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This Whole Grain Breakfast Porridge is a hearty, healthy dish to get your day off to the right start! It features a trio of quinoa, millet, and amaranth combined with crunchy apples and flavored with warm spices.
We eat a lot of oatmeal around here. My kids love it! In fact, one of my twins would eat it for breakfast, lunch and dinner if I let her. It’s a healthy, hearty breakfast that you can easily customize to fit your tastes. This week I decided to change it up just a bit and throw a few different grains together. I’ve tricked the kids before with millet in place of oatmeal, but this would be the first time I attempted to pull off several different whole grains in one bowl. Good news! They loved this Apple Pie Spiced Mixed Grain Hot Breakfast Cereal and even dug into seconds!
There is so much nutrition packed into one bowlful, you will feel energized and ready to take on the day! There’s quinoa, millet AND amaranth in this heart healthy breakfast! Those three ingredients team up to bring you an incredible amount of plant protein and fiber along with numerous vitamins and minerals, not to mention it’s gluten free!
Whole grains, fresh apples, warming spices like cinnamon, nutmeg and ginger and a little sweetness – doesn’t that just scream cozy? Heck, forget about breakfast, I wouldn’t mind curling up with a blanket on my couch at the end of the day and a bowlful of this goodness (and probably some bad TV like The Bachelor too!).
More whole grain breakfast recipes
- Ancient Grain Breakfast Bars
- Quinoa Power Breakfast
- Healthy Breakfast Toast
- Baked Oatmeal Muffins
- Gluten-Free Buckwheat Pancakes
I hope you love this recipe as much as we do! If you tried it, please use the rating system in the recipe card and leave a comment below with your feedback.
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Whole Grain Breakfast Porridge
Ingredients
- ½ cup quinoa rinsed and drained
- ½ cup millet rinsed and drained
- ½ cup amaranth rinsed and drained
- 4 cups water
- ¾ cup chopped apples
- 3-4 tablespoons pure maple syrup or coconut sugar
- 2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
- 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
- ½ teaspoon ground nutmeg
- ¼ teaspoon ground ginger
Toppings, optional
- chopped apples
- chopped nuts, like pecans, walnuts, or almonds
- drizzle of non-dairy milk or coconut cream
Instructions
- Add quinoa, millet, amaranth and water to a pot and bring to a boil.
- Turn down the heat to medium-low, add the remaining ingredients, and simmer for about 20 minutes or until grains have softened, stirring frequently to prevent sticking.
- If mixture is too liquidy, simmer for a few more minutes until desired consistency is reached. If the mixture seems too thick, take off heat and stir in a little more water or non-dairy milk.
- Serve warm topped with a splash of non-dairy milk, more chopped apples, and/or chopped nuts.
Notes
Nutrition
Nutrition values are calculated using online calculators and are estimates only. Please verify using your own data.
Rachael says
I wanted to like this. I’m trying to move my diet to the use of ancient grains only. But the consistency of this was off putting. Just a bunch of small al dente balls. It wasn’t smooth or creamy. The amaranth tastes like “beets.” That’s the best comparison I could give.
I’m not giving up. I’ll try this again without the amaranth and see if it’s palatable. I can get by the texture, but the taste of amaranth was too off putting. Wish me luck.
Jenn Sebestyen says
Thanks for your feedback. Sounds like maybe it needed to cook a bit longer. Was all of the water absorbed? It won’t be as creamy as oatmeal, but should definitely have a creamier texture that what you’re describing. Once cooked, you could try using an immersion blender to break it down either further if you prefer a smoother texture. You’ll probably need to add some non-dairy milk or more water while puréeing. Also, amaranth has a nutty, mildly sweet flavor, so I’m not sure where the “beet” flavor is coming from. You could certainly make this without the amaranth or just use quinoa only (just be sure to use the correct amount of liquid to grain for whatever you use.
Becky says
This looks so warming and satisfying!
Jenn S. says
It is definitely a comforting dish! And very filling! Thanks, Becky!
Teresa Townsell says
Hi! I was looking at your “Apple Pie Spiced Mixed Grain Hot Breakfast Cereal”—looks healthy and delish! Any idea of the calories, or Weight Watchers info? Then, you talked about how much your family loves oatmeal. I love it, too. For years I have eaten (not the instant), but the quick oats, with lots of milk and cinnamon/Splenda on top. Now, I want to give up any sweetener, and the milk. I tried just the quick oats and cinnamon last week—bleech. I’m guessing you use the steel cut oats, which I’ve bought, but never cooked. Then, what? I’m probably asking you what seems like a super easy “recipe” –one you don’t even think of as needing a recipe. However, if your daughter will eat it morning, noon and night, then, I’d really like to know what you do. Thank you!!!!
Jenn S. says
Hi, Teresa! Thanks for stopping by! I don’t have the nutritional info, but you can plug it in to my fitness pal or nutritiondata.com and it should give you a rough idea.
As for making yummy oatmeal without sugar, I do have a secret! Smashed ripe bananas!! Mix the smashed banana into the cold water before adding the oats and whisk it around until it’s mostly incorporated. Then add your oats and stir. Then turn on the heat and cook, stirring frequently, until desired consistency. You can then flavor with anything else you want: fresh fruit, dried fruit, peanut butter, cinnamon, nuts/seeds, etc. the banana gives a lot of sweetness!! I have never given my kids the packaged instant oatmeal or homemade oatmeal with sugar, so they are used to it that way. If you are used to it being much sweeter, try adding a tbsp or two of pure maple syrup (not the pancake topping stuff) and then reduce that amount little by little until you don’t need it at all! By the way, I generally use old fashioned rolled oats. They cook quicker than steel cut and get much creamier which is how my kids like it best. Let me know if you try it!!
Jenn S. says
Forgot to mention also that adding everything to cold water and then hearing…as opposed to gearing the water and then adding everything in…makes it much creamier so you probably won’t need a lot if added milk, if any. Not sure why this works, but it does!