Quinoa Breakfast Porridge
This creamy and healthy Instant Pot Breakfast Quinoa Porridge recipe is lightly sweet and spiced with cinnamon. It makes a great breakfast when you’re trying to eat healthy but also want something sweet.

Why You’ll Love This Recipe
This is a delicious and crowd-pleasing go-to breakfast recipe in the Instant Pot. We love serving hot cereal for breakfast when family is staying over, and this hands-off recipe is always a hit.
We’ve been making this recipe for breakfast quinoa for years. Our family loves adding their favorite sweet toppings, and the healthy quinoa ensures you’ll be full and satisfied until lunch.
This is one of our favorite Instant Pot breakfast recipes. A pressure cooker is a great way to make creamy, spoonable porridge like Creamy Instant Pot Oatmeal, Steel Cut Oats, and Brown Sugar Raisin Breakfast Farro.
Update: We’ve updated this post and recipe with new photos and tips to make the easiest breakfast porridge possible.
INGREDIENTS YOU NEED
Grab these ingredients for this easy Instant Pot Breakfast Quinoa recipe:
- Quinoa. You can use any kind of quinoa, just be sure to rinse it well.
- Cooking liquid. You can use water or your favorite fruit juice for extra flavor.
- Maple syrup. This adds just the right amount of sweetness.
- Vanilla. Use pure vanilla extract, not imitation.
- Cinnamon. For a touch of warming spice.
How to Make Breakfast Quinoa Porridge in an Instant Pot
✅ This easy recipe will work in any brand of electric pressure cooker, including the Instant Pot, Ninja Foodi, or Power Pressure Cooker XL.
This is a simple breakfast to put together. Simply stir together the quinoa, water (or juice), maple syrup, vanilla, cinnamon, and salt in your pressure cooking pot. Then add the lid and cook on high pressure for 1 minute.
After pressure cooking, let the pressure release naturally for ten minutes, then finish with a quick pressure release. Remove the lid, and stir your quinoa to fluff it up. Serve the porridge with your favorite toppings and enjoy!
Important Tips for Making Breakfast Quinoa Porridge
- We recommend spraying the cooking pot with nonstick cooking spray or add enough butter to cover the bottom of the pot. This will make it easier to remove the quinoa after cooking.
- Before cooking, rinse the uncooked quinoa in a fine-mesh strainer under cold running water for a minute or so until the water runs clear. This removes any bitter flavor from the grains.
- Given the small size of the quinoa, a mesh strainer works much better than a colander, because the quinoa will not get rinsed out of the holes.
Most quinoa manufacturers rinse the quinoa before they package it, but if your quinoa is tasting bitter, they either didn’t do a very good job of it or for some reason, it wasn’t done at all. Either way, a quick rinse is usually all it takes to ensure your quinoa won’t taste bitter.
If you’re quite sensitive to the bitter taste, soak your quinoa in cold water for up to 30 minutes, stirring occasionally. Drain the quinoa well, then follow the recipe as directed.
Frequently Asked Questions about Quinoa Porridge
Is quinoa gluten-free?
Yes, quinoa is a naturally gluten-free cereal grain.
Can I use something other than water to cook the quinoa?
You can cook the breakfast quinoa in juice, such as orange juice or grapefruit juice. Do not use dairy products, which may burn on the bottom of the pressure cooking pot.
Can I store leftover quinoa porridge?
Yes, store leftovers in an airtight container in the fridge for up to four days. You can reheat servings in the microwave or on the stove. Just add a splash of extra liquid to help loosen up the grains.
What are toppings for breakfast quinoa?
We like to serve this creamy quinoa topped with a drizzle of milk or cream, fresh berries, and chopped nuts. For extra sweetness, add more maple syrup.
Is there a substitute for maple syrup?
You can use any sweetener you like, including honey, brown sugar, agave, or regular sugar.
