How to cook quinoa in a rice cooker- this trick makes cooking quinoa hands off and even easier! No more worrying about your water boiling over, and perfect fluffy quinoa every time.
You might be surprised to hear that your rice cooker is good for more than just cooking rice- though I do have 7 rice recipes for you to use on the blog. We also love cooking quinoa in the rice cooker!
Rice cooker quinoa is such a revelation- absolutely perfectly fluffy each and every time, and you don't need to watch a pot on the stove...just push a button and walk away!
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Reasons you'll ♡ this method
- it gives you perfect quinoa
- it won't boil over
- you won't be tempted to peek
- it makes cooking hands off so you can focus your attention on other things
Ingredient notes
- quinoa- comes in multiple varieties including black, white, red, and tri-color. This recipe has only been tested with white quinoa (the most commonly available type), though it should work perfectly fine with the others, as they have relatively similar cook times.
- water- we've used water as a cooking liquid here, but you could use chicken or vegetable stock (or homemade bone broth) for added flavor and nutrition.
- salt- adding salt to the cooking liquid helps each seed get perfectly seasoned.
- oil- helps to prevent the quinoa from sticking to the bottom of the rice cooker.
Step by step directions
- Spray the rice cooker insert with oil- I find it really helps to keep the quinoa from sticking and drying. My faves are either coconut oil or avocado oil.
- Rinse the quinoa- often boxed quinoa comes pre-rinsed, but I like to give it another quick rinse in a colander before cooking. This helps remove saponins from the surface of the quinoa, which can cause it to taste soapy.
- Add the water- use the same ratio as you do for stove top quinoa- 2 parts water to 1 part quinoa. For Instant Pot quinoa, we use a different ratio.
- Cook- If you have a choice between white or brown rice, select 'white rice'. If your cooker only has one button, push the button. That's seriously how easy it is.
Storage & meal prep
After cooking, cool the quinoa completely before storing.
- fridge- store in an air tight container in the fridge for up to 4 days
- freezer- store in a sturdy freezer bag, meal prep container or reusable silicone bag for up to 3 months
- reheat- add a tablespoon of water, and loosely cover the container (if it has a lid leave it slightly ajar). Heat your quinoa in the microwave until steaming hot, then fluff it up with a fork.
Food safety tips
- do not reheat your quinoa more than once
- discard quinoa that has been left at room temperature for longer than 2 hours
- discard quinoa if it develops an 'off' smell, or has mold growing on it.
- read more quinoa food safety tips here
FAQ
Hands down my top pick for a rice cooker is the Aroma 8 Cup
. It is small, the lid is super easy to wash, and it cooks basmati rice in under 30 minutes.
If you have a large family, I'd advise going for the Aroma 20 Cup model. When they say 8 cups, they are talking fully cooked rice. So that's maybe 2 cups uncooked rice you can do.
You want 2 cups of water for every 1 cup of quinoa you cook. Check the capacity of your cooker so you do not overfill.
It depends on the model. For my 8 cup rice cooker, I can cook at most 2 cups of uncooked quinoa. This will make 6-7 cups of cooked quinoa.
Quinoa actually triples in size!
For 2 cups of cooked quinoa add ¾ cup of uncooked quinoa
For 3 cups of cooked quinoa add 1 cup of uncooked quinoa
Ways to use your quinoa
- Quinoa Egg Muffins (High Protein)
- Broccoli Salad Recipe with Almonds and Quinoa
- Broccoli Quinoa Casserole
- Refreshing Quinoa Black Bean Salad
- Apple Quinoa Breakfast Bars
- Cheesy Spinach Quinoa Cups (with Video)
- Strawberry Caprese Quinoa Salad with Balsamic Vinaigrette
- Charred Corn Salad with Feta, Mint and Quinoa
Did you make this? Tag me on social @sweetpeasandsaffron and be sure to leave a comment and rate the recipe!
How to Cook Quinoa in a Rice Cooker
Instructions
- Spray the rice cooker insert lightly with oil (optional but I find it helps keep the quinoa nice and fluffy all the way through).
