How To Cook Quinoa
Here is my simple recipe for cooking quinoa. What I love about it is that quinoa is quick to cook, around 15 minutes (10 if you soak it overnight). It has a delicate and nutty flavour which is very addictive and I often can’t put down the spoon once I’ve started eating it.
Technically quinoa is not a grain but a relative of green leafy vegetables like spinach. It’s gluten free and has a low GI of 53 + it’s a complete protein which means that it contains all the essential amino acids that the body needs for repair. It’s also a good source of lysine, an amino acid important for tissue growth and repair, which makes it a perfect meal after a hard workout. Your body needs protein for repair and quality carbs to replenish glycogen and quinoa is a good source of both.
HOW TO COOK QUINOA:
STEP 1 – Measure out your quinoa
I normally use 1 cup of quinoa to serve 2 people. But my advice is to cook more to so that you can enjoy it the next day and throw into a super salad or have it for breakfast the next day.
STEP 2 – Wash the quinoa
If you have time. wash quinoa well under cold water in a fine mesh strainer, gently rubbing the seeds together with your hands to ensure that any saponins have been removed. Saponins are just a natural insecticide that forms naturally to protect the seed and can give the quinoa a slight bitter taste if not removed. It should be noted that harvesting methods used in the commercial cultivation remove much of the saponins that can coat quinoa seeds, but it’s still a good idea to thoroughly wash the seeds to remove any remaining saponin residue.
STEP 3 – Cook the quinoa
Combine 1 cup of quinoa to 1 1/2 cups filtered water and place them both into a pot.
Add a very small pinch of sea salt and bring to the boil.
Reduce the heat to very low.
Place on a lid.
Simmer for 10 – 15 minutes or until all the water has absorbed into the quinoa, you will notice that the seeds have become translucent.
Rest for 5 minutes and fluff it up with a fork before serving.
STEP 4 – Serve and enjoy it
You can serve quinoa a number of delicious ways. Enjoy as a power porridge with a tablespoon of crushed flaxseed, banana and honey. For a savoury breakfast option I soft boil 2 organic eggs and scoop out the soft runny yolk and delicate egg white over hot quinoa with a light sprinkle of freshly chopped garden herbs, similar to a kedgeree. Check out my power porridge below.
For lunch combine with tuna or tinned wild salmon, fresh chopped parsley, mint, spring onion and a little lemon juice and cold pressed flaxseed or olive oil for a wonderful tabouli salad or my quinoa salad with pomegranate dressing below.
For dinner make a cajun chicken or vegetarian paella infused with aromatics such as smoked paprika, coriander, lime + plenty of vegetables like roasted red capsicum, green baby peas and spinach or make up my roast Mediterranean vegetables with quinoa scented with a little basil pesto.
Roast Mediterranean Vegetables with quinoa
Quinoa Salad with Pomegranate Dressing
HOW TO STORE IT:
Store raw (uncooked) quinoa in an airtight container in the fridge.
NUTRITIONAL INFO:
Per 50 g serving of raw quinoa
Protein: 6.8 g
Total fat: 3.9 g
Saturated: 0.5 g
Carbs: 28 g
Sodium: 1 mg
Calories: 189
Kilojoules: 790
Contact Teresa Cutter
Are there special instructions for cooking it in the rice cooker?
You cook quinoa in a rice cooker, same as you would rice. Measure your quantity – add to rice cooker – turn it on and in 15 minutes it will be ready.
Thank you for getting the proportion of quinoa to water just right. So many recipes use more water and the quinoa ends up soggy.
Hi Teresa,
Thank you very much for this
I tried to make some quinoa a few weeks ago and, not having a fine mesh strainer, I had to rinse the quinoa in the actual saucepan (rubbing together in the water, draining and then adding more water). I rinsed it 3 times thinking that should be fine but, after cooking a big batch of the quinoa, myself and the family found it inedible as it tasted like grass?!
I was not quite prepared for the grass taste as I usually see quinoa desribed as nutty, so I am assuming that I didn’t adequetly remove the saponins?
Hi Teresa,
Just wondering if you have any insight into my problem indicated above? I would love to try and cook quinoa again because of all of the health properties, but don’t want to waste my money buying more if it tastes like grass?
Many thanks!
Hey Tara quinoa is an acquired taste. You can’t compare it to other grains such as rice. Rinsing should wash off any bitter taste. it may just be that your palate is not accustomed to the taste and would take you a few goes to get it right your family used to the new flavour. Folding through aromatics, dressings, oils, herbs etc.. and vegetables also works well. T:)
Hello,
I used the quanties suggested (actually slightly more liquid than suggested) in a rice cooker and it wasn’t fully cooked when it was done. I added another cup and a half of water and put it on again and it came out ok. I was using red quinoa and vegetable stock, is it possible that affected the required liquid?
Ahh Emma, this is a good point you bring to my attention. Red quinoa is not commonly used and it does take a little longer to cook than your traditional white variety. It has a slightly firmer texture too. Be careful when using commercial veg stock…as they are high in Sodium. If this is the case use half veg stock and half water.
Hi Teresa,
Thank you for all your great recipes!! I’ve been a little put off buying quinoa before as I wasn’t sure exactly how to cook it, but this is fantastic…can’t wait to try with roasted veg for dinner and as porridge for breakfast!
Any chance of opening a cafe over in England for your UK fans! Would also be great to see you on British tv…we certainly need more great healthy chefs promoting healthy eating in England.
I just used your method for cooking white quinoa and it worked beautifully. Previously I hadn’t turned the heat down low enough and the water evaporated away before the quinoa was fully cooked.
theresa i have just found out i have iron deficiency is quinoa a good source of iron
Can this be used as a substitute for rice ? if not what is some good substitutes, i have tried brown rice but not a big fan Thanks
yep..sure can Amy. it’s delicious !
We just made this for the first time and had it as a cous cous alternative under a beef tagine and it was DELICIOUS! We followed the instructions and it was really easy, the only thing we did differently was we left it to cook for 20 mins. Thank you so much Teresa, your recipes are amazing! X
Hi Teresa
You suggest ‘cooking a batch’ of quinoa to use some the next day also. How long can you keep quinoa once cooked (and I assume it should be stored in the fridge?)
Thanks!
Yes store in the fridge….you know quinoa only takes 15 mins to prepare and cook up….so it’s very simple to make. I normally just make enough for the next day….so I can use for porridge, make into a paella, make my Earth burgers or a salad for lunch. It can normally keep refrigerated for about 2 – 3 days. Tx
Thanks for this article. Could you please tell me if organic quinoa has to be washed?
absolutely. organic means it’s not grown with chemicals but the insecticide you are washing off the quinoa, organic or not, is a natural property of most seeds. Nature is so smart
I put 1 cup quinoa and 3 cups water in a decor rice cooker for 15 mins in the microwave and it turns out perfectly every time. I would like some recipes that do not contain anything poultry at all (ie egg, chicken, turkey), as I am allergic to them. Almost every recipe has chicken or egg or both these days. I can’t eat pork either, but I can eat bacon if well cooked and ham.