Destination Delish

Wholesome and creative recipes for the vegetable lover

  • Home
  • About Me
  • Recipes
  • Contact
  • Privacy Policy
Home » Breakfast » Carrot Cake Quinoa Bowls

Carrot Cake Quinoa Bowls

March 30, 2016 by Krista 16 Comments

Carrot Cake Quinoa Bowls | Destination Delish – wholesome and hearty quinoa kissed with the sweet flavors of carrot cake for the perfect spring breakfast

I was digging around my recipe archives a couple weeks ago and came across this Banana Hazelnut Breakfast Quinoa from over a year ago. We’re all familiar with quinoa salads, casseroles, and soups, but it’s truly lovely to sit down to a warm bowl of quinoa for breakfast. I immediately started dreaming up seasonal flavors and ingredients that would pair well with quinoa for a new breakfast recipe.

After going through all the spring desserts and fruit and nut combos in my head, carrot cake was the answer. It’s one of my favorite desserts after all. And since I missed out on it this Easter, I was happy to fill the house with the aroma of carrot cake quinoa and eat it for breakfast all week.

Carrot Cake Quinoa Bowls | Destination Delish – wholesome and hearty quinoa kissed with the sweet flavors of carrot cake for the perfect spring breakfast

When I think of making carrot cake, I start getting a little anxious, much like I did when making these Carrot Cake Scones. Baking is intimidating, man. But guess what? Carrot Cake Quinoa is a whole different ballgame. It takes one pot and about 20 minutes to prepare.

First, grate a couple carrots. Then, you’ll simmer the quinoa and coconut milk in a pan on the stove, eventually adding in the carrots, spices, maple syrup, and almond butter. Feel free to use regular milk or any nut milk instead of coconut milk. No maple syrup? Use sugar, agave, or honey instead. Once the mixture thickens and the quinoa is cooked through, pour into bowls and top with toasted nuts, coconut, and extra almond butter.

Carrot Cake Quinoa Bowls | Destination Delish – wholesome and hearty quinoa kissed with the sweet flavors of carrot cake for the perfect spring breakfast

With a heartiness to warm the soul and bright and sweet flavors to celebrate spring, these quinoa bowls make for a wonderfully wholesome breakfast, especially during this time of year as the weather teeters between the unwelcome flurries leftover from winter and gorgeous no-jacket-needed 60 degree days. C’mon spring weather, you can do it! I’ll just relish in this carrot-cake-for-breakfast routine while I’m waiting.

Carrot Cake Quinoa Bowls | Destination Delish – wholesome and hearty quinoa kissed with the sweet flavors of carrot cake for the perfect spring breakfast

 

5.0 from 1 reviews
Carrot Cake Quinoa Breakfast Bowls
 
Print
Prep time
5 mins
Cook time
20 mins
Total time
25 mins
 
Author: Krista
Serves: 4 bowls
Ingredients
  • ⅔ cup uncooked quinoa
  • 1 ¾ cups unsweetened coconut and/or almond milk
  • ¾ cup grated carrots
  • 1 teaspoon cinnamon
  • ½ teaspoon vanilla extract
  • 2 tablespoons maple syrup
  • 1 tablespoon almond butter + more for topping
  • Pinch of salt
  • ¼ cup chopped and toasted walnuts
Instructions
  1. In a large saucepan, heat the quinoa and milk over medium heat.
  2. Once the mixture starts to simmer, add in the carrots, cinnamon, and vanilla extract. Turn the heat down to low. Cover and cook for about 15 minutes, stirring occasionally.
  3. Add in the almond butter and a pinch of salt. Stir until combined and thickened.
  4. Pour the quinoa into 4 bowls. Top each portion with extra almond butter and toasted walnuts.
Notes
Serving size: 1 bowl
Nutrition Information (per serving) from Caloriecount.about.com
Calories: 245 Fat: 11.4g Carb: 30g Fiber: 3.9g Protein: 7.3g Sugar 7.1g Sodium: 56mg
3.4.3177

Carrot Cake Quinoa Bowls | Destination Delish – wholesome and hearty quinoa kissed with the sweet flavors of carrot cake for the perfect spring breakfast

Filed Under: Breakfast, Clean Eating, Gluten Free, Meatless Monday, Quick Recipes, Quinoa, Vegan, Vegetarian

« Chocolate Avocado Sorbet
Korean Pulled Chicken Tacos »

Sign up to receive new recipes via email!

