My creamy amaranth & quinoa breakfast bowl is topped with delicious caramelized plums cooked in maple syrup and flavored with ghee & cardamom. This is such a comforting breakfast for cozy fall mornings and tastes super delicious when eaten warm. This recipe is a keeper and is sure to brighten those chilly autumn mornings.
Watch the step by step tutorial on how to make this Amaranth quinoa breakfast bowl here.
What makes this quinoa breakfast bowl so special?
If you've only had quinoa in savory preparations, this is an excellent recipe to try it in a sweet form. Both quinoa & amaranth are powerhouses of nutrition and are packed with proteins, vitamins and complex carbohydrates which makes this an amazing choice to have at breakfast time. My amaranth quinoa breakfast bowl with maple cardamom plums will satiate your hunger in the mornings and keep you full until lunch time. This recipe is also a 100% vegan and gluten free.. it really can't get any better!
The inspiration for this Quinoa breakfast bowl
I was inspired by a famous Indian dessert called Rava Kesari/Suji ka Halwa while creating this recipe and I've recreated some of those iconic flavors in this breakfast bowl. Ghee and cardamom are the main flavoring ingredients in this Indian dessert and they work wonderfully in this amaranth quinoa breakfast bowl.
Amaranth & quinoa when toasted in ghee adds such a lovely nutty flavor in the background along with the benefits of adding healthy fats to our breakfast. The ground cardamom pairs beautifully with the slightly tart plums and is reminiscent of so many different Indian desserts. I enjoyed the flavor of maple syrup with cardamom in this recipe and it adds just the right amount of sweetness.
Substitutions/Changes to this recipe
This recipe is sweetened with just a little bit of jaggery and maple syrup, which means it is not too sweet and perfect at breakfast time. I love to load up my amaranth quinoa breakfast bowl with a big serving of the plums since they add such a nice tartness combined with the sweet cardamom maple flavor. If you prefer your porridge to be sweeter, feel free to increase the amount of jaggery/brown sugar as per your preference.
I cooked my amaranth & quinoa in unsweetened almond milk and really loved the outcome. You could also use other dairy/non-dairy milks in this recipe, they all will work great.
To make this recipe plant based, replace it with the same amount of oil or vegan butter.
Other stone fruits like peaches, nectarines or apricots will all work really well in this recipe. You could also use autumn fruit like apples, pears or even bananas in the recipe. Just follow the instructions exactly as mentioned below and replace plums with your favorite choice of fruit.
More recipes to try out
If you love this recipe, here are some more simple & delicious recipes you might want to try. These are both amazing and healthy breakfast options that are sure to satiate your morning hunger.
Amaranth quinoa breakfast bowl with maple cardamom plums
Ingredients
- ½ teaspoon ghee
- ⅓ cup amaranth
- ⅓ cup quinoa
- 1.5 cups almond milk (or any milk of your choice)
- 1.5 tablespoons jaggery powder or brown sugar (add more if you like it sweeter)
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- 2 tablespoons ground almonds
For the caramelized maple plum topping
- 2 medium plums sliced thick
- ½ teaspoon ghee
- 1 tablespoon maple syrup (plus more for topping)
- ¼ teaspoon ground cardamom
- 2 tablespoons sliced almonds (optional for topping)
Instructions
- Rinse and drain the amaranth and quinoa.
Stove top instructions
- In a heavy bottomed saucepan, heat the ghee on medium heat until it melts. Add in the amaranth & quinoa and stir well to coat each of the grains in ghee. Toast the amaranth & quinoa on medium heat for about a minute.
- Now add in the almond milk, jaggery powder and salt. Bring the mixture to a boil, and reduce the heat to a simmer (all the way down.) Cover and cook for about 25 minutes or until the porridge is soft but there is still some liquid left.
- Remove from the heat, add in the powdered almonds and mix well to combine. Feel free to add a bit more milk to thin out the texture, if desired.
Instant pot instructions
- Turn on the instant pot on sauté mode and heat the ghee on medium heat until it melts. Add in the amaranth & quinoa and stir well to coat each of the grains in ghee. Toast the amaranth & quinoa on medium heat for about a minute.
- Now add in the almond milk, jaggery powder and salt. Turn off the sauté mode and close the instant pot with the lid (Sealing rind attached and vent set to sealing). Set the instant pot to high pressure for 5 minutes. After it is done cooking, let the pressure release naturally for 10 minutes before opening.
- Now add in the powdered almonds and mix well to combine. Let it sit covered, for 5 to 10 more minutes to thicken the amaranth. Feel free to add a bit more milk to thin out the texture, if desired.
For the caramelized maple plum topping
- In a frying pan, heat the ghee on medium heat and add in the sliced plums. Cook them on one side until they are nicely caramelized before flipping and cooking on the other side.
- When nicely caramelized, turn off the heat and drizzle the maple syrup and sprinkle the ground cardamom powder all over the plums and toss well to combine
For serving
- Serve the porridge in bowls while still hot, with additional almond milk or yogurt if desired. Top the porridge with the caramelized syrupy plums and some sliced almonds for crunch. Serve with more maple syrup if desired.
Notes
- This recipe also works well with using either quinoa or amaranth by itself too. You can use whichever one of these you have at hand to make this recipe.
- This recipe is sweetened with just a little bit of jaggery and maple syrup, which means it is not too sweet and perfect at breakfast time. If you prefer your porridge to be sweeter, feel free to increase the amount of jaggery/brown sugar as per your preference.
- I cooked my porridge in unsweetened almond milk and really loved the outcome. You could also use other dairy/non-dairy milks in this recipe, they all will work great.
- To make this recipe plant based, replace it with the same amount of oil or vegan butter.
- Other stone fruits like peaches, nectarines or apricots will all work really well in this recipe. You could also use autumn fruit like apples, pears or even bananas in the recipe. Just follow the instructions exactly as mentioned above and replace plums with your favorite choice of fruit.
Estimated Nutrition
Watch the step by step tutorial on how to make this Amaranth quinoa breakfast bowl here.
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Val says
Fall beautifully captured! Brb, going to get quinoa and amaranth ! 🙂
Viola says
Thanks! Let me know how it goes 😍