Thick and Chewy Overnight Quinoa Flakes (Gluten Free, Vegan)

Quick. Substantial. Delicious. For me, those are the three necessary ingredients for the perfect gluten free breakfast. I've mentioned before about my love for quinoa flakes, muffins and pancakes, but some days, I want to roll out of bed with a spoon in hand.

And so the overnight quinoa flakes were born. 

Thanks to the magic of Instagram, I'd known about the whole overnight-oat-soaking-madness for a while, but never felt tempted to join in. Soggy, uncooked flakes and fruit? Not exactly a party in my mouth. Or a party in my stomach, considering its hatred for (even gluten free) oats.

But then summer hit and my bowl of cooked porridge with quinoa flakes became a little too hot to handle. So I followed the overnight oats template and threw my quinoa flakes in a bowl with liquid and flavorings, soaked it overnight and hoped for the best!

It starts out liquidy…

Not to lie…the first couple of trial runs (i.e. I tried and my taste buds ran away in terror), were brutal. I almost decided to marry the microwave and accept my fate. Until I finally discovered the secret on how to make porridge with quinoa flakes...and a delicious overnight porridge at that. we'll just say that I've been addicted ever since!

But thickens a few hours (or one night) later!

Personally, I love super thick overnight quinoa flakes, so I follow a 1:1 ratio of quinoa flakes to liquid. If you like a thinner mixture, just add more liquid or less chia seeds. 

All of my bowls use the same base ingredients:

1/3 cup of quinoa flakes 

1/3 cup of water or milk (milk makes it creamier) 

1/2 to 3/4 of a mashed ripe banana 

1 TBSP of chia seeds (they soak up the moisture overnight and make the mix fluffy and thick)

Sprinkle of cinnamon 

Drizzle of honey

My six main ingredients

After you combine these first six ingredients, then comes the fun part: choosing what flavor to make your quinoa flakes porridge! So far, I have two favorites: apple pie, and peanut butter and jelly!

For apple pie, use the base recipe and add extra cinnamon, a few drops of vanilla, 1 TBSP of applesauce, and a chopped up apple. If you're really digging the theme (and lucky in the kitchen), you could even add a slice of homemade apple pie on top! (Yep, I did that two days in a row for breakfast - no shame!)

Go big or go home!

For peanut butter and jelly, add a few drops of vanilla, lots of blueberries (fresh or frozen work!) and nut butter in the mix and on top. If you're feeling adventurous, acai powder gives a nutritional kick (and turns your quinoa flakes a slight blue)!

You know it's thick when the spoon stands straight...

Really, though, the flavor options for porridges using quinoa flakes are endless! Feel free to experiment with adding different fruits (strawberries and blackberries sound amazing - when I can eat seeds after my wisdom teeth removal), spices (turmeric, nutmeg or even ginger to name a few), yogurt for extra creaminess, protein powder, cacao powder, or granola. You can even eat your overnight quinoa flakes straight out of a nearly-empty nut butter jar! One less dish to clean, am I right? 

In an almond butter jar…the best!

Finding a fast, satisfying and lip-smackin' good summer breakfast isn't easy, but my taste buds (and zombie morning self) are in heaven with overnight quinoa flakes. Having quinoa flakes for breakfast is an easy way to start your day off with some vegan protein - not to mention that making porridge with quinoa flakes is an easy way to enjoy "oatmeal" without the oats.

All I know? The more people who know how to make porridge with quinoa flakes, the more breakfast lovers there will be in the world! 

Have you tried overnight oats/quinoa flakes? What is your favorite recipe? Comment below!