This millet breakfast bake is a healthy and delicious way to start your day! Packed with the nutty flavor of millet, sweetened with maple syrup, and bursting with tart berries, this vegan and gluten-free breakfast millet is not only easy to prepare but also comforting and satisfying. From weekly meal prep to brunch for a crowd, this breakfast bake is sure to become a new favorite! Bonus: only 10 minutes of hands-on prep time!
Why You'll Love It
This millet recipe checks all the boxes when it comes to our cravings at breakfast time! It's:
- Wholesome, satisfying, vegan, and gluten-free
- Seriously easy to prepare with only 10 minutes of hands-on prep time!
- Pantry-friendly and works great with frozen OR fresh berries
- Bursting with the color and sweetness of berries and the crunch of nuts
- Easily customized with various fruits, nuts, seeds, and toppings!
Ingredients
- hulled millet - there are different types of millet, with the most common varieties being pearl, foxtail, and proso millet. I usually purchase Bob's Red Mill hulled millet which is the proso variety. Keep in mind that using other varieties may slightly impact cook time.
- fruit - I usually use frozen blueberries and strawberries, thawed and drained. But if you happen to have a lot of fresh berries on hand, this is a great way to use them up. You can also get creative with other fruits like apple, pear, raspberries, mango, and pineapple.
- non-dairy milk - I really like unsweetened vanilla almond milk for this recipe, but other milks are fine, too. You can even incorporate a bit of tropical flavor and richness by using half regular non-dairy milk and half canned lite coconut milk.
- maple syrup - I haven't tried other sweeteners in this dish yet, but it is fairly forgiving. If you decide to use a dry sweetener, bump up the amount of milk just a bit to make up for the lost moisture.
- nuts - I used walnuts and sliced almonds. Pecans are another option. For a nut-free dish, try sunflower seeds, pumpkin seeds, flax and/or chia seeds.
See the recipe card below for amounts and full instructions.
How to Make Breakfast Millet
- Preheat the oven and locate a 13 x 9 casserole dish or a gratin dish.
- Rinse and drain the millet then spread it out in the baking dish.
- Thaw and drain the berries if using frozen.
- Whisk together the wet mixture: milk, water, maple syrup, salt, cinnamon, and vanilla.
- Pour the wet ingredients over the millet. Sprinkle the berries evenly around the dish, and then top with the nuts.
- Bake for about one hour or until the center is done.
So easy, right? Gotta love a dish that feeds a crowd yet is so simple to pull together!
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The photo above is what the mixture looks like just before going in the oven. Isn't it gorgeous? Swirls of color from the berries are just starting to spread out into the milk.
And when the millet comes out of the oven, the whole dish is berry-beautiful!
In the photo above you can see how the natural pectin in the strawberries ends up creating an effortless jam.
How to Serve
Serve the millet breakfast bake warm with a dollop of vegan yogurt or your choice of toppings such as fresh berries, nuts, hemp seeds, or a dusting of coconut flour as pictured above.
And for special occasions, you can't go wrong with a dollop of vegan whipped cream.
FAQs
Yes, millets are the seeds of cereal grasses and are naturally gluten-free.
Look for hulled millet, and be sure to check the expiration date. In the U.S., Bob's Red Mill is a brand commonly found in stores. According to their website, their hulled millet is the proso variety, which has a short growing season and requires little water to produce.
Absolutely! This millet breakfast bake is easy to assemble the night before. Refrigerate overnight then bake in the morning. Or you can fully bake the dish a day or two in advance and reheat individual servings.
Yes, millet freezes well. Since this recipe makes a large amount, freezing comes in handy, especially for smaller households.
More Healthy Breakfast Bakes
I hope you enjoy this healthy millet breakfast recipe. If you try it, be sure to comment below and let us know. You can also share a photo on instagram and tag me with @myquietkitchen so I don't miss it. Enjoy!
Recipe
Millet Breakfast Bake With Berries
Equipment
Ingredients
- 1½ cups hulled millet - see Notes
- 2 cups unsweetened non-dairy milk, such as almond or oat
- 1 cup water
- ½ cup maple syrup
- ¼ teaspoon sea salt
- ½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 12 ounces fresh or frozen blueberries - thaw and drain first if using frozen berries
- 16 ounces fresh or frozen strawberries, sliced - same as above
- ½ cup raw walnut halves, chopped - or more if you like extra crunch!
