Overnight quinoa pudding is the perfect recipe for those busy mornings when you have no time to cook but still want a healthy, nutritious breakfast.
This quinoa breakfast pudding is prepared with cooked quinoa and milk, plus chia seeds for thickness. It's a bit like chia pudding with quinoa in!
To make it, simply leave the ingredients to soak overnight and you'll have a jar of overnight quinoa ready for the next day.
Then, all that is left to do is add your favourite pudding toppings. You'll find lots of topping ideas in our tips below!
Here, we used blackberries and crunchy almonds for antioxidants, good fats, and fibres, plus a dash of maple syrup and a few coconut flakes for extra flavour.
Not just incredibly tasty, breakfast pudding made with quinoa is also filling and nutritious. Each delicious jar delivers a balanced mix of complete proteins, gut-healthy fibres, iron and calcium!
What is overnight quinoa pudding?
Overnight quinoa pudding is a healthy breakfast idea in which cooked quinoa is allowed to soak in milk overnight with added chia seeds for a jelly-like pudding consistency.
So, overnight quinoa pudding is like a cross between chia pudding and overnight oats.
Does quinoa have to be cooked for overnight quinoa or pudding?
To make overnight quinoa or quinoa pudding, quinoa must be cooked first and allowed to cool down.
Cooking quinoa is not only needed for creaminess but also for better flavour and digestibility.
Though raw quinoa is technically edible, it contains saponins, an anti-nutrient that tastes very bitter and can cause digestive issues. That's why it’s not recommended to just soak dry quinoa overnight and eat it raw.
Can you make quinoa pudding with leftover cooked quinoa?
Overnight quinoa pudding is the perfect recipe to use up leftover quinoa from the day before, as the quinoa has to be cooked and cooled.
How do you make quinoa pudding creamy?
Being a starchy seed, cooked quinoa has some creaminess but not as much as cooked rice or oats would have.
So, our overnight quinoa pudding gets its thick, scoopable consistency from chia seeds.
Often used to make breakfast puddings, chia seeds can absorb milk and form a jelly-like mix with quinoa.
You can also prepare a creamy quinoa pudding using other thickening ingredients like:
Flaxseeds
Mashed bananas
Yoghurt
Applesauce
Ingredients
| Quinoa Pudding | |
| Cooked Quinoa | 120 g |
| Chia Seeds | 1/2 tbsp |
| Plant-Based Milk (Coconut/Oat) | 85 mL |
| Toppings | |
| Honey/Maple Syrup | 1 tsp |
| Desiccated Coconut (optional) | 1 tsp |
| Blackberries/Blueberries | 80 g |
| Roasted Almonds | 15 g |
Step 1
To make the pudding, use cooked quinoa that's completely cooled down.
If you're starting from dry quinoa, the ratio of uncooked to cooked quinoa is approximately 1:3.5.
So, 35 g (1.2 oz) of raw quinoa will yield about 120 g (4 oz) of cooked quinoa.
You can find instructions and tips on how to cook quinoa perfectly here.
Step 2
Combine the cooked quinoa with chia seeds and milk in a sealable jar or container.
Tip in the maple syrup/honey and coconut flakes (if using them) and stir well.
Then, seal the jar and transfer the quinoa chia pudding to the fridge.
Step 3
Let the chia seeds and quinoa soak in the milk to form a jelly-like pudding.
The longer you let them soak, the thicker and more scoopable the pudding will be.
Allow at least 30 minutes, ideally 1 hour, or leave the quinoa pudding to soak overnight ready for the next day.
Step 4
Once the pudding is ready, top it with fresh or frozen berries and chopped almonds.
Your healthy quinoa breakfast pudding is ready — enjoy!
Tips
Ingredient Tips & Swaps
The best vegan milk for quinoa pudding is either light coconut milk or oat milk, as they're a little sweet and creamy. But you can also use almond milk, which is lower in calories, or soy milk, which is higher in proteins.
Chia seeds pack lots of good fibres, but they may bloat you a little if you're not used to eating them. You can start with a smaller serving size, 1 teaspoon of seeds, and gradually increase up to 1 tablespoon.
Topping Ideas
This quinoa overnight pudding is super customisable. Here are some flavour ideas to try:
Cacao, hazelnuts and cherries
Mango, turmeric, and cashews (as in these mango lassi overnight oats)
Kiwi, blueberry, and matcha (as in these matcha overnight oats)
Apricots/peaches, dark chocolate, and walnuts
Grated apples, cinnamon, and goji berries
Meal-Prep
Prepare 3-4 individual jars of this chia quinoa pudding (toppings included) and keep them sealed in the fridge.
You'll have all your breakfasts (or snacks) ready for half of the week!
How to Store
Store the quinoa pudding in a sealed jar or tight-seal container in the fridge for up to 4 days.
Alternatively, you can freeze the quinoa pudding for 3 months. To eat, leave it to defrost overnight in the fridge or use the microwave defrosting function.
Like this Recipe?
Try our overnight buckwheat porridge or overnight oat groats, silken tofu chia pudding or chai chia pudding.
For more surprising ways to use leftover cooked quinoa, check out our gluten-free quinoa flatbread and homemade quinoa milk.