How to Cook Quinoa in a Rice Cooker

white spoon with a bite of quinoa cooked in the rice cooker

4.93 from 13 votes

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.

Prep Time3

Cook Time30

Total Time33

Course: Side Dish

Cuisine: American

Servings:

Calories: 158kcal

Author: Denise Bustard

Equipment

8 Cup Rice Cooker

Ingredients

1 spritz oil (optional)
1 cup quinoa
2 cups water see note 1
1 pinch salt

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!

Notes

1- for added flavor, swap the water for vegetable or chicken stock

2- quinoa triples in size as it cooks, so 1 cup of uncooked quinoa should yield 3 cups of cooked quinoa

Storage

Cooked quinoa should be stored in the fridge within 2 hours of cooking.

Store in an air tight container for up to 4 days, or freeze in a freezer bag or meal prep container for up to 3 months.

Adding flavor

Consider swapping the water for chicken stock, or using the spice ratios in these 7 rice recipes

Nutrition