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.  

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 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 

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 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.

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 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. Crispy Quinoa Falafel Bowls
2. Roasted Veggies & Crispy Chickpeas over Quinoa with Garlic Maple Tahini Drizzle
3. Crispy Quinoa and Avocado Salad with Strawberry Vinaigrette
4. Quick & Easy One-Pot Curried Quinoa & Chickpeas
5. Spiralized Radish and Arugula Salad with Quinoa, Hemp Seeds and Pepita Seeds
6. Plant Powered Fall Quinoa and Arugula Salad with Apples and Figs
7. Mediterranean Zucchini Pasta Salad
8. Vegan Mediterranean Quinoa Salad
9. Mexican Quinoa Salad with Black Beans and Avocado
10. Roasted Beet Noodles Over Quinoa with Parsley Pesto
11. One-Pan Mexican Quinoa and Black Beans
12. Quinoa Cauliflower “Rice”
13. Pecan Encrusted Delicata Squash and Quinoa Kale Salad with Creamy Maple-Garlic Tahini Dressing
14. Berry-Cherry Quinoa Salad with Candied Walnuts and Balsamic-Shallot Vinaigrette
15. Watermelon Arugula Mason Jar Salad with Quinoa, Avocado, Pine Nuts & Mint
16. Mango-Avocado Quinoa Salad with Toasted Pepitas
17. Protein-Packed Slaw with Cilantro and Lime (No Mayo!)
18. No-Bake Quinoa Energy Bites
19. No-Bake Fudgy Quinoa-Chia Bites
20. Pecan-Cranberry Quinoa with Garlic-Maple Dressing

>> FIND MORE EATINGBYELAINE INSTANT POT RECIPES HERE <<

Now, let’s learn How to Make Perfectly Cooked Quinoa in the Instant Pot!

When you make this recipe, snap a pic and use the hashtag #eatingbyelaine on INSTAGRAM to be featured in my stories.

How to Make Perfectly Cooked Quinoa in the Instant Pot

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• Author: Elaine Gordon
• Prep Time: 1
• Cook Time: 29
• Total Time: 30
• Yield: 6 cups 1x

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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.

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Scale 1x2x3x

Ingredients

• 2 cups uncooked white quinoa
• 2 cups filtered water

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Instructions

1. Place quinoa and water in the Instant Pot and stir 2-3 times.  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. As soon as the floating valve drops and the pot has released all the pressure, open the lid and fluff with a fork.  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.
3. Enjoy in your favorite recipes.  See blog post above for recipes ideas.

Notes

You can rinse the quinoa in advance to get rid of 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.

• Method: Pressure Cooker

Keywords: Instant Pot Quinoa