Truth be told, quinoa isn’t my first pick when it comes to grains. However, when disguised as a brownie-esque breakfast bowl, I’m all in.
If chocolate is involved, say no more.
This breakfast bowl is incredibly simple, requiring just 7 ingredients, 30 minutes, and 1 pot to prepare.
I’m typically an oats or granola fan, but the amount of protein and staying power in quinoa is hard to ignore – 1 cup cooked contains about 8 grams protein, 5 grams fiber, and tons of iron and magnesium! I can’t think of a better way to start the day.
In addition to being nutrient-dense, this breakfast bowl is also naturally sweetened with maple syrup and rich with antioxidants thanks to cocoa powder. Fresh fruit and a square of dark chocolate make the perfect toppings.
I hope you guys love this bowl! It’s:
Chocolaty
Not too sweet
Hearty
Warm
Comforting
& Perfect for fall
If you’ve been wary of quinoa porridge in the past, I challenge you to give this one a try! The chocolate flavor makes this bowl irresistible, especially with a little melted dark chocolate on top. Talk about good morning.
If you give this recipe a try, let us know! Leave a comment, rate it, and take a picture and tag it #minimalistbaker on Instagram! We’d love to see what you come up with. Cheers, friends!
Dark Chocolate Quinoa Breakfast Bowl
Ingredients
QUINOA BOWL
- 1 cup uncooked white quinoa
- 1 cup unsweetened almond milk (plus more for serving)
- 1 cup coconut milk (light canned, or the beverage in a carton)
- 1 pinch sea salt
- 2 Tbsp unsweetened cocoa powder
- 2-3 Tbsp maple syrup or coconut sugar
- 1/2 tsp pure vanilla extract (optional)
- 3-4 squares vegan dark chocolate (roughly chopped)
FOR SERVING optional
- Mixed berries
- Sliced banana
- Coconut sugar
- Hemp seeds or chia seeds
Instructions
-
Thoroughly rinse quinoa in a fine mesh strainer for 2 minutes, using your hands to sort through and pick out any discolored pieces or pebbles that may remain.
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Heat a small saucepan over medium heat. Once hot, add rinsed, drained quinoa and toast for 3 minutes, stirring frequently, to dry up water and slightly toast.
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Add almond milk, coconut milk, and a pinch of salt, and stir. Bring to a boil over high heat, then reduce heat to low and cook for 20-25 minutes, uncovered, stirring occasionally. If it stops simmering, increase heat to medium-low. You’re looking for a slight simmer throughout the cooking time.
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Once the liquid is absorbed and the quinoa is tender, remove from heat and add cocoa powder, maple syrup and vanilla (optional). Stir to combine.
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Taste and adjust flavor as needed. Add a bit more almond milk if you prefer the texture thinner. I added more cocoa powder and maple syrup for a more intense chocolate flavor.
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Serve each bowl of quinoa with a small square of vegan dark chocolate, and any other desired toppings (listed above). I preferred mine with a bit more coconut milk, hemp seeds, and fresh fruit (optional).
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Best when fresh, though leftovers will keep covered in the refrigerator for 2-3 days. Reheat in the microwave, or in a small saucepan with additional almond milk to add moisture back in.
Notes
*Nutrition information is a rough estimate calculated without dark chocolate or any other additional toppings.
Nutrition Per Serving (1 of 4)
- Calories: 236
- Fat: 6.7g
- Saturated fat: 3.1g
- Sodium: 120mg
- Carbohydrates: 40.9g
- Fiber: 4g
- Sugar: 9g
- Protein: 7.5g
You had me at dark chocolate! ;) I know what I’m making for breakfast tomorrow morning.
Woah I want this! I think we’re on the same chocolate wave-length ;) Making this tomorrow for sure.
I am a big fan of quinoa for breakfast. Normally in a baked form (I love premade breakfast). I never tride it as a porridge, but this one looks delicous!
Do you have a goid baked recipe?
Those squares of chocolate……they get me!!
