Breakfast quinoa is a great way to make your oatmeal breakfast on a new level. If you love a nice, textured oatmeal for breakfast, you’ll love this quinoa oatmeal. It’s got all the flavors of your favorite oatmeal but with a new twist! With a little bit of water, coconut oil, brown sugar and cinnamon, we get a beautifully tasty and filling quinoa porridge the entire family will love!

I love making quinoa oatmeal for breakfast because I no longer get hungry at 10 a.m. Oatmeal keeps me fuller longer, which means less snacking! For another healthy oatmeal recipe, try my high protein overnight oats!

A blue bowl full of breakfast quinoa topped with pecans and blueberries.

Here are a few of my favorite oatmeal recipes: banana steel cut oats, mango overnight oats, maple and brown sugar oatmeal, and almond joy oatmeal. Try one of them and you’ll soon have oatmeal in your regular breakfast rotation.

Why This Recipe Works

  • When I start my day with a healthy breakfast, I feel so much better. And this breakfast quinoa keeps me full longer — a double bonus.
  • This breakfast oatmeal uses quinoa which is one of my favorite superfoods. It’s packed with so many vitamins and nutrients — many I didn’t even know about! It has twice the amount of fiber as other grains and is packed with protein (one cup has 8 grams), iron, magnesium, and manganese. (Which, I had to look up haha. Apparently, manganese can aid in blood sugar regulation, has antioxidant properties, may helps improve bone health, and may aid in reducing inflammation.)
  • This recipe takes only 20 minutes to make. Plus, you can make lots of it and then store it in the fridge to eat throughout the week!

Ingredients

Ingredients used to make breakfast quinoa on a white background.
  • Dry Quinoa: The quinoa provides a nice consistency when cooked and doesn’t get mushy like instant or quick oats.  
  • Coconut Oil: Not only does the coconut oil make the quinoa nice and moist, but the touch of coconut flavor is amazing (but don’t worry, it’s not super overpowering at all). It also is super healthy! It is high in the healthy fatty acids our bodies need, may aid in healthy hair, skin and teeth, may help the body in burning fat and can help boost heart health.
  • Brown Sugar: You can swap out the brown sugar for maple syrup to make it vegan.
  • Ground Cinnamon: This gives it a delicious breakfast flavor. Feel free to add other flavors or spices you like.

Step-by-Step Instructions

  1. Measure out the dry quinoa.
A 1 cup measuring cup full of uncooked quinoa.
  1. In a medium saucepan over medium heat add the quinoa and water. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat to a simmer, cover with a lid. Cook the quinoa for 15 minutes.
  2. Once cooked, remove from heat and fluff the quinoa with a fork.A small pot full of cooked quinoa.
  3. Stir the coconut oil, brown sugar (or maple syrup), and cinnamon into the quinoa. 

A small pot with cooked quinoa, ground cinnamon, and brown sugar.

  1. Portion the quinoa oatmeal into individual serving bowls and top with hemp hearts, toasted coconut, nuts and fresh berries. See my recipe tips section for additional topping ideas and combinations.
A bowl of quinoa topped with fresh raspberries and blueberries.

 Recipe Tips

Place the quinoa in a fine mesh strainer and rinse the quinoa under running water for 30 seconds to 1 minute, prior to cooking.

Topping Ideas

  • Hemp hearts — Adding to our list of awesome nutrient-packed ingredients, hemp hearts can help lower blood pressure. These phytonutrient-rich seeds can help promote anti-aging and reduce the risk of heart disease. They also go really well as a topping for my baked oatmeal cups. 
  • Fresh berries for serving.
  • Sliced almonds, pecans, walnuts for topping — the toppings are endless! You can even add, toasted coconut, plus toasted or candied pecans.
  • Add a splash of milk, cream or yogurt for a creamier oatmeal texture.
  • If you like using protein powders, add a bit in to the quinoa as you fluff it for additional flavor and protein.
  • Add a few chocolate chips for a sweeter breakfast treat.