Comments

  1. Bethany @ athletic avocado says

    May 11, 2016 at 12:14 pm

    I’m ALL about this bowl of goodness! Such an amazing idea!

    Reply
    • Krista says

      May 12, 2016 at 12:33 pm

      Thanks so much Bethany!

      Reply
  2. Sarah Stanley says

    August 28, 2016 at 9:34 am

    Can this be made ahead and kept in the fridge for a day or two? Or frozen? I never have time in the mornings before work for this but if it meal preps nicely, that’s would help. 🙂

    Reply
    • Krista says

      September 5, 2016 at 11:43 am

      Hi Sarah so sorry about my late reply. My laptop broke 🙁 Yes, that can totally be made ahead of time and kept in the fridge for about a week. I haven’t tried freezing it before.

      Reply
  3. emma says

    March 7, 2017 at 12:48 pm

    Wow! Great recipe.
    Here is the best Carrot Cake Smoothie bowl recipe I’ve ever had http://skinnygirlsguide.com/carrot-cake-smoothie-bowl-recipe/ Very easy to make.

    Reply
    • Krista says

      March 9, 2017 at 5:02 pm

      Thanks for sharing Emma!

      Reply
  4. Jennifer says

    September 2, 2019 at 11:30 am

    This was so good. Made it for breakfast this morning. Thank you for sharing.

    Reply
    • Krista says

      September 3, 2019 at 9:42 am

      Thank you so much for making the recipe and reporting back! I’m so happy you liked it!

      Reply
  5. randi says

    January 25, 2020 at 11:11 am

    This is PHENOMENAL! Thanks for the incredible recipe. So many other recipes on your site look great, too. Sure to have fun experimenting with them. Thank you!!! (PS- Your button is not working on chrome for me to give it 5 stars!)

    Reply
    • Krista says

      January 28, 2020 at 3:10 pm

      Randi, thank you so much for the kind comment! I’m so happy you enjoyed the recipe. And thanks for the heads up on the star rating button!

      Reply
  6. Lizzy says

    June 17, 2020 at 12:34 pm

    YUMMMMM. I’ve been on a real carrot kick recently and I’ve also been wanting to try breakfast quinoa for awhile. Obviously this recipe was amaze then! So glad I found it, it did NOT disappoint!! Definitely adding this to my regular breakfast rotation now. Yum yum yum thank you!

    Reply
    • Krista says

      June 18, 2020 at 9:54 am

      So great to hear that, Lizzy! Breakfast quinoa is an awesome way to enjoy quinoa!

      Reply
  7. Nanda says

    August 28, 2020 at 2:21 pm

    I just made this and I’m in love with it. Thanks !

    Reply
    • Krista says

      August 29, 2020 at 1:45 pm

      I’m so happy to hear that! Thanks for giving it a try!

      Reply
  8. Suzanne says

    June 28, 2022 at 8:52 pm

    This looks so good! What a great breakfast meal prep for the whole family!

    Reply
  9. Vanessa says

    June 28, 2022 at 8:53 pm

    Thanks for sharing! Does it keep long?

    Reply

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Rate this recipe:  

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

Hi! I'm Krista, a self-proclaimed vegetable lover who likes to put a creative spin on healthy cooking. Here you'll find a variety of lightened up recipes using fresh and wholesome ingredients! Read More…

Sign up to receive new recipes via email!

Search Destination Delish

Hi! I'm Krista, a self-proclaimed vegetable lover who likes to put a creative spin on healthy cooking. Here you'll find a variety of lightened up recipes using fresh and wholesome ingredients! Read More…

mashed cauliflower shepherd's pie in a bowl alongside the casserole dish
Meatballs with toothpicks on parchment paper
A focused view of one bowl of soup with parmesan cheese sprinkled on top.

Sign up to receive new recipes via email!

Copyright © 2023 · Foodie Pro Theme by Shay Bocks · Built on the Genesis Framework · Powered by WordPress