This healthy Chocolate Quinoa Breakfast Bowl has cherries, almonds, banana, and coconut to get you off to a great start!
Chocolate Quinoa
Chocolate for breakfast, yes please!
Anytime that I can sneak in chocolate to whatever I'm having for breakfast, while keeping it healthy, I am all over it.
I actually wasn't sure if I would even like this Chocolate Quinoa Breakfast Bowl. I mean, chocolate and quinoa together? Quinoa is only supposed to be savory, right? Wrong.
What Is Quinoa?
Pronounced (KEEN-wah)
Quinoa is a pseudo-cereal in the amaranth family, meaning it is eaten as a grain even though technically it's a seed.
It's gluten-free, making it a great substitute for recipes like tabbouleh which normally has bulgar in it. It also can be used in place of couscous in many recipes.
How Does Quinoa Taste?
Quinoa has a slight nutty flavor. It is chewy and fluffy. Since it has such a mild flavor, it can go in savory or sweet recipes.
Quinoa Breakfast Bowl
Quinoa has a nutty flavor, so chocolate and quinoa are a great match. When I decided to make this quinoa breakfast bowl recipe, I figured it would be kind of similar to oatmeal, but with a different consistency.
(I was out of oatmeal and had just bought a huge bag of quinoa from Costco, hence the quinoa inspiration.)
Also, I knew I liked rice pudding from having it once many years ago, so I figured I would probably like a sweet quinoa recipe.
Healthy Quinoa Breakfast
If you've never had quinoa for breakfast, I highly recommend it. Protein packed quinoa is a great way to start your day. Top it off with your favorite fruit, nuts, and seeds for flavor and crunch.
I topped my vegan quinoa bowl with banana, cherries, coconut chips, sliced almonds, and cacao nibs. Almond extract adds a sweet almondy flavor and helps to keep the sweetener to a minimum.
Since almond extract has a slight cherry flavor, I knew almond extract would go well in a quinoa bowl with cherries on top. I often add it to anything that has chocolate.
This healthy Chocolate Quinoa Breakfast Bowl has cherries, almonds, banana, and coconut to get you off to a great start! Click To Tweet
Other Easy Vegan Breakfast Recipes
How to Make This Recipe
- To cook quinoa, heat a pot on the stovetop. Toast quinoa in the pot for a few minutes. This step is optional, but it gives a nice nutty flavor.
- Add almond milk and bring to a boil. Reduce to a simmer and cook for 15 minutes. Stir frequently so it doesn't stick. Let sit for 5 minutes to absorb liquid.
- Add cacao (or cocoa) powder, maple syrup, vanilla extract, and salt.
- Top with banana slices, cherries, cacao nibs or chocolate chips, coconut chips, and slivered almonds.
Tips
- If you purchase quinoa from the bulk section of the grocery store, make sure to thoroughly rinse your quinoa. It contains saponin, which gives it a soapy or bitter taste if not rinsed. If you buy packaged quinoa, make sure that it says it was rinsed before packaging.
- Toast your quinoa for a more nutty flavor before adding liquid and cooking it.
- A quinoa bowl is somewhat similar to oatmeal in that some people prefer more liquid added. The difference with a quinoa bowl is that you add the extra liquid after cooking it, like cereal.
- As always, taste as you go. You may want more or less cacao powder or sweetener.
Recipe Variations
Add or switch out any of these to change up the flavors and textures:
- strawberries, raspberries, mixed berries, pomegranate, orange, mango, or pear
- granola
- hemp seeds, flax seeds, or pumpkin seeds
- walnuts, pecans, roasted cashews
- spices like ginger, cinnamon, or nutmeg
- peanut butter or other nut butter
- vegan yogurt
- drizzle of chocolate sauce
- vegan mini marshmallows
- coconut milk in place of almond milk
Recipe
If you've never had quinoa for breakfast, this recipe is a great place to start. I mean, chocolate for breakfast, come on!
*Don't forget to come back and leave your feedback and star rating.
Affiliate links below. We are a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for us to earn fees by linking to Amazon.com and affiliated sites.
You may need:
Chocolate Quinoa Breakfast Bowl
Ingredients
- 1 cup quinoa, drained and rinsed
- 2 cups unsweetened vanilla almond milk + more for serving
- ¼ cup cacao powder
- 2 tablespoons maple syrup + more for serving
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- ½ teaspoon almond extract
- Pinch of salt (or 2 pinches)
Toppings
- Cherries or other fruit
- Slivered almonds or other nuts
- Coconut chips or flakes
- Cacao nibs or chocolate chips
Instructions
- Heat a pot on the stovetop. Add quinoa and toast for a few minutes (optional).
- Add almond milk and bring to a boil. Reduce to a simmer and cook for 15 minutes, stirring frequently. Let sit for 5 minutes until the almond milk is absorbed and quinoa is fluffy and tender.
- Add cacao powder, maple syrup, vanilla extract, almond extract, and salt.
- Top with fruit, nuts, seeds, coconut chips, cacao nibs or chocolate chips.
Nutrition
*Note: Nutrition information should be considered an estimate only. Different nutrition calculators give you different results.
Whitney B says
I loved this! I had sweetened almond milk on hand, because I had found it on clearance, so I left out the syrup. 🙂 My girls (3 and 1) said it wasn't sweet enough... but I think that was mostly because they ate all their toppings first. 😛 Oh, well.