How To Cook Quinoa (Recipe and Tips)

This post may contain affiliate links. Please read my disclosure policy.

The best method I’ve found for how to cook quinoa!  Plus tips for how to toast and season quinoa, how to freeze quinoa, and a collection of my favorite easy quinoa recipes.

For too many years, I cooked my quinoa the way that everyone else on the internet seemed to recommend it — with a 1:2 quinoa to water ratio, simmered with the lid on, then drained and briefly steamed.  And for too many years, I found myself dealing with unpredictable and far-too-often mushy batches of quinoa — which simply will not do!  I tried experimenting with the amount of water, I tried cooking my quinoa both covered and uncovered, and I tried a dozen other ideas that the internet recommended.  But still, I couldn’t quite seem to figure out the elusive formula for consistently perfect light and fluffy quinoa.

Enter Bon Appetit. ♡

About a year ago, I happened upon an article from their Basically team for how to cook quinoa and popular grains “perfectly, every time.”  I was officially intrigued, and dove in ready to memorize yet a new round of ratios and cooking instructions.  But as it turns out, their solution was incredibly simple — just cook quinoa like pasta!

It’s as easy as it sounds and it actually works.  Simply bring a pot of salted water to a boil, add the quinoa and cook until it is perfectly tender, drain and let the quinoa steam for a few minutes, then enjoy!  No more crossing your fingers that the quinoa will be perfectly cooked, no more overly-dry or overly-mushy quinoa, no more having to memorize different ratios for differently-sized batches.  All you’ll need is a fine-mesh strainer to drain the quinoa once it has been cooked, and you’re ready to go.  Brilliant.

If you are interested in boosting the flavor of your quinoa, I have also included a bunch of different options below for various aromatics you can add to the water.  (Or if you have an extra 3 minutes, I highly recommend toasting the dry quinoa before it is cooked.)  Plus, I’ve also included lots of tips for how to store or freeze quinoa, as well as lots of my favorite easy quinoa recipes to put this superfood to delicious use.

Alright friends, let’s make some perfectly-cooked quinoa!

What Is Quinoa?

First, though, a quick word about why this superfood is so amazing. ♡

As many of you probably already know, quinoa is a complete protein, which means that it includes all 9 of the essential amino acids.  It is also incredibly rich in fiber (it actually contains twice the fiber of most other grains), vitamins B and E, and other minerals like iron, magnesium, calcium, and potassium.  It is naturally gluten-free and has a low glycemic index.  And — bonus — it’s easy to whip up in just 20ish minutes!

Best of all, though, quinoa is one of my favorite pantry staples because it’s so versatile and delicious.  Its mild, nutty, earthy flavor can be seasoned to pair with just about any kind of cuisine.  And it tastes fabulous in everything from quinoa salads, to quinoa fried rice, quinoa burrito bowls, quinoa burgers and so much more.

There are actually more than 100 different types of quinoa available.  But most grocery stores sell either white (pearl) quinoa, red quinoa, black quinoa, or a tri-color quinoa blend.  You can typically find quinoa located in the grains or health food section of your grocery store.  Or you can order it easily on Amazon too.

So many reasons to cook with quinoa!

Basic Quinoa Ingredients:

Alright, so let’s talk about the basic ingredients that you will need to make a batch of quinoa.  Those include:

• Quinoa: Uncooked quinoa in the color of your preference (white, red, black or tri-color), rinsed and drained.
• Water: Or you can use vegetable or chicken broth, for extra flavor.
• Sea salt: To bring out the flavor of the quinoa.
• (Optional) Aromatics: Such as bay leaf, garlic, fresh herbs or other seasonings.

How To Make Quinoa:

Here is my favorite basic method for how to cook quinoa!  Simply…

1. Simmer the quinoa.  Add the quinoa, salt (plus any optional aromatics) to a large pot of boiling water and stir to combine. Simmer for about 12-15 minutes, or until the quinoa is tender and translucent and those cute little white curlicues have poked out from the seeds.
2. Drain the quinoa.  Drain the quinoa completely through a fine-mesh strainer.
3. Steam the quinoa.  Transfer the quinoa back to the saucepan, and remove the saucepan from the heat.  Cover with a clean dishtowel and let the quinoa rest for 5-10 minutes so that it can steam.
4. Fluff and season the quinoa.  Fluff the quinoa with a fork.  Taste, and season with extra salt if needed.
5. Serve warm.  Serve and enjoy!

See the full recipe below for detailed ingredient amounts and recipe instructions.

Quinoa Flavor Boosters:

If you would like to kick up the flavor of your quinoa, feel free to use one or more of these flavor boosters too:

• Toast the quinoa: This easy step only takes 3 minutes, but it makes a major difference in bringing out the nutty, toasty, natural flavors of quinoa.  Simply heat a sauté pan over medium-high heat.  Add the dry uncooked quinoa and let it toast for 3-4 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the quinoa is fragrant.  Remove from heat and cook as directed.
• Add aromatics to the water: I almost always add a bay leaf to my quinoa for extra flavor, plus maybe a clove or two of fresh garlic.  But you can also add in any other fresh herbs that go with your quinoa recipe, chicken or veggie bouillon, or any of your favorite spices or seasonings.
• Season the quinoa after it has cooked: I also like to add a few twists of freshly-cracked black pepper to my quinoa after it has cooked.  But feel free to also add in any fresh or dried herbs that you love.

Quinoa FAQ:

How to pronounce quinoa?  The original quinoa pronunciation in Spanish is “keen-oh-ah,” but most English speakers pronounce it with just two syllables — “keen-wah.”

Is quinoa gluten-free? Yes, quinoa is gluten-free.

Is quinoa keto? Unfortunately, no, quinoa is not keto.  It has too high of a carb count for the keto diet.

Is quinoa a grain? Technically, no, quinoa is a seed.  Although many consider it a “pseudo-grain,” because quinoa is typically cooked and consumed in the same manner of most other grains.

Why do you have to rinse quinoa?  Quinoa has a natural coating, called saponin, that adds a bitter taste to the quinoa.  So it is important to give your dry uncooked quinoa a good rinse with water in a fine-mesh strainer before it is cooked.  (That said, if your package notes that the quinoa is pre-rinsed, you can skip this step.)

How do you know when quinoa is cooked?  Quinoa is finished cooking once the texture of the quinoa is chewy and tender (no longer crunchy) and the quinoa germs (those cute little white curlicue tails) have separated from the quinoa seeds.

How do you freeze quinoa? It’s best to spread the quinoa out in a shallow layer on a baking sheet, then place the baking sheet in the freezer for 2 hours until the quinoa is frozen.  Then you can remove and transfer the quinoa to a food storage container or ziplock, so that the quinoa does not freeze together as one large brick.

Can you make quinoa in the Instant Pot? I have to admit that I prefer the stovetop method mentioned above, but you can definitely cook quinoa in the Instant Pot too!  To make Instant Pot quinoa, simply add a 1:1 quinoa to water ratio to your Instant Pot (plus 1/4 teaspoon sea salt per cup of quinoa).  Cover and cook on high pressure for 2 minutes, followed by a 10 minute natural release, followed by a quick release.  Fluff and serve!

Quinoa nutrition facts?  Here are a few quick stats!  One cup of cooked quinoa includes: 222 calories, 8g protein, 39g carbs, 4g fat, and 5g fiber.

Favorite Quinoa Recipes:

Here are some of my favorite easy quinoa recipes!

Print