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Instant Pot Brown Sugar Breakfast Quinoa is a fun and interesting new way to enjoy this incredibly healthy whole grain. Reminiscent of oatmeal, tender quinoa cooks quickly and is topped with butter and cream for a delicious new breakfast.

What is quinoa?
Quinoa (kēēn-wah) is an gluten free whole grain seed. It is packed with protein, fiber, vitamins, and minerals making it a very popular “superfood.”
It’s traditionally prepared like rice, and can be mixed into salads, soups, or anywhere rice would be used.

I like using it in my Healthy Instant Pot Taco Lettuce wraps. I cook ground beef and quinoa together with beans and taco seasoning to make an incredibly healthy and bulked up meal that everyone loves!
You can read more benefits of quinoa here.

Instant Pot Breakfast quinoa
If you’re like me and only use quinoa for a couple of the same recipes, try this new way to enjoy quinoa for breakfast! Reminiscent of oatmeal, this sweet breakfast quinoa is an amazing way to pack your day with nutrients.

I had the idea to make a sweet breakfast version of quinoa while developing a bunch of new Instant Pot breakfast recipes. At first, I thought it might be weird, but it turned out so good. If you already like quinoa, I know you’ll love this.
Where to find quinoa
Quinoa looks like tiny little seeds, almost like sesame seeds. You can find quinoa sold in the rice or grain aisle in the grocery store. Some varieties of quinoa may be red, brown, or black, but I prefer the white kind.

Make sure to look for quinoa that has already been pre-rinsed, or ensure you do rinse it before cooking.
I find the best deal on quinoa at Costco, but you can also find it online through Amazon. I even found the exact quinoa I use from Costco on Amazon if you don’t have one close by. Thankfully, quinoa has blown up in popularity over the last 10 years, so it’s usually very easy to find.
How to cook Instant Pot breakfast quinoa
the Instant Pot cooks quinoa in a flash. It’s actually incredible how quickly this tool cooks quinoa!

Simply add pre-rinsed quinoa to the Instant Pot with a 1:2 ratio of liquid. Cook for 2 minutes with a 10 minute natural pressure release.
You can follow any recipe for rice with this ratio of quinoa to liquid. That allows you to be creative- make cilantro lime quinoa, (here’s my Instant Pot Cilantro Lime Rice Recipe). Or, use broth instead of water, etc. to start utilizing it your cooking.
Other Instant Pot Breakfast dishes you’ll love

- Instant Pot Hard Boiled Eggs + Air Fryer Hard Boiled Egg Test
- Instant Pot Yogurt + FAQ (2-Ingredients, Plain or Sweet!)
- Instant Pot Bread Pudding with Butter Rum Sauce
- Instant Pot Oatmeal, 5 Ways!
About the Author

About Lisa

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Brown Sugar Breakfast Quinoa
Instant Pot Brown Sugar Breakfast Quinoa is a fun and interesting new way to enjoy this incredibly healthy whole grain. Reminiscent of oatmeal, tender quinoa cooks quickly and is topped with butter and cream for a delicious new breakfast.
Ingredients
- 1 cup quinoa, rinsed
- 2 cups vanilla almond milk
- 2 tablespoons butter
- 1/4 cup brown sugar
- 1/16 teaspoon salt
- 1 cup milk
- 1/2 cup heavy cream
Instructions
Add quinoa, almond milk, butter, and salt to the Instant Pot®.
Close the lid, turn the knob to Sealing.
Press Manual or Pressure Cook button and adjust time to 2 minutes.
When the timer beeps, allow 10 minutes to naturally release the pressure, then remove the lid.
Stir in brown sugar and milk to the quinoa and scoop into a bowl.
Serve topped with heavy cream.
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Nutrition Information:
Yield: 2 Serving Size: 1Amount Per Serving: Calories: 655Total Fat: 40gSaturated Fat: 23gTrans Fat: 1gUnsaturated Fat: 14gCholesterol: 108mgSodium: 399mgCarbohydrates: 66gFiber: 4gSugar: 40gProtein: 11g