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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Or this Cauliflower Pizza Crust
Thank you this is great@
Well, I’m peruvian and so proud of hearing good things about quinoa in other countries. I never had a good taste for quinoa before but now I do. So much time living in a country like Peru where quinoa is harvested and still see people of my own country that reject quinoa beacuse they think it’s like ugh. Anyway, I’ll try to get quinoa to other countries with a business I’m planning to run. Greetings everybody
I don’t know what planet you are from, but I have tried cooking quinoa twice using your recipe and both times, it’s come out looking (and tasting) like plaster of paris. The first time, the water never got absorbed. The second time, I used a different size burner (one that is larger) and cut down on the water (to 2 cups) and it still came out like soup.
I am a great cook, I cook rice (white and brown) all the time, but this sucks. What gives????
Wow there is really no need to hurl insults at Katie because you did something wrong to a perfectly good recipe. I’ve made quinoa this way about a hundred times and can attest to the recipe being perfectly okay. So what gives? I’m sorry to say, you do!
Thanks so much for posting this recipe, it was very helpful. My favorite quinoa recipe hands down is quinoa pizza bites. They are quick, easy, healthy and best of all so YUMMY!
http://www.thisorganizedlife.com/recipes/quinoa-pizza-bites-recipe/
Do you know if you can make quinoa in a rice maker?
Also do you have a good bread recipe, like one you can use for sandwiches?
I like to try new grains so I don’t get tired of eating the same ones. I like bulgur wheat and love couscous, especially Israeli couscous (the giant type). The first quinoa recipe I tried (and liked!) was this one though: http://recipesbyvictoria.com/vegan-quinoa-salad and I also like to make risotto with it, instead of using rice 🙂
Yep, I cooked up Quinoa in a slightly different way than what usually would.
I made a large batch of Clam Chowder for New Years, and I was looking to add an additional protein source, so I put cooked up some Quinoa. [a little too much actually — but, ah well, I just made up more soup portion]
I Cooked up the Chowder, and then added these extra ingredients:
Thinly Sliced Radishes – 4 or 5 can fill a lot
Thinly Sliced Baby Carrots – 5 or 6
Chopped Green Onions – 4 or 5 strands
Slice into 4ths, and then into 8ths Spinach Leaves – 10 to 15
Small Chopped Green Bell Pepper – 1 half
Thinly Sliced Mini Red Sweet Peppers – 3
Thinly Sliced Mini Orange Sweet Peppers – 3
Thinly Sliced Mini Yellow Sweet Peppers – 3
Diced Fresh Garlic Clove – 2 quartered pieces
I Stirred them into the Soup portion on medium low heat, then covered, while I waited for the Quinoa to finish cooking (45 mins)
I then cooked up some Free Range Grown Turkey sausage [2 – each about the size of a bratwurst]. {note: I peeled the skin off of the sausage before I cooked them}
I chopped them into small soup sized bits, and added it to the Chowder.
Then the Quinoa was ready, I strained any left over moisture (there was hardly any), and stirred it into the Mix.
Then, to top it off, I sliced up an Avocado.
I ate one Bowl this way, and a second that I added a teaspoon of Spirulina Powder to.
…
If this looks good to you, try it out and lemme know what you think.
I’ve never cooked quinoa before with the exception of a boxed meal once. Is it generally cooked with 1 part quinoa to 2-1/2 parts water? I want to use it for a “No-Peek Chicken” recipe instead of rice. Can I substitute it for rice in most anything/everything? Looking forward to learning more!
I just chuck equal parts quinoa and water into a rice steamer and steam it for 35 minutes. It comes out perfect every time.
Hey,
Can quinoa be prepared in a microwave?