This easy Quinoa Breakfast Bake is layers of fresh fruit, quinoa, and oats smothered in a cinnamon and syrup egg mixture baked to perfection! A wholesome, healthy, and scrumptious way to start the day!
Just like steel cut oats in Instant Pot and breakfast quinoa in slow cooker, this recipe is a simple, no-fuss morning breakfast.
Delicious Quinoa Breakfast
Toasted coconut flakes, oats, and quinoa give this quinoa breakfast bake the heartiness and texture. It’s like quinoa granola meets oatmeal meets a fruit crisp! This beautifully layered quinoa bake has something for everyone. What could be better than that?!
The fresh fruit gives breakfast casserole that sweetness with a little tartness and the egg, vanilla, cinnamon, and maple syrup give it a touch of sweetness and a smooth finish that lets you know you’re about to bite into a mouthful of deliciousness.
Having a slice of this quinoa bake right out of the oven is warming and well deserved, especially during the cooler months.
But what makes this one of the best quinoa recipes is that is a dish you can eat all year round while using seasonal fruits and berries. It is just as good at room temperature or when eating leftovers straight out of the fridge. Serve it in a bowl with a dollop of yogurt for a filling and nutritious breakfast!
Ingredients for Quinoa Breakfast Bake
- Dry: Uncooked quinoa, uncooked steel cut oats, coconut flakes. Steel cut oats are highly nutritious and less processed than rolled oats. They have a similar texture to quinoa and are a little sturdier than rolled oats. When looking for coconut flakes, if you are watching the amount of sugar, make sure they are unsweetened.
- Liquids: Milk. I used almond milk, but you can really use any you’d like. Maple syrup or honey, vanilla extract, cooking spray.
- Fruits: Very ripe sliced bananas, fresh or frozen blueberries, fresh or frozen raspberries.
- Eggs
- Seasonings: Cinnamon. Salt.
- Optional: Greek yogurt as a topping.
How to Make Quinoa Breakfast Bake
- Prep: Begin by rinsing quinoa and oats with running cold water. Drain and set aside. Preheat a small skillet and add coconut to toast. Stir frequently until golden brown. Watch for burning. Set aside. Preheat the oven and spray a square baking dish with cooking spray.
- Whisk: In a medium bowl, whisk milk, eggs, maple syrup, vanilla extract, cinnamon, and salt. Set aside.
- Assemble: Lay half the sliced bananas, blueberries, and raspberries in a single layer on the bottom of the dish. Spread the quinoa and oats on top. Top with remaining berries.
- Pour: Slowly pour the syrup mixture, using just one corner of the dish. This is to help evenly spread the liquid throughout the dish without having the fruit float to the top. Pouring the liquid too quickly in the middle of the dish may interrupt the balance of evenly distributed flavours.
- Bake: Sprinkle with toasted coconut and bake uncovered.
- Cool: Remove from the oven and let cool. You can eat immediately but keep in mind it won’t be set and will be quite runny. If that is how you like it, then enjoy it!
- Cut: Once cooled, cut into slices and top with a dollop of Greek yogurt.
Make Ahead Tip: To make this dish ahead, assemble it completely, then cover and refrigerate for up to 48 hours.
Tips and Variations
- Customizable: You can use quick or rolled oats, eggs or egg whites, milk of choice and even add a scoop of protein powder.
- Rinse your quinoa: No matter which brand of quinoa you use, make sure to rinse it first. I do not usually recommend to do so in my other recipes like granola bars or quinoa casserole. But with this bake it adds weight that is needed to hold the quinoa down and helps it avoid floating to the top.
- Protein powder: The sweetness of entire dish depends on the fruit you use, also the kind of protein powder, if using any at all. I used very ripe bananas and a scoop of naturally sweetened VEGA vanilla protein powder once. No maple syrup was necessary.
- Fruit: You can use any fruit or berries. This is a great recipe to bake year-round and use whichever fruit is seasonal at the time. I’m thinking strawberries and rhubarb, peach, apples, or even cherries might be nice! If using frozen fruit no need to thaw first, toss them in frozen as is!