- Rinse quinoa under the tap for 20 seconds in a fine mesh sieve. Shake off excess water and add to the pot.
- Add a pinch of salt, then 2 cups of water.
- Cook rice using the 'white rice' function (if your rice cooker has that option; otherwise just press cook). After cooking, fluff it up and enjoy!
Tips:
Nutrition Information
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Denise Bustard is the creator of Sweet Peas and Saffron, a meal prep-focussed food blog. With a PhD in biochemistry, Denise takes a scientific approach to perfecting her recipes. You can find Denise's work featured on Huffington Post, MSN, Self and more.
Yong Lim says
Thank you. My first attempt worked out excellent.
Denise Bustard says
So happy to hear this! Thanks for reporting back 🙂
Tally says
My rice cooker uses the same 2:1 ratio as your quinoa recipe for brown rice.
Daphne C. says
I know this was posted quite some time ago, but wanted to thank you and let you know it worked beautifully. I have an older (read = plain-Jane) rice cooker that I can't seem to part with. It cooks rice, quinoa and beans perfectly! Thanks so much for the tip on a bit of oil 🙂
Denise says
Hi Daphne! I'm so happy to hear you liked this method...it's my go-to! Thanks for reporting back!
Anthony R says
I've been using a rice cooker to cook quinoa for some time now, but I've been having this issue; I like to steam broccoli at the same time that my quinoa is boiling - You know, kill two birds with one stone - but the quinoa has a tendency to overflow into the steamer basket above and mix with the broccoli. Not a big deal, but it can be annoying. How can I prevent it?
And I always the exact measurements you use (2 cups water, 1 cup quinoa)
Denise says
Hi Anthony! Unfortunately I am not able to help you with this as I've never cooked quinoa and broccoli at the same time. I don't know if it's possible to avoid this as the quinoa will simmer quite high up in the rice cooker as it cooks.
Willa Campbell Wright says
Hi, quick question, my rice cooker has a “quinoa” button and a “white rice” button. It’s an aroma professional plus 10 cup rice cooker. I also live at 7,200 feet elevation. Should I still go with the white rice button?
Denise says
Hi Willa! Wow, that's definitely not the same as my model. I would use the quinoa button! Good luck!
Tamra says
Question on the cup size you refer to in your quinoa/rice cooker post. I'm assuming I use the cup and water line that my rice cooker came with vs. using an actual measuring cup for both. Correct?
Denise says
Hi Tamra! I actually use standard measuring cups for my rice cooker. I remember using the one that came with the rice cooker and my rice didn't turn out that time. Could totally have been a user error but I have not used it since then.
Steve says
Worked like a charm and I loved that I didn't have to watch a pot on the stove!
Denise says
So happy you enjoyed! Thanks so much for taking the time out of your day to leave a review 🙂
Jackie Clinansmith says
Thank you!!! I was gifted a one button rice cooker and I was finally able to make it! And it taste good! Lol first couple of times weren't very successful on the stove top.
Denise says
So glad you enjoyed!
Kevin Cyrus says
First time visiting your site and first time cooking quinoa in a week old rice cooker. The results in a word: Fantastic! Used vegetable broth with organic quinoa and followed your instructions. I'm a believer. Thank you.
Denise says
Glad you enjoyed! It's definitely the easiest way to cook quinoa 🙂 Thanks, Kevin!
Lucksh says
Love these easy recipes... specially the Qinoa cooked in a Rice cooker one! Thank you!
Denise says
So happy you've enjoyed them! This is my favorite way to cook quinoa these days!
Jo says
I've been cooking Quinoa for years. I've found, for my tastes that I like my Quinoa less cooked. When I make it in my Aroma pot I use 1/2 cup less liquid. The Quinoa comes out a little more firm. I make a large quantity so we can just take some when we want it. I tend to reheat it so having it cooked this way means it won't get mushy. Quinoa can get mushy if over cooked. Thanks for the great recipe.
Elba Wood says
I have seen your video & read the article. This is an informative article. Thanks for sharing such an article about uses of the rice cooker.
Denise says
Thanks Elba!