Quinoa is cooked gently with coconut milk and spices, and sweetened with coconut sugar. Topped with currants, nuts, or berries, this hot cereal makes a great start to the day.
I’ve been rethinking oatmeal lately. As many of you know, I like to soak, sprout, or ferment all of my grains for better digestibility and nutrient absorption. But oatmeal is definitely harder to soak effectively since it is generally heat-treated. (If you are going to soak it, this may be the best method to use, except now I use a splash of kombucha, or kefir or something with live cultures instead of the lemon juice). Plus, half of our family is gluten-free, and while we do buy gluten-free oats, even these are somewhat suspect, as many gluten-free people find they cannot tolerate them.
While oatmeal hasn’t played a major breakfast role the last couple years of our lives, sometimes sitting down to hot cereal in the morning is just a wonderful way to welcome the day.
So, I made a quinoa porridge. Quinoa can be bitter if it isn’t rinsed really well. So take care (this is the brand I’ve been using #affiliate link). I am sure that homemade almond milk would be a great substitution for the coconut milk, and really, spice it how you like. My six-year-old has taken an odd recent dislike to spices –even cinnamon, so this wasn’t her favorite. But I loved the cardamom and cinnamon paired with the coconut milk. That is not surprising since I am the one in the family who adores Cardamon and Honey Milk.
- 1 cup quinoa
- 1 cup of warm water
- 1 tablespoon live culture addition, such as kombucha, raw apple cider vinegar, yogurt, kefir, etc.
- ½ cup full fat coconut milk
- ½ cup water
- 2 tablespoons coconut sugar ( or sweetener of choice)
- ⅛-1/4 teaspoon ground cardamon, opt.
- ¼ teaspoon ground cinnamon, opt.
- -24 hours beforehand, combine the warm water with the quinoa and live culture addition. Cover and keep in a warm place.
- Rinse quinoa really well in a fine sieve.
- Place quinoa with the coconut milk, water, sweetener, and optional spices in a small pan, and bring to a simmer over high heat.
- Turn heat to low, and cover. Cook for 12-15 minutes.
- Serve with your choice of toppings such as nuts, berries, milk, coconut milk, coconut flakes, coconut sugar, maple syrup, etc.
Latest posts by KimiHarris (see all)
- 2 Ingredient Peppermint Bark - December 21, 2022
- Herbal Hibiscus Lemonade (Keto, THM) - March 16, 2022
- Creamy Curry Red Lentil Soup - December 8, 2021
The first time we had quinoa, I’d just been teaching my son about taste buds. That night at dinner he said, Mama, this tastes bitter and I can taste it right here (pointing to the bitter bud). Ha ha! I’ve learned to rinse well…
This recipe looks right up our alley, thank you!
I made it the first time last night and it was quite good. I did forget to rinse it but left it soaking overnight on the counter. Will rinse it next time. I put 2 heaping tablespoons in a bowl with 2 tablespoons of full fat coconut milk and let some of the water drain on the cereal. Added 2 tablespoons of coconut sugar and some cinnamon and voila. You could add fresh berries too. I loved it and its to easy to make. You can sprout your quinoa at the same time for salads. I’m a convert!
Looks delicious! Cardamom is a great idea. I make a hot breakfast from soaked quinoa too. Lately, after it’s cooked I throw some in my Blendtec with prunes & goji berries (that I’ve soaked overnight) plus cinnamon, coconut oil & coconut milk & pulse it till it’s all mixed together. It makes an incredibly creamy & decadent-feeling breakfast! Especially with some coconut butter melted on top 🙂
Wow, that sounds good especially when travelling and you want something to bring up your blood sugar instead of those poisonous fast foods.
yummy yummy swoon! i do a version of this with a fresh seasonal fruit puree, dollop of yoghurt (when i’m tolerating dairy) some nuts, dried fruit (or fresh) and i’m good to go for half the day! love the idea of cooking it with coconut milk. xo
Love this, I wish my children could have quinoa. Have you tried doing anything like this with soaked sunflower seeds?
Tina,
I haven’t! Have you? It sounds interesting.
Yum! We enjoyed this for breakfast today, following the recipe exactly and including the optional spices. It was perfect! Thanks so much for all your hard work, Kimi – we follow so many of your recipes on a weekly basis, and I don’t know what we would do without your blog!
Oh, thanks, Tara! That means so much to me!
I’ve been on the lookout for good quinoa recipes lately, because of its nutritional value and protein and carb content. This looks wonderful. I might also try it with almond milk like you, because my stomach doesn’t take kindly to coconut milk.
Yum! May try this one, soon. I usually just use my instant quinoa flakes as hot cereal, and could add coconut milk and the cardamom and other toppings to it. But still, will try it with regular quinoa, one day, too. Thanks for sharing!
Yum, looks delicious! I’m going to try to make it with rice, since someone in my house thinks quinoa “looks weird.” I’ll report back if it’s good!
thanks so much for this recipe, i just made it for the first time ever and it was absolutely fantastic! i made it with cardamons and then added raspberries at the end but it was delicious and took me back to when i first discovered quinoa last year on an Andean trek and was treated to homemade quinoa porridge and this recipe reminisces fantastically so thanks so much!
this looks awesome….. i have only recently discovered Quinoa…i think i will try this one thank you
i get my quinoa at Costco (Santa Cruz) I make it with organic vegetable or chicken broth and the kids love it much better than cooked w/water. I use it in place of rice for just about everything from burritos to soups. So cook it w/broth…
question: shouldn’t you rinse the quinoa BEFORE doing the 24 hr soak?
Looks wonderful. Cardamom is one of my all-time favorites. I’m going to make this today and add coconut oil and a pinch of nutmeg to the list of ingredients.
One question, is that a minus sign before it says “24 hours beforehand” (the soaking part), and do you mean soak for up to 24 hours? What would you say is the minimum time for soaking?
Just curious why you would soak the quinoa in water with kefir added, then rinse it? I would have thought to add the kefir just before eating.
The kefir is the acid that helps to break down anti nutrients in the quinoa. When soaking grains and beans you need to include some sort of acid such as kefir, yogurt, lemon juice, or vinegar.
I am also wondering if the rinsing should be before the soaking. Kimi, waiting for your reply! <3
Hey Shelah!
I’ve heard from some other readers that they have felt that soaking, and then rinsing led to stomach issues, so they recommended rinsing, then soaking. I truthfully have never had an issues with soaking, then rinsing myself, but you could error on the side of caution by rinsing it first, soaking, and then rinsing once more. 🙂