- A savory version: Completely overhaul the sweet and add some savory! This would be great for breakfast as well as dinner! Add any kind of veggies, mushrooms, peas, potatoes, or spinach, sprinkle in some flax or nutritional yeast, and season with turmeric and you’ve got yourself another fantastic option.
Storing, Freezing and Reheating
Store: People have been known to enjoy this all week long! Perfect for busy mornings. Refrigerate in an airtight container for up to 5 days.
Freeze: If you have leftovers or want to freeze a second batch, freeze in an airtight container for up to 3 months.
Reheat: Thaw to room temperature and then bake at 375 until heated through.
More Favorite Quinoa Recipes
- Kale and quinoa salad
- Quinoa stew
- Quinoa tabbouleh salad
- Chicken quinoa bowls
- Southwest quinoa salad
- Chocolate quinoa muffins
Quinoa Breakfast Bake
Ingredients
- 1/2 cup quinoa uncooked
- 1/2 cup steel cut oats uncooked
- 1/4 cup coconut flakes unsweetened
- 3 medium very ripe bananas sliced
- 1 1/2 cups blueberries fresh or frozen
- 1/2 cup raspberries fresh or frozen
- 2 cups any milk I used almond
- 2 large eggs
- 1 - 2 tbsp maple syrup or honey
- 1 tsp pure vanilla extract
- 1/2 tsp cinnamon
- Dash of salt
- Cooking spray I use Misto
- Greek yogurt for topping (optional)
Instructions
- Rinse quinoa and oats with cold running water, drain and set aside.
- Preheat small skillet on low-medium heat, add coconut and toast until golden brown, stirring frequently. Set aside.
- In medium bowl, whisk milk, eggs, maple syrup, vanilla extract, cinnamon and salt. Set aside.
- Preheat oven to 375 degrees F and spray 8 x 8 square baking dish with cooking spray.
- Lay half of bananas, blueberries and raspberries in a single layer on a bottom. Using a spoon or spatula, spread rinsed quinoa and steel cut oats on top. Top with remaining banana and berries.
- Slowly pour liquid mixture in the corner of the baking dish without disturbing the set up. If you pour the liquid abruptly in the middle of the dish, all fruit might float to the top. We are looking for evenly distributed fruits and sweetness in every slice.
- Sprinkle with toasted coconut flakes and bake for 60 minutes uncovered.
- Remove from the oven and let cool for 45 - 60 minutes.
- Cut into 9 slices and serve hot, warm or cold with a dollop of Greek yogurt if desired. You can also dig in with a spoon right away. The bake won't be completely set but still delicious.
Store: Refrigerate in an airtight container for up to 5 days or freeze leftovers for up to 3 months.
Make Ahead: Assemble, cover and refrigerate for up to 48 hours. Bake as per instructions.
Notes
- Rinsing quinoa: It's best to use a bowl for rinsing grains as quinoa is too small and tends to go through the holes of a mesh strainer (unless you have a very fine one). You want to rinse quinoa for sweet recipes to remove bitter saponin.
- Oats: A few readers reported to successfully use quick (regular) oats.
- Berries: Feel free to use any combination of berries (I used all blueberries this time).
- Protein: Add a scoop of protein powder if you wish.
- Egg whites: Replace eggs with 1/2 cup egg whites if you wish.
Nutrition
Recipes and images are a copyright of ifoodreal.com. It is against the law to republish recipes anywhere including social media, print and all world wide web. Nutritional info is provided for informational purposes only and to the best knowledge.
This looks yummy! Can you substitute the steel cut oats for old fashioned oats?
Hi Staci!
I find old fashioned oats cook much quicker and the texture will be different than steel cut oats. I would start checking the breakfast bake around the 40-45 minute mark (just a guess as I usually use steel cut oats).
Just so you know, this recipe was copied by a youtuber and used for profit (via ads on the video). Not sure if the youtuber in question reached out to you for permission, but I didn’t see credit to you anywhere, so thought you should know! It’s not copyrighted IP but I do think you deserve the credit, when he copied even the fine details of how to pour the liquid from you 🙂
Thanks so much, Thomas! I removed the video link not to promote him on my blog. No, he did not ask. Not nice Canadian at all! I will deal with it. Thank you!
no problem at all! LOL not a nice fellow Canadian indeed. Another FYI – his video led to me thinking about sweet egg / blueberry / french toast-like casseroles, which led me to you recipe here among others. So it could be could advertising! Provided he credits you in the future…
Yes, agreed! I am a strong believer there is always good that comes out of any bad situation. 🙂 Thank you for sharing!
