High Protein Quinoa Breakfast Bowl Recipe
Nutrition Snapshot
I’ve been making quinoa breakfast bowls for years, and I never get sick of them. Quinoa is incredibly versatile, you could make a quinoa bowl every day and each one could be completely different!
These protein-packed breakfast bowls are a choose-your-own adventure – pick the veggies, spices, and additional proteins you like to start your day off right!
Key ingredients for breakfast quinoa
The truth of the matter is that the only requirement is that you have quinoa as your base – everything else is completely up to you.
Outside of that, here are what I added to mine for the one you see in this post:
- mushrooms
- spinach
- orange bell pepper
- salt, pepper, Adobo seasoning and red pepper flake
- topped with a fried egg
If you’d like to try other kinds of quinoa, there are:
- White quinoa – the mildest flavor and least crunchy
- Red quinoa – chewy texture, holds its shape best
- Black quinoa – chewy texture, healthiest option
- Tri-color quinoa – a mix of all of the above! (this is actually my personal favorite)
How to make a quinoa breakfast bowl
Step 1: Cook the quinoa according to package directions. For my white quinoa, that meant rinsing it under cold water, bringing 2 cups water to a boil in a small saucepan, then adding the quinoa. Cover with a lid and let simmer over low heat for 15 minutes.
Step 2: Prepare the vegetables you plan to add by washing, drying, slicing and dicing accordingly.
If you want to, you can saute the veggies separately before adding them to the bowl, or you can add them raw.
Step 3: Add spices and vegetables to the saucepan of quinoa and stir to combine. Cover to keep warm.
Step 4: In a small nonstick pan, cook an egg your desired way. I generally like to lightly fry mine over medium, but you could have yours scrambled, over easy, or poached.
Step 5: Transfer the quinoa mixture to a serving bowl.
Step 6: Top with the egg, and serve immediately.
Savory High Protein Quinoa Breakfast Bowls
Recommended Equipment
Ingredients
- ¼ cup quinoa, white, black, red, or tri-color
- ¼ cup spinach, packed
- ½ whole bell pepper, sliced (orange, red, yellow or green)
- 3 whole mushrooms, sliced
- ½ tablespoon Adobo seasoning
- Salt and pepper, to taste
- 1 large egg
Instructions
- Cook the quinoa according to package directions. For my white quinoa, that meant rinsing it under cold water, bringing 2 cups water to a boil in a small saucepan, then adding the quinoa. Cover with a lid and let simmer over low heat for 15 minutes.1/4 cup quinoa
- Prepare the vegetables you plan to add by washing, drying, slicing and dicing accordingly. If you want to, you can saute the veggies separately before adding them to the bowl, or you can add them raw.1/4 cup spinach | 1/2 whole bell pepper | 3 whole mushrooms
- Add spices and vegetables to the saucepan of quinoa and stir to combine. Cover to keep warm.1/2 tablespoon Adobo seasoning | Salt and pepper
- In a small nonstick pan, cook an egg your desired way. I generally like to lightly fry mine over medium, but you could have yours scrambled, over easy, or poached.1 large egg
- Transfer the quinoa mixture to a serving bowl.
- Top with the egg, and serve immediately. Enjoy!
Notes
Nutrition
Nutrition Disclaimer
The provided nutrition information is generated by an automatic API and does not take variations across specific brands into account. This information is provided as a general guideline and should not be treated as official calculations. Learn more here.
Making it a vegan quinoa bowl
To make your breakfast vegan, you can leave out the fried egg and add a whole sliced avocado and/or extra firm tofu.
For the tofu, try crumbling it and sauteing it in oil and your favorite spice blend until crisp!
Serving suggestions & variations
Try adding some of these options to your savory breakfast bowls:
- Halved cherry tomatoes
- Diced avocado
- Black beans
- Hard-boiled egg
- Sauteed kale
- Roasted sweet potato (I like to make roasted sweet potato cubes in the air fryer)
- Roasted chickpeas or air fryer chickpeas
- Crumbled breakfast sausage
- Diced bacon
Benefits of quinoa
Fun fact: Although quinoa is classified as a whole grain, it’s actually a seed!
Quinoa is packed with tons of essential nutrients. For example, a 1/4 cup serving of quinoa has:
- 6 grams protein
- 5 grams fiber
- 29 grams calcium
- 2 mg iron
- 20 mg potassium
The high protein content helps you feel full, which is great for sustaining you until you get to your lunch break. It’s also gluten-free and super versatile, so you can use quinoa in just about anything for any meal of the day.
I love to substitute quinoa for other grains in meals, like rice, for a higher-fiber, lower-carb option.
FAQs
Is quinoa good for breakfast?
Yes! Quinoa is like a blank slate for flavor and perfect for breakfast, lunch or dinner.
How long does it take to cook quinoa?
You can make it on the stove in about 15 minutes or in the instant pot in about 10 minutes (cook for 1 minute on high pressure, then let pressure release for 5 minutes before manually releasing it).
Do I have to rinse quinoa?
Many brands of quinoa claim they have already been rinsed, but I always recommend rinsing it anyway. Quinoa has a coating that tastes bitter and a little like soap, so rinsing it off ensures that you don’t ruin your dish.
