Instant Pot Quinoa Breakfast Bowl Recipe

Top it off with homemade granola, seasonal fruits, or chopped nuts for a clean, plant-based quinoa breakfast that you can add to your weekly breakfast rotation.

It is no secret that I am a big fan of a big bowl of porridge in the morning. I think there is something so comforting about a bowl of almond milk oatmeal or overnight steel cut oats that you can garnish with whatever fruits or nut you have on hand.

If the concept of cooking quinoa for breakfast is new to you or the idea of quinoa cooked in milk sounds strange, I am pretty sure that this recipe will make you want to look for more quinoa breakfast ideas. Because I think we can all agree that eating quinoa for breakfast is a great way to start the day with a healthy dose of plant-based protein.

Not only it is filling but also convenient because most porridge recipes can be enjoyed warm or cold, which makes it a great option to include it in your meal prep to enjoy throughout the week.

I shared my recipe for the stove-top version of coconut quinoa porridge a few years back and since then it has become a reader favorite. So I thought why not recreate the same recipe but this time cook it in my new favorite kitchen toy, Instant pot.

If you are new to cooking quinoa in an electric pressure cooker, be sure to check out my comprehensive recipe post on how to cook quinoa in Instant pot. This instant quinoa breakfast recipe is loosely based on that recipe but geared more towards a breakfast dish than a savory one.

Intrigued? Let’s break it down:

Ingredients for Instant Pot Quinoa Breakfast Porridge:

The basic quinoa oatmeal recipe has only 3 ingredients: Quinoa, milk, and a pinch of salt.

• Uncooked Quinoa: I used white (aka pearl) quinoa as it cooks faster than other quinoa types like red, black, and tricolor quinoa. You can certainly use other types of quinoa in this recipe but will have to adjust the cooking time. We will talk about that more below.
• Milk: I prefer making this recipe with plant-based milk such as homemade almond milk (storebought would also work). However, you can also use regular cow’s milk or other types of plant-based milk like coconut milk.
• Optional Toppings: While I truly enjoy this quinoa and almond milk breakfast bowl topped off with seasonal fruit, berry puree, and nuts, they are totally optional and can be omitted if you want just a basic quinoa porridge bowl instead.
• Almond milk vs Coconut Milk: I made this quinoa porridge recipe with almond milk, but you can also use coconut milk. However, due to its higher fat content, the coconut milk quinoa is thicker in consistency than the version made with almond milk.

How to make quinoa breakfast cereal in an electric pressure cooker:

The process of making quinoa porridge in an instant pot has six folds:

1. Prep the quinoa: Place the quinoa in a fine-mesh strainer and wash it under cold running water. If you do not have a strainer, be sure to check out the post I wrote on how to wash quinoa without a strainer. This one-minute step might seem like an extra one by it is the best way to remove the unwanted bitter taste of quinoa. 
2. Place ingredients in the pressure cooker: Place rinsed quinoa, 1 cup of the almond milk (or coconut milk), and a pinch of salt in the bowl of your instant pot. Give it a mix.
3. Set it to cook: Secure the lid, move the steam release valve to the sealing position. Select Manual/Pressure Cook to cook on high pressure for 1 minute.
4. Release Pressure: When the cooking cycle is complete, let the pressure release naturally for 6-7 minutes, then carefully move the steam release valve to the venting position to release any remaining pressure. When the floating valve drops, remove the lid.

5. Fluff it with a fork: Fluff the quinoa with a spoon and add in the rest of the almond milk. Give it a stir.
6. Serve: Top it off with your favorite seasonal fruit, a dollop of blueberry puree, granola (like my homemade chunky granola), and/or chopped nuts. If preferred, you can also drizzle it with a little bit of maple syrup or honey as well.

Can I make ahead and store this pressure cooker quinoa breakfast in mason jars?

You sure can. As a matter of fact, I usually make a batch of it on the weekend, divide it amongst 4 mason jars, top each jar with fruits and nuts/granola, tighten the lid, and store it in the fridge for healthy instant quinoa breakfast on the go.