This was surprisingly great tasting. Absolutely will be making it again. I’m sure I’ll add variances to change it up a bit…
Hey Belinda! So happy you enjoyed this breakfast bake. I did add a few variations on the blog. Have fun cooking!
Can I substitute unsweetened shredded coconut for the flakes?
Sure!
Made exactly following recipe – delicious – will be sharing . Thank you for a healthy cozy holiday breakfast.
You are very welcome Maryrose! Thank you for taking the time to leave such a great review!
Yum! I only let it cool 20 or so minutes, and the pieces came out of the pan just fine. I will use syrup next time, though. The honey hardened up upon hitting the cold milk when it ccx came to mixing those ingredients.
Thanks for sharing Greta!
How do you drain the quinoa when it’s rinsed in a bowl, and a mesh colander is too big for the grain?
There is a fine mesh strainer. If you don’t have it then you can rinse in a bowl and drain carefully on the side.
If using frozen blueberries, do you add them still frozen or do you defrost them first? I’ve never cooked with frozen before but they’re a lot cheaper since this calls for a larger quantity.
Add frozen!
Hello– I just took this dish out of the oven. Most of the quinoa floated to the top and did not get cooked. Crispy, uncooked quinoa. I am very disappointed. I did not rinse the quinoa because it was prewashed (Kirkland brand), so it went in dry with the oats. Maybe next time I will try mixing the oats and quinoa in with the liquids before adding to the fruit in the baking pan. Any other suggestions?
Rinsing quinoa makes it more heavy. That’s why my didn’t float and yours did. I usually do not rinse Kirkland quinoa but for this dish I do.
Omg!! It’s delicious with the sliced apples!! Truly delicious! Not too sweet, or too rich, just the right combination of flavors and textures! I made some Instant Pot applesauce a few days ago and it is wonderful together!!
I am so happy to hear this Janet!
I only had one banana. So I peeled and cored an apple into thin slices. It’s in the oven now. I’ll let you know how it turns out. I also used 2c blueberries.
OMG!! I don’t bake, EVER as I’m a disaster but I made this yesterday as a sweet alternative for work brekkies – how easy and super delicious this is – it actually not only works as breakfast but also scrumptious dessert too! I subbed oat milk and only added 1/2 spoon of agave and it was still super sweet and gooey and will be the only ‘baking’ dish I make from now on – thank you so much Olena 🙂
I am so happy to hear this Elaine! Thanks for sharing.
Wow, thank you for sharing! I modified this to make it vegan by replacing the egg with Aquafaba and using almond milk instead of skim milk, and it was delicious.
I also tried out a savory version by replacing the sweet ingredients with turmeric, nutritional yeast, flaxseed meal, and potatoes. I might add mushroom and spinach or split peas next.
Thanks again–this is nutritious, scrumptious, easy, and a total game changer for me!
Thanks so much for sharing your positive feedback Aimee!
I’ve made this a dozen or more times. Im not an egg eater so finding something for breakfast is challenging at times. This is fantastic!! I use bananas, fresh blueberries and the smallest can of crushed pineapple. Just to try to cut down on seeds. I also cut the liquid down to 1 1/2 cups of almond milk and added coconut sugar to make it sweeter.
Glad you are enjoying this bake for breakfast Angela!
Love this one! It’s my go to when I have visitors stay over. Easy to do the night before and then just put it in the oven first thing in the morning- such a great smell for guests to wake up to!
Love hearing this Shelley. Have a great day!
Delicious! I loved that I could use frozen fruit in this one; it comes together quickly! The quinoa was a nice (and unusual!) touch for a breakfast dish. I’ll be returning to this recipe again and again.
That’s great to hear Summer 🙂
Quick question,
I have quinoa already made. Would I be able to use it in the recipe if I cut down on the liquid amount?
I think so. And cook it for less time. I would use 1/2 cup milk.
PS: on more thing…. I had more liquid than the 8 x 9 baking dish that I used could hold.
