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    How to Make Perfectly Cooked Quinoa in the Instant Pot

    Jan 15, 2020 · 6 Comments

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    Today I'm sharing how to make perfectly cooked quinoa in the Instant Pot!  Once you try this easy hands-off method you will be hooked!  It produces light, fluffy quinoa every single time with no burnt spots, excess water or soggy quinoa.  

    Perfect Instant Pot Quinoa

    A couple years ago I shared my fool-proof method for stove-top quinoa.  It is mostly hands-off and pretty awesome.  But I have always wanted to master making perfectly cooked quinoa in the Instant Pot since it is such a convenient and popular cooking appliance these days.  After many attempts I have landed on a super easy, almost completely hands-off method that works every time.  This easy method produces perfectly cooked quinoa that is fluffy and never soggy, burnt or watery.  The entire process from start to finish takes about 30 minutes but your hands-on time is like 30 seconds.  That makes this perfect for meal prep or really any busy night you need quinoa.

    How to Make Perfectly Cooked Quinoa in Your Instant Pot

    How to Make Perfectly Cooked Quinoa in the Instant Pot

    All you will need is water and uncooked white quinoa.  In this recipe I use a 1:1 ratio of quinoa to water:

    2 cups of uncooked quinoa + 2 cups of filtered water = 6 cups of cooked quinoa 

    The 6 cup measurement of cooked quinoa is if you were to pack the quinoa tightly into a measuring cup.  However, I usually just fluff the quinoa after it is cooked in which case 2 cups of uncooked quinoa will yield closer to 8 cups of cooked quinoa (fluffed not packed).

    You can rinse the quinoa in advance if you like to remove any bitter taste.  Then, place the water and quinoa in your Instant Pot and cook on manual high pressure for one minute.  It will take a couple minutes for the Instant Pot to come to pressure.  Once it is finished cooking you can let it sit for 15-20 minutes (or longer) or simply press the Off button right away and then let it naturally release.  Once it does you can remove the lid and fluff with a fork.  And that is it!  Couldn't be easier or produce better results.  And if you forget about it (I usually do) it is okay.  It won't overcook!

    Perfectly Cooked Quinoa Made in the Instant Pot

    All About Quinoa

    Anyone who knows me or follows my blog knows that quinoa is one of my go-to foods when I'm meal prepping.  It is light and absorbs flavor wonderfully.  It adds great texture to salads and can even be hidden in baked goods.  I love it as a side to almost any entree.  It is so easy to prepare and offers such amazing health benefits.  It is loaded with fiber (one serving has over five grams) and is considered a complete protein with all eight essential amino acids.  This makes it a great source of plant-based protein for vegans.  In fact, it has more protein than any other grain.  Quinoa is a good source of folate, magnesium, iron, phosphorus and many phytochemicals.  It also offers important minerals such as calcium, potassium, copper and zinc.

    How to Make Perfect Quinoa in the Instant Pot

    How to Use Perfectly Cooked Instant Pot Quinoa

    Once you master perfectly cooked Instant Pot quinoa you will want to put it to use!  I love to simply saute cooked quinoa with olive oil and a little salt and serve as a side dish alongside most meals.

    Here are some vegan and gluten-free recipes that utilize cooked quinoa:

    1. Easy Vegan Mexican Quinoa Salad
    2. Quinoa Black Bean Veggie Burgers
    3. Vegan Sweet Potato Quinoa Tots
    4. Vegan Mediterranean Quinoa Salad
    5. Vegan Mediterranean Quinoa Bowl
    6. Vegan Enchilada Stuffed Bell Peppers
    7. Quinoa & Mango Stuffed Grilled Avocado
    8. Maple Roasted Butternut Squash and Apple Quinoa Salad
    9. Vegan Greek Quinoa Sheetpan Dinner
    10. Vegan Cauliflower Chickpea Shawarma Quinoa Bowls
    11. Quinoa-Pecan Stuffed Acorn Squash
    12. Quinoa Stuffing
    13. Crispy Quinoa Falafel Bowls
    14. Roasted Veggies & Crispy Chickpeas over Quinoa with Garlic Maple Tahini Drizzle
    15. Crispy Quinoa and Avocado Salad with Strawberry Vinaigrette
    16. Quick & Easy One-Pot Curried Quinoa & Chickpeas
    17. Spiralized Radish and Arugula Salad with Quinoa, Hemp Seeds and Pepita Seeds
    18. Roasted Beet Noodles Over Quinoa with Parsley Pesto
    19. Berry-Cherry Quinoa Salad with Candied Walnuts and Balsamic-Shallot Vinaigrette
    20. Watermelon Arugula Mason Jar Salad with Quinoa, Avocado, Pine Nuts & Mint
    21. Mango-Avocado Quinoa Salad with Toasted Pepitas
    22. No-Bake Fudgy Quinoa-Chia Bites
    Perfect and Easy Instant Pot Quinoa

    Now, let’s learn How to Make Perfectly Cooked Quinoa in the Pressure Cooker!

