Cinnamon Toast Breakfast Quinoa
Epic breakfast quinoa recipe featuring toasted pecans, coconut oil, cinnamon and dried cherries or cranberries. It tastes like cinnamon toast!
Updated by Kathryne Taylor on August 29, 2024
This recipe’s photo shoot was going swimmingly until the very end. Ingredients, sunlight, dog not on table—check, check, check. Then I told myself to quit being lazy and pull out the tripod to be sure I got some crystal-clear photos of the final dish.
I tripped over Cookie, the tripod arm bumped the foam board reflector, the reflector knocked over the mini milk pitcher and then both bowls. It was like watching a stack of dominoes fall.
It was Cookie’s lucky day. She helped clean up the spilled milk and I gladly called it a day. I’m excited to share this recipe today. I mean, if that recipe title didn’t do it for you, I don’t know what will. Cinnamon toast! This breakfast quinoa really tastes like cinnamon toast.
I haven’t even been terribly excited about quinoa for breakfast, but this recipe is a definite game changer. Cooking it with freshly toasted pecans (you’ll toast them in the saucepan before adding the rest), coconut oil, cinnamon, and a few dashes of salt makes it legitimately crave-worthy. Do try it and let me know if you agree.
I found the recipe concept in an Amazon impulse purchase, a vegan and gluten-free cookbook called Yum Universe by Heather Crosby, who also runs a blog by the same name. I tweaked the method and ingredients, like I do.
This recipe is the perfect use for leftover quinoa, although I like it so much that I’ve started cooking up quinoa just for breakfast. Here’s how to cook perfect quinoa, which never fails me.
Watch How to Make Perfectly Fluffy Quinoa
Cinnamon Toast Breakfast Quinoa
Epic breakfast quinoa recipe featuring toasted pecans, coconut oil, cinnamon and dried cherries or cranberries. It tastes like cinnamon toast! Recipe as written yields 1 serving; you can multiply it as necessary, as long as you use a suitably sized pot.
Ingredients
Breakfast quinoa
- Heaping 2 tablespoons chopped raw pecans
- 1 ½ teaspoons coconut oil
- ½ teaspoon ground cinnamon, plus more for sprinkling on top
- Tiny pinch of salt
- 1 cup pre-cooked quinoa* (either chilled or warm from cooking—both will work)
- 1 tablespoon maple syrup, more if desired
Toppings and optional accompaniments
- 1 tablespoon chopped dried cherries or dried cranberries
- Hemp seeds, chia seeds or flax seeds (optional), for serving
- Milk or yogurt of choice (totally optional), for serving
Instructions
- First, toast the pecans before we add the remaining ingredients. To do so, warm the pecans in a small saucepan (use a larger saucepan if you are making multiple servings) over medium heat, shimmying the pan often, until the pecans smell fragrant and toasty, about 4 to 6 minutes.
- Add the coconut oil, cinnamon and salt to the pot. While stirring constantly, cook until the cinnamon is fragrant, about 15 seconds.
- Add the quinoa to the pot and stir to combine. Cook, while stirring constantly, just until the quinoa is warmed through, about a minute or so. Remove the pan from heat and stir in the maple syrup.
- Transfer the mixture to a bowl and top with dried fruit and a hefty sprinkle of hemp seeds, if using. Top with a light sprinkle of cinnamon. Serve promptly, with additional maple syrup and milk or yogurt on the side, if you’d like.
Notes
Recipe adapted from Yum Universe by Heather Crosby.
Change it up: Try honey instead of maple syrup, use your favorite nuts or seeds, toast unsweetened shredded or flaked coconut with the nuts, top with fresh fruit or instead of dried, add a big dollop of applesauce, etc.
Make it nut free: Omit the nuts or replace them with pepitas (hulled pumpkin seeds).
*How to cook quinoa: Check out my preferred cooking method here. You’ll need to cook about ⅓ cup dry quinoa with ⅔ cup water to yield 1 cup quinoa, but I recommend making more than that so you have leftovers for tomorrow’s breakfast.
Nutrition
The information shown is an estimate provided by an online nutrition calculator. It should not be considered a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s advice. See our full nutrition disclosure here.
Love it! Thanks!!J
You’re welcome!
Excellent breakfast! Love having another alternative that I feel good about and that tastes great!
Great! This one is one of my favorites, for sure.
I was skeptical at first about quinoa for breakfast, but this stuff is amazing!! I eat it plain with a tablespoon of hempseeds to top it off.
YES this changes the breakfast game a bit, doesn’t it? I’ll have to add some hemp seeds for an extra crunch and burst of protein!