It is only 2 cups of liquid that will come up to probably 1 inch max in a square baking dish and considering yours didn’t have bananas, sounds to me like other proportions are off. Did you measure ingredients?
yes. Right now I’m ripening up some bananas to try again. I think that was part of it and not accurate with milk. Will let you know how the second bake turns out.
I love the flavor but did not have real ripe bananas so used what I had. Is the Quinoa suppose to stay crunchy? It didn’t soften or expand. Felt like little pearls. I left it uncooked as required. Other than that enjoyed it.
Quinoa is supposed to soften up in a liquid if recipe is followed. What other changes “Used what I had” mean? 🙂
Did not have real ripe bananas. They were more on the hard side, still a little green. Other than that followed the recipe.
Easy to make, delicious, and great for eating throughout the week 🙂
I’m so glad you enjoyed it, Rosie! Thank you for the wonderful review!
So delicious! I’ve made this recipe probably 10 times in the last 6 months. It’s good for breakfast or a dessert. I have made it with Bird’s custard (with Splenda instead of sugar) and poured it over it before serving for a dessert and it is soooooo good!
Yay. You are very welcome!!!
Are nutrition facts available for this recipe – calories, fat, sugar, carbs, etc.?
Yes inside the recipe card.
This is a really versatile recipe and sooo good! I’m doing a bit of a detox for the next month and not including dairy or sweeteners (not even maple syrup or honey for now). Because we have a big family, I doubled this recipe and to accommodate both dietary restrictions and to use what I had on hand, I made the following adjustments. I used one cup of almond milk and 2 cups of coconut milk and a little water (for a doubled recipe). I blended the milk, eggs, and bananas with the spices and mixed some with the grains, put the grains in a greased 9×13 and then poured the rest of the liquid mixture over that. I topped with the blueberries and raspberries and a few sprinkles of nutmeg and needed to bake it for about 80 min at 350. Banana was a great sweetener! It is a bit like a baked rice pudding. Yum!!
That’s so great and your version sounds like a pudding! It looks like you have a new favorite, Melissa!
Highly regarded by my husband and son (2 yrs old). Just right, not too sweet and great to prepare ahead of a busy work week.
Fantastic! Glad everyone enjoyed the recipe, Deborah!
Hosted on Christmas Eve and served this. Everyone loved and wants the recipe. Thank you!!! I will make as often as I can. Yum!
Super delicious! My family is going more toward a plant based diet. I found your site and was so happy! It is more in line with the way we want to eat! Lots of veggies and fruits, less meat based… This breakfast bake is so very yummy! Thank you! Deb
Yay! So happy to hear and welcome, Deb! Thanks for taking time from your busy schedule to let me know you enjoyed my recipe.
Thanks for the recipe. Really enjoyed it. The recipes on your website are tasty, healthy, adaptable (not necessary but always an option), easy to follow and use everyday ingredients. I’ve been using your website for many years and have enjoyed everything I’ve made. Thank you for all of your effort.
Awe, you are so welcome, Nerida! So happy to hear you are enjoying my recipes! Have a great weekend!
I made this today and it was delicious. I didn’t use the protein powder or greek yogurt and it was to die for!
How do you recommended reheating it? We don’t own a microwave and when we placed it in the toaster oven we weren’t sure how long to leave it in so some parts were cold. I’m also planning on freezing some so if you could let me know how to heat it from fridge and freezer that would be great. It’s so delicious!
In the oven at 375 until warmed through. Frozen has to be thawed first. How long is check after 20 mins or so. It depends. Just play it by ear.
Would this be good without the coconut?
Yes!
I’ve made this several times, and find it quite delicious! Would love to see an instant pot version to speed it up, but otherwise this is a great recipe to make and is good with the fruits listed or with variations.
This one is a keeper!! so sweet without all the added sugar, hearty and healthy! It’s the kind of thing you make this for guests and then hope for leftovers!!
I used regular quick cook oats (b/c that’s all i had int he house) and it came out great. Used a mix of frozen blueberries and raspberries and it’s yummy but i think it would prefer all blueberries. I saw in the comments that someone used apples, which sounds good too! I’ll have to try it!
I wonder if there is a way to skip the eggs and make this in a vegan version??
