How to Cook Quinoa – Instant Pot

I’ve cooked many cups of quinoa on the stovetop but have you ever tried it in your Instant Pot?  The quinoa takes about 15 minutes to cook on a low simmer but with your Instant Pot you can get it done in half that time! The Instant Pot just needs time to build up pressure for about 5 minutes and the quinoa is done in 1 minute. It comes out super fluffy and delicious. 

Methods for Cooking Quinoa 

If you don’t have an Instant pot there are other ways to cook quinoa. You can cook it on the stovetop or in a rice cooker but the water to grain ratio will be a little bit different for each. However, this is a post on how to cook quinoa in your Instant Pot. 

To presoak or not? Many blog posts or recipes will tell you to rinse the quinoa in water before cooking. This is because there’s a naturally occurring chemical found on quinoa that helps protect the grain from insects. It will taste bitter if the quinoa is not washed. Much of the quinoa that is sold in the US is already presoaked before selling. 

Ingredients for Instant Pot Quinoa 

 Quinoa – Can be found in the grain aisle of your grocery store. It comes in 3 different colors which are white, red, and black. This grain has become wildly popular over the years and I remember back in 2014 when it started showing up on social media. 

Quinoa is a complete protein source and great for many diets: Dairy Free

Vegan, Vegetarian, Gluten Free, and Vegan. It is packed with protein, iron, magnesium, and fiber. 

Quinoa is zero points on WW purple plan. 

Water – Since this is a recipe for the Instant Pot the amount of water will be 1 ½ cups instead of 2.

How to make Instant Pot Quinoa 

For the full recipe please see the recipe card below. 

Combine water and quinoa in a multi-functional pressure cooker (such as Instant Pot®); mix well. 

Close and lock the lid; set the pressure release valve to the sealing position. 

Set the multicooker to Pressure and cook for 1 minute. Allow 5 to 7 minutes for pressure to build.

After 5 minutes, quick release the remaining pressure and remove the lid.

Fluff quinoa with a fork and serve. 

Other Instant Pot Recipes to Try 

Ham and Potato Soup 

Mongolian Chicken 

Weight Watchers Instant Pot Broccoli Cheddar Soup 

White Chicken Chili 

French Onion Soup 

If you’ve tried this Instant Pot Quinoa or any other recipe on the site, let me know in the comment section how it turned out. Snap a picture and upload it to share on Pinterest or Instagram! Make sure to tag me in the photo.

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