Chocolate for breakfast? I’M IN! This looks so yummy, Dana!
This looks so good! I would eat this anytime of the day I think.
xoxoBella
This looks so comforting. I never seem to make quinoa bowls but really love them! Appreciate this reminder..and you know? Anything with chocolate has me swooning.
Looks so delicious! Your photography is just absolutely beautiful. It’s never not wow-ing me :)))
So kind! Thanks Lindsay! xoxo
I’m convinced the trick to get anyone into cooking is easy recipes paired with fantastic photos! I don’t think my stomach can stand chocolate so early in the morning, but maybe it could be a good substitute for our rice pudding dessert at home ;)
Question: can i sub the quinoa for amaranth? i just happen to have some but i don’t know what to do with it…
Chocolate for breakfast? Yes Please! I have been wanting to try quinoa for breakfast, but haven’t gotten around to it. Your photos are stunning, as always ?.
Sounds like a delicious way to start the day! Can’t wait to try this recipe out this weekend!
I’m so excited that you cooked the quinoa in coconut and almond milk. That’s been on my to-do list all month! This looks both gorgeous and delicious. Chocolate brownies for breakfast? I’m in, too!
Eating chocolate for breakfast sounds too good to be true!
So sold on this heavenly chocolate-y breakfast goodness. This would definitely motivate me to get out of bed in the mornings ;)
Have you ever tried quinoa flakes?! It’s quinoa but it cooks up like oatmeal!
I haven’t, but I need to! Thanks for the tip!
Chocolate and quinoa is a match made in heaven. This is the perfect breakfast! And the photos are simply beautiful, as always.
Thanks Lucia! I LOVE your name!
I love the look of this bowl, chocolate for breakfast sounds perfect and with it using quinoa, I can’t wait to try it!
This looks awesome! I’m a big fan of chocolate. I know you mentioned you’re a fan of oats. Have you tried this same recipe swapping out the quinoa for oats?
I think that would be awesome! Let me know how it goes!
This is absolutely beautiful, as all your recipes are. STUNNING!
This looks amazing! I have a peanut butter and apple quinoa breakfast bowl I make that the family loves so we will have to give this one a try.
all I need in my breakfast!! A bowl full of hapiness :D
This looks fantastic, Dana!! But a question – do you recommend using cocoa powder, or cacao?
Hi Sarah! Either work well, but in recipes like this I’d just go for cocoa :D
I’m not into quinoa at all, so this combination looked fabulous, so I tried it last evening and it was an absolute delight! I used rum and cinnamon instead of vanilla and added wallnuts on top! and it’s even better cold! I’ve just finished a small cupcake form (where I put what was left from the evening, so the kids would enjoy it even better)! Where and how I show you my pic??
Share it on Instagram! Tag it #minimalistbaker so I can see! xoxo
II don’t have an instagram account. Facebook alone gets enough of my time?!
This looks sooooo good!
I saw this on Instagram this morning and couldn’t wait until breakfast tomorrow. It is scrumptious!
This looks AMAZING!! Will definitely have to try this one. Also just wanted to say a big hello from NZ – I recently started my own foodie website and you guys have been very inspiring – plus thank you for your blogger resources! :)
Made this this morning for my fussy pre-schoolers and it was delicious! Kept us full for longer than straight oatmeal porridge, and didn’t taste sickly sweet at all. (We’re not big sugar eaters, so I was worried about the sweetness)
After some dubious (bland & heavy) quinoa breakfasts in the past I have come up with the following hacks:
1. Pre-soak the quinoa overnight in water, with a little yoghurt. This allows the grain to sprout a little and is a lot easier to digest. Then rinse thoroughly and continue on as per the recipe.
2. Add raspberries into the mixture and cook through the mix – the tartness counterbalances that ‘quinoa’ taste that my kids turn their nose up at. It rounds out the flavour nicely! Frozen raspberries work well for this purpose.
Will be trying out some variations, as it is a great and satisfying base breakfast! Thank you!