I couldn’t have said it better.:) Good to know about regular oats, I will add that to the recipe. I think you can use flax eggs. Don’t see a reason why they wouldn’t work.:)
If you don’t eat eggs, I think you could make this recipe without them – add a bit more liquid and it will still cook fine, but it will be less custardy and sliceable – more like a porridge.
If you want to keep the texture more similar, I would try adding ground flax in with the liquid ingredients (probably two scant tablespoons), and I would blend the bananas up along with the liquid ingredients as well.
It also occurs to me that you could try cornstarch as thickening agent – but I do not make pudding often so I am not sure what to suggest.
Hi! I’m excited to make this recipe… I don’t have steal cut oatmeal in my pantry just regular. Would that still work and if so should add extra and if yes how much?
Thanks
I would say yes you can. Use the same proportions, I just think your baking time will be less, more around 40 minutes, and consistency might be a bit more creamy but it’s OK.:)
This is THE breakfast I have been hoping to find. I can make it on Sunday and have breakfast every day of the week. Every bite is good and full of taste and texture.
I made it with bananas the first time but with sliced Honeycrisp apple (unpeeled) the subsequent times. I guess baked bananas just weren’t my thing.
I use 2 cups almond milk, and drizzle agave instead of honey.
This is so good. Thank you!
I made it using frozen fruit and it definitely didn’t turn out the way I expected. I am determined to like this, though. Thinking I might tweak the quinoa/oatmeal ratio and use maple syrup. Also need riper bananas. Best part of this was the fact that it was super easy for my kids to help. After I tasted it I knew they wouldn’t like it, thus my determination to try again!!
My kids keep asking if I’m going to make this for the next day. You got my kids approval and mine. Thank you Olena!
WOW! Absolutely amazing and wonderful!!
This quinoa breakfast bake is our new oatmeal for breakfast!
Hello Olena,
I am looking for a square that I can wrap individually and leave in the fridge for my family to grab as they walk out of the house in the morning. When cooled, do you know if this square will ‘stay together’ and be suitable for this or does it need to be eaten with a plate and fork?
Thanks, Delle
Hi Delle. Yes, it holds together when completely cool. You might also wanna try baked carrot oatmeal bars or banana oat bars.
Delicious! Just made this morning. Anxious to share with my grown kids who love quinoa. Nice time saver in the morning – when already prepared. Thanks for this recipe!
Making this in the morning…so I have a quick question. Is it just as good with coconut milk or would a mix of almond & coconut milks work?
Doesn’t matter. All plant based milks are pretty watery. Just a matter of personal taste. We are not talking about canned coconut milk but from a carton, right?!
Great recipe! I did not rinse my grains and it was totally fine. I used 2 bananas (cause that is all I had) and used raspberries, blueberries and blackberries.
I will ty not to rinse quinoa next time.:) Glad you liked it!
Hi, this looks delicious! I make ahead for a few days/ a week at a time. Do you have any idea how long this keeps without going off? Thanks
Like a week in a fridge.:)
This was tasty, easy and healthy….
Yay! xxx
This was very good. We made it with skim milk and used agave nectar instead of maple syrup. Can strawberry protein powder be used instead of vanilla?
Totally!!!
I really want to try this but two of my three bananas are REALLY ripe. They are pretty mushy. Still think I can use them for this?
Yes, of course. Even sweeter.
Thanks so much for the fast reply! I made it this morning and I love it. I did make a few changes. I used organic butter and coconut oil to grease the bottom of the dish. Used yogurt instead of milk (bc it got frozen in the back of the fridge and needed to be used). Used frozen mixed berries and used the water that came out of them from defrosting to thin out the yogurt. It is so nice and soft but the oats and quinoa give it a nice chew. Thanks for the recipe!
You must have Ukrainian blood in you.:) I would do totally the same just to use up leftovers and what I have on hand.
Has anyone tried this in a slow cooker? If so, modifications? How many hours? Thanks!
I haven’t.
Do you recommend modifying/reducing the liquid measurements when using rolled oats instead of steel cut?
Yes, a little bit. Like 1/3 cup.
Thanks so much for this recipe. I’ve made it over and over again and it’s honestly really easy to make and cooks well every time. I added chia seed powder also in the middle layer. This makes the work week so easy!
