010 / 75 · Bowls, breakfasts and small meals
Pineapple and Coconut Breakfast Quinoa
2 quinoa breakfast bowls, each with half the coconut-pineapple quinoa and 50 g (about 1.8 oz) yogurt · Active 10 min · Cook 17 min · Total 35 min
Print recipe · PDFQuinoa needs a real cooking stage even when it will be served with fruit. Rinse it, cook it with measured water and give the covered grain time to absorb the last liquid. Coconut milk and canned pineapple go in afterward, so the grain can soften before the richer finish. Plain yogurt adds a cool spoonful to each warm bowl.
Start with water, not thick coconut milk
The dry grain cooks in water first. That makes it easier to see whether the little grains have opened and become tender, without a thick coconut mixture catching around the edge. Use a fine sieve to rinse the quinoa, drain it well and keep the cooking water measured. The covered stand is part of the grain cook, not optional waiting time.
Warm the fruit after the grain
Canned pineapple is already ready to eat, but adding it with coconut milk for a short final heat makes the bowl feel coherent. Weigh it after draining; its packing juice is not an extra cooking liquid here. Yogurt stays out of the oven and is divided at the table. The finished bowl should show distinct quinoa grains rather than resemble a blended fruit pudding.
Ingredients
- 80 g (about 2.8 oz) dry quinoa, rinsed in a fine sieve and well drained
- 240 ml (about 1 US cup) water
- 120 ml (about ½ US cup) canned light coconut milk, stirred before measuring
- 150 g (about 5.3 oz) ready-to-eat canned pineapple in juice, drained and cut into small chunks
- 100 g (about 3.5 oz) plain yogurt
- 10 g (about 0.35 oz) granulated sugar
- 0.5 g fine salt, a small pinch
Set out
1000 W microwave with turntable, Microwave-safe bowl, 1.5 L (about 1.6 US qt) measured capacity, Microwave-safe vented cover, Fine sieve, Fork and spoon, Knife and board if the pineapple needs cutting, Kitchen scale and measuring jug, Oven mitts, Two serving bowls
Allergens
Milk. Check labels and substitutions.
Make it
- Put the rinsed drained quinoa, 240 ml (about 1 US cup) water and salt in the 1.5 L (about 1.6 US qt) bowl. Cover with the vented cover. Microwave at 1000 W full power for 3 minutes, until the liquid is bubbling.
- Stir, cover again and reduce to 30% power. Cook 10–12 minutes, stopping halfway through to stir and check that the bottom is not drying. Leave covered for 5 minutes. The grain should be tender with the pale germ rings visible and nearly all free water absorbed. If it remains firm, add 30 seconds at 30% power and another 2-minute stand before checking again.
- Stir in the coconut milk, drained pineapple and sugar. Cover loosely and microwave at full power for 1–2 minutes, stirring halfway through, until the mixture is hot throughout. The pineapple is a ready-to-eat canned ingredient, not uncooked frozen fruit.
- Divide all the warm quinoa mixture between two bowls. Add 50 g (about 1.8 oz) yogurt to each and serve. The base cooking clock includes the grain’s 5-minute stand; additional heating for a firmer brand can extend it.
Check the drained weights
Use 150 g (about 5.3 oz) pineapple after its juice has drained away. Keep the extra juice for another use; it is not part of this recipe’s liquid.
The stand precedes the finish
Do not add cold coconut milk before the grain has had its covered 5-minute absorption. The final heat warms the finish; it is not intended to cook hard quinoa.
Ingredient labels
Coconut is an ingredient; check individual allergy needs and labels. The soy-yogurt variation contains soy.
A useful detail
The 35-minute estimate allows rinsing and measuring, up to 17 minutes of sequential heating, the 5-minute grain stand and final portioning. Lower-power cycling varies by oven, so inspect the grain rather than relying on a fixed stop time. Times are starting ranges for a 1000 W microwave. Use the stated power setting, stir and turn as directed, and use the food endpoint rather than the clock alone. A different wattage or bowl shape may need additional short bursts.
Another way
- Replace the pineapple with 150 g (about 5.3 oz) drained ready-to-eat canned mandarin segments; fold them gently into the final warming stage so they keep some shape.
- Use 100 g (about 3.5 oz) plain soy yogurt in place of dairy yogurt, divided 50 g (about 1.8 oz) per bowl. Soy becomes an allergen; check the coconut milk and yogurt labels for other ingredients.
Keep it well
Refrigerate quinoa and yogurt separately in shallow containers within 1 hour of the quinoa finishing cooking, at 40°F/4°C or below, and use within 24 hours for this grain bowl. Reheat the quinoa once, covered and stirred, until 165°F/74°C throughout, stand 2 minutes and add cold yogurt immediately before eating. Mixing fruit into cooked grain does not restart its clock.