- ½ cup raw sliced almonds
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Rinse and drain the millet, and spread it out in a 13x9-inch casserole dish or a 10.5 x 7.5 gratin dish.
- In a large bowl whisk together the milk, water, maple syrup, salt, cinnamon, and vanilla. Pour wet mixture over the millet.
- If starting with frozen berries, make sure they are fully thawed, drained, and not very cold, which will extend the cook time. Drop berries into the casserole dish, spreading them around evenly.
- Sprinkle the top with walnuts and almonds. Lightly press the nuts down into the milky mixture, flattening the surface.
- Bake uncovered for about 1 hour or until bubbling and the millet in the center. is done. If using a deeper gratin dish, you may need another 10 to 15 minutes bake time.
- Let stand 15 minutes before serving. Serve with vegan yogurt or other choice of toppings.
Notes
Estimated Nutrition (per serving)
Nutrition information is an estimate and will vary depending on the exact amounts and specific products and ingredients used.
Cindy mays says
Great way to use up fresh strawberries ( I put some oat and brown sugar topping on it) YUMMY
Judy says
Can I make this recipe without the fruit
I do not like cooked fruit in any form. I prefer to add just a mixture of nuts. Will this change the recipe in anyway
Lori Rasmussen says
Hi Judy - The fruit does add moisture and volume. For a simple maple-sweetened millet, I would probably cook it on the stovetop, then serve with nuts. If you'd really like to bake it, I suspect you'll need to increase the amount of water to make up for the berry juices. Orange zest, if you're a fan, would add nice flavor and pair well with the maple syrup.
Evie says
This was delicious! I didn’t have berries, so I used apples which worked out very well. I bought some berries now and will try it as directed this time!
Sarah says
Hi!
This recipe is so good! I am planning to make it for a beach trip for a large group of people. Can I pre make before the trip/ refrigerate and then re-heat the entire pan in oven? If so, how long and what temp?
I store mine in fridge and then cut pieces and heat in microwave. But for the group it would be easier to use the oven.
Also, my second time making it, I put 1/2 the maple syrup and added almond extract! So delicious. Thank you for sharing this recipe!
~Sarah
Lori Rasmussen says
Hi Sarah - I'm so glad you enjoy it and plan to share it at the beach. And I love the almond extract idea! When you reheat it in the oven, be sure to cover with foil so it doesn't dry out. It will probably take around 30 minutes at 350°F.
Julie says
I made this this morning and we’re loving it! It’s nice to use a variety of grains for breakfast and it’s rare that I see recipes for millet so thank you for this!
I did want to note that before I made it I read the comments and decided to soak my millet overnight in water to try to avoid super long cooking times and hard millet. It worked great! The cook time was 50-55 mins, without a cover, and had a great texture. I also replaced some of the water with the berry juice that I drained from the frozen raspberries I used. Because I was using the juice I reduced the maple syrup to 1/4 cup.
Thanks so much for a great recipe! I’m having fun exploring all your other recipes and they all look great!
Julie
Lori Rasmussen says
Soaking the millet is a helpful tip, Julie. Thanks for sharing with us!
Michelle says
I made the mistake of not carefully reading the recipe. I followed the directions but did not thaw my frozen fruit or drain it first. So after an hour of baking , the dish was very soupy still. To fix this I added some rolled oats and put it back in the oven for about a half hour. The oats soaked up the extra liquid and it came out perfect. I wanted to leave this in the comments in case anyone does the same thing I did and is looking to salvage the dish.
Lori says
That was a smart fix, Michelle. Glad it worked out for you!
Ravi says
Tried the recipe as written. A few Miley grains rose to the top & remained uncooked. In the next batch I covered & baked it. All grains cooked nicely.
Variation- substituted instead of blue berries, mixed vegetables and added required amount of salt & pepper. Sumptuous lunch or dinner with a salad or soup
Heather says
Made this for brunch today. Used frozen blueberries and strawberries that I let thaw overnight in the fridge. Delicious and easy to make!
