Nutty, chewy breakfast bulgur cooked with espresso and almond flavors to kick-start your morning with a delicious alternative to oatmeal. You’ll love this bulgur breakfast bowl!
*Please note* this post was originally published in 2018. I’ve since redone the text but the recipe remains the same.
You guys, I just read the weirdest article in the news. Apparently the newest health trend popping up everywhere is to drink “raw water”…basically, unfiltered, untreated, unsterilized spring water. I’m not sure what the claims are, but regardless of whether it clears up your acne or not, you could catch so many terrible diseases from doing this! Cholera, e-coli, you name it. As someone who has experienced the worst type of e-coli, I think I’ll stick to my safe drinking water, thank you. Popular culture never ceases to amaze me.
Now that I’ve given you your random piece of information for the day, we can talk about MY newest health trend. Breakfast bulgur! I promise it won’t give you e-coli. *Knocks on wood*.
What is bulgur?
Bulgur is like rice’s less popular, often overlooked (yet wonderfully clever), little sister. The Alex Dunphy to Haley, if you will. Bulgur wheat is a whole grain used as an alternative to rice in casseroles, salads or stir-fries. It is low in fat and high in body-boosting nutrients like magnesium and iron. I like it for it’s nutty flavour and crunchy texture!
Don’t get me wrong, I love my oats – but – I also love change, and I love to experiment with new tastes and textures. (Duh – food blogging). This breakfast bulgur was born out of a simple desire to create something new with ingredients I already had in my pantry!
How do you make this breakfast bulgur?
Start this recipe the same way you’d make oatmeal. A pot of boiling water on the stove!
I always buy Bob’s Red Mill red bulgur – simply because it’s proven itself to be delicious and let’s be honest, Bob always has the best stuff (not sponsored)! I tried to keep the sweetener in the dish to a minimum, so I only added 2 tablespoons of maple syrup.
The best part of this bowl? Your morning coffee is built right in. 2 teaspoons of instant espresso powder will give your veins the caffeine boost it craves, plus it’ll add a nice little coffee flavour to the bulgur. I use Nespresso instant espresso.
Breakfast bulgur doesn’t take much more time than a pot of oatmeal, either; only about 12 minutes of cook time, or 15 if you like things a bit softer.
What do you serve this bulgur breakfast bowl with?
You can eat this dish simply as is, or jazz it up a little. The whipped cream on top is obviously optional, but it’s so good. I’ve also had this topped with granola, and it was amazing.
January is about change, right? Let’s start with a few subtle changes in our breakfast routines before we sign up for that one-year gym membership – ok?
Almond java breakfast bulgur! Try it!
Check out some other breakfast options to keep your life interesting:
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Almond Java Breakfast Bulgur
- Total Time: 20 minutes
- Yield: 1 bowl 1x
Description
Nutty, chewy breakfast bulgur cooked with espresso and almond flavors to kick-start your morning with a delicious alternative to oatmeal. You’ll love this bulgur breakfast bowl!
Ingredients
- 1/2 cup red or golden bulgur
- 1 cup unsweetened almond milk
- 1/2 tsp pure vanilla extract
- 1/2 tsp pure almond extract
- 2 tsp instant espresso powder
- 2 tbsp pure maple syrup
- whipped cream, chopped almonds for topping (optional)
Instructions
- In a small saucepan, combine the bulgur, almond milk, and vanilla and almond extracts. Bring the mixture to a boil over medium-high heat. Once it has reached boiling, add the espresso powder and whisk to combine. Reduce the heat to medium and simmer, uncovered, for 12-15 minutes.*
- Once the almond milk has been absorbed, remove the pot from heat and whisk in the maple syrup. Serve immediately, topped with whipped cream, chopped almonds, fruit, or granola.
Leftover bulgur can be stored in the fridge, in an airtight container, for 2 days.
Notes
* Less cook time will result in a chewier, tougher grain.
- Prep Time: 5 minutes
- Cook Time: 15 minutes
- Category: breakfast
- Method: stovetop
- Cuisine: american
Keywords: breakfast bulgur // bulgur breakfast bowl!
Try topping your breakfast bulgur with my favourite granola!
Katherine I want to taste this!! I am not familiar with bulgar in desserts, but I do have an open mind! 🙂 Looks hearty, healthy and those flavors sound like you read my mind! xoxo
Hey, if you’ve got an open mind then the world is your oyster!! 😉 I hope you get a chance to try it out – it’s definitely unique!!
I love the chewy ness of bulgar! This sounds like a must try
Me too! The texture is just great – much better than mushy oatmeal, in my opinion 🙂
Call me crazy, but I’ll stick with my filtered water in 2018… and for EVERY year there after. Lol. Just when you think you’ve heard it all right!? Anyways, LOVING this breakfast bowl!! I’ve had bulgur before, but never like This! Brilliant, my dear!!! I hope you had a wonderful holiday season!! Cheers! <3
Hah!! I know, right!? Soo strange. It at least makes for some interesting reading 😉 Thank you Chey!! Happy New Year to you my friend! XO
Looks yummy! I have never had bulgar before, but now it’s on my list!
