How To Cook Quinoa

If you've ever wanted to learn how to cook the quinoa and use it in your recipes, this blog post will walk you through it.

Quinoa is an easy ingredient to use in a variety of recipes. It can be cooked easily on the stove or in a rice cooker.

What is Quinoa?

Quinoa is often referred to as a superfood and is a great ingredient to add to almost every meal. Contrary to popular belief, quinoa isn’t actually a grain. It’s a seed that is often consumed like a grain. Quinoa is gluten-free and can be easier to digest than whole grains.

How To Use Quinoa

Quinoa can be used in a variety of recipes. From salads to breakfast, and even dessert!

• RICE ALTERNATIVE: Any time you'd normally use rice, you can use quinoa instead. It's a great alternative when you want to switch things up. Basic cooked quinoa can be drizzled with olive oil, and seasoned with salt and pepper. You can add melted butter, and sprinkle hot sauce or soy sauce over top.
• INSIDE A WRAP: Sprinkle leftover quinoa with other ingredients into a wrap like our chickpea zucchini stir fry wraps.
• NUGGETS: Make homemade meatless nuggets using our broccoli quinoa nugget recipe. These taste great with dipping sauce!
• IN A BOWL: Use quinoa instead of rice as the base of our sweet potato taco bowl.
• SALADS: It makes a great base for salads like our avocado quinoa coleslaw salad, or serve at a potluck in the honey dijon quinoa salad.
• BREAKFAST: Quinoa can be served as a breakfast porridge, or inside the grab-and-go egg and vegetable muffins.
• DESSERT: You might be surprised but quinoa lends itself perfectly to sweets like chocolate bliss balls and a family holiday favorite of ours, chocolate quinoa bark.

How To Make Fluffy Quinoa That Isn’t Mushy

It’s easy to make mushy quinoa that doesn’t taste very good. I’ve done it in the past and when I do, I rarely want to eat it. But there’s actually a simple trick to making quinoa that is fluffy and has the perfect consistency.

1. While the quinoa is cooking on the stove, don’t stir it. Not even a bit!
2. Let the quinoa cook and absorb all the water, but don’t mix. Seriously!
3. When it looks like the water is almost fully absorbed, take a spoon and gently move the quinoa to the side to see if there’s any water at the bottom of the pot.
4. If the water is all gone, remove the pot from the heat and let it sit for 5 minutes.
5. After 5 minutes, take a fork and fluff the quinoa. This will create the perfect consistency!

Cook Quinoa In A Rice Cooker

If you prefer, you can cook it in a rice cooker. Add 1 cup of uncooked quinoa along with 2 cups of water. Cook for 25-40 minutes depending on the style of rice cooker you have. 

Recipe Tips

• When preparing quinoa, you can soak it in water for at least 30 minutes prior. This will help release the phytic acid – an enzyme in quinoa that our bodies have a hard time digesting.
• If you have a bulk foods section at your grocery store, skip the packaged quinoa and buy in bulk. This will usually help to save on your grocery bill! Typically if I'm buying a packaged version, I grab it from Costco (it's the cheapest version I've found locally). I recommend shopping around to see where you can buy quinoa as it can be expensive in some places.
• Toasted Quinoa: The uncooked quinoa seeds can be lightly toasted before cooking. This creates a lovely flavor. Place them in a frying pan without oil over medium-low heat. Toast for a few minutes, keeping an eye on them as you go. Once toasted they can be added to a pot with water to boil.
• Leftovers can be stored in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 4-5 days. Cooked quinoa can also be frozen and then thawed to use at a later date.

More Recipes

Use up that quinoa in a variety of delicious recipes!

• Avocado Quinoa Coleslaw uses quinoa as the base and a handful of easy ingredients.
• Quinoa Broccoli Egg Muffins are a wonderful grab-and-go breakfast idea.
• Honey Dijon Quinoa Salad is perfect for lunches or potlucks.
• Quinoa Broccoli Nuggets are budget-friendly and taste great with dipping sauce.
• Turkey Quinoa Chili is an easy, healthy 30-minute meal.

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