MORE Instant Pot Breakfast Recipes
Try these other healthy and delicious breakfast recipes in your pressure cooker next:
- Lemon Cranberry Breakfast Farro is a healthy, high-fiber breakfast grain with sweet-tart citrus flavor.
- Ham and Cheese Quiche is a thick and filling egg breakfast that’s great for entertaining.
- Coconut Vanilla Syrup is our favorite topping for fresh pancakes or waffles.
Do you LOVE this recipe?
Leave us a review below to tell us why!
Quinoa Breakfast Porridge | Instant Pot recipe
Ingredients
- 1 1/2 cups uncooked quinoa well rinsed
- 2 1/4 cups water
- 2 tablespoons maple syrup
- 1/2 teaspoon vanilla
- 1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- pinch of salt
- Optional Toppings: milk fresh berries, sliced almonds
Instructions
- In the pressure cooking pot,* combine the quinoa, water, maple syrup, vanilla, cinnamon, and salt.
- Select High Pressure and 1 minute cook time. When the cook time ends, allow the pressure to release naturally for 10 minutes, then finish with a quick pressure release.
- When the valve drops, carefully remove the lid.
- Fluff the quinoa and serve hot, topped with a splash of milk, fresh berries, sliced almonds, or your other favorite toppings.
Notes
Nutrition
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I love using a pressure cooker, but need to broaden my options as I tend to cook the same things over and over again. I have been using my mother’s pressure cooker that’s older than me and just recently got a new one, but I’m afraid to use it.
I love my electric pressure cooker! I am always looking for new recipes.
I found your site today and I am so excited to try out some of your recipes! And the vegan cookbook you are featuring looks awesome as well! Can’t wait to use my pressure cooker more often!
Any idea if I add steel cut oats to quinoa how it will impact teh water and cooking time?
Thanks
I haven’t tried it, but you’d want to use a recipe for cooking steel cut oats and just sub some of the oats for quinoa.
I am not a vegitarian or vegan but I value being able to cook great tasting food using all kinds of cooking. Need to know how to provide alternative ways of making healthy food with other types of protein.
The book looks like it will have some great recipes in it. I recently purchased an electric pressure cooker (It was my Christmas gift). So I really could use more recipes. I’m not vegan but love everything that helps us to eat healthy foods and the pressure cooker is an awesome appliance to do that. Thank you for all your recipes that you post, I love quinoa also and the breakfast cereal made with it is delicious.
This sounds good! Would love to see all the recipes!
I love vegan pressure cooking!
I have an old school pressure cooker that I never used. Looking into getting a new one and would love to have some recipes to inspire me. Thanks for the giveaway!
I’ve recently received the electric Instapot and since that time have rediscovered pressure cooking. Thanks to websites such as pressurecookingtoday and others, I now use my pressure cooker every day for some part of a meal, whether it is the main course or side dish or dessert. I have had a regular pressure cooker for years, but never used it because of the time consuming part of watching it and trying to regulate the pressure. Now I am in love with pressure cooking all over again. Along with my goal to eat more healthy and less meats in 2015, I am excited to begin my pressure cooking year with healthy recipes!
Sounds like a fun cookbook, fingers crossed 🙂
I’m the opposite of you – I’m already vegan, but looking to learn more about pressure cooking!
Having a pressure cooker has decreased the time spent preparing delicious healthy meals. Cooking is something I’ve always enjoyed and friends and family say I cook very well. Only problem my wife says is that I tend to industrialize the size of the meals. Recipe says will feed 4, I’ll prepare enough for 12. Oh well, everyone loves leftovers, right? Looks like this recepie could be enjoyed more by just double or triple the incredients. Yum, yum……
I made Barbara’s bow tie pasta and sauce. It was delicious. Can’t wait to try this pressure cooker breakfast-quinoa. I love hot cereals for breakfast and this looks like it will be a welcoming change from the usual oatmeal. Since finding your website I use my cooker more than ever before. I love it. Thanks for all the great recipes.
