Instant Pot Quinoa
This Instant Pot Quinoa is the easiest recipe… it cooks for only 1 minute! My husband loves quinoa and I love how simple it is to make in my pressure cooker. In recent years quinoa has become very popular, making it easy to find. Quinoa is considered to be a great whole grain that is rich in protein, fiber, vitamins, and minerals. If you’ve never tried it, I’d recommend you do.
Instant Pot Quinoa
Quinoa is traditionally cooked on the stovetop. This is how I made it until I purchased my pressure cooker. Now I love using my pressure cooker to cook the quinoa. It’s so simple. I like to toast the quinoa for a few minutes on saute, then just dump the water and into your instant pot and cook.
Toasting Quinoa
It’s not necessary to toast your quinoa, but if you love a nutty flavor, toasting will give it that extra nutty note. It only takes 2-3 minutes of toasting in a pressure cooker as it gets hot really quick.
What can I add to Quinoa?
I make my instant pot quinoa traditionally with just water, but you could add some ingredients and/or change up a few things to add more flavor to your quinoa.
- chicken broth instead of water
- vegetable broth instead of water
- add minced garlic
- add chopped onions
Any combo of these ideas will add flavor to your quinoa. We typically keep it simple because my husband uses it as a base to his lunches. So his protein is providing the flavor.
How long does it take to make Quinoa in an Instant Pot?
The cook time is only a minute, but if you choose to toast your quinoa, that will take a few minutes too. It takes 8-10 minutes for your pot to come up to pressure, and then you’ll need to let it naturally release for 12 minutes before you unseal and open the lid. So in total, it’s about 20-25 minutes from start to finish for pressure cooker quinoa.
Instant Pot Quinoa
Ingredients
- 1 cup water
- 1 cup quinoa rinsed
Instructions
- Plug in your pressure cooker and turn on the saute setting. Pour in the quinoa and stir it frequently for about 2-3 minutes.
- Add the water to the pot. Put the lid on the pressure cooker, lock it, and seal it. Change the setting to rice, and set the cook timer for 1 minute.
- The pressure cooker will take about 8 minutes to come up to pressure. After it's cooked for 1 minute, let it sit and naturally release pressure for 12 minutes.
- Use the handle of a spoon to release the remaining pressure. Once the steam is all released you can open the lid and fluff the quinoa.
More Pressure Cooker Recipes:
- Instant Pot Brown Rice Recipe
- Quick and Delicious Insta Pot Dinner Recipes
- Insta Pot Soup, Chili and Side Dish Recipes
- Best Pressure Cooker Chicken
- Pressure Cooker Spicy Ribs
We typically eat rice as a base to some meals. I’m going to try quinoa to see if we like it as much as rice. The IP will certainly make cooking it easy!