I tried this yesterday and I am going to make it again this morning! It was super delicious and everything else in between!
Well, I sure hope that my mother doesn’t use up all the quinoa in my house; otherwise I wouldn’t be able to make this! I love the way you decorated the breakfast bowl~
The best way to cook Quinoa or Canihua (mini Quinoa) is to soak the grains overnight, or for at least 8 to 12 hours. When you cook it throw away the soak water. This causes the grain to sprout and gets rid of any bitterness from the natural saponin. You will find then that the cooked grain has a light and fluffy texture like that of couscous
Going to have to try this, thanks for the tip!
Had this for breakfast this morning. Didn’t have any berries si I chopped up some grapes and kiwi. Yummy stuff. Now to see how long I stay full!
Hope you loved it, Sonya!
Holy cow this looks good!!
-Molly
apolloandluna.com
I love quinoa- I just never have it because I HATE washing it!!!!! But washing it will be worth it for this breakfast!!!!
Washing it is annoying, right? But so worth the effort!
Made this recipe this morning…absolutely delicious! Sweet, but not too sweet. I had mine with strawberries instead of raspberries. Even my daughter who can’t handle quinoa ate most of hers! She said, “That was middle delicious, but not my favorite.” Lol! The rest of us loved it though. Thanks for another yummy recipe!
This looks delicious! Where can i buy that too-cute wooden bowl? I can imagine everything taste good from a bowl like that, LOL!
Greeting from a ned reader from Norway :D
I got it as a gift! Sorry, I’m not sure!
What brand of vegan chocolate do you use?
Trader Joe’s! Dark chocolate 70%
Hi Dana!
I found your website a few weeks ago looking for healthy gluten sugar and dairy free meals and I am over the moon with all the amazing recipes of yours that I have made!
I cooked up this quinoa dish this morning amidst running around getting the kids ready for school and it was AMAZING and very filling and satisfying! Even my husband who has been very wary of my health kick food ate it and liked it!!
Thank you so much for all of these recipes and I will definitely be buying your book because I don’t want you to stop making new ones :).
I love this recipe! I’ve made this many times in the past month and it’s delicious and filling. I make this twice a week for breakfast my son (age 14) who loves it too. A couple of notes. We only use the cocoa and skip the chocolate chunks, it’s sweet and chocolatly enough without them. Also, the quality of the quinoa matters. A no-name generic brand stayed crunchy after extensive cooking even with adding additional almond milk. We used Arrowhead Mills organic quinoa for a creamy result.
Yay! Thanks for sharing!
Is there something else to use in place of the coconut milk?
Almond milk, or any other dairy-free milk.
Yum! I love quinoa for breakfast and have had many quinoa/oatmeal mixes that are the consistency or porridge but never one with a rich chocolate taste like this one! This is probably my new favorite. I am planning to add hemp seeds, banana, and a sprinkle of cinnamon! Truthfully it is rich enough to do without the chocolate pieces added in (but mostly I don’t have any). Please post more breakfast recipes! It is the hardest meal of the day to pull off for us since we are not morning people!
I made this for breakfast yesterday morning and it was DELISH! I never would’ve thought of using quinoa in a breakfast dish but wow! So so good!! The rasberries are a MUST! They complimented the chocolate really well! I used Agave instead of Maple Syrup because it was all I had, but I’m sure it would’ve been just as good with syrup!
Made this earlier in the week and ate it every night for dessert. Reheated very well in the microwave, just added some more almond milk to it and stirred it halfway through. It was the perfect dessert!
This was so yummy! I ending up cooking the quinoa for less time, and didn’t need as much cocoa powder, so I’d recommend tasting as you go along. My little bowl of quinoa was topped with fresh banana, dark chocolate, and chopped dates–absolutely delicious! Finally, I added some crunchy peanut butter to the final mix, because what’s chocolate without a TON of peanut butter? ;)
Thanks for the great breakfast.
Can you use soy milk instead ?
