Move over rice pudding and say hello to this quinoa pudding. This tasty dessert is made with plant based milk, spices and is so versatile that it doubles up as breakfast and an after dinner treat.
Quinoa pudding? Things just got awesome up in here with my latest recipe. I couldn’t wait any longer with dropping this badboy.
I seriously want everyone to know how fantastic this recipe truly is and guess what? You only need 6 ingredients too, yup! That’s right!
I’m a sucker for some rice pudding or Jamaican Rice Porridge namely because I ate it a lot during my youth. Nowadays I seldom eat grains in fact I don’t really consume grains as much as I did before, with so many alternatives out there.
One of my favourite ways to channel some of my recipes from the past is using quinoa (pronounced Kween wah). Quinoa is a pseudograin, hailing from the beautiful south America, just like chia seeds.
I haven’t been this excited about a pudding since discovering how to make Instant Pot Brown Rice Pudding.
Quinoa? Is it a seed or a grain?
Presently the verdict is still out with this pseudo grain, some classify it as a seed which behaves like a grain while others disregard the great pseudo debate and consider quinoa a seed.
Whatever the case the good news is this edible seed is wheat free and a perfect rice alternative hence how I stumble upon this recipe.
You can double up and eat this for breakfast instead, it’s an ambiguous treat, thought I tend to have this as an after dinner treat.
It’s relatively easy to cook, unlike rice which sends the nation into a troubleshooting frenzy, it won’t burn. It even pairs so well with some Homemade Quinoa Milk as well!!
You may even want to switch things up by experimenting with an instant pot and making some Black Rice Pudding or Rice Pudding made with brown rice to optimise nutritional value.
Ingredients you will need
Reasons to make this pudding
- It’s so versatile, serve it for breakfast or dessert.
- It’s a great grain free alternative to rice
- Makes a change from using tapioca
- It’s plant based
- Quinoa is relatively affordable and accessible
- It’s wholesome and highly nutritious
- It’s a child friendly recipe
How to make quinoa pudding
- Leave the quinoa to soak in some water for about 5 minutes before rinsing off the water using a fine mesh strainer.
- Add the coconut milk in a medium sized saucepan, along with the cinnamon stick, quinoa and give everything a stir.
- Bring the milk to a boil, reduce the heat to low to simmer (uncovered).
- Simmer until the quinoa starts to thicken, stirring occasionally so it doesn’t stick until most of the liquid is absorbed. This should take about 25-30 minutes, add a splash of water or milk if the pudding is too thick.
- Stir in the sweetener of your choice, vanilla and pink salt
- Serve hot and cold
Can you freeze the pudding?
Yes, I would advise doing so by placing your quinoa in individual container, then thaw it out in the fridge (for up to several hours) when you are ready to eat it (serve hot or cold)
You may need to add some milk to the pudding to rejuvenate it.
Can I make this pudding overnight?
Yes, but keep in mind, unlike oats, you will need to cook the quinoa in some water first of all before adding the desired amount of milk and leaving it to absorb overnight.
Notes and tips
- Make sure to thoroughly rinse off the quinoa. I used a fine mesh strainer so the quinoa doesn’t fall through. For best results, leave the quinoa to sit in water for 5-10 minutes to remove debris and any bitterness.
- For a creamy/rich quinoa pudding I used coconut milk but you are more than welcome to use another plant based milk i.e almond, cashew etc…
- In terms of sweetener you can use granulated i.e coconut sugar or liquid like agave nectar, maple syrup.
- Keep an eye on the quinoa as it cooks and stir it occasionally throughout given time to ensure it doesn’t stick or dry out (add more milk if required).
- If you are looking for a low/zero calorie sweetener use stevia, monkfruit, erythritol
- Refrigerate any leftover for up to 2 days or freeze for up to 2 months.
More dessert recipes to try
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Quinoa Pudding (Dairy free)
Ingredients
- 4 cups of coconut milk
- 1 cup of quinoa
- 1 cinnamon stick
- 1 tsp of vanilla powder or extract
- 1/4 tsp pink salt
- sweetener of your choice coconut sugar, agave, monkfruit etc...
Instructions
- Leave the quinoa to soak in some water for about 5 minutes before rinsing off the water using a fine mesh strainer.
- Add the coconut milk in a medium sized saucepan, along with the cinnamon stick, quinoa and give everything a stir.
- Bring the milk to a boil, reduce the heat to low to simmer (uncovered).
- Simmer until the quinoa starts to thicken, stirring occasionally so it doesn't stick until most of the liquid is absorbed. This should take about 25-30 minutes, add a splash of water or milk if the pudding is too thick.
- Stir in the sweetener of your choice, vanilla and pink salt.
- Serve hot and cold
Notes
- Make sure to thoroughly rinse off the quinoa. I used a fine mesh strainer so the quinoa doesn't fall through. For best results, leave the quinoa to sit in water for 5-10 minutes to remove debris and any bitterness.
- For a creamy/rich quinoa pudding I used coconut milk but you are more than welcome to use another plant based milk i.e almond, cashew etc...
- In terms of sweetener you can use granulated i.e coconut sugar or liquid like agave nectar, maple syrup.
- Keep an eye on the quinoa as it cooks and stir it occasionally throughout given time to ensure it doesn't stick or dry out (add more milk if required).
- If you are looking for a low/zero calorie sweetener use stevia, monkfruit, erythritol
- Refrigerate any leftover for up to 2 days or freeze for up to 2 months.
Do you use canned coconut milk? Or the carton (SoDelicious brand) that you find in the dairy section of market? I always wonder that when I come across recipes with milk alternatives since there are so many in the marketplace right now.
Hi Cindy, I totally forgot to mention the type of coconut milk I used for this particular recipe. I used home made coconut, you can find the recipe for it right here Usually If I use canned coconut milk, I will state that in the post. I hope that helps and let me know if you need any further assistance.
Hey Charla what type of coconut milk would you suggest using not tinned right 🙂
Tinned coconut milk contains unwanted additives and preservatives. I would highly recommend making your own and keeping it on rotation, please refer to my homemade coconut milk recipe for nut milk that’s more unadulterated and pure.
Looks delicious and healthy.. I have been looking for quinoa recipes forever.. this looks absolutely yummy.
Thank you.It’s such a great replica of rice pudding. If you’re a fan of rice pudding then you’ll definitely like this one.
Looks great!
I should, however, mention that while you are ABSOLUTELY right that quinoa is a seed and not a grain, it is not paleo.
I hope you take off the paleo tag because it is misleading.
Anyways…thanks for the recipe!
Hi Sophie, thanks for commenting I was actually hesitant about whether or not I should add the paleo tag because there seems to be a great debate surrounding quinoa, while it doesn’t form part of the paleo regime, I know a few like to consume this, while adhering to the paleo lifestyle. I personally don’t consider quinoa paleo friendly because it acts like a grain but still like to acknowledge the small pool of people who do eat it. I think it might be best if I draw some clarity on this in my post as I certainly do not want to mislead anyone or worse still ill inform them.
The fact that people who follow the paleo diet consume quinoa doesn’t make quinoa part of the paleo diet. Many paleo-ers also consume rice – but that doesn’t make rice paleo.
I think you should remove the tag and simply put grain-free – because quinoa is indeed not a grain, but a seed (though it acts like a grain – just like buckwheat!)
All the best.
I have removed the tag and modified the content to suit so there is no misrepresentation of the recipe/paleo lifstyle.
Fabulous recipe, thank you for posting this (paleo or not).
You are welcome Claire