Tulum, Mexico is what introduced me to the world of Quinoa Cereal. I remember seeing it for the first time on a menu there and I was like, genius! How did I not think of that. I was extra excited too because I had just started my journey with no eggs and could have something hot for breakfast. I didn’t know the many options and different ways to make things like I do now and I was also limiting grains on my protocol at the time. While oats were off the table for me, I could have quinoa since it is actually a seed, not a grain. My first bowl was hot quinoa with sliced banana and cinnamon on top with a side of freshly made coconut milk and maple syrup. Anyhow, you might not be as excited about quinoa cereal as I was that first time, but it’s a nice one to add into the rotation sometimes. Quinoa cereal can be made hot or cold too; you’ve got options.
How To Cook and Soak Quinoa
I like to soak quinoa for a few hours or overnight prior to cooking it, but at the very least I rinse it super well regardless of what the package says. If you ever had bitter tasting quinoa, it was not rinsed well enough or at all. There is a coating on quinoa called saponin that gives it the bitter taste if not properly rinsed.
A 2-3 Hour Soak. Add one cup of quinoa to a glass bowl and submerge in room temperature water. Add enough water so that it’s at least an inch above the quinoa. Once the time is up, drain and rinse the quinoa for about 1 minute in a fine mesh strainer. Add quinoa to a small pot on the stovetop with 1 1/2 cups water. Don’t under measure if you tend to measure quickly, go closer to 1 3/4 cup vs 1 1/4 cup water. Bring to a boil and then lower the heat to low. Cover and simmer for 13-15 minutes until the water absorbs and quinoa rises. After, move the pot off the burner, but keep it covered for 10 minutes. Once ready, fluff it up with a fork or use a wood spoon like I do.
An Overnight Soak. Add one up of quinoa to a glass bowl and submerge in room temperature water. Add enough water so that it’s about 2 inches above the quinoa. In the morning, drain and rinse the quinoa for about 1 minute in a fine mesh strainer. Add quinoa to a small pot on the stovetop with 1 cup of filtered water. Bring to a low boil and then lower the heat to low right away. Cover and simmer for 9-10 minutes until the water absorbs and the quinoa rises. After, move the pot off the hot burner, but keep it covered for around 5 minutes. Once ready, fluff it up with a fork or use a wood spoon like I do.
Quinoa Cereal (Hot or Cold)
The one pictured below was served cold. I used 1 cup prepared and refrigerated quinoa, 2/3 cup homemade almond milk (Any clean store-bought is great too. My favorite tasting brand is Malk, but it’s cheaper to make my own when it’s not on sale), 1/2 cup frozen mixed berries (they unthaw with the milk fast), 2 heaping TBSP easy berry chia seed jam, a good sprinkle of Ceylon cinnamon, and drizzle of date syrup.
The one below was served warm. 1 cup freshly cooked quinoa straight from the stovetop, 1/2 cup mixed frozen berries, 1 TBSP hemp hearts, 1 TBSP shredded coconut, 2 heaping TBSP easy berry chia seed jam, a sprinkle of Ceylon cinnamon, and 2/3 cup homemade almond milk.
I packed a cold version for my husband for work. Similar to the ones above, but I also added some chopped walnuts for him. I stirred up 1 cup cold quinoa, 1/2 cup almond milk, and a little date syrup to the bottom part and then added all of the toppings on top. It stays a bit more flavor forward when you mix it all last minute.
It’s not a must, but this easy berry chia seed jam adds a lot to quinoa cereal bowls.
You could substitute cooked quinoa for oats in this overnight oats recipe. If you already have a batch of quinoa in the fridge, just use 1 cup of cooked quinoa in place of the 1/2 cup of oats.
Quinoa Cereal (Hot or Cold).
Ingredients
Method
- To serve it cold. Add 1 cup of pre-cooked quinoa from the refrigerator and add to a cereal bowl with your desired toppings and milk.
- To serve it hot. Heat up the precooked quinoa, 2/3 cup almond milk, and frozen berries in a small pot on the stovetop until warmed through. Add to a cereal bowl and add the remaining toppings.
- To serve it warm. If you just made a batch of quinoa and it's still warm, add a cup straight from the pot into your cereal bowl. Add the remaining toppings.
- Stir and ENJOY!
Notes
Please Pin To Share The Love – Quinoa Cereal (Hot or Cold):
On Instagram @herhealthystyle and YouTube @herhealthystyle
This post contains affiliate links, which means I may make a small commission at no extra cost to you. I am only featuring items I love. As an amazon associate, I earn from qualifying purchases. Thank you so much for your support! See my full disclosure.