Delicious! I mixed the cooked quinoa with a little bit of cooked pearl barley, raw cinnamon applesauce, a little almond milk and, after heating, topped it with some chopped pecans and chia and flax seeds. What a great recipe for anyone eating a plant based, whole food eating plan. It’s recipes like yours, Kate, that make this lifestyle choice so enjoyable and satisfying.
This sounds amazing! Can this be made the night before and eaten cold like overnight oatmeal? I am an exhausted mom of 3 kids including a newborn – I feel I’d have more time to make it at night without kids afoot
Yes! I don’t see why not. It also reheats well in the microwave, if you want to serve it warm.
Wow, this was heavenly! I needed something different for breakfast this morning and so glad I found this recipe. I can’t wait to eat it again, which will be tomorrow. This is the second recipe I’ve tried from you. Both have been a huge hit! I’m a fan. :)
I have been trying to find a breakfast food I an eat every morning and not get sick of. I hate oatmeal and grits so this is perfect. Simple and delicious. Thanks!
That’s great to hear, Racquel! It is nice to have a change-up no matter your preference.
Good morning! I usually stick to savory, spicy breakfasts (I’m a huge fan of the breakfast fajitas from your cookbook!), but today my sweet tooth was talking! I am eating this delicious cinnamon toast quinoa right now and, wow! I didn’t have any pecans or dried cranberries on hand so I substituted with some toasted almonds and dried coconut on top. So delicious! It doesn’t feel like I’m eating a bunch of empty carbs either, so I think I’ll be fueled up for the rest of the day! Thanks Kate!!
Made this this morning. Delicious! Followed your tips for making fluffy quinoa. Thank you! First time my quinoa wasn’t mushy. It was perfect! Never would have thought of putting cinnamon and maple syrup with quinoa. Yummy! Especially with the coconut oil and I had toasted walnuts.
Getting your quinoa to turn out perfect is key! I am happy you liked it, Merry. If you would want to leave a star review since you liked it so much, that would be great!!
Loved it!
That’s great! Thanks so much for the review!
Rating 5 stars plus! Very delicious! Thank you
You are sweet! Thanks, Merry. I really appreciate the review. If only I could add a + button :)
Shocked! I LOVE it and I am NOT a fan of quinoa. But I guess that’s changed now. I kept the maple syrup to a minimum, left out the fruit (not a fan) and it was perfect! The toasted pecans add so much flavor and texture (love the crunch). I followed your perfect quinoa recipe and you’re right, it was perfect. My complaint? I want to eat more than I should! Too good!
Ha! I love to hear that. Thanks for trying it even though you aren’ typically a fan, Susan. I appreciate the review!
This recipe was a great solution to my leftover quinoa and inability for cooking breakfast in a timely manner to be at work. I didn’t have pecans, but walnuts were an easy substitute and I made this in bulk so I can bring it to work over the next couple of mornings. I poured a little coconut milk over one serving and ate it as a porridge. Thanks for your easy and creative recipes!
That sounds delicious with some coconut milk! Thank you, Kathleen for sharing.
Was so good and healthy and even my husband liked it! Have a big family gathering 2/16-2/19 of about 12 including 4 kids. Could I make this ahead and freeze it?
I’m glad you liked it! I haven’t tried making this ahead. But you could try a small batch and see how it goes then make the larger batch. Sorry I can’t be of more help!
I multiplied this by 10 and it turned out just great and made it 3 days ahead. Because I had so much left over I froze it in individual bags and now have breakfast for the next week. So good!
I absolutely loved it the first time I made it, the second time I made it, and I’m prepared to love it again when I make it this morning. I use Instant Quinoa so it comes together super fast! It’s so good.Thanks for sharing the recipe!
Laurel, I’m glad you loved it each time! You’re very welcome. Thanks so much for the review.
I’m on the second week of an elimination diet, and this recipe has saved me. Breakfasts weren’t that satisfying, but this is wonderful. Since I can’t have nuts yet, I toasted pumpkin seeds instead and used blueberries for the fruit. Thank you!!!
I’m happy to hear this has been a save for you! Pumpkin seeds are a great alternative. Thanks for the review, Joni!
I tried quinoa for breakfast (not this recipe) a few months ago and could barely finish it – it was too bland and it just didn’t taste like a breakfast food. Today, I decided to be brave and try again with some leftover quinoa and this recipe. I’m so glad I did, I LOVE it! Thank you for a great recipe and a new breakfast option!
I’m glad you did too, Michelle! Thanks so much for sharing and for your review.
