk
- 1 Tablespoon chia seeds
- 1 Tablespoon vanilla protein powder (I used a plant-based protein powder)
- 1/2 teaspoon vanilla
- 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
- 1/2 apple, chopped
- 2-3 drops liquid stevia or 1 Tablespoon maple syrup (optional)
Instructions
- Place all ingredients in a container and stir to combine. Cover and let sit in the fridge at least 2 hours, but preferably overnight.
- Remove from fridge, give the mixture a stir and enjoy!
Notes
I used liquid vanilla stevia to sweeten up the mixture a bit. Maple syrup or another natural sweetener would work well too.
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1
- Calories: 336
- Sugar: 9g
- Sodium: 242mg
- Fat: 9g
- Saturated Fat: 1g
- Carbohydrates: 49g
- Fiber: 14g
- Protein: 15g
- Cholesterol: 0mg
Keywords: apple cinnamon quinoa, breakfast quinoa
Have you tried red or black quinoa before? Did you notice any difference in the texture or cooking time? I keep saying I’m not ready for fall but this post really makes me want to go apple picking! Anyone else?
My husband would go crazy for this! He loves apples and quinoa!!
Yay! Please make it for him.
This sounds so delicious! I’ve been looking for some overnight oat type recipes, and this one is perfect!! Thanks for sharing!
I’ve had red quinoa before and I agree it is firmer and less mushy when cooked. Nice looking breakfast there!
i never thought of quinoa as my breakfast item. thank you for sharing this 🙂
I felt the same way for the longest time! 🙂
Hah! I was excited when I saw this recipe on your blog…because I posted almost the exact same recipe on my blog today too. 🙂 Great minds think alike! http://www.theseasonedmom.com/overnight-apple-crisp-breakfast-parfait/
Love this so much! Such a great way to get a little extra protein in instead of the usual overnight oats. Pinning!
Thanks Meg!
Next time I have apples on hand, this is happening!
Woo-hoo! Let me know how it turns out. 🙂
Oh yes! Love the idea of using quinoa instead of oats!
Had this for breakfast this morning, and am sorry to say that we were disappointed in it. It came out very runny, and did not have much apple flavor. I think I’ll be going back to oats…
Great use of leftover quinoa! Great idea to add the chia seeds and protein powder. This is definitely a protein packed way to start your day!
I love this so much! And I love using red or try-color quinoa too. I am pinning this to make later 🙂