This Breakfast Quinoa recipe is made with healthy quinoa, coconut oil, cinnamon (for added flavor) and brown sugar. Topping options are unlimited! Add fresh fruit, toasted nuts, and hemp hearts for flavor and added textures.

This breakfast recipe is a great way to give your body the energy and nutrients it needs for a healthy and happy you! 

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

A SUPER Healthy Breakfast

When I start my day with a healthy breakfast, I feel so much better. And this breakfast keeps me full longer — a double bonus.

So, what is breakfast quinoa? Think of it like a breakfast oatmeal, but with a slightly different texture. 

Quinoa 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 — *jaw drops* “Um, can I get a large order of quinoa please!?”)

A bowl of quinoa topped with fresh raspberries and blueberries.

Ingredients

Ingredients used to make breakfast quinoa on a white background.
  • Dry quinoa: our new favorite, magic superfood.  
  • Water
  • Coconut oil: Speaking of healthy, coconut oil has a ton of potential health benefits too. 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. All that and it’s just breakfast time? 
  • Brown sugar (or maple syrup to make it vegan).
  • Ground cinnamon

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.
A 1 cup measuring cup full of uncooked quinoa.

How to Make Breakfast 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. 
  4. Portion the quinoa into individual serving bowls and top with hemp hearts, toasted coconut, nuts and fresh berries.

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

 FAQ and Recipe Tips

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 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

If you make this breakfast quinoa recipe and love it, I would really appreciate if come back to leave a rating and review. Thank you! ❤️

A blue bowl full of breakfast quinoa topped with pecans and blueberries.
Print Review
5 from 1 vote

Breakfast Quinoa

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

Make sure you 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 are endless! 
 
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
Did you make this recipe?snap a photo and tag @saltandbaker in your posts and stories so I can see what you’re making!
Cooked quinoa in a bowl topped with pecans and fresh blueberries.