So good! I used almonds instead of pecans because that’s what I had, though pecans would have been much better! I also used unsweetened coconut flakes which I won’t again because they don’t add enough flavor and I don’t like the texture of them in this dish. Overall an awesome dish!
A great change, Jenni! Thank you for your review.
I’ve been meaning to make this forever and finally got around to it! DELISH!
Finally a breakfast recipe this non-breakfast-food-fan can stomach first thing in the morning!
Thank you!
I hear you! Mornings are hard. Thanks for sharing, Justeen!
Thank you Kate! I made the recipe this morning and it was delicious. Didn’t take a pic but my kitchen smelled amazing! Raisins were a tasty addition & I used brown sugar as my sweetener. Reminded me a little like oatmeal but with more chewiness/crunch. Very filling too. This will be a breakfast staple in our home.
I’m so glad to hear that, Sara! Thank you so much for sharing. I love the smell in my kitchen too!
I wanted a quick way to use up some leftover quinoa and also have a warm and easy breakfast this morning. I subbed walnuts and honey and I enjoyed this! I wasn’t comfortable toasting the walnuts in an unlubricated pan though, so I did add the coconut oil first. That worked out fine. I just had to be careful not to let anything cook too long and it got slightly burnt but not too bad.
Yes, be careful as that can get hot quickly! Thanks for sharing, Janet.
This is such a tasty breakfast! I love to rehydrate the dried cranberries in a skillet with melted coconut oil before adding them to the quinoa. So good!!!
Thank you for sharing, Tiffani! I’m glad you enjoyed this recipe.
Recently diagnosed Celiac and always on the hunt for new recipes.
This Quinoa Cinnamon Toast breakfast recipe is like a warm blanket…all about comfort. It just tastes awesome! It is also really fast to prepare for a work day breakfast. Goodbye my old friend oatmeal!
I’m sorry to hear that, but I’m glad you like this recipe! I do have a lot of gluten free friendly recipes or notes on how to make the recipe gluten free. :)
When I first came across this recipe, I was excited, but skeptical–I didn’t think it could be THAT good. But I made it this morning, and it turns out that not only is it THAT good, it’s also quick and easy. Thank you so much for a great recipe that I can enjoy despite new dietary restrictions. :-)
I’m so glad you tried it! Thanks for sharing, Isabel!
Quick, easy and delicious. Loved it!
Thank you, Autumn!
I made this and even though the small bits of pecans burned (heat a little too high), it turned out great. My 6-year-old kept taking bites out of my trial run (which delighted me). :)
I love that! Thanks for your review, Mrs. Flanagan.
The kitchen smelled incredible when I made this! I used walnuts and added blueberries, banana, Chia seeds, and ground flax seeds. This is a great way to use leftover quinoa. I’m now going to always make extra quinoa so I can have this for breakfast! Thanks!
I bet it did! Thanks for sharing, Olivia.
So easy. Love this recipe and the many options. It was such a fast and simple combination that I was enjoying it in minutes!
I’m happy you loved it, Rene!
Literally the best quinoa-based breakfast I have ever tasted!!
Thanks for letting me know, Cheryl!
Quinoa can get old really fast, but I absolutely loved the flavours in this recipe! I toasted almond slivers instead of pecans and topped with ground flax and a drizzle of honey. It’s super easy, super adaptable and it’s my new favourite way to keep quinoa on the menu. Thanks for sharing and changing it up with your suggestions!
I’m happy to hear this was a fresh take for you, Libby! Thanks for the review.
This was so delicious! Packed with so much flavor. This is my new breakfast every morning with coffee☕
Sounds like a great combination!
Our girls love “breakfast for dinner.” I didn’t have precooked quinoa, so I added most items as it was cooking. I decided to cook this the same way we make our “fancy oatmeal”, so I added vanilla, dried cranberries, and dried cherries. I served it with homemade hemp milk, raw pecans (untoasted), coconut flakes, diced apples, and honey drizzled on top…
So, very similar to how you make this! They ate it all, but are hooked on steel cut oats. The texture change was hard to get used to. I love how your turned quinoa into a breakfast item, I NEVER would have thought to do that! Props for creativity!!!
Breakfast for dinner is the best! Thanks for sharing, Kendra.
Sooo yummy, healthy and quick! I’m loving this changing it up slightly from time to time. I used sesame seeds instead of pecans for extra calcium.
Thanks for sharing your version, Elizabeth!
This is a delicious recipe. Thanks! (I used honey in place of maple syrup because that’s what I had – 1/2 T was perfect.) My husband even liked it and he is normally averse to “healthy” food.
You’re welcome!
