Slow Cooker Quinoa Breakfast Bowl

Wake up to a delicious Quinoa Breakfast Bowl. This nutritious base can be loaded with your favorite toppings for a delightful blend of flavor and texture, it’s the perfect start to your day!

Take a break from oatmeal with quinoa breakfast bake and quinoa granola for breakfast.

I have tried to make sweet quinoa breakfast bowls before without much success. It is so nice to have something different rather than oatmeal, muffins or eggs for healthy breakfast. Especially, if this warm slow cooker quinoa breakfast bowl is waiting for you on the countertop in the morning!

The idea is to cook breakfast quinoa in a slow cooker and add toppings in a bowl. You could even meal prep and make ready-to-go containers for up to a few days ahead.

Why You’ll Love This Recipe

• Make ahead breakfast: You can turn it on before you go to bed at 10pm and it won’t burn by 6am, I haven’t tested longer. If you have a programmable slow cooker, you can set that one up. Even better!
• It’s so good for you: I can comfortably say it’s one of those healthy breakfast ideas I’ll never get tired of. It’s rich in fiber, protein, vitamins, and minerals, naturally gluten-free, and tastes good.
• Fills you up: This quinoa porridge was filling, just the way breakfast should be!
• Tastes good: The way I made breakfast quinoa this time was fantastic! I used canned coconut milk which adds a lot of flavor and creaminess.

Ingredients for Quinoa Breakfast Bowl

You’ll need just 5 simple ingredients, including water, to make this easy quinoa breakfast bowl recipe.

• Quinoa: Dry, uncooked quinoa of any color.
• Cold water: You’ll use less water for this crock pot method than you would when cooking most quinoa recipes on the stove. This is because there is no evaporation, and we add more liquid with coconut milk.
• Coconut milk: Adds a creamy, nutty taste. You have to use canned light coconut milk, not from a carton.
• Sweetener: I like the natural sweetness of maple syrup. Honey or any other liquid sweetener will also work.
• Salt: Just a pinch of salt to enhance the natural flavors of the other ingredients.

How to Make Breakfast Quinoa in Slow Cooker

Make slow cooker quinoa breakfast bowl in 4 easy steps and 10 minutes prep time. Get a good night sleep and enjoy a stress free morning!

There is a full recipe card located below.

• Rinse quinoa: Rinse quinoa in a fine mesh sieve under cold water, drain well.
• Combine ingredients: Add quinoa, water, coconut milk, maple syrup and salt to your slow cooker. Gently stir to mix and cover with lid.
• Cook: Cook for 6-8 hours on Low or 3-4 hours on High.
• Serve: Serve breakfast quinoa bowl hot with a splash of milk and toppings of your choosing.

Tips for Best Results

Preparing quinoa can be tricky, here are my top tips for a perfectly fluffy bowl of quinoa packed with flavor.

• Rinsing quinoa is a must: You gotta give quinoa a good rinse to remove saponins, the coating that makes quinoa bitter. Rinsing makes it taste better and helps fluff it up too.
• Don’t skip canned coconut milk: I have made it simply with almond milk and didn’t give quinoa a rinse. It wasn’t good.
• If you have only full fat coconut milk: Use half of 15 ounces can and 2 cups cold water.
• Use any size slow cooker: Either small slow cooker like I used or a regular size crock pot will work.
• Don’t cook longer than 8 hours: Maybe 9 hours is OK, otherwise I am afraid quinoa will burn.
• Double the recipe: You can double all ingredients but keep the same cook time.

Can I Cook It on the Stove?

Yes. Cook quinoa on the stove but instead of adding water, add all ingredients to a small saucepan and stir.

Bring to a boil, cover with lid, and reduce heat to low and simmer for 20-25 minutes. Add your toppings and enjoy!

Sweet Toppings Ideas

If you like your breakfast sweet like me, you could add:

• Nuts: Walnuts, pecans, pistachios, almonds, cashews, or pumpkin seeds. Toasted nuts would add deeper flavor and crunch.
• Milk of choice: I love my breakfast bowls served hot with a splash of milk.
• Fresh fruit: Strawberries, raspberries, blueberries, blackberries; sliced apples, bananas, peaches, or kiwi.
• Dried fruit: Raisins, cranberries, mango, dates, pineapple, shredded coconut or coconut flakes.
• Chocolate: Chocolate chips, chocolate shavings, cocoa powder, or Nutella.
• Granola like healthy granola or quinoa granola.
• Honey and maple syrup.
• Vanilla and cinnamon. I love adding apple with this combination.
• A spoonful of jam.
• Swap the extra splash of milk with something creamy like yogurt, peanut butter, or nut butter.

Savory Toppings Ideas

If you would like a more savory breakfast, I recommend adding:

• Vegetables: Sweet potato, roasted butternut squash, mushrooms, sautéed spinach or kale, zucchini.
• Protein: Eggs cooked any way, tofu, bacon, or ground sausage.
• Diced avocado.
• Tomato.

How to Store and Reheat

Store: Refrigerate cooked quinoa in an airtight container for up to 5 days, keeping any toppings stored separately.

Freeze: Cooked quinoa can be stored in the freezer for up to 3 months. Thaw on a counter for 2-3 hours or in the refrigerator overnight.

Reheat: Best way is in a microwave, for about 1 minute. You can also add quinoa to a small pot with a splash of milk and simmer on low heat for 3-5 minutes. Stir often and watch carefully not to burn.

FAQs

More Quinoa Recipes to Try

• Quinoa granola bars
• Chicken quinoa bowl
• Instant Pot ground turkey quinoa bowls
• Quinoa egg muffins
• Chocolate quinoa muffins