Instant Pot Quinoa: Easy Recipe

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This Instant Pot Quinoa recipe is the perfect side dish. If you’re worried about cooking quinoa, using your Instant Pot is the easiest option – ever! All you need is a little bit of prep time and a short cooking time, and you’ll have perfectly fluffy Instant Pot quinoa fast!

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Why This Recipe Works
📋 Ingredients
🔀 Substitutions & Variations
🔪How To Cook Instant Pot Quinoa?
👩‍🍳 Expert Tips
💭 FAQs
Serving Suggestions
🍜 Related Recipes
Instant Pot Quinoa
Try These Easy Pressure Cooker Recipes

Why This Recipe Works

Just 3 Ingredients Needed. No need to spend a ton of money on ingredients. Just three simple ingredients will get you perfectly cooked quinoa in the Instant Pot.
It’s light and fluffy. If you’re not a fan of rice but are wanting something to eat, this easy quinoa recipe is where it’s at! It's perfectly fluffy!
Quinoa pairs perfectly with everything. You can add Instant Pot quinoa to soups and salads, or make it the main side dish for any meal.
One Minute Cooking Time: The best thing about making quinoa in the electric pressure cooker is that it only takes 1 minute of pressure cooking time! How cool is that! The Instant Pot makes cooking easy and simple!

📋 Ingredients

Once you gather up the very simple ingredients needed, you’ll love the ease of this recipe. It’ll be cooked and ready before you realize it.

White Quinoa: Becomes fluffy and light when cooked, providing a high-protein, gluten-free base for the dish.
Vegetable Broth: Used instead of water to cook the quinoa, it adds a depth of flavor, making the quinoa more savory and delicious.
Salt: Enhances the natural flavors of the quinoa and the vegetable broth, balancing and bringing out their best qualities.

For the complete list of ingredients with measurements and instructions, please see the recipe card at the bottom of the post.

🔀 Substitutions & Variations

White Quinoa: There are three types of quinoa commonly available: white, red, and black. White quinoa is the most common variety and has a mild flavor. When cooked properly in the Instant Pot, all three varieties of quinoa cook up to be light and fluffy.
Nutty Flavor: Red quinoa has a more nutty flavor, while black quinoa is earthier and chewier than the other two varieties.
If you’re not a fan of broth, you can swap that out and use water instead. This may change the overall flavor of the dish, so be prepared for that possible outcome. You can also try chicken stock, Chicken Broth or beef broth for a different taste.

🔪How To Cook Instant Pot Quinoa?

It’s time to put your Instant Pot to good use. This quinoa Instant Pot recipe is fast and easy and will fill your belly full.

Step One: Combine all the ingredients in your Instant Pot insert.

Step Two: Close the Instant Pot lid. Set your Instant Pot to pressure cook on high pressure and set the cooking time at 1 minute. The pot will take about 5-10 minutes to pressurize before that 1-minute cooking time starts counting down.

Step Three: Let your Instant Pot naturally release for 15 minutes. then allow any remaining pressure to release from your Instant Pot. This Instant pot quinoa step is important and ensures fluffy and flavorful quinoa every time.

👩‍🍳 Expert Tips

Rinse Thoroughly: Before cooking, rinse the quinoa under cold water using a fine-mesh strainer. This step is crucial to remove the saponin, a natural coating that can make the quinoa taste bitter or soapy. Thorough rinsing ensures your quinoa is clean and enhances its nutty flavor.
Use the Correct Water Ratio: In an Instant Pot, the water ratio for quinoa is slightly different from stovetop cooking due to the sealed cooking environment which minimizes water evaporation. Use a 1:1 ratio of quinoa to water for best results. This ratio will give you perfectly fluffy quinoa without it being too wet or dry.

💭 FAQs

What Does Quinoa Taste Like?

Quinoa has a relatively mild, nutty flavor. It’s similar to brown rice, but the texture is slightly crunchier and more firm. Quinoa has a relatively mild, nutty flavor. It’s similar to brown rice, but the texture is slightly crunchier and more firm. The correct pronunciation of quinoa is “keen-wah.”

Do I Need to Rinse The Quinoa?

Rinsed quinoa is not essential but it‘s a good idea to rinse your quinoa before you cook it. This will remove any dust or debris that may have collected on the grains, as well as bitter-tasting saponins that naturally coat the outer layer of quinoa seeds.

Can I Cook Quinoa in a Rice Cooker?

You can prepare quinoa in a rice cooker if you wish. Put the quinoa and liquid into the rice cooker, set it to cook, and let it do its thing. It will take longer than a pressure cooker or stovetop, but it’s still an easy way to make quinoa for a crowd.

Best Way to Store Quinoa

When stored properly, cooked quinoa will stay good for up to 5 days in the fridge. However, it’s best eaten the same day that it’s made. Quinoa can be frozen for up to three months.

Can You Freeze Cooked Quinoa?

Yes, to freeze, spread cooked quinoa onto a baking sheet and place into the freezer until solid. Once frozen, transfer the quinoa to a sealed container or bag and store in the freezer until ready to use.

Serving Suggestions

These are my favorite side dishes to serve with Quinoa:

Poached Chicken Breast: If you want to make this more of a main meal, you can add Proteins Like Eggs or cooked meats such as Chicken, Fish Or Beef.
Black Beans: For a vegetarian option, you can add Nuts Or Beans For A Protein Boost.
Casserole: You might want to try this fantastic Quinoa and Chicken Casserole Recipe here!

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