Nutritious superfood quinoa is the star of this creamy, coconut milk-based Quinoa Pudding, that tastes like a cross between rice pudding and tapioca!
I'm quickly discovering that January is a month of multiple personalities when it comes to food blogging. First of all, after a holiday season filled with rich, indulgent foods, everyone is resolute to start off the year on a healthy foot. Thus, enter the lightened up, nutritious recipes. Then there's the fact that January is one of the coldest months, so everyone is craving comfort food via their effortless crock pots. With Super Bowl right around the corner, some folks are trying to plan out their game-watching (or at least their commercial-watching) appetizers and snacks. And finally, Valentine's Day is on the horizon, so that means decadent desserts and lots and lots of chocolate!
So before I delve into football-friendly fare and recipes incorporating hearts and effusive amounts of butter, I thought I'd squeeze in a sweet treat that's actually wholesome and comforting at the same time. And since that covers most, but not quite all, of the January food blogging bases, I suppose you could also eat this dish while watching a football game. 😉
Have you jumped on the quinoa bandwagon yet? This gluten-free, high fiber, complete protein of a grain has become mainstream and quite popular over the last couple of years, and rightfully so. Nevertheless, it's been a fairly recent addition to my family's menu plan, and so far I've primarily relegated it to the savory side dish category as a replacement for rice or pasta. Well, in 2014, I'm determined to incorporate quinoa into our diet more regularly and in unique ways. The other day it struck me that it might make a tasty and healthy pseudo-rice pudding, so I got to experimenting.
I ended up making this recipe multiple times in different variations to determine my favorite combination of ingredients. After trying several versions, I think I came up with a perfect formula for Quinoa Pudding. My kids went cuckoo over this and I think you will, too! But first, here's how I came to my conclusions...
Coconut Milk vs. Whole Milk
My eldest son is lactose-intolerant, so I often substitute unsweetened coconut milk (the kind that comes in a carton in the refrigerated section) for regular cow's milk in my cooking. Sometimes it lends a coconut undertone to the recipe and sometimes it doesn't. I did not notice that it contributed any coconut flavor to this quinoa pudding. But it did make it dairy-free and vegan.
For experimentation's sake, I also made a batch of this pudding with regular milk. My family drinks whole milk, which worked beautifully in this recipe, resulting in creamy, luxurious pudding. I'm sure that skim milk or 2% would work as well, but be prepared for a potentially thinner final texture.
In conclusion? Both coconut milk and regular milk work perfectly well in this recipe. What to use is up to you!
Amount of Milk
The first time I made this recipe, I started with 3 cups of milk. After about 20 minutes of cooking time, the quinoa had absorbed all of it. The final dish had the texture of a thick oatmeal and the quinoa still had an al dente bite. It was delicious, but a tad thicker than I had hoped it would be.
So the next time, I started with 4 cups of milk. As a result, the cooking time naturally increased, but I actually preferred the resulting quinoa, which was more tender and milder in flavor. Plus I loved that the pudding was creamy and almost tapioca-like in texture, with quinoa grains floating in a pool of thick vanilla cream.
To sum it up? More milk and longer cooking time is definitely my preference here.
How to Sweeten Quinoa Pudding
Both worked and I didn't really notice a difference in the resulting flavor or sweetness level. But since this quinoa recipe originated in the name of health, I lean towards sweetening it with pure maple syrup, which is at least a natural, unrefined sweetener. However, plain ol' white sugar will work just fine as well if that's your preference or what you have on hand.
Cinnamon...or Not?
I love cinnamon in my rice pudding but I didn't know if it would overpower the rest of the flavors, so I experimented with making this pudding with and without. I have to say, I really enjoyed the version in which cinnamon was added to the pudding while cooking. I was afraid it might overwhelm the vanilla, but instead, I found the non-cinnamon version to be a little bland. But certainly feel free to leave it out -- or simply sprinkle it on the top -- if you're more of a no-cinnamon-in-your-pudding purist.
So there you have it! Warm, dreamy Quinoa Pudding. It's like a 2014 version of comfort food...tastes like a decadent treat but brimming with nutrition! It's equally delicious and nourishing as breakfast, a snack, or dessert. Whether you've been wanting to try quinoa or you're already a quinoa veteran, this recipe is a winner. I can't wait for y'all to try it!