So easy, and so crave-worthy! Its toasty and cinammon-y and full of protein. I’m trying to avoid bread and its so hard at breakfast time because i miss french toast. But this totally makes up for it. All the flavors!
Wonderful to hear, Emily! Thank you for your review.
OMG I made the Cinnamon Toast Breakfast Quinoa this morning and LOVED it. It was quick, easy and delicious. Thank you for sharing. Also printed the Blueberry Oatmeal Bake to try tomorrow.
You’re welcome, Charlotte!
Does the recipe call for refined or unrefined coconut oil?
I usually use virgin coconut oil.
Hello Kate! This recipe sounds amazing except for two things…I can’t have pecans and I can’t have coconut as I’m allergic to both. I’m trying to learn to live this whole food lifestyle and this will be my first quinoa experiment. Can you help me with some alternatives? Absolutely no nuts, only seeds…Help!
Just wondering what kind of Coconut oil to use to make this, refined or virgin?
I typically use virgin.
Yum! I had overcooked quinoa, (used too much water), I didn’t know what to do with the mushy leftovers. This was a perfect use! It turned out delicious! So happy to have a new healthy breakfast option. Thanks for the recipe!
This was a great breakfast! I reduced the maple syrup to 1-1/2 tsp and added 2 finely chopped dates and just a touch of nutmeg. This is a new favorite for me.
As an aside, I’ve discovered that my nut milk bag works really well to rinse quinoa.
Deb
cruising.blogspot.com
Thank you for your review, Deb!
Tasted great! Thank you. Would this work with oatmeal as well?
The cooking time would adjust, but the combination sound delicious.
Would I cook the oatmeal first and then add it in at the same point I’d add in the quinoa, but I’m adding in cooked oatmeal instead?
I was wondering if I started roasting the pecans, then add coconut oil, cinammon and pinch of salt, then add water and oatmeal then cook for 10 minutes or so? Does that sound like that would work?
Thanks again,
Kathleen
P.S. I bought your book but haven’t tried the recipes in there yet. I have tried your zucchini bread and it is delicious!
Really great! My 16-year-old son really liked it as well. Used flax seeds, toasted walnuts and dried cranberries. One question – is yogurt supposed to be served on the side or mixed in? Thanks!
Hi Kathy! It depends on how you like it!
Love this recipe…I used toasted slivered almonds raisins and little bits of fresh dried coconut and ground flax only because it’s what I had on hand….this recipe will certainly be part of my breakfast rotation.
I’m happy you liked this one, Maureen!
Eating this amazing dish right now! I’ll be adding it into my regular Cookie and Kate recipe repertoire! Thank you for all the yummy-ness!
A delicious, filling, and warm breakfast – so good!
I was looking for ways to change up my boring quinoa and boy, am I glad that I ran into this! Wow! Two thumbs up!
Thank you!
In your nutritional facts, where does the fairly high sodium (25%) and saturated fat (6.2g) come from?
Hi Patrick, you can see more on my nutritional information here: https://capital-fly.pro/nutrition-disclaimer/%3C/a%3E%3C/p%3E
Sorry, I meant did you serve it with some of your optional ingredients (milk, yogurt)? I want to try it but have to be careful with my sodium intake. I don’t see anything else in your ingredients that would suggest it is high in sodium and fat. I have tried several of your recipes since discovering your site last week and I love them all.
Hi Partick! The nutrition information is just for the recipe itself, not the optional serving applications. Does that make sense? I’m happy to hear you have been enjoying them!
Very yummy! I didn’t have pecans, so I roasted chopped almond, coconut flakes, and sunflower seeds. Turned out great.
I am making this Cinnamon Toast Quinoa this week. It sounds so good to me since cinnamon toast was a childhood favorite. I loved cinnamon Grahams too. Thanks!
So this one was a total miss. It tasted like a kid remembered how sweet and yummy cinnamon toast was for breakfast and figured those things would work on his quinoa.
It had a weird texture, nothing that I could place. I just know it wasn’t pleasant. I think what you were going for was something of like a quinoa porridge, which is traditionally found in Eastern Europe such as Russia or Poland.
Anyways after taking literally 2 minutes to cross-reference the recipe I think what you were going for and be found at All Recipes, or you could just have tried it. It was honestly really bad.
Hey Matthew, sorry to hear you didn’t enjoy this one. If you don’t generally appreciate the texture of cooked quinoa, this would not be the recipe for you. It’s not designed to be oatmeal/porridge-like.
This looks good. Can you recommend a substitute for the coconut oil ingredient?
Hi Marla, butter would be nice, or a mildly flavored olive oil would probably work.