You’ve got to try this pressure cooker breakfast quinoa topped with fruit and honey! Great alternative to oatmeal and a healthy meal to start your day. We’ll show you how to make pressure cooker quinoa, in your Crockpot and stovetop too.
Well it was something new to me this year and I absolutely love it! As a side dish it is wonderful, and a great alternative to rice with more protein. This time we thought we’d sweeten it up and make some pressure cooker breakfast quinoa topped with honey and fruit, everyone loved it in our house and it’s now added to our 101+ easy Instant Pot recipes page too. (affiliate links present)
Breakfast Quinoa
Like I said, I always just cooked Instant Pot white rice as a side dish or oatmeal for breakfast. The other day I took this normally savory side and added sweetness to it. It was such a hit with my husband and kids that I thought I would share it with all of you.
Ninja Foodi Quinoa
You can make this as a Ninja Foodi recipe or in your Crockpot Express too. Any brand of electric pressure cooker works with high pressure.
If you are new to pressure cooking we have a lot of easy one pot meal recipes for you here. To begin with let’s start with a few basic tips:
- Make sure to Bookmark our InstaPot recipes page. We add new ones each week!
- Then PRINT this —–> Instant Pot cooking times cheat sheet that will help you understand how long meat, vegetables and beans take to cook in your pressure cooker.
- I HIGHLY recommend you buy this non stick pot.
- You should know how to deglaze a pressure cooker after sautéing but it won’t have as many issues with this better liner.
For reference, this is the model I have (a 6 quart) and use for all recipe creations.
Quinoa Breakfast Bowl
That is until I decided to make this pressure cooker chicken quinoa casserole and had some quinoa left over so I thought about what I could make next. I hate to waste food so it had to be used.
It was summertime and we had tons of fresh fruit in the refrigerator so I thought about making a sweet quinoa instead of savory. I was surprised at how yummy it was, and have made it over and over again since then.
It is a bit like overnight oats but warm, which means it is better for cold mornings when it is snowing.
Quinoa Breakfast Recipe
We made Instant Pot quinoa here but if you don’t have a pressure cooker you can make it on your stovetop or even in your slow cooker too! I have included the directions for other methods below but in the recipe card it explains how to make the perfect quinoa in your pressure cooker.
If you make it another way then just follow the amounts below as far as toppings go but really you should use what you have at home or what is in season in your area as far as fruit goes.
Pressure Cooker Quinoa
My very favorite fruit is blueberries but anything in season on the top would be great!
- Quinoa – this is the one I used
- Water
- Brown sugar
- Fresh fruit
- Honey
- Milk is good on top too
Another great grain to try this with is Instant Pot couscous too. If you wanted it as a savory side dish you just wouldn’t add the sweet toppings to it.
How to cook Quinoa on stove top
This is very much like making savory oatmeal in a pot really except that it does take a little longer to get tender.
- Add 1 cup quinoa + 2 cups of water to a small saucepan
- Bring to a boil
- Put a lid on your pot
- Lower your heat to low
- Simmer about 10-12 minutes cook time until desired tenderness
- Serve
Crockpot quinoa
- Add 1:2 ratio of quinoa and water
- Usually want to add at least 2 cups quinoa + 4 cups water but can add more, just use this ratio
- Put lid on
- Cook on high for 3-4 hours or low for 5-6 hours or until desired tenderness
If you want to make a really big batch this is a great way to do just that. Reduce heat when done to the warm setting and it can sit for a good hour. Have maple syrup, dairy free coconut milk, vanilla almond milk, chia seeds and fruit on the side to add to the top of the cooked quinoa.
Breakfast Quinoa Porridge
You could make this for Christmas breakfast and have a whole bar full of toppings. Anything you would normally serve with a bowl full of oatmeal would go with this as well. It is a fun twist to the traditional and kids love all the different choices to “dress it up”.
- Put your water and dry grains into your Instant Pot.
- Close lid and seal your steam valve. Set to pressure high for just 1 minute.
- Allow to naturally release for 10-15 minutes (I usually rest for 15 minutes). This will allow it to fluff up so this step is absolutely necessary.
- Release rest of steam if there is any.
- Put into bowls and top with a sprinkle with all of your favorite toppings.
- You could put a bit of milk, half and half, or even flavored homemade coffee creamer on top too.
This doesn’t save very well to be quite honest. It is a bit like rice that way. There isn’t a great way to keep it moist to enjoy for the next day so I would just enjoy it for brunch if there is any left.
Quinoa Nutrition
I mean this stuff is golden, and tastes so great when you jazz it up with goodness blended inside and fresh fruit is the best on the top. I buy what is on sale and in season for the best flavors with a bit of honey.
- It’s high in protein
- Quinoa is high in fiber
- A naturally gluten free grain means everyone can enjoy it
- This has a lot of minerals so it is a nutritious beginning to your day
Instant Pot Breakfast Quinoa
If you want some other easy pressure cooker recipes we have a few favorites listed here and add more every single week, so subscribe below. That way you can not only find them on our Facebook page but better yet you’ll get 2 emails a week with the new dishes posted on our site.
- Pressure cooker jam using any fruit in season on toast
- Instant Pot rice pudding is great, or try an air fryer breakfast idea
- Cheesy Pressure cooker breakfast using eggs and making a savory bundt cake!
For an overnight option I would suggest our slow cooker cinnamon oatmeal. Jump to recipe and leave a comment below if you add something else you love in or on top of this delicious dish. If you love quinoa and want it done in about 15 minutes I would go with this method.
Pressure Cooker Breakfast Quinoa
Equipment
- 1 pressure cooker
Ingredients
- 1.5 c quinoa, traditional white variety
- 2 1/4 c water
- 1 c blueberries, or other fruit
- 2 tbsp brown sugar
- 2 tbsp honey
Instructions
- Put your water and quinoa into your Instant Pot.
- Close lid and steam valve and set to pressure high for 1 minute.
- Allow to naturally release for 10-15 minutes (I usually rest for 15 minutes).
- Release rest of steam if there is any.
- Put into bowls and top with a sprinkle of brown sugar, berries, and drizzle with honey.
- You could put a bit of milk, half and half, or even flavored creamer on top too. Dress it up like you would oatmeal in the morning and enjoy!
Video
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Such a good idea to use high protein quinoa for bkfst! Nice change from oatmeal and love the blueberry add!
I love how fast and easy this breakfast recipe is! And, I love that I can have quinoa for breakfast!