Vegan Breakfast Quinoa Bowls
on Sep 08, 2023, Updated Aug 12, 2024
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These 5-minute vegan breakfast quinoa bowls are the perfect way to use leftover quinoa for a quick and healthy breakfast.
Quinoa bowls are wonderful for a warm and filling breakfast, especially with toppings like fresh fruit and healthy fats for a more balanced meal.
Quinoa is even a complete protein, containing all essential amino acids, and is a good source of a range of other essential nutrients.
For more quinoa breakfast recipes, you’ll have to try these quinoa breakfast bars, quinoa chocolate chip cookies and quinoa flour pancakes next!
Ingredients
- Quinoa: You can use any variety of quinoa such as red quinoa, white quinoa or tri colour quinoa. If you’re making the 5-minute version, you’ll need 1 cup cooked quinoa. If you’re cooking the quinoa, you’ll need 1 cup uncooked quinoa.
- Milk: You can use any plant-based milk you enjoy such as almond milk, coconut milk, cashew milk or oat milk.
- Flavour & Sweetening: Try cinnamon, vanilla and a pinch of salt to enhance the flavour. Maple syrup is suggested for an optional sweetener.
This list is not complete. Please see the recipe card at the end of the post for the complete ingredient list with measurements and detailed instructions.
Flavour Variations
- Chocolate: Add 2 tbsp cocoa, 1 tsp vanilla, 1/2 a mashed banana or 2 tbsp maple syrup.
- Chai Spice: Add 1/4 tsp each vanilla, cinnamon, cardamom, ginger, ground cloves and nutmeg. Sweeten to taste with your choice of sweetener such as coconut sugar or maple syrup.
- Berry Vanilla: Add 1 tsp vanilla and top with fresh berries like raspberries and a drizzle of coconut cream or cashew cream.
- Pumpkin Spice: Add 1/4 cup pumpkin puree, 1-2 tbsp maple syrup, 2 tsp pumpkin pie spice and top with pecans or walnuts.
- Apple Pie: Add 1 diced apple and 1 tsp cinnamon while the quinoa is heating or cooking. Top with pecans, raisins or walnuts. A bit of lemon zest is nice in this too.
- Tropical: Top with diced mango and toasted coconut flakes.
- Peanut Butter and Banana: Top or stir in sliced banana and peanut butter. Sprinkle with peanuts or other nuts.
Sweetening Options
You can enjoy breakfast quinoa unsweetened or add your choice of sweetener. If you’re adding sweet toppings you may not need extra sweetener, but it depends on your preference.
- Maple syrup.
- Coconut sugar or other raw sugars.
- Brown sugar.
- Ripe mashed banana.
- Honey.
- Homemade date paste or jam.
- Stevia for sugar-free.
- Molasses.
Start with 1-2 tsp of sweetener per serving and adjust to taste as needed. If you’re using mashed banana, try about 1/2 a mashed banana per serving.
Adding mashed or diced banana or another fruit as it heats is good way to add bit of natural sweetness if you want to go that route.
Option 1: 5-Minute Breakfast Quinoa
There are 2 different ways you can make quinoa for breakfast.
I like the 5-minute version of just heating up pre-cooked quinoa with a bit of milk, cinnamon and vanilla but you can also cook quinoa specifically for making breakfast quinoa.
To make quinoa for breakfast in just a few minutes, add your desired amount of cooked quinoa to a small saucepan (1/2-1 cup cooked quinoa is suggested) and heat with your choice of milk and flavouring like cinnamon, vanilla and maple syrup.
Serve in a bowl with with your choice of toppings.
The benefits of making it this way:
- Super quick and easy.
- All you have to do is heat it up.
- You can make a single serving.
- Customize every batch with different add-ins and toppings.
- You can use this method with any cooked whole grains.
Option 2: Breakfast Quinoa From Scratch
The second option for making breakfast quinoa is to cook a larger batch of quinoa specifically as breakfast quinoa.
I do find if you cook the quinoa as breakfast quinoa you can add more flavour during cooking by adding vanilla, cinnamon and maple syrup as it cooks, rather than adding them after but both methods work great.
To use this method (makes 3-4 servings):
- Bring 1 cup of water and 1 cup of almond milk to a boil in a saucepan. If using full-fat coconut milk, use 1 1/2 cups water and 1/2 cup coconut milk
- Add 1 cup of rinsed uncooked quinoa and any desired sweetener or add-ins, suggested to add 1 tsp vanilla, 1 tsp cinnamon and a pinch of salt for flavour. Stir, cover and reduce heat. Simmer lightly for 15 minutes.
- Remove from the heat and let sit for 5 minutes.
- Lift the lid and fluff quinoa with a fork. You can stir in more milk to adjust the consistency if you like.
- Serve with any toppings you enjoy.
Recipe FAQs
You can but not in the same way you would make overnight oats. You need to use cooked quinoa.