Yes, but it will taste like soy, if that’s OK with you.
I plan on making it with all vanilla coconut milk as I can’t have almonds. I plan on adding a little cardamom and cinnamon as I love how it tastes with chocolate! I bought strawberries, bananas and blackberries to put on top. Can’t wait to try!
This was so good!!!!
This was so good! I added a little more cocoa powder and maple syrup and a pinch more salt with that for a chocolatier flavor. I like the idea of adding cardamom and cinnamon Sarah. Next time!
was just wondering if I could use dairy milk as a substitute for both almond and coconut milk?
Healthy way to enjoy chocolate for breakfast. This is right up my fuddhist philosophy! Thank you for sharing! :)
I made this last week and it was UH-MA-ZING! I modified a bit by using steel-cut oats instead and added 3 cups of egg whites towards the end to really pack in some protein. I doubled the cacao and maple syrup and I can’t get over how delicious it is. This makes following my meal plan so much more enjoyable! :D
This is SO GOOD. Perfect combination on chocolate and grains. Vegan and filling. Its the best thing to eat before a killer weight training session. I like how you can modify it and the prep time is no time! Super quick, very tasty, abd nutritional.
Just made this at home for dessert… It was amazing!! Added extra cocoa for extra chocolatey-ness…
I also used black and white quinoa because I didnt just have white… tasted pretty good
I tried this today…amazing!!!!
Just made this and dammmmmmmmn. I’m so happy I did!!! Thanks Dana & buzzfeed. x
Never thought I’d eat quinoa for breakfast… I LOVED this! It was soo good I had to make it twice because my boyfriend ate the whole pot to himself! Really killer with strawberries, and you can use normal milk. I used Vanilla almond milk, and it made it sweeter <3
Dear Dana:
I discovered your dark chocolate quinoa breakfast bowl recipe on the internet. Now the recipe requires almond milk, coconut milk, and maple syrup or coconut sugar. Here are some questions which you should answer:
1. Would you replace the almond milk and the coconut milk with whole milk or any other
non-dairy milk that is not soy milk?
2. Which sweetener would you use to replace the maple syrup or coconut sugar?
3. Will you be able to come up with a nut-free, sugar-free, and syrup-free type of the dark
chocolate quinoa breakfast bowl recipe?
If you have the answers to all of the questions, please send your response to me as soon as possible. I thank you in advance and hope to receive your reply.
Best regards,
W. A. P.
Hi!
1. Rice milk would also work, as well as hemp, flax or oat.
2. Stevia would be ideal, or muscovado sugar.
3. I’ll add it to my list!
This was so good! The best part was adding a square of dark chocolate and having it melt into the quinoa and fruit <3
YUM! I had the chocolate quinoa bowl this morning just to try something different from my usual smoothie routine and it was amazing! I will definitely be making this on a regular basis. The only change from the recipe that I made was that I did not have coconut milk so I just used unsweetened almond milk. I halved the recipe also, so the cooking time was less than 20 minutes. I added the vanilla and some banana and it was perfect. Thanks Dana!
**Dana, are you aware that the format of the “printer-friendly” version of your recipes is, well, bizarre and not the usual much more aesthetically pleasing format??**
This is AMAZING!
I try to tell my friends how good it is and they think I’m crazy, lol.
I actually eat it as dessert, I warm it up, put a little extra coconut milk on it, break up about an ounce of 86% dark chocolate bar, and lots of fresh blueberries to top it off.
Hi, I eat it every morning. Then I am full for the rest of the day until lunch!!! Just love it that there is Dark Chocolate in it, but I use Granola instead of quinoa. And cinnamon is also very tasty in it!
i loveed it tasted so good and it was super easy and fast thank you for that
Im sorry, I prepared it this morning and I didnt like it. Are you sure about the 2 tbsp of cocoa powder? It was really strong and in your pictures your quinoa doesnt look as chocolatey as mine did. It was fluffy either, it was was kinda sticking together, the liquid didnt dry even after 25 minutes of bubbling throughout the time. I liked the taste initially, event thoug my family didnt. Then I kinda got here full and couldnt take anymore, like a little nauseated even. I probably did something wrong, not sure what, though.