You definitely have to try it! I prefer it as a yummy cereal 😉
We’ve officially ventured into crazy “health” territory. I haven’t heard of raw water yet, but I’m going to be like you and stick with the safe stuff. UGH! I’m totally making this as soon as I pick up some bulgur. You know I love my coffee any way I can get it! Hope you’re having a great weekend, Katherine!
Aaah yes we have!! I’m glad you have your wits about you, Kelsie! Let’s stick to the filtered water, shall we? Hooray – I hope you get a chance to try it. Thanks friend!
I don’t believe I’ve ever had bulgur just by itself like this – it’s always been in stuff (used to make a crust or filling, etc). The texture sounds great and I think I’ll really enjoy it like this!!
It was something new for me too, Jessie!! So good though, I just had to share 🙂 I hope you like it!! Cheers!
Ok, that is the weirdest thing about the water story!! YUCK! Haven’t heard that! What’s absolutely not yuck is this! Girlfriend, it looks amazing! Bulgur and the whole almond coffee situation you have goin’ on?! YES please. Pinning this and making soon. Hubby is going to love this one too!! Happy Saturday! XO
Soo weird, right!? Humans! I tell ya! Thank you Dawn!! And thanks for the FB share 🙂 Hope you had a wonderful weekend! Cheers my friend!
Yikes on the water! Even back in the ’70’s when hiking with my family in Colorado, we knew not to drink from even the highest mountain streams due to giardia! Crazy idea! I’ve never made bulgur for breakfast, but it looks fabulous—especially topped with your beautiful granola!
Eeeek giardia too! There’s so many bad things you could catch from unfiltered water! Thank you so much Liz!! I bet you’d love it! 🙂
Love this Katherine! I’ve never tried bulgur (which is a bit shocking, I know!), but this bowl is so tempting. I mean, built in caffeine is kinda awesome! And it looks so filling and delicious! Saving for later! And p.s. – love your Modern Family analogy! 😉
It’s not a very common grain, so I’m not totally surprised that it’s new to you, Leanne! It’s definitely worth trying it with the added caffeine kick though 😉 Thank you!! Glad you appreciate my love for MF 🙂
Don’t get me started on health trends and fad diets…ugh. Especially this time of year, it’s tough to tune them out.
Bulgur is a go-to in our house for a quick and satisfying savory side dish. (How’s that for some alliteration? 😉 ) But I’ve never made it for breakfast. Especially with almond milk and a java kick, this sounds delicious!
They’re everywhere! Definitely tough to ignore. Hopefully most will be gone by February, haha. LOVE your alliteration – I kind of wish I’d put that exact sentence in my post 😉 Thank you Marissa!! Cheers!
Well I guess if anything extraordinary happens, we all will drink “raw water” if necessary, but until that day I’ll use other options too:) I love bulgur, but I’ve never tried it in a breakfast way…well there’s always something I try first time. I’ll need this a try!
Phew, glad you’re on the same page as me, Ben!! Please, stay away from that “raw” water!! I think you definitely need to give it a try – let me know what you think!
I have a confession to make Kathy – I’ve never tasted bulgur before. Thanks for this recipe, I’m gonna add it to my list. So hearty and healthy, a must have in everyone’s pantry.
Aah you’re not alone!! It’s a pretty uncommon grain for people to use – but I’m happy to hear you’re going to give it a try!!
I just so happen to have a bag of bulgur in the pantry! I am intrigued!! This looks like the perfect breakfast!
Hooray! It’s not a common pantry item – the stars have aligned and now you HAVE to try it 🙂
I’m going to buck the trend and drink clean water THANK YOU! Lol. I haven’t found a grain that I don’t like and somehow I’ve overlooked bulgar. I love change too and I’m trying this for breakfast! This looks fantastic!
Hah whew, I’m glad you’re not jumping on the weird water bandwagon! I hope you like it, Marcie! It’s such a nice change from regular oatmeal 🙂
Oh cool! I haven’t heard of golden bulgur before so I’m excited to try something new too! I’m challenging myself by going refined sugar-free this month, so this recipe is right up my alley! Pinning!
Good for you!! That’s a great goal. I try to keep refined sugars to a minimum so hopefully I’ll have more things you can fit into your month 😉 Cheers, Christina!
Now I’m curious as to what inspired this new water trend. This sounds like such a fortifying and delicious breakfast! I’m thinking that it would also make a good healthy lunch to take to work (I’m loving the added whipped cream). I’d have to swap out the espresso powder for decaf since caffeine doesn’t like me 🙁
I urge you to look into it, just out of sheer curiosity! It would totally make for a delicious lunch (and you can’t skip the whipped cream)! I usually don’t drink a ton of caffeine either – decaf would work just great! Have a great weekend Thao!
So happy whenever I see a recipe using ancient grains ! Thank you dear Katherine !
Yay! Glad you approve 🙂
Wow Katherine, this is exactly what I needed to stumble across today! I get so bored of the same old breakfasts,I’m really looking for something to spruce things up and this sounds incredible, especially as a self confessed coffee addict!
Also that water trend… wow, I’ll be steering clear of that too :’D
Hooray! Thank you, Kay! Anything and everything is better with coffee, right!? I hope you get a chance to try it out and spice up your breakfast. Glad you’ll be sticking to your safe water habits 🙂 Cheers!