The first time I had quinoa flakes, I was amazed at how quickly they cooked – they barely need any cooking and much of the time just adding boiling water and letting them soak is more than sufficient. I have had the idea of making pre-flavoured quinoa porridge for on the go and for situations such as camping and hiking for a long time, and finally got organised enough to turn it into reality this week. I realise quinoa has quite a unique taste that not everyone likes, but hopefully at least some people will find this useful.

I don’t have a very sweet tooth when it comes to breakfast, so haven’t added extra sugar to any of the recipes here (although the chocolate version has sugar in the hot chocolate powder). If you prefer your porridge sweeter, feel free to experiment to work out what works best for you. The options with this really are limitless – add extra nuts, spices, coconut, dried fruit, anything you fancy!

To make chocolate instant quinoa porridge you’ll need:

½ cup of flaked quinoa

2 tablespoons of dried milk powder

2 tablespoons of hot chocolate powder (check gluten free if you are gluten free)

1 – 2 tablespoons of chocolate chips (these can be kept separate if you’d prefer them sprinkled on top instead of melted into the porridge)

To make apricot and almond instant quinoa porridge you’ll need:

½ cup of flaked quinoa

2 tablespoons of dried milk powder

1 -2 tablespoons of almonds (or other nuts), roughly chopped

2 – 3 dried apricots, roughly chopped

To make cinnamon, apple and raisin instant quinoa porridge you’ll need:

½ cup of flaked quinoa

2 tablespoons of dried milk powder

½ teaspoon of ground cinnamon

1 dessertspoon of raisins

2 tablespoons of roughly chopped dried apple pieces

To make the porridge:

1. Mix together the ingredients for whichever version of the porridge you’re making in a reusable container or Ziploc bag and store until needed.

2. When you’re ready to have the porridge, empty the container or bag contents into a bowl, add 2/3 to 3/4 of a cup of boiling water (depending on your texture preference), stir together and leave to sit, covered to keep in the heat, for a few minutes. Add any toppings you want and then eat. That’s it!