Fun flavor combinations include blueberry and almond butter; tropical (coconut flakes and mangoes, kiwi, etc.); bananas and chocolate chips; vanilla protein powder with fresh raspberries and almond slices; and maple syrup and peanut butter.

FAQs

How do I know when quinoa is done?

When quinoa is cooked, the grain will look like it’s been opened, exposing a soft inside.

What are hemp hearts?

The hemp hearts are the soft inside of hemp seeds without the outer shell. 

Is quinoa healthier than rice?

Both quinoa and rice contain health benefits. The most commonly used rice is brown and white rice. While rice can still provide nutritional value, white rice is less nutritious than brown rice. A lot of the key nutritional value from rice lies in the husk, bran and germ. All those things have been removed from white rice, diminishing its nutritional value. Whereas brown rice still contains the germ and bran, adding to its nutritional value. 

Is quinoa gluten free?

Yes.

How do I make this a vegan breakfast quinoa?

Eliminate the brown sugar and add maple syrup instead.

A blue bowl with cooked quinoa that has been topped with fresh fruit.

More Healthy Breakfast Recipes

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Print Review
5 from 2 votes

Quinoa Oatmeal

A healthy and delicious breakfast.
Prep Time: 5 mins
Cook Time: 15 mins
Total Time: 20 mins
Servings: 3 servings

Ingredients
 

  • 1 cup quinoa - dry *see notes
  • 2 cups water
  • 2 tablespoons coconut oil
  • 3 tablespoons brown sugar - can sub maple syrup to make it vegan
  • 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
  • hemp hearts - for topping
  • toasted pecans - or walnuts, sliced almonds — for topping
  • fresh berries - for topping

Instructions
 

  • In a medium saucepan over medium heat add the quinoa and water. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat to a simmer, cover with a lid and cook quinoa for 15-20 minutes.
  • Once quinoa is fully cooked and the liquid has been absorbed, remove from heat and fluff quinoa with a fork.
  • Stir the coconut oil, brown sugar (or maple syrup), and cinnamon into the quinoa. 
  • Portion the quinoa into individual serving bowls and top with hemp hearts, toasted coconut, nuts and fresh berries. 

Notes

Place the quinoa in a fine mesh strainer and rinse the quinoa under running water for 30 seconds to 1 minute, prior to cooking.
Topping Ideas:
  • Hemp hearts — Adding to our list of awesome nutrient-packed ingredients, hemp hearts can help lower blood pressure. These phytonutrient-rich seeds can help promote anti-aging and reduce the risk of heart disease. They also go really well as a topping for my baked oatmeal cups. 
  • Fresh berries for serving.
  • Sliced almonds, pecans, walnuts for topping — the toppings are endless! You can even add, toasted coconut, plus toasted or candied pecans.
  • Add a splash of milk, cream or yogurt for a creamier oatmeal texture.
  • If you like using protein powders, add a bit in to the quinoa as you fluff it for additional flavor and protein.
  • Add a few chocolate chips for a sweeter breakfast treat.
Fun flavor combinations include blueberry and almond butter; tropical (coconut flakes and mangoes, kiwi, etc.); bananas and chocolate chips; vanilla protein powder with fresh raspberries and almond slices; and maple syrup and peanut butter.
Nutritional information is based per serving and does not include toppings you will use. 

Nutrition

Calories: 336kcal (17%)Carbohydrates: 49g (16%)Protein: 8g (16%)Fat: 13g (20%)Saturated Fat: 8g (40%)Sodium: 14mg (1%)Potassium: 335mg (10%)Fiber: 4g (16%)Sugar: 12g (13%)Calcium: 48mg (5%)Iron: 3mg (17%)
author: Whitney Wright
Course: Breakfast
Cuisine: American
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This recipe was originally published on Sept. 7, 2020. It was republished on July 10, 2021, to include additional information and photos.