Awesome, Adrianna. 🙂 I should come up with a similar one but new flavours.
I am so glad I found this recipe. I am using Steel Cut Oats — will that work?? We love quinoa so that isn’t a problem. We have been eating oatmeal twice a week every week for twenty years — we are sick of just plain oatmeal. This would be an ideal way to get our oatmeal and have a change.
Yes, that would work. I know, I had to mix almond butter and cinnamon into my oatmeal today. Gets boring.:)
I have this in the oven now – it’s the fourth time I’ve made it since finding this recipe this summer. Just wanted to comment and say I have really loved it! Thanks for posting a fantastic recipe that I can make on Sunday night and have every day for work without much effort. Delicious!
That is awesome, Dawn! I want to make a pecan version of this bake in a few weeks.
This is amazing! Thank you!! I didn’t have enough bananas so I used some left over almond-milk-pulp and it worked great!
Made this for breakfast this morning and it turned out great! I used strawberries and blackberries instead of blueberries and raspberries because that’s what I had on hand. I also used maple syrup, almond milk, and omitted the protein powder. I topped it with some greek yogurt and almond butter. Sooo yummy. I’ll definitely make it again soon. Thanks for the recipe!
Second time making this, I love, love, love it! It tastes great and is healthy! Thanks so much for the recipe
I just made this recipe this morning for breakfast for my grandmother and husband and we ALL really enjoyed this dish! Love the quinoa to add a crunch to it. The blueberries and coconut on top were a hit too. Yummy!! Would you email me the recipe so I can print it out?
Glad to hear that! You can print out the recipe by hitting Print button on it – top right hand corner.
Absolutely delicious! I even got my husband to diverge from his regular breakfast of Honey Nut Cheerios for a few days. He was upset when it was all gone. I will definitely be making this again soon.
Wow, great we beat General Mills [email protected] together.:) Glad it worked!
What is the texture of this bake? Is it crunchy or soft? I prefer a soft texture like bread pudding. Is it like that?
It is soft. For soft soft make sure to use quick oats not old fashioned rolled oats.
If I use all oats, should I use less milk? Can I use apples instead of bananas?
I don’t think so. Maybe sweet kind of apples?!
I do not like bananas would it be ok to sub applesauce or something else to replace the bananas? Thanks
Not applesauce. Bananas add sweetness and texture. Maybe some other sweet fruit like mango or more berries although it won’t be the same and not sure how it will work.
All I have in my pantry is quick oats. Would that change the measurement or cooking time at all? Do I still have to rinse them?
You don’t have to rinse oats. I haven’t tried it this way, so hard to say. It will be tasty for sure but no idea what the consistency will be like.
Good! Often our kids do not have an opportunity to learn basic skills. Simply because of the modern comfortable life we live. And thank you for your kind words!
This looks INCREDIBLE! Bookmarked, and can’t wait to try this weekend! I’ve been wanting to experiment with steel cut oats and this is perfect!
Would it be possible to cut into squares and freeze to eat throughout a couple weeks?
I have not tried freezing this bake but I think it should work.
I haven’t but honestly I think it will be fine.
This looks super yummy!
Is it possible to use frozen fruits or stick to fresh?
Frozen should be fine.
Do you used the irish steel cut oats- the kind that takes half an hour to cook, or the irish instant oats?
I have both and I am not sure which one to use for this recipe. it looks awesome and I will try it as you as you tell me the answer 🙂
The ones that take long time to cook.:) Enjoy!
Looks so good! I’m all for easy in the morning since I’m a busy student. Have you ever added nuts either incorporated within or as a topping for this?
You can absolutely do that!:)
This looks amazing!!! I’m making it this week such a nice easy healthy breakfast for a busy mom of 4 🙂 love all your recipes!!!
Thank you!!! I hope your kids like it!!!
This is great! I made it this morning. Is it supposed to turn out almost like a bread pudding consistency? Thanks!
Glad you liked it! Yes, bread or rice pudding. Also depends what kind of oats you used and the longer it sits, the softer it becomes.
Awesome! Thanks!
We topped this with yogurt and peanut butter. So yummy! Thanks for the recipe.
I made this today and it is delicious.
Olena, this looks so delicious and bravo on the pictures.
Thank you!