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You are here: Home / Recipes and Cooking Tips / How to Cook Quinoa – 3 Easy Methods

How to Cook Quinoa – 3 Easy Methods

May 1, 2018 by Alea Milham 9 Comments

This post may contain affiliate links. Read our disclosure policy here.
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Have you wondered how to cook quinoa? Here are directions for 3 different methods of cooking quinoa: stovetop, slow cooker, and pressure cooker.

How to Cook Quinoa - 3 methods for cooking quinoa
Quinoa is not only delicious and healthy, it is fast and easy to prepare, making it a great substitute for rice and other grains in recipes. Quinoa is naturally gluten-free, so I also enjoy using it in place of pasta in some recipes.

Quinoa comes in a variety of colors and though the flavor of each variety is slightly different the ease of preparation is the same for all of them.

How to Cook Quinoa

Different types of quinoa

While the methods for cooking quinoa vary, the ratio of dried quinoa to liquid remain the same: 1 part quinoa to 2 parts liquid in all of the recipes except for the Instant Pot Quinoa recipe. You can cook the quinoa in water or your favorite broth.

How to Cook Quinoa on the Stove Top

Ingredients: 

  • 1 cup quinoa
  • 2 cups water

Directions:

  1. Add the water and quinoa to a medium pot with a lid.
  2. Cook the quinoa over a medium-high flame until it reaches a boil.
  3. Place a lid on the pot, lower the flame and simmer for 10 – 15 minutes or until the germ separates from the seed.

Printable Stovetop Quinoa Recipe

How to Cook Quinoa on the Stovetop
 
Print
Prep time
2 mins
Cook time
15 mins
Total time
17 mins
 
Author: Alea
Recipe type: Side Dish
Cuisine: American
Serves: 8
Ingredients
  • 1 cup quinoa
  • 2 cups water
  • Add the water and quinoa to a medium pot with a lid.
  • Cook the quinoa over a medium-high flame until it reaches a boil.
  • Place a lid on the pot, lower the flame and simmer for 10 - 15 minutes or until the germ separates from the seed.
Directions
  1. Add the water and quinoa to a medium pot with a lid.
  2. Cook the quinoa over a medium-high flame until it reaches a boil.
  3. Place a lid on the pot, lower the flame and simmer for 10 - 15 minutes or until the germ separates from the seed.
3.5.3239

 

How to Cook Quinoa - 3 simple methods for cooking quinoa.

If you look closely at the picture above, you can see little ridicules. That is the germ and it will be present when the qunioa is done cooking. You want the germ to be al dente and the seed to be light and slightly crunchy.

How to Cook Quinoa in a Slow Cooker

Ingredients: 

  • 2 cups quinoa
  • 4 cups water

Directions:

  1. Add the quinoa and water to a slow cooker.
  2. Place the lid on the slow cooker and then cook for 5 – 6 hours on low or 3 – 4 high on low or until the germ separates from the seed.

Printable Slow Cooker Quinoa Recipe

How to Cook Quinoa in a Slow Cooker
 
Print
Prep time
2 mins
Cook time
5 hours
Total time
5 hours 2 mins
 
Author: Alea
Recipe type: Side Dish
Cuisine: American
Serves: 16
Ingredients
  • 2 cups quinoa
  • 4 cups water
Directions
  1. Add the quinoa and water to a slow cooker.
  2. Place the lid on the slow cooker and then cook for 5 - 6 hours on low or 3 - 4 hours on high or until the germ separates from the seed.
3.5.3239

How to Cook Quinoa in a Pressure Cooker

Ingredients: 

  • 2 cups quinoa
  • 4 cups water

Directions:

  1. Place the quinoa and water in the pressure cooker.
  2. Seal the lid, close the pressure release valve and cook on high pressure for 6 minutes or until the germ separates from the seed.
  3. Use the quick release method to release the steam.

Printable Pressure Cooker Quinoa Recipe

How to Cook Quinoa in a Pressure Cooker
 
Print
Prep time
5 mins
Cook time
6 mins
Total time
11 mins
 
Author: Alea
Recipe type: Side Dish
Cuisine: American
Serves: 16
Ingredients
  • 2 cups quinoa
  • 4 cups water
Directions
  1. Place the quinoa and water in the pressure cooker.
  2. Seal the lid, close the pressure release valve and cook on high pressure for 6 minutes or until the germ separates from the seed.
  3. Use the quick release method to release the steam.
3.5.3239

 

How to Cook Quinoa in an Electric Pressure Cooker

How to Cook Quinoa in an Instant Pot

You can use the Instant Pot as a pressure cooker, but it holds in more steam than a pressure cooker, so we need to reduce the liquid.