If the idea of having quinoa for breakfast instead of oatmeal is a foreign one, I promise you that my version of pressure cooker quinoa porridge is going to convert you to a believer. This is especially the case if you are in need of an alternative to the usual oatmeal.

Give it a try and be sure to check out a few other recipes I have for you below.

Other Instant Pot Quinoa Recipes You Might Also Like:

• Basic Quinoa in Instant Pot
• Instant Pot Mexican Quinoa Bowl

Other Plant-Based Breakfast Bowls You might like:

• Buckwheat Porridge recipe
• Instant Pot Steel Cut Oats
• Steel Cut Overnight Oats
• Crockpot Steel Cut Oats
• Breakfast Farro Bowl

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Instant Pot Quinoa Breakfast Bowl Recipe

4.41 from 5 votes

By: Aysegul Sanford

Yields4 servings

Prep Time2 minutes mins

Cook Time15 minutes mins

Total Time17 minutes mins

Recipe for Instant Pot Quinoa Breakfast Porridge that you can make in about 20 minutes. Simply put quinoa, milk, and a pinch of salt in your pressure cooker. Set it to cook 2 minutes and enjoy it for breakfast as a warm bowl of quinoa oatmeal right away or make-ahead breakfast in mason jars throughout the week. 

Ingredients 

1x2x3x

• ▢ 1 cup white quinoa, rinsed and drained
• ▢ 2 cups almond milk, divided - preferably homemade almond milk
• ▢ ¼ teaspoon salt

Optional toppings:

• ▢ 1 cup seasonal fruit
• ▢ 1 cup granola or chopped nuts
• ▢ Maple syrup or honey for drizzling

Instructions 

• Place rinsed quinoa, 1 cup almond milk, and a pinch of salt in the bowl of your instant pot. Give it a mix.
• Secure the lid, move the steam release valve to the sealing position. Select Manual/Pressure Cook to cook on high pressure for 1 minute. It should take 4-5 minutes for it to come to full pressure.
• When the cooking cycle is complete, let the pressure release naturally for 6-7 minutes, then carefully move the steam release valve to the venting position to release any remaining pressure. When the floating valve drops, remove the lid.
• Fluff the quinoa with a spoon and add in the rest of the almond milk. Give it a stir.
• Top it off with your favorite seasonal fruit, granola (like my homemade chunky granola recipe), and/or chopped nuts. If preferred, you can also drizzle it with a little bit of maple syrup or honey as well.

Notes

• Can I make ahead and store this pressure cooker quinoa breakfast in mason jars? You sure can. As a matter of fact, I usually make a batch of it on the weekend, divide it amongst 4 mason jars, top each jar with fruits and nuts/granola, tighten the lid, and store it in the fridge for healthy breakfast quinoa on the go.
• Do I need to use oil to grease the bottom of the pot? I don’t think that it is necessary to use oil while cooking quinoa in an instant pot. It does not stick.
• Can I use other types of quinoa? Yes, you can. However, be sure to increase the cooking time to 4 minutes for red, black, and tricolor quinoa as they take longer to cook.
• Can I use other flavorings? Absolutely. Use this recipe as a basic one and add in other flavoring ingredients like a pinch of ground cinnamon and a splash of vanilla extract. During the fall I usually top it off with baked apples. If you want, you can also top it off with chocolate chips as well.
• Can I double the recipe? You sure can. This almond quinoa oatmeal recipe makes 3 cups of cooked quinoa, which serves 4 people. However, if you want to make it for the whole week and store in mason jars, you can double the recipe. If you do so, the cooking time should not change.
• The calorie information does not include the optional toppings.

Nutrition

Calories: 174kcal | Carbohydrates: 28g | Protein: 7g | Fat: 4g | Saturated Fat: 1g | Sodium: 310mg | Potassium: 239mg | Fiber: 3g | Sugar: 1g | Calcium: 170mg | Iron: 2mg

Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.

Additional Info

Course: Breakfast

Cuisine: American

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