Ah! This looks amazing. I have never had quinoa before (I know!). I think this post is a calling from the chocolate gods that’s it’s time to hop on the quinoa train.
Heading to the grocery store now!
I love your pictures and easy recipes!! I’m not a vegan, so is it possible to substitute the almond milk and coconut milk for regular cow’s milk?
Of course!
I made this this week for breakfast and it was delicious! I made it with light canned coconut milk. I didn’t have berries but I topped it with coconut “whipped cream”, shredded coconut, and a piece of sea salt dark chocolate. So decadent and yet still fairly healthy. Thanks for the great recipe!
This is fantastic thank you! We have made the recipe so many times that we now double the recipe in the beginning (up to the point of adding cocoa powder) and savor all week. Love your recipes! Sometimes we add the cocoa powder, sometimes we skip it – but it’s always delicious.
I only made this because it’s one of your recipes. I’m so glad I did. Totally delish and very filling. I didn’t have any almond or coconut milk so whizzed up a spoon of almond butter and coconut flakes in the blender with water. Yum!
I have a bunch of leftover cooked quinoa. Would this work as an “overnight quinoa” recipe?
Thanks for sharing this amazing recipe with us, I liked it so much I posted it on my blog. My kids thought I’d lost my mind when I served them chocolate for breakfast, and I didn’t tell them they were actually eating something healthy ;-)
I can’t wait to try this. Maybe it’ll encourage me to wake up in time to have breakfast! Dressing up protein and fiber with chocolate? Yes please.
As a side note, where it says “weary of quinoa”, you probably meant “wary”; weary is “tired of”, but wary is “cautious or unsure”.
Definitely give it a try! Thank you for the catch! ;)
OMG this was AMAZING! Thank you so much Dana, I had some quinoa I really did not want to throw away, but I just don’t like the flavor. HOWEVER, my alarm this morning was your recipe and I have enjoyed every spoon…even my husband and daughter liked it. Thank you for being so creative!
I am not totally vegeterian, but I love that I can always make your recipes with what I have on hand.
I tried this recipe out and it was fantastic! I made it without the dark chocolate bits but it was still deliciously chocolatey. It was just for me, so I stored it in Tupperware in the fridge – it reheats very nicely. To each warm serving I added one sliced banana and a few strawberries. This would be a great PMS/menstrual food!
The chocolate and coconut quinoa bowl was tasty and surprisingly filling. I liked the rich cocoa and maple syrup flavor and I also added dried coconut and coconut yogurt which was nice :) Happy to find more than edible vegan recipes- thanks minimalistbaker!
I just made this and have only had quinoa once in my life but I will be making it a lot more now with this recipe!! I added raspberries and a few dark chocolate chips! Mmmm!
Made this the night before to have it for breakfast this morning. AMAZING! I made a 1/2 recipe & didn’t add the chocolate chunks; it was rich enough for me as is. Truly tasted like delicious cocoa puffs, but it’s healthy, plant-based, and will keep you going until lunchtime. I enjoyed it with a dollop of peanut butter in the middle and some fresh strawberries. Thank you so much!
Hello. I’m from Portugal, I see this recipe and I want to give it a try…
but I only have tri color quinoa. Can I do this recipe with that or should I buy white quinoa?
Thank you so much.
Luisa, that should work! Additionally, oats would work as well!
Just tried this recipe and it was delicious! Made mine with a bit more milk added in after – yum!
Made it and it was absolutely delicious. I had to add more almond milk/coconut milk as it cooked. I mixed the chocolate/syrup/vanilla together before I put in the quinoa. Added chia seeds on top. DELICIOUS….thank you so much for this great recipe….
This was so good!! I usually hate the taste and texture of quinoa. This by far was one of the best breakfast meals I have ever had. 5 stars. It would not let me rate it for some reason.