Ingredients: 

  • 2 cups quinoa
  • 3 1/2 cups water

Directions:

  1. Place the quinoa and water in the Instant Pot.
  2. Seal the lid, close the pressure release valve and cook on high pressure for 6 minutes or until the germ separates from the seed.
  3. Use the quick release method to release the steam.

Printable Instant Pot Quinoa Recipe

How to Cook Quinoa - 3 Easy Methods
 
Print
Prep time
2 mins
Cook time
10 mins
Total time
12 mins
 
Author: Alea
Serves: 16
Ingredients
  • 2 cups quinoa
  • 3½ cups water
Directions
  1. Place the quinoa and water in the Instant Pot.
  2. Seal the lid, close the pressure release valve. Select high pressure. Set the time for 6 minutes. Push start.
  3. Use the quick release method to release the steam.
3.5.3239

 

If you like cooking with quinoa you will love the Quinoa Lunch Bowl recipes and the Quinoa Salad recipes in my cookbook Prep-Ahead Breakfasts and Lunches.

Prep-Ahead Breakfasts and Lunches Cookbook by Alea Milham - Easy Meal Prep Recipes

More Quinoa Recipes

Quinoa’s crunchy texture and mildly nutty flavor makes it a wonderful addition to many different recipes. Here are a few of our favorites:

Asian Chicken Salad with Quinoa Recipe  Asian Chicken Salad with Quinoa

Broccoli and Quinoa Salad RecipeBroccoli and Quinoa Salad

Quinoa and Avocado Salad recipeQuinoa and Avocado Salad

Fast and Easy Taco Salad with Quinoa Recipe

Southwest Quinoa Salad

Delicious Chicken Quinoa Salad Recipe with Homemade Cucumber and Apple Salad Dressing

Chicken Quinoa Salad Recipe

Have you cooked with quinoa? How do you use it in recipes?

This was originally published on April 24, 2012. It was updated May 1, 2018, to include the cooking video.

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About Alea Milham

Alea Milham is the owner of Premeditated Leftovers and the author of Prep-Ahead Meals from Scatch. She shares her tips for saving money and time while reducing waste in her home. Her favorite hobby, gardening, is a frugal source of organic produce for her recipes. She believes it is possible to live fully and eat well while spending less.

Comments

  1. Victoria says

    April 26, 2012 at 9:01 pm

    I love quinoa, and it’s so easy to cook! My favorite is recipe is to make it into a greek salad with cucumber, tomatoes, onions, and feta!

    Reply
  2. Swathi says

    April 25, 2012 at 1:35 pm

    I read somewhere, we need to soak, wash and roast before cooking quinoa. I have some in my hand, now to try them.

    Reply
    • Alea says

      April 25, 2012 at 2:39 pm

      You don’t have to soak, wash or roast packaged quinoa.

      Reply
  3. [email protected] Today says

    April 25, 2012 at 5:11 am

    I didn’t like quinoa at first because of the crunchiness, so now I cook it longer and like it quite a bit now. 🙂

    Reply
    • Alea says

      April 25, 2012 at 4:00 pm

      I will have to try cooking it longer to see how it changes the texture. Thanks for the idea!

      Reply
  4. mub says

    April 25, 2012 at 12:53 am

    I like making quinoa in the rice cooker, it works really well =)

    I think this is my very favorite recipe with it: http://www.bbcgoodfood.com/recipes/11290/roasted-tomato-halloumi-and-quinoa-salad

    I usually add in a cucumber and it works really well with sun dried tomatoes instead of fresh ones too.

    Reply
    • Alea says

      April 25, 2012 at 4:01 pm

      I have heard that you can make quinoa in a rice cooker, but have never tried it. Thanks for sharing the recipe!

      Reply
  5. Jackie @ Crest Cottage says

    April 24, 2012 at 6:54 pm

    Mmm! I love me some quinoa! I even got my parents hooked. I always make way too much and have it for lunch. Sometimes I just mix in my husband’s hummus and some balsamic vinegar and call it a day!

    Reply
    • Alea says

      April 24, 2012 at 6:56 pm

      That sounds delicious Jackie!

      Reply

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Welcome. I'm Alea!

On Premeditated Leftovers I share simple recipes made with whole foods, practical shopping tips, time saving techniques, and meal planning strategies. I also share tips for minimizing food waste, so more of the food that is purchased ends up on the table.

While volunteering as a budget counselor, I realized that food is the element of most people’s budgets where they have the greatest control. I set out to develop low-cost recipes from scratch to prove it’s possible to create delicious meals on a limited budget. Eating well while spending less is about more than just creating recipes using inexpensive ingredients; it’s about creatively combining ingredients so you don’t feel deprived and are inspired to stick to your budget.

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