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This Quinoa Porridge swaps oats for quinoa, delivering a breakfast with 9 grams of protein and 3 grams of fiber per serving. I like to top mine with banana and walnuts, but the options are endless.
Why Quinoa as Porridge Works
When looking for a warming gluten-free breakfast, Instant Pot Oatmeal, Banana Baked Oatmeal, and Slow Cooker Oatmeal seem like obvious choices. And while absolutely delicious, if you are in the mood for something other than oats, you are going to love Quinoa Porridge!
- Perfect for Meal Prep. Prepare a large batch of quinoa porridge on the weekend, then reheat and enjoy it for a simple, healthy breakfast all week long.
- Allergy-Friendly. Quinoa porridge is gluten-free, dairy-free, and egg-free, and you can easily make it nut-free.
- Versatile. Start with a creamy bowl of quinoa and top it however you like. Berries, bananas, yogurt, maple syrup -- the options are endless.
Notes on Ingredients
- Quinoa: Use any variety of dried quinoa you like. White, red, or tri-color quinoa.
- Almond or Coconut Milk: This recipe works best with non-dairy milk like almond milk or canned coconut milk, as it is less likely to burn than traditional dairy milk.
- Sweetener: Sweeten the porridge while cooking with maple syrup or honey, or omit it to keep this breakfast porridge sugar-free.
- Cinnamon: I love adding cinnamon to flavor the porridge, but feel free to omit it.
- Toppings: Top this quinoa porridge with anything you like. I personally love sliced bananas, pecans, and additional maple syrup. Other delicious options would be a dollop of yogurt, chia seeds, fresh berries, homemade granola, or dried fruit.
How to Make Quinoa Porridge
- Place the dry quinoa in a fine-mesh strainer and rinse under water for at least 2 minutes. This helps remove the quinoa's natural coating and reduce bitterness.
- Add the milk, maple syrup, cinnamon, salt, and vanilla to the pan and stir to combine.
- Over medium heat, bring the mixture to a boil, stirring often, to prevent the milk from scalding.
- Once boiling, reduce the heat to low, cover the pan, and simmer for 15-17 minutes, or until the milk is absorbed and the quinoa is tender.
- Remove the quinoa porridge from the heat and fluff it with a fork.
- Serve the quinoa porridge with toppings of your choice.
FAQs on Quinoa Porridge
Yes! Quinoa has a natural coating called saponin, which can make it taste bitter if you don't rinse it well. Even if your quinoa package says it's pre-rinsed, it is best to rinse it again.
Yes, but I recommend swapping dairy for water when cooking quinoa in the Instant Pot to prevent a burn notice. Top it with milk and additional toppings after pressure cooking.
Yes! But keep in mind dairy can scald easily when cooked. Use 1 cup dairy milk mixed with 1 cup water to reduce the chance of this happening.
More Gluten-Free Breakfast Recipes
- Hashbrown Breakfast Casserole
- Easy Overnight Oats with Chia Seeds
- Breakfast Sweet Potato
- Easy Potato Frittata
Did you make this recipe?
If you enjoyed this recipe, please leave a comment with a 5-star review at the bottom of the post. Thank you!
Quinoa Porridge
Ingredients
- 1 cup dried quinoa
- 2 cups non-dairy milk, such as almond, soy, or coconut
- 1 teaspoon cinnamon
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- dash of salt
- 2 tablespoons maple syrup, or honey
- sliced banana, berries, nuts, granola, etc, for serving
Instructions
- Place the dry quinoa in a fine-mesh strainer and rinse under water for at least 2 minutes. This will help remove quinoa's natural coating and bitterness.
- Combine the milk, rinsed quinoa, salt, cinnamon, maple syrup, and vanilla together in a medium, heavy-duty saucepan. Bring to a boil over medium heat, stirring often. Once boiling, reduce the heat to low, cover, and simmer for 15-17 minutes or until most of the liquid is absorbed and the quinoa is tender. Once tender remove from the heat and fluff with a fork.
- Serve warm with toppings of your choice.
Notes
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Can I use the instant pot to make this recipe? Thanks again Kirsten!
Hi Jubely! Yes, it is very similar to Instant Pot Oatmeal. Inside a 7-cup heat-safe bowl or 7x4-inch cake pan, mix together 1-1/4 cup milk with 1 cup rinsed quinoa (rinse it well), 1 teaspoon cinnamon, 1 teaspoon vanilla extract, dash of salt, and 2 tablespoons maple syrup. Place the bowl with the oatmeal on a trivet over 1 cup of cool tap water inside inner pot. Cook on high pressure for 3 minutes with a natural pressure release.
It’s yum for me. I still need to convince my husband and son to just try a bite of this quinoa; they dislike quinoa so much. I did 8 minutes total of cooking in the instant pot and the outcome is so fluffy.
Thank you so much Kirsten!
Delicious and filling! I was looking for a healthy breakfast recipe and this was perfect, thank you!
Wow! I never thought to use quinoa like this. Great texture and delicious!