This cranberry apple quinoa breakfast bowl is a delicious sweet morning treat to help you fuel the day ahead! It’s a great option for women looking to fuel their busy day – or really, anyone that wants to try a new spin on breakfast.
Note: This recipe was first published in 2016 and has been updated in 2022.
Ingredients
Here’s a photo of everything you’ll need to make this recipe, along with selected ingredient notes:
- Cranberries – Fresh or frozen cranberries work for this recipe. You can also use dried cranberries if you prefer. In the later case, you wouldn’t sauté them with the apples, but would instead add them in at the end with the walnuts.
- Walnuts – These are simply my preference, but you could also use pecans or slivered almonds instead.
- Brown sugar – Some type of sweetener is a necessity (in my mind) to cut the tartness of the cranberries. If you prefer not adding as much added sugar, you can use a brown sugar substitute (like Lakanto Golden) instead.
Instructions
You’ll find the full recipe amounts and instructions at the bottom of this post in the recipe card, but here’s a helpful overview with photos.
Start by cooking the quinoa according to package directions. I usually make a bigger batch of quinoa so that I can save some for another dinner that same week, but you can also make just enough for this if you prefer.
Next, heat the oil in a skillet. Add the apples and cook for a few minutes until they start to soften.
Add the cranberries, brown sugar, and cinnamon, and cook for another few minutes.
You want it to cook until the cranberries are soft and maybe a few start to burst.
Now mix that up with the quinoa and walnuts, and breakfast is ready!
Recipe FAQ
Here are some common questions that may arise as you prepare this recipe:
To add more protein, try adding a few spoonfuls of plain or vanilla Greek yogurt on top.
Nope! Feel free to enjoy this for dinner as well, either as-is, or by mixing it with some grilled chicken or sausage, and stuffing the mixture into a roasted acorn squash.
If you don’t have quinoa on hand, feel free to use oatmeal as the base for this recipe.
More Healthy Breakfast Recipes
Looking for more delicious recipes to help fuel your body in a nutritious way? Try one of these other options:
- Ricotta breakfast bowl
- Cottage cheese egg muffins
- Peanut butter and jelly oatmeal
- Pumpkin oatmeal breakfast cookies
- Sweet potato, brussels sprouts, and plantain hash
- Balanced breakfast skillet
I hope you enjoy this apple cranberry quinoa breakfast bowl! If you get a chance to try it, feel free to leave a comment or recipe rating below.
Cranberry Apple Quinoa Breakfast Bowl
Ingredients
- ⅓ cup dry quinoa (or 1 cup cooked quinoa)
- 2 tsp olive oil
- 1 large apple, peeled and chopped (or 2 small apples)
- 1 cup fresh cranberries
- 2 tbsp brown sugar (feel free to adjust to taste)
- ½ tsp cinnamon
- ¼ cup chopped walnuts
Instructions
- Cook quinoa according to package directions. Set aside for now.
- Meanwhile, in a large skillet, heat the olive oil over medium heat. Add apples and cook for 2-3 minutes until they start to soften a bit.
- Add the cranberries, brown sugar, and cinnamon to the pan. Cook about 3-4 minutes, until berries are soft and a few begin to burst.
- Mix the apple cranberry mixture with cooked quinoa and walnuts. Enjoy!
Notes
- Feel free to add a scoop of plain or vanilla Greek yogurt on top to add more protein.
- If you’d prefer, a brown sugar substitute (Swerve Brown Sugar Substitute, Lakanto Golden, etc) can be used in place of the brown sugar.
Nutrition
Share with me: Have you ever had quinoa for breakfast? If you tried this recipe, what did you think?
Feel free to pin this recipe to share with others!
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I have been telling myself over and over to try quinoa for breakfast, not just dinner, and I just haven’t made it happen yet. This looks delicious!
I’m a big fan of breakfast quinoa – either in this way, or in a savory way like with poached eggs & spinach.
This looks absolutely wonderful! I have tried quinoa for breakfast, but just with blueberries, and it honestly wasn’t so great. But I can tell that this recipe will be MUCH better! (Why didn’t I think of Cinnamon?!)
Now I want to try figuring out someway to make a blueberry pie style quinoa 🙂
Yes! I do like quinoa for breakfast. I never really thought of it as a breakfast food until I did a post for Nektar Honey Crystals and they sent their crystals with a recipe suggestion. I made it right off the recipe card and it was pretty good. If I remember right, it was cinnamon and honey crystals. Anyhow, your recipe above looks very yummy especially before a long run. I usually have overnight oatmeal or energy bites first thing in the morning but a nice warm apple cranberry quinoa looks delicous! Thanks for sharing 🙂
The cinnamon & honey recipe sounds good with quinoa – kind of like a healthier version of a cinnamon bun!
I love qunioa for breakfast but I haven’t made it in quite a while. This looks tasty.
Thanks Jen!
I make a cranberry apple pie, so I know that the combination is a winner! I’ll have to try this!
Ooooo, I’ve never tried making a cranberry apple pie but now I definitely want to.
I have never had quinoa for breakfast, but this looks absolutely delicious! Normally I just have toast and jam as a pre-long run breakfast. This looks like a tastier option!
I’m generally a bagel kinda girl before a long run, but I like changing it up sometimes with this sweeter option.
Now that I can eat solids again, and I just ran out of oats, I think I know where I am going next!
So happy you’re done with the liquid diet and able to enjoy all the other foods again! 🙂
big fan of quinoa! love this idea 🙂 perfect for breakfast or a snack!
Thanks Courtney – I hope you give it a try and enjoy it!
I’ve never thought to use quinoa as a breakfast food. What a great idea!
Thanks Kathryn. You can also do a savory version of breakfast quinoa – like some poached eggs and sauteed spinach over it.
This looks so delicious!
Thanks Nicole 🙂
I usually eat quinoa in a savory way what a great option looks wonderful. It’s not too late to add this to our meatless Monday linkup
I’ll have to check out the linkup Deborah!
I love quinoa, but I have yet to have it for breakfast! This looks awesome and I’m all about the tartness of the cranberries!! I will definitely try this out!
I’m a big fan of tart cranberries too. When I used to teach in the elementary school, it was always fun to bring in fresh vs dried cranberries and let the kids taste them to see the difference.
This looks amazing! I’ve been wanting to try a quinoa breakfast bowl. This is a great reason to do so.
Awesome – I hope you enjoy it!