I’ve just received my new instant pot and am ready to start enjoying some wonderful recipes.
Thanks for the opportunity to win this book.
Virginia
Recipe looks great. Can’t wait to try it!
I totally forgot that I have quinoa in the house! I do so love my steel cut oats in my Instant Pot, but this is sure to change things up a bit! I know what I’m making for breakfast later! 🙂
I love this idea for breakfast. I am definitely going to try this.
I agree, I am not vegan but we are eager to eat more vegetables and whole grains and beans, and find ways to resist processed foods, especially on those days we feel overwhelmed. And like many of you, I have been enjoying my Instant Pot , and always on the lookout for new tasty ways to use it.
Quinoa is new to me, and I have some waiting to be cooked. Eating it warm for breakfast appeals to me. Can’t wait to try it.
Just got my Instant Pot this week. Didn’t even think about using it for breakfast! Will be trying this recipe out. Thanks.
I recently bought an Instant Pot and I have been looking for recipes to try. Quinoa for breakfast sounds delicious!
I used a pressure cooker in the 70’s on the stovetop. Recently I purchased an Instant Pot and I am having so much fun creating meals with it. I’ve enjoyed quinoa in main dishes so I know I will love using it in a breakfast meal. I especially like the 1 minute cooking time!
Great recipes! Looking forward to trying more of your suggestions!
This is great. I bought some quinoa ages ago but haven’t gotten around to making it.
This has inspired me.
Also – the last two emails from you have crashed Outlook. When I click on the link to view in my browser, it opens up the photo (jpg) but not the webpage. I’m on a PC running Windows 7/Firefox. I’
Thanks Susan – let me know how you like it. I usually use Chrome, but check the email in Firefox. If I click on the second link (which is actually a picture in Chrome) then it brought up the photo. But if I clicked on the first link, the name of the recipe, it took me to the recipe. Hope that helps. 🙂
Thanks – I just went back to the original email and it crashed Outlook again. For the record, I’m not having this issue with any other emails. I’m not complaining here, just wondered if anyone else was having this issue. When I click on the email to open it I get “Outlook Not Responding” and then messages that it is contacting the website and another Amazon site. This went on for several minutes until I gave up and closed Outlook. No worries as I can access everything on the website but it’s a weird glitch. Thank for all of your great recipes and advice 😉 I bought an Instant Pot in November and have been talking about how great it is so much that five friends and colleagues have also purchased them and now we’re sharing recipes. Great fun!
This recipe sounds delicious. A nice change from oatmeal.
We love quinoa but never have tried it for breakfast. Would love to be the winner of this Vegan Pressure Cooker cookbook! Thanks!
Using the pressure cooker more each month. Grains would be a great way to go.
I am looking forward to improve my family’s diet to include more grains, beans and.vegetables and I know I need some recipes with a lot of flavor to make this happen. it has to be interesting to get them to try something new.
I have made quinoa in the pressure cooker (got on for Christmas) and it turned out great! Looking forward to trying this one! We have a vegan in our family circle now, so am glad to see a new cookbook out as my son now has a pressure cooker too!
I am interested to try Quinoa for breakfast. I am always looking for ways to increase beans and grains in our diet. Thank you for the giveaway!
I could really benefit from this great cookbook. I’m new to pressure cooking and haven’t ventured past meat dishes.
I am so excited to try this! Quinoa is truly a super-food!
I’ve made quinoa for breakfast a few times but never in the pressure cooker. LOVE the idea of adding maple and cinnamon while it cooks. Can’t wait to try this one.
Love your recipes, love your site! Thanks for the opportunity
This is great, I was going to make pressure cooker oatmeal for breakfast but this recipe is a much better plan. More protein and I like the nuttiness of quinoa.
Like you, I’m not a vegan, but I do eat vegan and vegetarian dishes quite often. I love quinoa and enjoyed this recipe. Thanks for the opportunity to win the book!