I didn’t have whole chocolate, but it still tasted delicious! I just used lots of fresh fruit to make up for it. I would definitely make it again!
Can this recipe be made the night before for reheat the next morning?
Yes! Reheat in the microwave, or in a small saucepan with additional almond milk to add moisture back in.
Just made this for dinner (yes healthy cereal for dinner!) and I love it! I didn’t have coconut milk so had to make do with almond milk and some added unsweetened desiccated coconut. I topped it with one of your granola recipes.
Looking forward to trying it with the coconut milk too!
Made this today with just a few tweaks according to what I had in the cupboard at that point :0). It was incredibly delish. I shared the link and the recipe with a FB I belong to with an 8K membership so hopefully, you’ll get a few visitors from it. Love your site and the info you shared!
This is soooo good. I was hesitant at first but am so glad I tried it! And if you think it couldn’t get even better, melt some frozen strawberries and it makes it 10 times better! Thank you for coming up with this recipe!
Can I use 2 cups of almond milk!! I have an allergy to coconut!
Yes!
Hi! Would already cooked quinoa work for this recipe? If so, how? Thanks! :)
Really yummy! This recipe is a winner.
This is delicious! I didn’t add the dark chocolate at the end, but added 2 tbs chia seeds and some cinnamon to the pot plus a half a banana per serving. It has a peanut-like flavor! Does the nutty taste come from the quinoa?
So i made this a few months ago for the first time and my family LOVED it! Now its our go-to breakfasts on weekends! Never been a fan of quinoa before this, but now we are obviously. Amazing recipe! The only thing i had to do was increase the almond milk to an extra 1/2 cup coz the quinoa is never fully cooked otherwise but i assume that’s cuz of the type of quinoa /brand perhaps.
This looks so good!! My boyfriend hates oatmeal so we’ve been looking for a hot breakfast that we both like and is vegan and very filling like oatmeal is. So excited to make this one! :)
I made the recipe this morning. It was delicious… everyone in my family loved it. Thanks for sharing.
I loved it! I serve mine with strawberries, my husband thought it was weird but I didn’t actually make it for him, I made it for me to have at work!
I made this tonight for breakfasts for the next couple days. It was so delicious that my daughter and I each had a small bowl as a snack. I added 2T of maple syrup and a little bit of brown sugar, as well as the vanilla. I also added about 1/3 cup of warm coconut milk to it at the end as it seemed to need some more moisture. I have some raspberries, bananas, chia seeds, coconut and sliced almonds to add on top tomorrow, but it was delicious without any of those things too! Thank you!
This recipe is delicious! I loved it! Have made “breakfast quinoa” before but never with chocolate – it really adds a great sweetness and flavor. I used an unsweetened almond/coconut milk blend (from the carton), and then topped it with shredded coconut, chia seeds, chopped pecans, a small spoonful of almond butter, and 1/2 a banana. Great breakfast option!
I love your blog and every recipe I’ve tried has been a hit! This quinoa bowl allowed me to take a break from my traditional oatmeal breakfast. I’m not a fan of dark chocolate so I topped mine with strawberries, blueberries, and shredded coconut. What a hit!!! Thanks for the recipe!
Insanely delicious! Used 3TB cacao & 2TB maple syrup ~ Perfect! Also, only cooked mine for 15 mins.
How do I make this if I want to use oats instead of quinoa?
Hi Mina! For oats, I’d add almond milk, coconut milk, and a pinch of salt, and stir. Bring to a boil. Stir in oats and reduce heat to medium; cook, stirring occasionally, for 5 minutes. Remove from the heat, cover and let stand for 2 to 3 minutes. From there, I’d proceed to step 4 through 7, adding cocoa powder, maple syrup and vanilla (optional). Hope this helps!
Loved it so much!!!
I loved this recipe, didn’t have maple syrup so used a bit of sweetener and was still perfect. Looking forward to making up a big batch for the week.
Smart! Glad you enjoyed it, Becky!