I love hot quinoa for breakfast. My husband likes his oatmeal. What’s a girl to do? I guess I could just cook what I want and make him eat it. Or he can cook his own breakfast himself, which he is more than happy to do. But it would just be too much of a hassle in our tiny kitchen. And I hate hassles. So I decided to come up with a happy compromise: the Quinoatmeal. Yes. The Quinoatmeal. (Pronounced keen · oat · meal) 😛
It’s creamy like oatmeal, which my hubs loves. And it has the flavor of quinoa, which I love. It can’t get better right? Wrong! It’s purely sweetened with a ripe banana. No other sweetener needed. If you want a hit of maple syrup, go right ahead. But it’s totally unnecessary. It’s like eating a quinoa-oatmeal banana bread, but in a comforting hot bowl.
It’s just an added bonus that this is super healthy and easy to make. I made mine gluten-free and dairy-free by using gluten-free rolled oats and water. Don’t let the “-free” stuff fool you. It’s rich, creamy, just the right amount of sweet, and so comforting.
Hey hubby! See? I know how to compromise. And you call me a despot with complete rule over our home. I would like to think that we jointly run our home à la the UN (but with teeth). 😉
The Quinoatmeal Recipe
Makes enough for 2 people
Ingredients
1/4 cup quinoa
3/4 cup gluten-free rolled oats
2 cups water + more as necessary
1 ripe banana, cut into small 1/2″ cubes
1/4 tsp + more to taste salt
cinnamon
walnuts
Other Optional toppings
flax or chia seeds
blueberries
maple syrup or honey
- Rinse the quinoa under running water to remove any saponin (this gives unwashed quinoa a bitter taste). Drain well.
- Add quinoa, rolled oats, water, and 1/4 tsp salt to a pot. Bring it to boil. Lower the heat and allow the contents to simmer for about 7-9 minutes while stirring occasionally. Add the cut bananas* to the pot and stir. Close the lid and allow the contents to simmer for another 3-5 minutes until the quinoa and oats are cooked. Remove from heat and leave covered for 1 minute. Stir and serve hot with a sprinkle of cinnamon and walnuts.
*Cook’s Note
To wash off the saponin, run the quinoa under running water in a fine-mesh strainer until the water runs clear. It shouldn’t take more than a minute or two. Some brands of packaged quinoa are pre-washed and ready to cook. Read the label.
Add more water if you find that the texture is getting too thick. You can adjust the cooking time depending on your textural preference.
DON’T skip the banana. It adds not only sweetness but also creaminess. You can add the whole banana to the quinoatmeal while cooking. You can also just add half and save the other half as fresh topping when serving. Just keep in mind that your quinoatmeal will be significantly sweeter if you cook the whole banana.
I’ve made this the night before for breakfast the next day during the weekdays. Just refrigerate and add some boiling/hot water (or warm milk) the morning after. It’s pretty yummy even at room or lukewarm temperature. It’s a time saver in the morning.
What an original and delicious idea! I can see this stuff become my breakfast soon! Loooove it c:
Thank you Consuelo! It’s one of our favorite breakfasts. It’s so easy to make too. Hope you’re having a lovely weekend!
I just made this and it is perfect. I never thought to integrate quinoa into my morning oats.
Thank you for trying the recipe Laura! I’m so happy you enjoyed this. Hope you have a fun & relaxing Sunday!
Sounds like a terrific idea! At this time of the year breakfast is pretty much just fresh fruit and a hard-boiled egg, but when the weather turns colder I’ll be looking for something hot. This is perfect! Good stuff – thanks.
I love the creamy texture and the comforting familiar taste of this breakfast. But fruit and hard-boiled egg sounds good too!:) Thanks John!
What a fabulous idea! I love the thought of quinoa and oatmeal. We eat a lot of steelcut oats and I bet this would be just as good with them. Will definitely be giving this a try! Thanks! What a great compromise. 🙂
Thanks MJ! We love steelcut oats too. Quinoa would be wonderful with them! Let us know how you like it. Hope you had a great weekend!
wow!such a wonderful idea to combine quinoa and oatmeal,will taste delicious and is so healthy too,will try this out tomorrow with chia seeds and loads of fresh fruits,yummmm,thanks for sharing 🙂
Love the taste of nutty seeds as toppings on this. I hope you enjoy it! Thank you for your kind words!!
I love quinoa- so healthy and rich in protein and I jsut liek to change up my grains a bit once in a while because I get bored so easily! Love porridge for breakfast and it’s a great idea to mix in some quinoa with the usual oatmeal. Thanks for the inspiration 🙂
Thank you Shu! I’m the same way. I get bored way too easily for my own good. 🙂 Hope you’re getting a great start to the week!
Hehe you are so creative! What a lucky hubby to have such a compromising and creative wife.
I don’t eat breakfast…I’m usually not even up in the morning to eat breakfast…well I am sometimes, but I usually don’t get much of an appetite until at least about noon or so. So I am not really a breakfast person, but this looks really interesting and hearty. I can imagine how it’d jumpstart your day.
I can’t survive without eating a hearty breakfast! I understand tho. I’m guessing restaurant hours are pretty unpredictable and work usually ends quite late. I’ll be sure to remind my husband he should be thankful. 😀 Thanks Miss Kim! Take care & I hope you’re doing well!
this sounds fantastic! do you think you could make it in a crockpot similar style to crockpot irish oats?
It’s really delicious sharon! I’ve never considered cooking it in a crock pot, because it cooks so easily and quickly. But I don’t see why not. I hope you give this a try. It’s great for the whole family. Thanks for coming by the site!
Oooh, beautiful photos and this sounds so healthy + delicious! I’ve tried eating just hot quinoa for breakfast but I really miss the creaminess of oats (which don’t have as much protein), so this would be the perfect balance!! Thanks for the idea!
Thank you Erika! Yes, it’s a great way to get protein while getting the creaminess of the oats.:) It’s one of our favorite hot breakfasts. Hope you’re having a great week!
Excellent way to make a breakfast compromise! Your bowl looks so beautiful and the use of quinoa is here very original.
My husband and I love food too much sometimes and have too strong of an opinion; compromises must be made lest we lead separate culinary lives!:D Thanks Sissi. Hope you are well!
My kids would be all over this, Gomo! I am bad one because i don’t like mushy oatmeal, I like it though in any baked goodies just not wet. But I got to say that your pictures make it really delicious and tempting. Thanks for sharing and have a great rest of the week!
This would be perfect for kids. It’s super healthy & hearty. My little niece loves it. I grew up with my grandmother’s porridge. So I love the creaminess of oatmeal. I find it comforting and not mushy at all. But I do prefer quinoa.:) Hope you have a relaxing time over the long weekend!
Great recipe. Have you ever tried it with a ripe peach or applesauce? I am allergic to bananas.
Thanks Wanda! I’ve never tried it with peaches or applesauce. But you can try adding chopped apple, maple sauce or brown sugar, cinnamon, and some raisins or dried cranberries. Cook it until the apple has softened for the apple-pie-like taste. Hope this helps.
This was delicious! Thank you. I tried it with half unsweetened almond milk (to get an extra boost of calcium) and half water. Creamy, sweet and delicious! Thank you so very much. Have you ever tried making this with steel cut oats? Just wondering. I have never cooked with them before, but I heard that they create a chewier oatmeal.
So glad you enjoyed it Theresa! I love steel-cut oats. It definitely has a chewier texture. It takes a little too long in the morning for me to make. I just need to remember to soak it overnight to cut down on the cooking time!:) Happy Wednesday!