Chai Spiced Coconut Quinoa Cereal

At the Balanced Platter yesterday (oops!  I forgot to post about it yesterday) I shared Chai Spiced Coconut Quinoa Cereal.  Try this delicious, creamy cereal this fall for a breakfast that will stick with your kids during their school day.  Our area is in the middle of a heat wave.  BUT in just a few short weeks it will be fall and time for warming breakfasts.  Chai Spiced Coconut Quinoa Cereal is pre-soaked for increase digestibility and to speed the morning cooking.  Coconut milk adds creaminess and maple syrup and chai inspired spices add sweetness.

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With two children in high school and one in elementary school, our mornings can be quite hectic on school mornings with all the different schedules. However, no matter how busy our mornings, one thing I insist on is a good breakfast before my kids start their day. Quinoa, with it’s high-nutrient profile and fiber, cooked with coconut milk makes a wonderful, stick-to-your-ribs breakfast that cooks up with a creamy texture similar to rice pudding that is supremely satisfying.

Pre-soaking quinoa helps the already quick-cooking grain to cook even quicker, and there is much evidence that pre-soaking helps make the nutrients more absorbable and easier to digest.  Depending on the day and what we have on hand, we add toasted nuts, chopped dates or berries.  As coconut milk has a naturally sweeter taste, all I need is to add just a touch of maple syrup, but feel free to skip it or to use the sweetener you prefer.

Quinoa needs to be rinsed very well to remove the bitter coating. The double rinsing and soaking in the recipe guarantees well rinsed quinoa, so all you taste is the nutty flavor of quinoa.

Other Breakfast Recipes:

What do you like to eat to start your day?

Chai Spiced Coconut Quinoa Hot Cereal

Serves 4

  • 1 cup uncooked quinoa
  • 2 cups water
  • 1 tablespoon cider vinegar
  • 1 3/4 cups full fat coconut milk (about one 14 ounce can)
  • 2 tablespoons maple syrup
  • 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
  • 1/4 teaspoon ground cardamon
  • 1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
  • 1/8 teaspoon ground ginger
  1. Using a fine meshed sieve, rinse the quinoa well under running water. Place quinoa into a saucepan with the 2 cups water and cider vinegar. Stir well and cover the pan. Allow to sit overnight.
  2. In the morning, pour off water and rinse quinoa again using the fine meshed sieve. In a saucepan, stir together quinoa, coconut milk, maple syrup, cinnamon, cardamon, nutmeg and ginger. Cook over medium-high heat and bring to a simmer. Stir often, simmering until thick and creamy, about 15 minutes.
  3. Serve plain or with toasted coconut or nuts, berries, chopped dates, a bit of dairy free milk, brown sugar or maple syrup.
  4. Any left over cereal freezes beautifully. Portion cooled quinoa cereal into freezer safe containers and seal well before freezing. To serve, simply use your favorite method of re-heating, adding more liquid if needed.

AngelasKitchen.comAngela is the author and recipe developer behind the gluten-free dairy-free website, Angela’s Kitchen.  She loves cooking up whole food budget friendly family favorites, while balancing her role as master food preserver, gluten- and dairy-free cooking instructor and as a mother of three kids and a flock of spunky chickens.  Due to a passion to bring families back to the dinner table, Angela’s Kitchen features free weekly menus with grocery lists, freezer cooking and slow cooker recipes, with seasonal food preservation ideas.