An (almost) A-Z of breakfast grains

These grained-up bowls of goodness keep breakfast interesting with special little touches like coffee syrup and caramelised pears.

Black rice breakfast with tropical fruit Source: Gluten-free bircher muesli

Amaranth

1. Coconut amaranth & millet bowl with warm berries

Amaranth is toasted for a few minutes before it’s combined with other ingredients, giving this porridge a fun textural dimension. Amaranth is a plant-based protein powerhouse, so you can expect to charge through all those morning tasks.

Coconut amaranth & millet bowl with warm berries. Source: Chris Middleton

Barley

2. Pearl barley porridge with baked apples and pears

Apples and pears baked in a little raw sugar until they caramelise, then laid across creamy barley porridge. Surely you want that to be part of your morning routine?

Pearl barley porridge with baked apple and pear. Source: annabelle hickson

Burghul

3. Cracked wheat porridge (fada upma)

If your classic breakfast line is about being "sweet enough already", this Indian savoury porridge is for you: it's filled with vegetables like peas and carrots, fresh coriander, chilli, ginger and a heap of spices. Plus, leftovers make a great round-two meal for lunch.

Cracked wheat porridge (fada upma). Source: Alan Benson

Buckwheat

4. Roots and leaves buckwheat bowl

This is one to really impress anyone who breakfasts with you and gloat about to anyone who doesn’t. Not only does it include a bounty of roasted vege and nourishing gluten-free buckwheat, it's served with homemade pecorino crisps (don't worry, they're a cinch) and carrot-top pesto.

Roots and leaves buckwheat bowl. Source: Sharyn Cairns

Chia

5. Thai peanut chia pudding

This little pud is a real nutter: coconut milk, almond milk, peanut butter, roasted peanuts, toasted coconut. Lime zest, honey and a pinch of cayenne keep the richness in check.

Thai peanut chia pudding. Source: Phoebe Lapine

Freekah 

6. Sweet freekeh with dates and honey

This pretty and aromatic breakfast has a Moroccan spin, with cinnamon, orange blossom water, fresh orange, and dates. Freekah grain is cracked young wheat, a larger-sized and greener-tasting version of bourghal.

Sweet freekeh with dates and honey. Source: Feast magazine

Fregola

7. Fregola pudding with poached strawberries and rhubarb (budino di fregola con fragole e rabarbaro)

Pasta for breakfast? Trust the Italians to work out a way. Fregola is a spherical grain made when wheat is rubbed with water. Here, it's cooked with a warming line up of ingredients: milk, cream, vanilla bean, cinnamon, pine nuts, sultanas, lemon zest and nutmeg, and has the consistency of a silky and light rice pudding.

Fregola pudding with poached strawberries and rhubarb (budino di fregola con fragole e rabarbaro).

Oats

8. Morning coffee oatmeal

The magic ingredient in this breakfast is a coffee syrup of dark brown sugar, cocoa powder, freshly brewed espresso (or good-quality strong instant coffee) and lemon juice. It's likely that you'll find yourself working out other ways to incorporate this genius concoction into your daily life.

Morning coffee oatmeal. Source: Chris Middleton

Quinoa

9. Quinoa porridge with roasted rhubarb and honey labneh

You may already have a quinoa porridge recipe that you're loyal to, but this one is worth the wandering eye. Start the day before to allow the vanilla bean and honey-infused yoghurt to drain.

Quinoa porridge with roasted rhubarb and honey labneh. Source: Alan Benson

Rice (brown)

10. Brown rice larb congee

Brown rice is cooked with lemongrass, spring onion, coriander root and ginger, to make a fragrant base for the topping: an umami-rich ensemble of pork mince, fish sauce, soy sauce and chilli sauce. The addition of lots of herbs and lime juice keep it fresh.

Brown rice larb congee. Source: Sharyn Cairns

Rice (black)

11. Black rice breakfast with tropical fruit

One look at this seductively glistening breakfast grain bowl, and you'll know it was a good choice to get out of bed.

Black rice breakfast with tropical fruit. Source: Gluten-free bircher muesli

Rice (white)

12. Coconut rice pudding with roasted cherries

Cherries baked until they’re soft and bubbly make a bright and tangy topping for this creamy coconut-milk rice pudding.

Coconut rice pudding with roasted cherries.

Semolina

13. Whipped cranberry semolina porridge (vispipuuro)

Pretty in pink: this take on a classic Nordic porridge gets its luminous hue from blended cranberries (fresh or frozen are both fine). 

Whipped cranberry semolina porridge (vispipuuro). Source: Sini Ellen

Spelt

14. Spelt & buckwheat with coconut & pineapple

That old pina colada combination is at it again. This time, in porridge form.

Spelt & buckwheat with coconut & pineapple. Source: Chris Middleton

Teff

15. Harmony granola

Teff is so nutrient-dense it's a dietary staple for Ethiopia’s long-distance runners. In this textured granola, it's baked with other grains to make crunchy clusters. 

Harmony granola. Source: Benito Martin