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.
Breakfast ideas are usually difficult for me. I was so surprised at how delicious, filling, nutritious, and simple this breakfast quinoa is. Thank you so much for sharing!!
Thanks for this great breakfast idea! I’m pregnant with my second, working full-time and no time or energy to make eggs every morning, but obviously can’t skip breakfast and need more protein than oatmeal provides. Trying to avoid dairy and nuts as well. I usually have trouble finding tasty recipes for quinoa that I like but this was yummy, easy to make in a large batch, easy to customize and filling. I made mine with raisins and honey, paired with a glass of vanilla soy for calcium. Pregnant lady approved! :)
Thanks to your tip on how to properly cook it, you got me to eat quinoa…and for breakfast, no less. Well done. I love your recipes.
Thank you, Tim!
This sounds wonderful and I will give it a go this weekend, but the story is the best! Love the pics.
Hi Kate, wasn’t sure I would love this, but after trying so many of your recipes and commenting on their deliciousness, I decided to, as always, put my faith in you and I made a triple batch. SO glad I did – absolutely wonderful! I toasted hemp seeds, flaked coconut and pecans, honey (though not much) and chopped dried prunes. Ate it with a dollop of vegan mango yogurt on top. I can’t wait for breakfast tomorrow! And the day after that and the day after that. Thanks Kate!!!!
I’m glad you tried it anyway, Rose! Thank you for your comment and review.
Does this taste good if you cook it and store it beforehand to use it for over the course of the week for breakfast?
Yes, that should work well!
Sounds yummy! I need to avoid nuts & coconut oil due to a nut allergy but I’d still like to get tha ‘fragrant cinnamon’. Any suggestions?
Hi! You could try pepitas instead. That may work!
Have been making this a lot, and added 3/4 tsp turmeric, with a couple dashes of freshly ground black pepper for absorption… DELICIOUS! Highly recommended, and helps boost immunity!
Thanks for sharing, Gloria! Turmeric sounds interesting here, very warming.
I made this for breakfast this morning (trying to save eggs for baking) and it was delish!I used unsweetened coconut flakes and dried cherries tossed in with the quinoa while it cooked. Everyone loved it!
All four kids love. Winner winner!
Wonderful, Erika!
I’ve had this on my list for ages and finally made it this morning after having some leftover quinoa from dinner. Wow WOW, I can’t believe I waited so long! This is incredible – the same flavours as in your cookbook “favourite granola” (which I’m also a huge fan of!) but such a different result. My partner loves it as well – I’m so grateful to you for this new take on one of my favourite grains. I’m looking forward to experimenting with some flavour combinations of my own now.
I’m happy it was worth the wait! Thanks for sharing, Kat.
I loved this version of a breakfast quinoa- I really enjoyed all of the toppings and happened to have almost all of what you mentioned :) Yea! thanks for the creative recipe!
I have been eating this very day for a week! The only thing I am looking forward to each day :). Thank you Kate!
This is delicious! So happy to use up the left over quinoa!
Absolutely amazing!! So delicious
Made this with walnuts instead of pecans and sweetened with maple syrup… so delicious! Thank you for helping me use my extra quinoa and fresh strawberries up.
Would like to try this for my aging mother. Can I make it up and put it in serving size containers that she can remove from her refrigerator and zap in the microwave as needed?
Hi BJ! Sure, you can make this up and then portion as you see fit. I hope see likes it!
Tasty, easy, and satisfying breakfast.
Really delicious. Thanks for sharing :)
Thanks so much for those recipe. It is a game changer. Quinoa for breakfast, who knew it could be?
Right! I’m happy you loved it, Lonnie. Thank you for your review.
Yummy! I was out of bagels this morning and this sounded enticing (as a change from oatmeal). I used sunflower seeds, honey, raspberries, and mango.
Loved it! I sautéed diced apples in butter and cinnamon and threw those in, and topped it with a big scoop of cottage cheese. Amaaazing. I’d take this over pancakes.
That’s great to hear, Ali! Thank you for sharing.
What’s the coconut oils purpose? Is it flavor?
Hi! It adds great flavor and also helps to combine the spices with the quinoa to get the toast flavor.
Just fabulous.
Currently enjoying this after searching for some breakfast inspiration – it is SO good! I cooked the quinoa (as directed – came out perfect) while prepping everything else and it all came together at the same time. I made some adjustments: doubled the nuts by also adding almonds, used golden raisins as the dried fruit and doubled the amount, added both chia seeds and flax seeds, and served with a dollop of Greek yogurt and sliced banana. YUM!
PS – we are huge fans of Cookie and Kate in our household! Thank you for churning out foolproof recipes.
You’re welcome! I’m excited you liked this one as well, Jenny.
what can i substitute the coconut oil with?
Hi Catherine, I find coconut oil works best here but you could try butter or olive oil.
I was surprised at how simple this is and how tasty. We were out of yogurt so I added applesauce to the mixture as it was heating up and it was very yummy. Thanks
I enjoyed this. I looked up breakfast quinoa on Google and your recipe was the first to come up. Glad I have it a try. I like the quinoa with the crunch of the toasted pecans. I probably will add more cinnamon next time – wasn’t cinnamon-y enough for me. I wish I had some dried cherries at home to add to see what that flavor would be like. Either way this was great. I used your quinoa cooking recipe as well and that was also great. I made enough so I can have this again for breakfast tomorrow
Blending the quinoa with a bit of milk and returning to stove is my fav way to have quinoa for breakfast. Like cream of wheat!
Thank you for sharing how you made this recipe, Rae.
Thank you!!!!
