There was a time when I thought I hated quinoa; that its chewy and almost-crunchy texture just wasn’t for me. Over the years, however, I’ve experimented to find the perfect quinoa-to-water ratio and cooking time for the foolproof method of how to cook quinoa that actually turns out soft and fluffy every single time.
If you like pillow soft quinoa, this quinoa recipe is for you!
Table of Contents
Yes, today’s how to cook quinoa recipe might not be the most interesting recipe ever posted… but it’s the base for a few other more exciting recipes I hope to post soon: breakfast quinoa, quinoa chocolate chip cookies, and quinoa pancakes.
EDIT: The Breakfast Quinoa and Quinoa Chocolate Chip Cookies are now both up on the blog!
This basic quinoa recipe can be eaten on its own as a simple side dish, or spice it up by stirring in a little garlic powder and oregano, tossing it into a stir fry, adding a spoonful of tahini or some tomato sauce. Let your imagination run wild.
You can even use it for my favorite Quinoa Pizza Bites!
Do you have any favorite quinoa recipes? I still have a ton more quinoa recipes that I still need to publish on the blog, so be on the lookout for more healthy quinoa recipes to be posted in the near future.
Also, in your comments please feel free to leave links to your own favorite quinoa recipes if you wish.
How To Cook Quinoa
Ingredients
- 1/2 cup raw quinoa (80g)
- 1/4 tsp salt – optional
- 1 2/3 cup water
- optional 2 tsp oil
Instructions
- How to cook quinoa: In a strainer, rinse quinoa and drain. Bring a small pot with the 1 2/3 cup water to a boil, then add the quinoa and all optional ingredients. Lower the heat to the lowest simmer, and cover. Simmer for 40 minutes, covered, then do not open the lid but turn off the heat completely. Let sit an additional 20 minutes, covered. After this time, the quinoa should be light and fluffy. If it's still too liquidy for some reason, simply turn the heat back on and stir for a few minutes until fluffy.NOTE: When found in nature, quinoa has a coating of bitter-tasting saponins. These occur naturally in the quinoa to prevent insects from eating the plant. Most packaged quinoa will be pre-washed; however it is always a good idea to wash the quinoa again just in case.View Quinoa Nutrition Facts
Notes
Edit: How To Make Quinoa – The Quick Way!
- 1 cup raw quinoa (160g)
- 3/4 tsp salt
- 2 1/2 cups water
Instructions: In a strainer, rinse quinoa well. Drain. Now combine the raw quinoa with the other ingredients and bring to a boil uncovered. When it starts to boil, cover and simmer (or cook on low if your “simmer” is too gentle like mine is) 20 minutes or until the water is absorbed and quinoa is light and fluffy.
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I LOVE quinoa! It’s definitely one of my favorites. I love to make a veggie fried quinoa (instead of fried rice)!!
I cannot wait for your quinoa recipes. I do make it often as a side dish and my four young kids have grown to like it. Ny six year old son has Type I diabetes AND celiac so to find lower-carb, high-protein and gluten-free options can be tough. I’ve been wanting to try some breakfast quinoa and I know your recipes are always the best! I look forward to it, especially as fall arrives. Pumpkin or apple/cinnamon breakfast quinoa? Yes, please!
i’ve never tried quinoa but now i think i have to 😉
I used to eat quinoa to get more grain diversity into my diet. And also for the protein. I thought it tasted to boring, and it was a lot more expensive than rice and pearled barley, which are chewy good. I thought quinoa tasted to grainy.
Thank you for posting this. I have a whole bag of raw quinoa and no clue what to do with it. But my question is, do you just eat it plain like that?? How do you season it? Eating it plain, I imagine, is like eating white rice?! Do you like to season yours any particular way?
It depends… sometimes I eat it plain. Usually I will have it as a base for some kind of curry or stir fry. So you just put the curry right on top of the quinoa.
I absolutely love quinoa, I was surprised before that u did not like it:)
Welcome to the club:)
I absolutely adore Quinoa. It was one of the ‘new’ food I discovered when I went vegan 4 years ago and I think it’s still my favourite! I tend to use it as an alternative to pasta and eat it with creamy mushroom & spinach sauce… sounds weird but I love it!
LOVE quinoa! I often use it in place of rice.
There’s a little cafe near me that makes vegan quinoa muffins that are so delicious! (hint, hint)
I am very excited to see what you share.
Thank you!
yes! quinoa is AH MAZING! my mom makes this amazing quinoa salad… so good!
When I first started making quinoa, I didn’t know you had to rinse it first before you start cooking it. I’m glad I figured that one out eventually!
xx
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