    @eatingbyelaine Perfectly cooked quinoa! #quinoa #quinoarecipes #healthyrecipes #cookinghacks #cookingtips #tiptok #plantbased #mealprep ♬ original sound - eatingbyelaine
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    How to Make Perfectly Cooked Quinoa in the Instant Pot

    How to Make Perfectly Cooked Quinoa in the Instant Pot


    5 from 2 reviews

    • Author: Elaine Gordon
    • Total Time: 30
    • Yield: 6 cups 1x
    • Diet: Vegan
    Print Recipe
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    Description

    Today I'm sharing how to make perfectly cooked quinoa in the Instant Pot!  Once you try this easy hands-off method you will be hooked!  It produces light, fluffy quinoa every single time with no burnt spots, excess water or soggy quinoa.

    Here is my method for Perfectly Cooked Stovetop Quinoa.


    Ingredients

    Scale
    • 2 cups uncooked white quinoa, rinsed well
    • 2 cups filtered water

    Instructions

    1. Place quinoa and water in the Instant Pot.  Secure the lid and place on the "Sealed" setting (not "Venting").
    2. Cook on "Manual" / "High Pressure" for one minute.  As soon as it is done cooking, press the "Off" button to allow the pressure to naturally release. Once the floating valve drops and the pot has released all the pressure, open the lid and fluff with a fork.  If you are not at your Instant Pot when it finishes cooking that is okay - it cannot overcook!  
    3. This recipe yields 6 cups of cooked quinoa.  You can halve the recipe if you do not need that much but leftovers do keep great for up to a week.
    4. Enjoy in your favorite recipes.  See blog post above for recipes ideas.

    Equipment

    fine mesh strainer

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    Airtight Container

    airtight container

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    Instant Pot

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    Notes

    This also works with 1 cup of dry quinoa and 1 cup of filtered water.

    For fluffy and better tasting quinoa always rinse the quinoa first in a fine mesh strainer for one minute.  This removes the bitter flavor.  

    If storing for later, allow the quinoa to cool to room temperature before covering with a lid and refrigerate in an airtight container.

    Freezing quinoa: You can also store extra quinoa in freezer bags and freeze the quinoa for up to 2 months.  To thaw out the quinoa move the container from the freezer to the refrigerator a day before using it.

    Be sure to also try my stovetop method for perfectly cooked quinoa.  Either way one cup of uncooked dry quinoa yields about 3 cups of tightly packed cooked quinoa.  The cooked quinoa measures 4 cups when fluffed with a fork and not packed tightly into the measuring cup.  So, if using 1 cup of uncooked quinoa it should yield about 4 cups of fluffy unpacked cooked quinoa.

    • Prep Time: 1
    • Cook Time: 29
    • Method: Pressure Cooker

    Keywords: Instant Pot Quinoa

    Did you make this recipe?

    Tag @eatingbyelaine on Instagram and hashtag it #eatingbyelaine

     

    Reader Interactions

    Comments

    1. Amelia Alhashimi says

      July 19, 2020 at 8:35 pm

      Ok the simplicity of this is insane - made it this way tonight and I’m never turning back - was so easy and turned out so well. Thanks!

      Reply
      • Elaine Gordon says

        July 21, 2020 at 3:40 pm

        Yay! Glad you are officially converted like me! 🙂

        Reply
    2. Hannah says

      August 01, 2020 at 5:24 pm

      It came out PERFECT!! I’ll never cook quinoa any other way again






      Reply
      • Elaine Gordon says

        August 01, 2020 at 5:46 pm

        Yay! So happy! Thank you for the review and rating! Much appreciated! :). It is the only way I make it now too.

        Reply
    3. Jeanne says

      February 03, 2022 at 9:09 pm

      Gave up making quinoa after several failed attempts on the stovetop. Tried Elaine’s instant pot method and it was a SUCCESS! So easy and comes out perfect every time. Make extra and you can freeze as well!






      Reply
      • Elaine Gordon says

        February 03, 2022 at 9:45 pm

        Thank you so much, Jeanne! I'm so happy to hear that after all that you finally found this method that works so well for you! And so true - it freezes beautifully! Best, Elaine

        Reply

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