You’re welcome, Laura!
I admit I was skeptical about this. I’m an oatmeal kind of person usually, but this was seriously game changing. SOOOOOO good. 10/10 will do again ;)
Wow!!! This was a really simple and delicious way to prepare quinoa as a breakfast meal. My taste buds leaped when I took my first bite!! I will definitely use this recipe frequently.
Hooray! That’s great to hear, Lori. Thank you for your review!
Just made this since I randomly had everything except maple syrup. I used honey instead. Easy and delicious!! I added a couple banana slices on top.
That’s great, Lauren! Thank you for your review.
So good! I loved it! Thanks for the list of topping suggestions – I added chia seeds and dried cranberries. Will definitely be making this again! THANK YOU for sharing all your wonderful recipes!
You’re welcome, Jennifer! I’m glad you enjoyed it.
Delicious! I used the fruit I had which was fresh bananas and blueberries, and walnuts instead of pecans. So easy and tasty!
I’m glad you enjoyed it, Abbey! Thank you for your review.
Love this recipe. Thank you. I was introduced to the wonderful uses of quinoa some years ago on my travels to Peru, and now love quinoa.
I am definitely going to try these recipes. I make something sort of similar to the cinnamon toast quinoa. I cook my quinoa in pineapple juice and water with some pumpkin pie spice, then serve it slightly warm with vanilla yogurt, like desert for breakfast. So yummy
I’m on a low sodium diet and was wondering where the sodium is coming from in this recipe. Your perfect quinoa has only 2.8mg of sodium, but this recipe has 597.3mg. Thanks!
Hi Suki, You can omit the salt if you like. More on my Nutrition Disclaimer.
I decided to revamp my diet a couple of days ago, and realized out of no where I was hangry! As I was daydreaming of eating the last of the chocolate donuts that my family had left over, I frantically searched through my pantry, to find something other than a smoothie or salad. Found Quinoa, and came across your recipe and it was absolutely fantastic! A nice switch up to curb my sweet tooth, and something that doesn’t make me feel terrible afterwards. Thank you!!!
Honestly, not for me. I’m not sure if it was the recipe or just my taste buds, but it just did not work. The quinua was the overwhelming thing and it was bland with a grainy texture that I did not like (though I do like other quinoa recipes). I added all the suggested toppings and a few of my own, but it never felt exciting to eat. I feel like the quinoa has a savory flavor of its own and so doesn’t work well with sweet recipes.
Hi Madeline, I’m sorry you didn’t love this recipe. Thank you for your review.
Does the nutrition facts of this recipe include the optional milk?
Hi Cory, I don’t believe it does.
This recipe is delicious!! I made a single serving this morning and my husband went back for more but there was none left, so I’ve made a triple batch this evening. Your quinoa recipe makes the perfect quinoa, too! P.S. I have the cookbook and everything in there is great too!
That’s great, Jamie! THank you for sharing.
WOW! I was super skeptical about this as I am not a huge quinoa lover, but this was tasty! Breakfast is hard for me as a vegetarian (& I don’t eat eggs). Thanks for helping me to add a new item to my breakfast rotation!
You’re welcome, Heidi! Thank you for your review.
Wow this is delicious! Toasted some coconut flakes along with the pecans, and added some dried cranberries at the end. I’m about to make a big batch and store some individual servings in the freezer!
I was super skeptical about quinoa for breakfast, but I’ve never had a C&K recipe fail me so I gave it a shot. My husband, toddler, and I loved it! We added unsweetened coco shreds and flax as well to the topping and subbed pecans for walnuts. I’m going to try it with a bowl of almond milk next and see how it goes. Thanks for the recipe!
Hooray! I’m glad it was a hit, Katie.
So pleasantly surprised at how delicious this was. My new favorite. I found myself gathering the small bits leftover in my bowl and licking them off my finger. It was that good.
That’s great, Rachel! Thank you for your review.
Woke up this morning and had a thought – how can I make quinoa for breakfast that’s more than just an egg on top of a bowl of quinoa? This was the answer and so delicious – going to have to add it to the breakfast rotation!
Hi Kate! This was sooooo yummy. I followed your perfect quinoa recipe a couple of nights ago so I could make a couple of your quinoa recipes this weekend. Last night I made the broccoli and quinoa casserole which was also scrumptious! I was excited to try this one out this morning. It took me three tries with the pecans, as I burned them twice, so I proceeded on low-medium heat the third try and was more careful not to leave them unattended. I used a full teaspoon of cinnamon for more of that flavor. I served it with a vanilla-flavored Greek yogurt and dried berries (cherries, cranberries, and blueberries) as suggested. It was so filling and really delicious. It will become a favorite weekend breakfast. I’m already looking forward to making this again. Thank you!!!
You’re welcome, Sarah! Thank you for sharing.
I’m not a fan of oatmeal, but I’ve been getting into quinoa for breakfast as an alternative. This is one of my favorite breakfast quinoa recipes I’ve tried so far! I like that it’s just lightly sweet. I also made my quinoa with almond milk instead of water for a little added heartiness and flavor. So tasty and filling!
That’s great to hear, Maddie! I appreciate your review.
Huge thanks to your dog that this recipe was slightly less bogged down by too many photos.
Great recipe. Tasted good.
I was wondering if you ever redry cooked quinoa to make something like a crunchy granola. My husband has an issue with oats–after spending most of his life working for the Quaker Oats company! If I toast it with normal granola items it might feel like a normal breakfast for him.
Loved this recipe – I was looking for a good protein alternative to my morning routine!
I’m happy you enjoy it, Marueen! Thank you for your review.