Easy Breakfast Quinoa Bake with Chocolate and Peanut Butter

This breakfast quinoa bake is a great way to start the day. It is a delicious and nutritious meal that will satisfy your hunger and provide you with a boost of energy early in the morning. This delicious breakfast dish tastes like a dessert, but it won’t cause a sugar rush. To prepare it I used milk, unsweetened cacao powder, dark chocolate chips, peanut butter and a little bit of maple syrup. The chocolate I used is sugar free and the maple syrup has lower glycemic index than sugar. Therefore, it won’t cause a big spike in insulin.

There are many similar recipes online, but most of them create undercooked quinoa. I tested this recipe multiple times and I found the method that gives you a perfectly cooked quinoa every single time. The secret is to bake it covered for the first 30 minutes and then uncover for the rest of the baking time. This creates steam and the quinoa becomes fluffy.

Why should you make this breakfast quinoa bake

This recipe is easy and very high in nutrients. It contains foods that will provide you with the energy you need to start the day.

Quinoa is one of the few plant foods that contains all nine essential amino acids. This makes it an excellent source of protein. Quinoa is high on fiber, manganese, phosphorus, magnesium and many vitamins. It is also a low-calorie food that will keep you full for a long time.

If you have diabetes, you can use sugar free chocolate for this recipe. I’ve prepared the breakfast quinoa bake with dark chocolate chip form Choc Zero. Instead of refined sugar they use monk fruit to sweeten their chocolates. Monk fruit has zero impact on the blood sugar. Therefore, it won’t trigger a release of insulin.

This quinoa bake is also naturally grain and gluten free. Depending on the milk and chocolate you use you can make this recipe vegan, Paleo and dairy free.

Helpful tips

I use unsweetened cacao powder instead of cocoa powder. The cacao powder is raw and less processed. It is very important to use unsweetened cacao or cocoa powder.

Always rinse quinoa before cooking. This will help wash off a bitter-tasting compound, called saponin.

I’ve tested this recipe in an aluminum square pan with 9.5 inch sides and a 10 inch ceramic round dish. Both times it worked great.

If you feed more people, you can double the recipe and use a bigger baking dish.

You can prepare this breakfast bake ahead of time and keep it in the fridge for 3-4 days.

I’ve tested this recipe with whole and oat milk. Both times it was delicious. You can use any milk that you like.

More tips

For best results bake the casserole covered for the first 30 minutes. This creates steam and allows the quinoa to cook perfectly. Then uncover and bake for another 20 minutes or until all the milk is absorbed and the quinoa is cooked.

You can cover your baking dish with an oven safe lid instead of aluminum foil. Be very careful when you cover and uncover the baking dish. The hot milk can burn you if you tilt the baking dish. Use oven mitts to protect your hands from accidents.

This blog post is not sponsored. I love the products of Choc Zero and I use them all the time in my baking. The link will give you $15 off your first purchase, and I will get $15 off any of my furniture purchases.

Store any leftovers in the refrigerator for 3-4 days.

Print Recipe

Easy Breakfast Quinoa Bake with Chocolate and Peanut Butter

Prep Time10

Cook Time50

Total Time1

Course: Breakfast, Dessert

Keyword: cacao, chocolate, chocolate chip, maple syrup, milk, peanut butter, quinoa

Servings: 4

Ingredients

½ cup uncooked quinoa
2 cups milk of choice I've tried this recipe with whole and oat milk
¼ cup maple syrup plus more for topping
2 Tbsp unsweetened cacao powder or cocoa powder
2 Tbsp unsweetened peanut butter plus more for topping
¼ cup chocolate chips of choice I used dark

Optional toppings

nuts, dried fruit, banana or other fruit, chocolate chips

Instructions

Preheat the oven to 355F.
Add the milk, cacao and maple syrup in a pot and place it on a burner. Heat up and stir until the cacao is dissolved.
Rinse the quinoa in a fine mesh strainer and add it to a baking dish. (I used round, 10-inch baking dish). Add the milk and cacao mixture to the quinoa. Drizzle the peanut butter and sprinkle chocolate chips on top. Stir to spread the quinoa evenly.
Carefully cover the baking dish tightly with tin foil. Make sure you close all gaps. You can also use an oven safe lid that covers the baking dish. Bake for 30 minutes covered and 20 minutes uncovered.
You can serve it warm or cold with extra maple syrup, peanut butter and chocolate chips. I prefer to make this recipe ahead of time and eat it for breakfast cold out of the fridge.