This quick and easy amaranth pear porridge recipe is a nutritious , vegan, gluten-free and time saving breakfast option. It is ideal for the cooler days when I am craving something warm and hearty but without the added heavy-ness of sugar, cream and butter. I prefer to soak amaranth seeds overnight in water. Then next morning, I cook them over a medium flame for 10 minutes . Further I only add in water and ground cinnamon spice – a pantry staple always available in our home.
I do try to include amaranth, a great gluten free food, in my diet several times a month. Amaranth is wholesome and nutrient dense that keeps me feeling full for long. I normally omit adding any milk to my porridge (dairy, oat/coconut milk). Milk will just turn the porridge more creamy if that’s your style. However I feel the key to a great porridge is in the toppings.
In this amaranth pear porridge bowl recipe, I generously sprinkled some nut granola that was stashed away in my kitchen drawers. I then swirled in tahini paste mixed in with honey. And finally , I topped it off with lots of chopped pears. These pears were juicy and succulent so I just wanted to eat them fresh, as-is. However another great option is to stew chopped pears with some water, maple syrup and spices like vanilla, cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg or cloves. The fruit and nuts give a nice crunch to the not so sweet but warming amaranth. The tahini paste with honey is a very sweet and salty taste, something like salted caramel perhaps 🙂
What are Bosc pears?
Bosc pears are the long-ish pears with a brown caramel like color. They are very sweet and crisp once ripened. These fruits start appearing in the markets from late autumn through to the winter months. Bosc pears are ideal for poaching especially in a mixture of red wine and spices like cinnamon sticks. The wine will give them the crimson red hue, making them an ideal Christmas time food served with a creamy cake or custard.
The Bosc pears I use here in this amaranth porridge recipe were fresh off a vineyard in Orange NSW. Peter Gibson who runs the Word of Mouth Wines vineyard and cellar door in Orange NSW kindly gave us a bag full of fresh Bosc pears from the Pear tree on his property that was bursting with fruit. You can read all about their family run operation on their website here. We decided to add this vineyard in our list of wine tasting cellar doors owing to it being a small family run business that uses sustainable and ethical means of farming. They use traditional means to press the juice from the grapes to extract juice that doesn’t ruin them
The Amaranth Pear Porridge Recipe
Cooking with Pears: I like cooking with fruits like apples and pears that are sturdy and keep longer. These fruits go well in a hearty porridge – stewed, caramelised, poached or chopped just as is. I love them in bakes like muffins and tea cakes particularly with warming spices like cinnamon, ginger, cloves and nutmeg . These fruits make for a good autumn baking project. In this amaranth pear porridge recipe, I just chopped the Bosc pears as is and topped them over the porridge bowl. If you can’t find Bosc pears , then any other pears or apples work well in such a porridge. Do check out these 7 different varieties of pears and their uses.
Cooking with Amaranth Seeds: I soak the amaranth seeds overnight in water so they cook quickly on the stovetop the next day. Using double the water and stirring consistently always produces a thick porridge. If you are looking for some more amaranth recipes, do check out the below amaranth recipes for additional cooking inspiration
More Amaranth Recipes
- Breakfast Amaranth with honey and walnuts stirred in
- From salads to fritters to porridge, this link has 17 amaranth recipes for some great cooking inspiration
- Quick and easy Amaranth recipe for tabouleh
More Vegetarian Breakfast Recipes
Are you looking for some more vegetarian / vegan / plant based breakfast recipes just like this amaranth pear porridge recipe? Here are 5 inspirations and breakfast ideas that are quick and easy, homemade and good for you.
- Make ahead breakfast bake – Strawberries, Rhubarb, oats, vanilla and nuts reads all the Summer produce I love for breakfast. I make this in a big batch, then heat leftovers each morning to last the whole work week!
- Instant Pot Apple Cinnamon Steel Cut Oats Porridge – This cinnamon spiced porridge is made with fibre rich steel cut oats and crisp winter apples . A true warm and hearty porridge bowl for the cold winter months.
- Baked Plums and Quinoa for Breakfast – Perfect porridge style breakfast for Autumn with plums, quinoa and cardamom (yes!)
- Easy French Toast – Perfect use of stale day old bread that will soak up the liquid like a sponge. I like making this for brunches or lazy Sunday mornings
- Healthy Buckwheat Porridge
Please let me know in the comments if you have any questions or if you have any easy breakfast recipes to share. If you like this recipe, please do leave a rating below. Don’t forget to tag #urbanfoodlover and follow along on URBANFOODLOVER Instagram here for lots more foodie inspiration
Amaranth Pear Porridge Recipe
Ingredients
- 2 Pears chopped and cubed
- 1/2 cup Amaranth seeds soaked overnight
- 1 tsp cinnamon powder
- 2 tbsp un-hulled tahini paste
- 1 tsp maple syrup or honey more if you prefer a sweeter version
- 1 handful nuts&seeds granola of choice for topping over
- A splash milk (dairy /non-dairy of choice) optional
Instructions
The night before
- Soak the amaranth seeds overnight in a bowl of cold water
Morning of making porridge
- Wash and drain the amaranth seeds under cold running water
- Cook in water over a flame with cinnamon powder until it is soft and fluffy. It usually takes me about 10 minutes
- If adding milk, add at this stage and let cook for 2-3 minutes to make it thick and porridge like consistency
- Pour over a deep bowl. Then sprinkle the nut granola, tahini mixed with honey and chopped pears
