A foolproof recipe for making perfect, fluffy quinoa for adding to salads, stir-fries, bowls, and even breakfast dishes and so much more.
Cook time: PT20M
Total time: PT20M
Rating
4.94 stars (15 reviews)
Keywords
Gluten Free, Quinoa, Vegetarian Meals
Ingredients
1 cup quinoa (tricolor, red, white or black)
1 3/4 cups water (vegetable broth or chicken broth)
salt (optional to taste)
Categories
Meal Prep
Side Dish
Cuisine
American
Steps
Rinse the quinoa: Put the quinoa in a fine-mesh strainer, and rinse thoroughly with cool water. While rinsing, rub the quinoa with your hands. This step is to remove the natural coating of quinoa, called saponin, which can make it taste bitter or soapy.
Toast the quinoa (optional): You can toast the quinoa in a skillet for a few minutes before cooking it to get a nuttier flavor. Heat a bit of olive oil or butter over medium heat, then add your drained quinoa. Cook, stirring, for about 1-2 minutes, until it starts to smell fragrant.
Cook the quinoa: In a medium saucepan, combine the quinoa, water and salt (or broth). Bring the mixture to a boil over medium-high heat. Once it's boiling, reduce the heat to low, cover. Let it simmer 20 minutes or until all the water has been absorbed. Check it occasionally to prevent burning and add more water if needed.
Let it rest: Once the quinoa has absorbed all the water and it's cooked, remove the pot from heat and let it sit, covered, for about 5 to 10 minutes. This step allows the quinoa to steam and makes it fluffier.
Fluff it with a fork: After it's rested, uncover and fluff the quinoa gently with a fork to separate the grains.
Nutitrion
Serving Size: 1 cup (cooked)
Calories: 172 kcal
Carbohydrates: 31 g
Protein: 6 g
Fat: 3 g
Sodium: 3.4 mg
Reviews
Kenrick Fearn on 2025-06-06 (5 stars): I use this tea towel method for our rice as well, especially Basmati rice, because the tea towel is a highly absorbent fabric material it sucks up the excess steam and helps the rice / quinoa carry on steaming but doesn't cool down the steam therefore it doesn’t fall back into the food as water again …excellent method !
Kenrick Fearn on 2025-06-05 (5 stars): Absolutely revolutionised my Quinoa cooking …after years of eating a “healthy” but a soggy mess…my wife no longer shakes her head saying to her self “ here we go again more soggy quinoa” …not only have you saved my Quinoa you may have even saved my marriage lol…
I have repeated this method now several times and it’s been successful every time …thank you for posting this method it works so well and reliably !
No more soggy quinoa avocado salads in our house …Happy wife and a happy stomach !
Caro on 2024-04-20 (5 stars): Worked perfectly! Taking the extra few minutes to toast the quinoa was worth it!
Kris on 2023-06-12 (5 stars): LOVE all your tips to make the perfect recipes! Ty for all your hard work!
Cheri Mello on 2023-06-11 (5 stars): Thank You FOR SHARING 👏🏼👏🏼👍🏼❗️GREAT INFORMATION ♥️G-d♥️Bless😊
Kathy on 2023-06-11 (4 stars): I think the easiest way to make quinoa is in an instant pot. It’s failproof. I do like the idea of cooking it in broth because that really gives us some flavor a where and I always rinse first.
[email protected] on 2023-06-11 (5 stars): Ive never had it some out as good as this, thanks
QuinoaQueen on 2022-07-10 (5 stars): Love to use it as a breakfast food. Heat up quinoa with a little coconut milk, maple syrup, and walnuts. It is SO good!
Nancy Mehegan on 2016-07-31 (5 stars): Works great, nice & fluffy.
