Perfect, fluffy Instant Pot quinoa is easy to cook and ready in minutes! This post is loaded with tips to make the fluffiest, most flavorful quinoa in a pressure cooker.
Quinoa is a meal prep staple that can be used up in so many different recipes! Whether you're cooking it on the stovetop, or whipping up a batch of this perfect fluffy Instant Pot quinoa, there are so many ways to enjoy this nutritious whole grain.
Fluffy Instant Pot quinoa rivals quinoa in the rice cooker, and has taken over as our preferred method for cooking quinoa!
Not only does it cook faster than in the rice cooker, but the Instant Pot can also fit a much bigger batch. With a few simple tricks, the Instant Pot produces perfectly cooked, fluffy, and flavorful quinoa every time.
Reasons You'll Love this recipe
- cooking quinoa in the Instant Pot is so easy - no watching a pot in case it boils over, just push a button!
- you can cook a big batch, making it perfect for meal prep
- it cooks faster than in the rice cooker,ย resulting in perfectly fluffy quinoa
Ingredient Notes
- broth - adds so much flavor and exta nutrients instead of cooking the quinoa in water! You can use homemade bone broth, homemade turkey stock, or vegetable stock
- quinoa - you can use either red or white quinoa for this recipe
- salt - helps to bring out the nutty flavor of the quinnoa
How to rinse quinoa
Does anyone else find a colander extremely annoying when rinsing quinoa? The grains slip through my colander and fall into the sink, and just generally make a big mess. Most packaged quinoa comes pre-rinsed, a process which helps to remove saponin, a bitter coating found on the outside of the quinoa seeds, but we repeat it to be safe.
Here's an easier method for rinsing quinoa :
- cover quinoa in the Instant Pot insert with 1-2 inches of cold water.
- swirl a few times
- carefully pour out the water (catch the quinoa in a mesh colander; it seems to stick better when it's wet!)
- repeat 3 or so times until water is no longer bubbly
Step by Step directions
rinse quinoa
Place quinoa in the base of a 6 quart Instant Pot. Cover with 1-2 inches of water. Swirl and carefully pour water off (through a colander). Repeat until water is no longer bubbly.
Combine
Add salt and broth to the pot. Put the Instant Pot lid on and set the valve to 'sealing'.
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Important note - We cook this recipe in our 6 quart Instant Pot; if cooking in 8 quart Instant Pot you will want to cook a 1.5 x batch to ensure that you have the minimum volume of 1.5 cups so that the pot comes to pressure.
Cook
Set the Instant Pot to high pressure for 1 minute. Allow the Instant Pot to naturally depressurize (don't touch it until the pin drops). This should take around 15 minutes.
Serve
Fluff up the quinoa and enjoy!
Denise's Tips for Success
Perfect Instant Pot quinoa is allll about the fluffy texture. There are a few important steps to get that perfect fluffy quinoa texture:
- rinse your quinoa - not only can this help with digesting quinoa, but in my testing, I found rinsing quinoa to be crucial in getting that fluffy texture.
- water ratio- in the Instant Pot, you want a 1:1 liquid:quinoa ratio. This is different than the rice cooker or stove top which requires a 2:1 ratio.
- do a natural pressure release- just like on the stove top, your quinoa needs time to 'rest' after cooking. This helps all the liquid distribute evenly so you can get evenly cooked quinoa.
FAQ
When properly stored, quinoa is safe to eat forย up to 5 days! In our household, we have a 4-day limit when it comes to cooked rice & quinoa. See the storage + meal prep section below for more info.
Yes, cooked quinoa freezes really well! You can portion quinoa out in meal prep containers with stir fries, curries, or other freezer-friendly meal prep lunches, or you can freeze a whole batch or individual portions of quinoa.
Yes! See how to cook quinoa in a rice cooker!
Cooking quinoa in vegetable or chicken stock adds lots of extra flavor! Alternatively, you could try some of the flavor combinations in theseย 7 easy rice recipes! The ratios would likely transfer over to quinoa.
Storage
- Fridge - Let cool completely, then store quinoa in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 4 days.
- Freezer - Let cool completely, then store quinoa in an airtight container in the freezer for up to 3 months (we have frozen for longer with no issues). Tip: For individual portions, you might wish to freeze in muffin tins, then transfer to a larger freezer bag.
- Reheat - Reheat in the microwave until steaming hot!
Quinoa & Food Safety
- Do not let cooked quinoa sit at room temperature for extended amounts of time (get into the fridge within 2 hours of cooking).
- Store in the fridge for 4-5 days max.
- Discard quinoa that develops an off smell.
- Reheat leftovers only once, and make sure it's steaming hot.
- Find out more here!
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Perfect, Fluffy Instant Pot Quinoa
Ingredients
- 1 cup quinoa
- ยผ teaspoon salt
- 1 cup stock or broth or water; * see note 1
Instructions
- Rinse - Place quinoa in the base of a 6 quart Instant Pot. Cover with 1-2 inches of water. Swirl and carefully pour water off (through a colander).Repeat until water is no longer bubbly.
- Combine - Add salt and broth to the pot. Put the Instant Pot lid on and set the valve to 'sealing'.
- Cook - Set the Instant Pot to high pressure for 1 minute.Allow the Instant Pot to naturally depressurize (don't touch it until the pin drops). This should take around 15 minutes.
- Serve - Fluff up the quinoa and enjoy!
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Tips:
- ย Cooking quinoa in bone broth or stock helps to add more flavor, but is optional. If you don't have bone broth or stock, swap for equal parts water
Freezer - Let cool completely, then store quinoa in an airtight container in the freezer for up to 3 months.ย ย
Nutrition Information
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