P.S. Call me a redneck, but while I logically know that quinoa is pronounced "KEEN-wah," every time I read it or write it, I can't help but sound it out in my head as "kwin-OH-uh." Please tell me I'm not the only one... 😉
Quinoa Pudding
Ingredients
- 1 cup quinoa
- 4 cups unsweetened coconut milk OR whole milk
- 1/3 cup maple syrup
- 1 1/2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
- 1 teaspoon cinnamon
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
Instructions
- Place quinoa in a mesh colander. Rinse thoroughly with cold water and allow to drain.
- In a medium (approximately 3-quart) pot, combine quinoa, coconut milk, maple syrup, vanilla, cinnamon, and salt. Bring to a boil over medium heat. Reduce heat to a low simmer and cover, leaving the lid cracked so that some steam may escape. Simmer for 25 minutes, stirring about every 5 minutes.
- Remove the lid and continue simmering for 5 more minutes or until pudding has thickened and the quinoa has absorbed most (but not all) of the milk. Remove from heat.
- Pour into bowls and allow to cool for a few minutes before serving (pudding will continue to thicken as it cools). Sprinkle with additional cinnamon, if desired.
Notes
- Thoroughly rinsing the quinoa is an important step in order to remove any potential bitter residue.
- I used the kind of coconut milk beverage that is sold in a carton in the refrigerated section of the grocery store. Canned coconut milk would probably work as well and result in even creamier/richer pudding with a stronger coconut flavor.
- If you use regular milk, watch carefully so that it doesn't boil, foam, and overflow. Also, it is normal for regular milk to form a skin on the surface as the pudding cooks. Simply stir it back into the pudding and it will dissolve.
- You may use white sugar in lieu of the maple syrup.
- You may stir regular or golden raisins into the pudding if you wish.
Renรฉ
I am VERY interested in making this recipe. Can you please clarify the vegan milk you used? Is this the canned coconut milk or the thinner milk replacement.
Thanks!
Samantha Skaggs
Hi Renรฉ! This recipe uses the kind of coconut milk that's sold in a carton in the refrigerated section with all of the other varieties of milk, not canned coconut milk. I tried to describe it in the Notes section but I apologize if it wasn't clear. ๐ Hope you enjoy!
Nicci
This is so good! I picked up a big bag of Canadian Qunioa at Grocery Outlet and googled things to make with it. So glad I found that recipe. I soaked my quinoa overnight then rinsed really well. I used whole milk and regular sugar along with a whole cinnamon stick while it cooked. Stay close cause it can boil over quick but itโs so good. I reheat it in the morning with some milk or half n half and chopped macadamia nuts. Thanks!
Montserrat
I'm making this as I'm writing this... I can't wait!
A few years back I became ovo-lacto vegetarian but I'm currently going through a detox phase so I'm not allowed to eat pretty much anything including dairy products so I was looking for new and interesting ways of surviving this phase and I found this. I used almond and coconut milk to give it an extra puch of flavor and since I'm not allowed to eat syrup or sugar of any kind (except stevia) i let it like that just add some raisins for extra sweetness and try it if needed i will add some stevia -blah- but i think it will be just fine. Thanks for sharing the recipe of all of those i saw this was my favorite.
Rachel
Im 36 weeks pregnant and have been looking for creative ways to eat quinoa (it's supposed to be a super food for pregnancy and breastfeeding)...this recipe is delicious. Also ive been making it without sugar and it tastes great...doesn't really need it with all the flavor from the vanilla and cinnamon. I use coconut milk to cook and usually add a little extra cinnamon before serving. It makes a healthy breakfast and is good hot or cold. Thanks for the recipe!
Samantha at Five Heart Home
So happy you've been enjoying this recipe, Rachel, and thanks for sharing your modifications. ๐
Cynthia Robinson
LOVE this recipe. I made a different one, wasn't so hot!
Mashed a banana, and added blueberries because I LOVE Blueberry Banana Bread...so I figured...why not!
I am sharing this page... Just a really good alternative breakfast!
Samantha at Five Heart Home
Those sound like delicious additions, Cynthia! Glad you enjoyed this recipe so much. ๐
kim
Hi there I absolutely love this pudding I was curious if you might know how many calories are in there per serving?
Samantha at Five Heart Home
Hi Kim! I'm so happy to hear that you love this pudding! Unfortunately, I don't know how many calories it has per serving, but there are lots of free online nutrition calculators that you can try. I just found this one (https://www.caloriecount.com/cc/recipe_analysis.php), which is nice because it allows you to just copy the list of ingredients right into the box. I'm not positive how accurate it is, but maybe you can test it out using a recipe for which you already know the calorie count? Sorry I can't be of more help, but good luck! ๐