Instant Pot Quinoa
This foolproof recipe for Instant Pot Quinoa yields perfectly fluffy quinoa every single time. Ready in less than 30 minutes!
Ingredients
- 1 ⅓ cups dry quinoa
- 2 cups water or broth**
- ½ teaspoon salt
Instructions
- Add the dry, unrinsed* quinoa to the insert of a 6-quart Instant Pot.
- Pour in 2 cups of cool or room temperature water, and sprinkle in ½ teaspoon of salt.
- Stir well and secure the lid. Switch the valve to the “sealing” position.
- Set the pot to manual pressure and cook for 3 minutes.
- Once the pot beeps for the second time, indicating the cooking time is up, allow the Instant Pot to do a 10 minute natural pressure release.
- Once 10 minutes are up, flip the valve to “venting” and allow all of the steam and pressure to release completely. If your model has a pin, once it drops, it’s generally considered safe to open the lid. (Please see your manual for safety information)
- Carefully open the lid, then fluff the quinoa with a fork.
- Allow the quinoa to rest for 5 minutes, then serve and enjoy!
Notes
Yields approximately 4 cups cooked quinoa.
Storing leftovers: Transfer leftovers to an airtight container and store in the refrigerator for up to 4 days. Reheat in portions as needed. For longer storage, transfer to freezer bags, seal, label, and freeze for up to 3 months.
*Should quinoa be rinsed? When quinoa first made waves in the 2010’s as the new “Superfood”, it was common to require it to be rinsed first. This rinsed away much of the bitter tasting saponin. Most modern brands (even generic ones) of quinoa are rinsed and treated before packaging.
If your quinoa needs to be rinsed: If you’ve purchased quinoa in bulk bins, or other types that need to be rinsed, reduce the water in the recipe by ¼ cup.
**With broth: For extra flavor (and protein) you can cook your quinoa in the broth of your choice. We like to use a good quality bone broth for added protein, but vegetable broth works great for a flavorful vegetarian and vegan option.
For an 8-quart Instant Pot: Double the recipe to ensure you have enough liquid for this larger pot to come up to pressure.
For a 3-quart Instant Pot: This recipe is smaller scale and can easily be replicated as-is for the 3-quart models.
The gist of it:
- Ratio: 1 part quinoa : 1.5 parts water.
- Cooking time: 3 minutes
- Pressure release: 10 minutes + 5 minutes fluff and rest.