Kim says
Hi could you mix it all up the night before and then just bake in the oven in the morning? Thanks
Lori says
Hi Kim, yes, that should work very well. Since it will be cold from being in the refrigerator overnight you may need to add a few minutes to the cook time.
Liesa Houdashelt says
I made this with thawed frozen mixed berries and thawed frozen raspberries instead of strawberries and with all almonds (no walnuts). It is very simple and beyond good! I ended up cooking it for about 1.5 hours at 375 in 13 x 9 pan. It did not burn and it set up into easily cut squares even when slightly warm. I think the extra cooking time helped. My husband really liked it too. Have you tried it with other fruit? I’m definitely putting it in my breakfast (and dessert) rotation!
Sue says
Made this without maple and it was sooo good! Thanks Lori.
LouAnn says
Can date paste be subbed for the maple syrup?
Lori says
Hi LouAnn, I haven't tried that so I'm not sure. It could probably work but I think you'd need to add some liquid.
Sarah says
Lori,
My family and I enjoy this but every time I make it, the millet is still hard? I follow the directions each time. Help!
I try 60 mins and then today I did 75.
Lori says
Hi Sarah, so glad to hear you enjoy the dish! As far as the texture of the millet, it's tough to say without seeing the final texture you're experiencing. In general, cooked millet is a lot firmer than other grains and seeded grasses. But if you've had millet cooked other ways and found it to be softer, then that probably isn't it! 🙂 But I find that it never gets super soft, like quinoa or rice. Next time could try increasing the amount of water by 1/3 to 1/2 cup. The extra moisture may help soften it. Hope that helps!!
sarah says
The extra water helped. Thanks Lori! I can definitely see the texture difference but what a great recipe. This is our Sunday breakfast recipe. The kids and my husband approve!
Jamie says
Super easy to make! Baked exactly for an hour. Love that this recipe is simple to put together and throw in the oven with minimal dishes to clean. Would be perfect for a family breakfast or brunch with friends. Next time I’ll be adding more nuts as I love the crunch. I followed the recipe to the T and wouldn’t change a thing other then adding more nuts as of personal preference. This recipe is quite sweet but it’s using maple syrup instead of sugar so I’m not complaining about that!
I’ll be making this recipe again and sharing with family and friends. It was husband approved and kid approved in my household! 🙂
Katya says
Hi Lori! This is a beautiful recipe. Thank you!
Have you tried making this in advance and then reheating it?
Or can you tell for how long the leftovers will hold?
Thank you!
Lori says
Thank you, Katya! Yes, leftovers will keep for several days (up to 4), similar to other grain dishes. I haven’t tried reheating the whole dish, but I’m sure it would be fine. I would cover it to maintain the moisture.
Hope that helps!
Shelley says
My son needs to avoid sugar....To make this without the maple syrup, what adjustments would you suggest? My son is gluten free (& vegan) and now he needs to avoid rice. We are planning to try millet. Thank you.
Lori says
Hi Shelley, if you're trying to avoid all added sugars, even ingredients like dates or maple syrup, it sounds like you might want to try non-caloric sweeteners. Unfortunately I'm not very well versed in cooking with them, but I do use stevia on occasion. You can find it in powdered and liquid form, and it doesn't take very much at all to add sweetness.
I have also heard of a product called Swerve that uses erythritol, though I haven't personally tried it. Monkfruit is another option to look into.
Whichever sweetener you try, I would start by adding a small amount of it to the milk called for in this recipe. Then give it a taste and add more until it's as sweet as you like.
Hope that helps!
Jill Genno DeVuono says
I make this dish for my husband who has autoimmune disease and has lectin free diet. We make with Joseph’s sugar free, gluten free premium maple flavoured sugar free syrup and is delicious. Takes a bit to find alternatives but is worth the effort. Hope this helps!
Hannah says
Could you substitute buckwheat or amaranth for the millet?
Lori says
Hi Hannah,
Yes, I think so. Good idea! Without testing it I'm not sure exactly what cook time would be, but I suspect it would be similar to millet. Let us know if you give it a try!