To make overnight breakfast quinoa, add 1/2 cup cooked quinoa to a container with vanilla, sweetener of choice, cinnamon, 1/2 cup milk and any add-ins such as berries or nuts.
You could also do 1/4 cup cooked quinoa and 1/4 cup rolled oats or chia seeds. Enjoy cold or reheat in the microwave or a small suacepan.
Of course. Quinoa is a nutritious ingredient that provides essential amino acids, fiber and a range of vitamins and minerals. It also has more protein than other whole grains and pairs well with sweet and savory toppings.
Quinoa is a source of carbohydrates, so consider pairing it with healthy fats for a more balanced meal that will help maintain blood sugar levels when eaten.
I recommend rinsing quinoa before cooking it, yes. This can help reduce the bitter taste quinoa can sometimes have and removes any debris.
You can use any variety of milk in this recipe such as almond milk, vanilla almond milk, oat milk, soy milk, cashew milk or coconut milk.
If you’re using full-fat coconut milk, I suggest using 1/4 cup coconut milk and 1/4 cup water as coconut milk is quite thick.
The recipe calls for unsweetened milk but you may use sweetened milk if you prefer.
Yes. To make this recipe in the Instant Pot, use the u0022cook from scratchu0022 method and use the u0022riceu0022 setting on your pressure cooker. Once it’s done, open the vent to release the pressure, remove lid and adjust flavour as needed.
Topping Ideas
Any of these can be used as toppings or added to the quinoa while it cooks or heats up.
- Maple syrup.
- Banana slices.
- Fresh berries like blueberries, strawberries, etc.
- Almond butter, peanut butter, etc.
- Hemp seeds, chia seeds or flax seeds.
- Coconut flakes.
- Coconut yogurt.
- Cashew cream.
- Cacao nibs or chocolate chips.
- Any nuts such as walnuts or cashews.
- Chia jam, date paste, apple butter, or cranberry sauce.
- Dried fruit like chopped apricots, cherries, raisins or dates.
Storing Instructions
- Leftover cooked quinoa can be stored in the fridge in an airtight container for 4-5 days.
- Prepared breakfast quinoa bowls can be stored in the fridge in an airtight container for 2-4 days, depending on the toppings you add.
- If you’re cooking a large batch for breakfast specifically, that can be stored in the fridge for up to 5 days and reheated with milk on the stovetop or in the microwave.
- You can also eat breakfast quinoa cold in which case, just cook up a big batch of breakfast quinoa, store in the fridge, portion and add toppings as needed.
Did you try this recipe? I’d love to hear about it! Scroll down to comment section below to leave your star rating and review.
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Breakfast Quinoa Bowls
Ingredients
5-Minute Method
- 1 cup cooked quinoa
- 1/2 cup unsweetened almond milk
- 1/2 tsp cinnamon
- 1/2 tsp vanilla
- pinch of salt, optional
- 1 tbsp maple syrup, optional
Cook from Scratch Method
- 1 cup unsweetened almond milk
- 1 cup water
- 1 cup uncooked quinoa, rinsed
- 1 tsp vanilla
- 1 tsp cinnamon
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 2 tbsp maple syrup, optional
Topping Ideas
- sliced banana
- blueberries or other fresh fruit of choice
- almond butter, peanut butter, etc.
- walnuts, pecans, etc.
- hemp seeds
- yogurt
Instructions
- For 5-minute breakfast quinoa, add the cooked quinoa and milk to a small saucepan with the vanilla, cinnamon and maple syrup, if using. Stir over medium heat until heated through.
- If cooking breakfast quinoa, bring the milk and water to a light boil in a medium saucepan. Add the quinoa, vanilla, cinnamon, salt and maple syrup, if using, and stir to combine. Cover and reduce heat to medium-low. Simmer lightly for 15 minutes then remove from the heat. Lift lift and fluff with a fork.
- To serve, scoop quinoa into a bowl and top with your choice of toppings.
1 cup uncooked will give u more than 1 cup cooked correct?
You also say its 44 grms of protein in the video but u wrote 16 in the recipe. How do u reach 44? Flax seeds chia seeds? Thanks
It’s not this exact recipe. This is just to give an idea. I added flax seeds, chia seeds, protein powder and coconut yogurt.
1 cup uncooked will make about 2 cups cooked.
Do I need to soak the Quinoa over night if it raw.
If it’s raw, you don’t need to soak it but it does need to be cooked first following the “Cook from Scratch Method”. Thanks!
I’ve had this recipe pinned for a while now, but was a bit hesitant to try quinoa for breakfast. We tried it this morning using the 5-minute method with leftover quinoa. It was very tasty and a nice change from oats. I used all the toppings as you suggested, and it was great. Thanks for sharing this recipe!
So delish and so many more benefits than oats! Already meal prepped it for the week. Thank you! xxx
Totally – such a great breakfast when you have quinoa ready to go! So glad you’re enjoyed it.