Overnight Quinoa Chia Breakfast Jars
Cooked quinoa and chia seeds soak overnight in vanilla-cinnamon almond milk sweetened with mashed banana and maple syrup. The result is a creamy, spoonable, make-ahead breakfast with a little chew. Top each jar with fresh banana and walnuts.
- Prep
- 15 min
- Cook
- —
- Wait
- 8 hr 5 min
- Total
- 8 hr 20 min
- Makes
- 4 jars (about 1 cup / 250 g each, before toppings)
Steps
Before you start
- Use quinoa that is already cooked and fully cooled. You'll need about ½ cup (90 g) dry quinoa, cooked in 1 cup (240 ml) water, to get 1½ cups (280 g). Warm quinoa will make the jars taste stale.
- Choose bananas that are ripe with brown speckles. They mash easily and add natural sweetness.
- Plan on at least 8 hours of chilling. Start the evening before you want to eat.
- Make sure your jars hold at least 12 oz (350 ml) each so there is room to stir and top.
Set out the jars
- Make sure four 12-oz (350 ml) jars and their lids are clean and dry.
- Set them on the counter.
- Measure the cooled quinoa and the other ingredients so everything is ready.
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Ready when: Jars are dry and the ingredients are measured.
Tip: Water droplets in the jars will thin the mixture, so dry them well.
Mash the banana
- In a medium bowl, mash 1 banana with a fork or potato masher for about 1 minute, until it is mostly smooth with only a few small lumps.
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Ready when: The banana looks like a thick, mostly smooth puree.
Tip: A very ripe banana mashes more smoothly and tastes sweeter.
Whisk the base
- Pour the almond milk into the mashed banana.
- Add the maple syrup, vanilla, cinnamon and salt.
- Whisk for about 30 seconds, until the banana is evenly dispersed and the liquid looks uniform and slightly cloudy.
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Ready when: No streaks of banana or clumps of cinnamon float on the surface.
Add and bloom chia
- Sprinkle in the chia seeds while whisking, then whisk for 30 seconds.
- Let the bowl sit for 5 minutes, then whisk again for 20 seconds to break up any chia clumps that formed.
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Ready when: The liquid looks slightly thickened and the seeds are evenly suspended, not clumped.
Tip: Skipping the second whisk is the main cause of gummy clumps at the bottom of the jar.
Stir in the quinoa
- Add the cooled quinoa and fold with a spatula for about 30 seconds, until every grain is coated in the chia mixture.
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Ready when: The quinoa is evenly distributed with no dry clumps.
Tip: Break up any clumps of quinoa against the side of the bowl.
Fill the jars
- Divide the mixture evenly among the four jars, about 1 cup (250 g) each.
- Fill to about 1 inch (2.5 cm) below the rim to leave room for stirring and toppings.
- Screw on the lids.
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Ready when: All four jars hold roughly equal amounts and are sealed.
Tip: Stir the bowl once or twice while portioning, because the chia and quinoa settle quickly.
Chill, first rest
- Place the jars in the refrigerator for 30 minutes, until the mixture has begun to thicken and the quinoa is no longer sinking.
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Ready when: The mixture is noticeably thicker when you tilt a jar.
Stir and chill overnight
- Remove the jars and stir each one vigorously for 15 seconds with a spoon, scraping the bottom and sides.
- Reseal and refrigerate for at least 7½ hours, or up to 12 hours.
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Ready when: The mixture is thick and spoonable, like a loose pudding, with no pools of liquid.
Tip: If it still looks thin after 8 hours, stir in 1 tablespoon more chia and chill another hour.
Top and serve
- Open the jars and stir each one.
- If it is too thick, loosen with 1 to 2 tablespoons almond milk.
- Top each jar with banana slices, 1 tablespoon chopped walnuts, and 1 tablespoon almond butter if using.
- Serve cold.
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Ready when: The jars are creamy and topped with fresh banana and walnuts.
Tip: Slice the banana right before serving so it stays bright and doesn't turn brown.
Good to know
Tips
- Cool the quinoa fully before mixing. Rinse it under cold water and drain it well if it is still warm.
- Whisk the chia twice, once right away and once after 5 minutes. This prevents clumps.
- Add toppings only at serving time. The banana slices and nuts stay fresh and crunchy.
- For a thinner texture, add 2 to 3 tablespoons extra almond milk to each jar before serving.
Make ahead
"Make the jars through step 8 up to 3 days ahead and keep them sealed in the refrigerator. Add the banana, walnuts and almond butter just before eating."
Storage & reheating
"Refrigerator: untopped jars keep in sealed containers for up to 3 days. The texture thickens over time, so stir in a splash of almond milk before eating. Room temperature: do not leave out for more than 2 hours. Freezer: not recommended, because the texture turns watery and grainy when thawed. Serve cold; there is no need to reheat."
Substitutions
- unsweetened almond milk → Oat milk, soy milk or dairy milk. Use the same amount. Choose an unsweetened version, or reduce the maple syrup by 1 teaspoon if the milk is sweetened.
- pure maple syrup → Honey or agave nectar. Use the same amount. Honey is not vegan.
- walnut halves → Pecans, sliced almonds or pumpkin seeds. Use the same amount. Pumpkin seeds keep the jars nut-free, though the almond milk and almond butter would also need swapping.
- creamy almond butter → Peanut butter or sunflower seed butter. Use the same amount for the same creamy richness.
