Cinnamon Quinoa Breakfast Bowl
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Have quinoa for breakfast with this easy cinnamon quinoa breakfast bowl. It’s vegan, gluten-free and the quinoa packs in a good amount of protein.
I love adding quinoa to savory dishes (this Greek quinoa salad is one of my faves), but lately I’ve been experimenting with having it for breakfast as well. In the past I’ve made a strawberry quinoa parfait and this quinoa breakfast bowl, but more recently I’ve been trying my hand at making quinoa as a hot breakfast option to replace my go-to bowl of oatmeal.
Quinoa for Breakfast
Today I whipped up this cinnamon raisin quinoa breakfast bowl and it turned out to be quite delicious — almost as good as a cinnamon raisin oatmeal raisin cookie… almost.
And this quinoa breakfast recipe is the perfect way to switch up your normal routine of having oatmeal, overnight oats or cold cereal for breakfast. Plus, it gives you an added boost of protein to get through your morning! I hope you love this breakfast recipe as much as I do.
Is Quinoa Better Than Oatmeal?
If you’ve been reading EBF for a while, you already know that quinoa is one of my favorite grains (even though it’s actually a seed, I think of it as a grain). Not only is it high in protein, but the protein that it supplies is complete, meaning it includes all nine essential amino acids. Plus, it’s gluten free, which is perfect for those avoiding wheat and gluten.
I wouldn’t necessarily say it’s “better” than oatmeal because I think both grains are great! If I *had* to tell you what to eat, I’d tell you to eat a healthy mix of both.
Ingredients in This Quinoa Breakfast Bowl
- milk – I prefer unsweetened almond milk, but coconut milk or oat milk would also be delicious. Regular cow’s milk works too.
- quinoa – dry, uncooked quinoa that has been rinsed.
- cinnamon and vanilla – to amp up the flavor!
- chia seeds – ground flaxseed works great too.
- raisins – I like the cinnamon raisin combo, but any dried fruit will work.
- nut butter – either almond or peanut butter is delicious, but if you can’t do nuts sunflower seed butter works too
More Delicious Quinoa Recipes to Try:
- Fruity Quinoa Breakfast Bowl
- Southwestern Quinoa Salad
- Quinoa Tabbouleh
- Chicken Fajita Quinoa Bowls
- Easy Quinoa Salad
- Strawberry Shortcake Quinoa Parfaits
- Healthy Quinoa Salad Recipes
- Broccoli Cheddar Quinoa Casserole
If you enjoyed this recipe, please consider leaving a ⭐ star rating and let me know how it went in the 📝 comments below.
Cinnamon Quinoa Breakfast Bowl
Ingredients
- 1 cup unsweetened vanilla almond milk
- 1/2 cup uncooked quinoa
- 1 teaspoon cinnamon
- 1/2 teaspoon vanilla
- 1/2 Tablespoon chia seeds, or ground flaxseed
- 2 Tablespoons raisins
- 1 Tablespoon peanut or almond butter
- maple syrup + banana slices for topping, optional
Instructions
- Rinse quinoa: Rinse quinoa and drain.
- Cook quinoa: Place milk and rinsed quinoa into a small saucepan and bring to a boil.
- Combine ingredients: Add cinnamon and vanilla.
- Reduce heat: Reduce to a simmer and cook about 15 minutes, or until all liquid is absorbed. Watch the pot carefully and stir often because it has a tendency to want to boil over.
- Add toppings and serve: When ready to eat, place a portion of the quinoa into a bowl, drizzle with maple syrup and top with chia seeds, raisins and nut butter.
Notes
- Milk: I prefer unsweetened almond milk, but coconut milk or oat milk would also be delicious. Regular cow’s milk works too.
- Chia seeds: Ground flaxseed works great too.
- Raisins: I like the cinnamon raisin combo, but any dried fruit will work.
- Nut butter: either almond or peanut butter is delicious, but if you can’t do nuts sunflower seed butter works too
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Like This Recipe? Rate & Comment Below!
I tried it, and loved it!! I didn’t have raisins so I used a fig spread, really yummy!~
Hey Emily – I’m so glad you enjoyed this quinoa bowl. Thanks so much for trying it and for coming back to leave a comment + star rating. I really appreciate it!
This looks really good to me. But…I’m wondering if you could use already cooked quinoa in this recipe. I have some leftover quinoa from another dish I made a couple of days ago.
Hey Becky – Yes, that would work just fine but you’ll probably need less liquid since the uncooked quinoa won’t be absorbing it. And you’ll want to use more quinoa because 1/2 cup uncooked quinoa is about 1 1/2 cups cooked.
Love the inspirig recipes. Thank you. I need to try to get more protein into my diet as my hair is falling out and I’m off meat and have been for a few months now. Thanks
I am wondering what a “good amount of protein is”. My nutritionist indicated that I need to get at lease 25 – 30 grams of protein at each meal. Your nutrution facts indicate this has 4 grams of protein. That does not seem like a “good amount” to me. Its not high protein in the least.
Don’t have to be snarky just because this recipe doesn’t fit your personal nutritional needs.
Hi! This looks great! How long will this stay fresh in the fridge if I wanted to make some to reheat in the mornings ? Thanks !!
Hi Shaina,
I’d say 2-3 days. Enjoy!
Thanks for the recipe. I substituted the vanilla almond milk with the Almond Breeze Original, compensated the vanilla with an extra 1/2 teaspoon of vanilla while cooking, added raisins to the mixture 5 minutes before it was finished cooking, and I topped with agave instead of maple syrup; I used what I had on hand, and I loved it! I will definitely make it again using your exact recipe though.
There are other breakfast recipes that I’ve tried, one of which is my favorite; it’s here: http://allrecipes.com/recipe/mediterranean-breakfast-quinoa/detail.aspx. I usually cut back a little on the honey, and I’ve substituted the honey with agave. Either way, this breakfast is delish!
Hi, when you say vanilla do you mean vanilla extract? Thanks 🙂
Yes. 🙂
Thank you 🙂
I have this in my rice cooker right now! Sadly, the reason I was looking for breakfast recipes is because I ran out of almond milk though, so I had to use regular milk. Sometimes I make breakfast rice with almond milk, too. 🙂 Really tasty, but you have to get up reeeeally early if you want to use brown rice. 😉
I prefer to puree my cooked quinoa porridge so it becomes something like cream of wheat. I think it helps make the nutrition more accessible too.
Made this this morning. Wasn’t sure how I would like it as I cannot abide oatmeal but I was very pleasantly surprised. Will definitely be making it again most mornings and look forward to it 🙂
This was delicious! I love the combination of peanut butter and cinnamon. Making this on repeat!
YES! I am so happy that you are loving this recipe, Liz. Thank you for sharing your review & star rating, I really appreciate it!