Easy Instant Pot Quinoa
Posted: 08/08/24
Updated: 01/21/25
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If you love quinoa but hate making quinoa on the stovetop, this Instant Pot quinoa will totally change the game for you! It’s quick, easy, and most importantly – effortless. With this method, perfectly fluffy quinoa is ready in roughly 20 minutes with barely any prep and just a couple of basic ingredients.
What We Love About This Recipe
- Instant Pot quinoa is the fastest and easiest way to cook perfectly fluffy quinoa each and every time. Stovetop quinoa is great, but not always ideal, and the results can vary with just the slightest change in process. The Instant Pot takes out the uncertainty (and the work) giving you foolproof quinoa whenever you want it.
- Quinoa is super nutritious, loaded with fiber and full of nutrients like protein and zinc. It also contains flavonoids that act as antioxidants and anti-inflammatories, which are generally good for overall health.
- Whether you cook it on the stovetop or in the Instant Pot, quinoa is super versatile and makes a great side dish for any number of entrées. It’s also a delicious mix-in for sautéed veggies, a yummy base for harvest breakfast bowls, and even a stellar option for a hearty salad component, like in this viral Jennifer Aniston salad.
Chef’s Tips
- Be sure to rinse the quinoa, and rinse it well. Unrinsed quinoa can taste bitter, but rinsing the quinoa can reduce the antinutrients in the quinoa, too.
- Stir everything together before sealing the lid of the Instant Pot shut. You don’t want any dry quinoa left sitting on the bottom of the Instant Pot or you risk a burn notice, which will stop the cooking process entirely. You also want the quinoa as evenly seasoned with salt and pepper as possible!
- The actual “cook time” is only two minutes, but that’s because the majority of the cooking happens during pressurization and release! The Instant Pot will take 10 minutes or so to come to pressure, then it’ll start the 2-minute cook time. After that, let the pressure Natural Release for 10 minutes. If you rush the release time, you’ll end up with undercooked quinoa.
Other Recipes You’ll Love
- Instant Pot Healthy Chicken Pot Pie Soup (Paleo, Whole30)
- Easy Salmon Patties with Lemon-Garlic Sauce
- Instant Pot Burrito Bowls With Chicken
- Chick-fil-A Coleslaw Copycat Recipe
- Creamy Rotel Pasta with Ground Beef
- Walking Taco Casserole
- Keto Smothered Pork Chops
- Lobster Fried Rice
- Instant Pot Black Rice (aka Forbidden Rice)
- Stuffed Ziti Fritta
- Cherry Tomato Salad
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Easy Instant Pot Quinoa
Fluffy, warm, foolproof quinoa, cooked perfectly and effortlessly right in your Instant Pot!
servings
Ingredients
- 1 cup quinoa white, black, brown, red, or tri-color
- 1 ½ cups water
- 1 teaspoon salt more or less to taste
- freshly cracked black pepper to taste
Equipment
- Colander
- running water
- neutral spray oil avocado oil, olive oil, etc.
- 6-quart Instant Pot or similar pressure cooker
- large wooden spoon or silicone spatula
- Fork
Instructions
- Pour 1 cup quinoa directly into colander. Rinse quinoa thoroughly under running water, until water runs clear.
- Lightly spray Instant Pot insert with neutral cooking oil, then transfer rinsed quinoa to Instant Pot insert. Add 1 ½ cups water, 1 teaspoon salt, and freshly cracked black pepper to taste. Stir well to fully incorporate ingredients.
- Secure lid on Instant Pot with valve in Sealing position. Set Instant Pot to Manual High Pressure and set cook time to 2 minutes. Instant Pot will pressurize, then cook time will begin.
- Once 2-minute cook time ends, Natural Release pressure 10 minutes.
- After 10 minutes, carefully Quick Release any remaining pressure and remove lid. Use caution as any escaping steam will be very hot.
- Fluff quinoa with fork then serve as desired.
Notes
- Rinse: Rinsing the quinoa is not optional. Do not skip this step.
- Water: For more flavor, replace the water with 1 ½ cups chicken broth or vegetable broth.
- Leftovers: Let any leftover quinoa cool completely, then transfer quinoa to an airtight container and refrigerate up to 4 days.
Nutrition Information
Serving: 1serving | Calories: 156kcal | Protein: 6g | Fat: 3g | Saturated Fat: 0.3g | Total Carbs: 27g | Fiber: 3g | Net Carbs: 24g | Sodium: 588mg | Potassium: 239mg | Calcium: 23mg | Iron: 2mg
Number of total servings shown is approximate. Actual number of servings will depend on your preferred portion sizes.
Nutritional values shown are general guidelines and reflect information for 1 serving using the ingredients listed, not including any optional ingredients. Actual macros may vary slightly depending on specific brands and types of ingredients used.
To determine the weight of one serving, prepare the recipe as instructed. Weigh the finished recipe, then divide the weight of the finished recipe (not including the weight of the container the food is in) by the desired number of servings. Result will be the weight of one serving.
Oh my yummy!! I love quinoa
I love quinoa! I have never thought about doing it in the Instant pot! DUH!! what a great idea!
So cool. I never made quinoa in the IP before. We will have to give that a go.
Thanks so much for sharing this. This makes it so much easier than having to watch it on the stove. Total game-changer!
Yes! I love how easy quinoa is in the Instant Pot!
This worked great! Thanks for suggestion using my IP to do the job!
So glad it worked, Tessa!
Hi there! I love your recipes, but this one confused me. You list water in the ingredients, but do not mention it in the recipe instructions. Do you add the water to the instant pot? Or are you really using 1 1/2 cups of water to simply rinse the quinoa? Thanks!
Sorry about that confusion, Annette! We add the water to the Instant Pot.