Instant Pot Quinoa is quick and easy to make, and fantastic for meal prep. Use it in soups, stews, bowls, salads and sides. Store it in the fridge or freezer.
Instant Pot Quinoa is one of my favorite meal prep recipes. Make a batch or two at a time, then divide it into one-cup portions and pop them into the freezer.
At dinnertime, defrost a portion or two and stir the quinoa into soups and stews. Or use it as a base for a curry quinoa bowl, a veggie quinoa stir fry or a chicken quinoa dinner salad. Or do some meal prep on the weekend with a batch of roasted vegetable quinoa bowls.
For other easy pressure cooker grains, try How to Cook Brown Jasmine Rice, Instant Pot Farro and Instant Pot Sorghum.
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What's to love about Instant Pot Quinoa
⭐️ QUICK & EASY! The beauty of cooking quinoa in the Instant Pot is that you can set the time and walk away until it's done.
⭐️ GREAT FOR MEAL PREP: Make a batch of quinoa at the beginning of the week and use it for salads, soups and sides throughout the week.
⭐️ FREEZABLE: Store cooked quinoa in meal-sized portions for up to 6 months. Pop it in the microwave to reheat. See How to Freeze Quinoa.
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Tools and ingredients
- QUINOA: Use white quinoa, red quinoa, black quinoa or tri color quinoa. Any variety works!
- WATER OR BROTH: Cook the quinoa in water, vegetable or chicken broth, or a combination of the two.
- ELECTRIC PRESSURE COOKER: I use this 6-quart Instant Pot. The same method works with the 8-quart version.
- SIEVE: Use a fine mesh sieve to rinse the dry quinoa before cooking it.
See recipe card below for full ingredients list & recipe directions.
How to make quinoa in Instant Pot
Cooking quinoa in the Instant Pot requires a little less water than cooking it on the stovetop. Use broth in place of water or add some dried herbs to the water for extra flavor.
RINSE THE QUINOA: Quinoa is coated with a compound called saponin. If you tried quinoa in the past, but found it be bitter, chances are that it wasn't rinsed before cooking. Place the quinoa in a fine mesh sieve and rinse it under cold water for a minute or two to reduce the saponin content.
COMBINE WITH WATER/BROTH: Place the rinsed quinoa in the Instant Pot liner, along with some water or broth. Give it a quick stir to combine.
COOK: Place the lid on the Instant Pot and close the steam valve. Set the Instant Pot to HIGH pressure for 1 minute. Yep, you read that right…just ONE MINUTE! It will take the pressure cooker about 8 minutes to come to pressure.
RELEASE PRESSURE: Once the cook time expires, allow the pressure to release naturally. This should take 10 to 15 minutes. The silver button beside the steam vent drops once the pressure releases. Turn the steam vent switch to VENT. Carefully remove the lid.
FLUFF AND SERVE: Fluff the quinoa with a fork and serve. Or cool to room temperature and store.
How to serve cooked quinoa
Serve cooked quinoa cold in salads, reheat it in the microwave for about 30 seconds or stir it into soups or stews.
Some of my favorite Instant Pot quinoa recipes involve making big lunch bowls with some sort of greens (such as romaine lettuce, spinach or kale), a protein of some sort (canned beans or chickpeas, or leftover salmon are my favorites), extra vegetables (sauteed zucchini and mushrooms, or raw cucumber and bell peppers) and a dressing such as tahini dressing or balsamic vinaigrette. And a scoop of quinoa, of course!
Stir it into soups and stews, such as Hearty Chicken Stew with Butternut Squash or Slow Cooker Bean Soup with Sweet Potato.
Use it as a base for a whole grain side, such as Quinoa Chickpea Salad or Vegetable Quinoa Stir Fry.
Frequently Asked Questions
If you will be consuming the quinoa within a day, it's fine to place it in a bowl, cover with plastic wrap (cool to room temperature first) and refrigerate.
If you won't be eating the quinoa for a few days, store it in an airtight container or resealable ziplock bag in the fridge.
Cooked quinoa can be stored in the refrigerator for up to 5 to 7 days if stored properly. Cool the quinoa to room temperature, then transfer to an airtight container or resealable bag.
Yes! Freezing quinoa is one of my favorite meal prep tricks. When stored properly, cooked quinoa can be frozen for up to 6 months. See my post on How to Freeze Quinoa for all the tips and tricks.
Reheat the quinoa in the on HIGH power in the microwave for about one minute. The time may vary depending on the wattage of the microwave.
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Instant Pot Quinoa
Ingredients
- 1 cup dry quinoa (See Note 1)
- 1 ¼ cups water (See Note 2)
Instructions
- Place the quinoa in a fine mesh sieve. Rinse under cold water for 1 to 2 minutes.
- Place the quinoa and water in the Instant Pot liner. Stir to combine.
- Place the lid on the Instant Pot and close the steam valve. Set the Instant Pot to HIGH pressure for 1 minute. It will take the pressure cooker about 8 minutes to come to pressure.
- Once the cook time expires, allow the pressure to release naturally. This should take 10 to 15 minutes. The silver button beside the steam vent will drop once the pressure is released. Turn the steam vent switch to VENT. Carefully remove the lid.
- Fluff the quinoa with a fork. Serve, or cool to room temperature and store.
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Notes
Nutrition
Disclosure: I am a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for me to earn fees by linking to Amazon.com and affiliated sites.
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