Cinnamon Quinoa Breakfast Bowl
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Published May 11, 2020, Updated Sep 27, 2023
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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 quinoa parfait and this fruity quinoa, 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 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
How to Make a Healthy Quinoa Breakfast
Rinse quinoa: First things first, always make sure you rinse your quinoa before cooking. Most store-bought quinoa will have a coating that needs to be rinsed off… or you’ll be left with a bitter breakfast. No thanks!
Cook quinoa: Place your milk and quinoa in a small saucepan and bring to a boil. Add in the cinnamon and vanilla, stir to combine. Reduce to a simmer and cook for 15 minutes or until all liquid is absorbed. Don’t set it and forget it! I’ve found, this dish has the tendency to boil over so keep your eye on the pot and stir often.
Add toppings: When all of the liquid is absorbed, place a portion of the cooked quinoa into a bowl, drizzle with maple syrup and top with chia seeds, raisins and nut butter. Feel free to customize the toppings! This breakfast bowl would also be delicious with fresh fruit, hemp seeds, shredded coconut, toasted pecans… the options are endless.
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 make this cinnamon quinoa breakfast, please be sure to leave a comment and star rating below. Your feedback is super helpful for the EBF team and other readers who are thinking about making the recipe.
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.
Loved this as a switch up to oats for breakfast and it kept me totally satisfied until lunch!! And can you ever go wrong with nut butter + banana?!
Ahh yay! I’m so glad you enjoyed this quinoa bowl for breakfast, Erica! Thanks for trying it and for coming back to leave a comment and star rating. I so appreciate it!
I really liked this breakfast recipe! I didn’t put banana slices and raisins in mine. Instead I replaced them with fresh blueberries and it tasted great. It makes this quinoa bowl less caloric and less sugary. I had to add more almond milk while the quinoa was cooking because it wasn’t cooked all through yet and there was no more liquid in the pan. But, overall it’s an excellent breakfast bowl! 🙂
The only thing I didn’t have on hand were raisins, but it didn’t matter. This recipe was a flavorful way to start my morning. Oatmeal can get so repetitive, glad I stepped out of my routine!
Ahh yay, so glad this breakfast bowl was a hit, Melanie! Thanks for making it and for coming back to leave a comment + star rating. I so appreciate it. <3
This is a great option for breakfast! I am burnt out on oatmeal so i love this alternative. 🙂 thank you!
I’m glad you enjoyed this breakfast bowl! Thanks for the review, Stacy. I so appreciate it!
I’m a big fan of quinoa for dinner. First time I’ve made it for breakfast. It’s delicious 🤯 I love oatmeal as well but the quinoa is lighter to me. Definitely making this more often!
Woo! So glad you enjoyed this recipe, Kathy. Thanks for making it and for coming back to leave a review. I so appreciate it!
Can this be served cold?
Totally!
I fixed this for breakfast. It was delicious.
So glad you loved this, Alice! 🙂
Can you make this in the instapot? Would you follow the same recipe?
Hey Laura, I haven’t tried this in the Instant pot, so I’m not too sure. I think you’d be fine with the same measurements, but I’m not sure how long it would take. Maybe use this recipe as a guide?
Loved this recipe! Thank you! I used macadamia milk because it is my favorite df milk.
So pumped you enjoyed this recipe, Laurie. Thanks for the review!
Taste profile is good. Cannot say the same about the proportions. 1 cup of milk is not enough to get quinoa to the same condition as it is on a picture. It’s undercooked. Had to add water a few times 🙁 not helpful for me unfortunately.
Hey Amor – So sorry to hear that you had issues with this recipe. Thank you for letting me know. I should test this one again!