Apple cinnamon breakfast quinoa – quinoa for breakfast you ask? Well yes, quinoa served warm, with it’s nutty taste and chewy texture, pairs beautifully with fresh crisp autumn apples, golden raisins, pecans, warm milk, vanilla and cinnamon – a delightful breakfast that is both protein packed and comforting.
Apple Cinnamon Breakfast Quinoa
Apple Cinnamon Breakfast QuinoaYou can do so much with quinoa as a breakfast like combining other fruits such as my Peaches and Berries Breakfast Quinoa Bowls, or festive with fall Pumpkin Spice Quinoa Breakfast Cookies. I also love a savory Quinoa Huevos Rancheros Bowl or Protein Egg and Quinoa Salad Jars for on the go.
I just love the flavor sensations from each spoonful – the sweetness of the raisins, the pop from the quinoa, and the crunch of the apple and pecans. Fresh pears and cranberries would also make a wonderful alternative to apples and raisins. If you like your cereal a little sweeter you can drizzle it with a teaspoon of honey just before eating. One bowl will keep you fueled and satisfied until lunch.
Quinoa (pronounced keen-wah) is a hunger-curbing and power-packed nutritional all-star. Loaded with satiating protein (8 grams per cup) and filling fiber (5 grams per cup), this superfood digests slowly, which keeps blood sugar and insulin levels steady. You’ll also get impressive doses of doses of thiamin, vitamin B6, folate, zinc, potassium, magnesium and selenium, along with 15 percent of your daily iron needs. No wonder the ancient Incas, who considered the crop sacred, referred to quinoa as the mother of all grains!
Be sure to rinse the quinoa well before cooking to rinse off the saponins which has a slightly bitter flavor, or you can buy it pre-rinsed. I like to warm my milk up, then pour it in right before serving. Enjoy!
Apples and Cinnamon Breakfast Quinoa
Ingredients
- 1 cup dry quinoa, rinsed well
- 1 1/2 cups water
- 1 tsp cinnamon + more for sprinkling
- 2 tsp vanilla extract
- 1/2 cup unsweetened applesauce
- 1/4 cup golden raisins
- 1 cup warmed fat-free milk for drizzling, non-dairy milk is fine
- 1 gala apple, peeled and diced
- 1/4 cup pecans, chopped
Instructions
- Combine quinoa, water, cinnamon and vanilla in a small saucepan and bring to a boil.
- Reduce to a simmer, cover, and let cook for 15 minutes until quinoa can be fluffed with a fork.
- Divide cooked quinoa between four bowls then stir in apple sauce, raisins, and pour in warmed milk.
- Top with fresh cut apples and pecans and a dash of cinnamon.
After preparing this, I can say wow! This was my first quinoa based dish and I am pleasantly surprised. I am not a breakfast person so it's easy for me to start the day off wrong with sugary, processed food choices. This has helped curve those poor choices and will be a staple in my morning routine.
Hi Gina,
This looks really delish and I plan to make it this weekend! I track all my meals in myfitnesspal.com. I know you have 1/4 of the recipe, but would you happen to know exactly how much does a serving equal?. Is it approximately 3/4 cups, 2/3 cups, 1/2 cups, etc. Thank you!
What about using blueberries? Does that work?
My family and I just enjoyed a bowl of this, making enough for us to have for breakfast later this week. I have a surfeit of bananas and some coconut milk hanging around that would make a good springtime version of this. Thanks, it was great!
amazing! I could have eaten the entire batch myself. That might have defeated the whole eating healthy thing though.Thank you for all your wonderful recipes.
I just made this today. It was so delicious! I absolutely loved it! New favorite breakfast, right up there with your chia pudding. Yum.
Love quinoa and for those who are not sure….the first time I tried it I was like "seriously you want me to eat 'that'" said emphatically. Now I find myself putting it into EVERYTHING. A must add to turkey burgers – they tend to dry out during cooking and the quinoa absorbs the juices and releases as the meat cools down and for some odd reason have come to love that little pop quinoa has. Nichole in PA.
Ps. Costco has hands down the best price and it's organic which is an added bonus.
hi gina!
when you make this do you split the other ingredients between 4 bowls also!
thanks!
i just entered this recipe on the weight watchers recipe builder and it came up at 13 points per serving. How did you come up with 8 points?
My family just purchased its first package of quinoa for a recipe, and I was looking for other things to do with it and saw this recipe.. I REALLY like this, and I think my family is going to like it tomorrow when I make it for them! I understand a bit of the bitter taste.. (I dont think I rinsed quite long enough) The great thing is that it is ALL about the mix-ins! as versatile as oatmeal or cream of wheat. Is there anything you know that doesn't work for this? Thanks again.
Great Recipe. I increased the water to 2 cups and did it in a rice cooker and it turned out perfectly!
This looks so delicious. I have added it to our meal plan for the month! Thanks
A really good recipe! I love quiona this way! Thank you so much!
Now that's a power breakfast! Can't wait to try it.
Can't wait to try this! Looks good! I would have never thought of quinoa being used like this!
Will try this! Thanks!
Being celiac I'm always looking for new ways to get in good fiber. This is one if the best things I have tried in a very long time. Hearty and so good. I was out of applesauce today and put a spoon of strawberry preserves in it – the base quinoa can be changed up with so many options. Thank you for this great idea!
Looks delish!
Tried this recipe. Lots of ingredient$$ and prep time for something that taste so BLAND. Right now, the percentage of skinny taste recipes I've tried that are good: 2. Those that are bland/not enough taste: 4.
This was amazing, I loved it! My 2 and 4 year olds also ate it!