With these easy tips, you’ll see it’s simple to cook perfect quinoa in the Instant Pot with minimal measuring. The result is fluffy and flavorful quinoa that’s super simple to prepare.
In the past, I’ve shared with you my method for making perfect rice in the Instant Pot, but today I thought I’d let you know how I’ve adapted those same principles for making the perfect quinoa in the Instant Pot.
Here’s the key points to making Instant Pot perfect quinoa:
- Use less water – There’s less evaporation with the Instant Pot, so we need to account for this.
- Rinse your quinoa – It gets rid of any bitterness.
- Spray the Instant Pot with oil – It cuts down on foaming and prevents sticking.
- Add a pinch of salt to flavor your quinoa right from the get go.
This recipe for Instant Pot perfect quinoa is simple, but there are a couple changes from how you would make quinoa on the stovetop. First is the water ratio – While I generally use 1 cup quinoa to 2 cups water for my stove top quinoa, in the Instant Pot, that ratio drops down to only 1 ½ cups of water for every cup of quinoa. The reason for the reduced water is that the Instant Pot is more “sealed” than a traditional cooking pot, meaning less evaporation of water during the cooking process.
One step that may seem trivial, but that you definitely should not skip is rinsing your quinoa before placing it into the Instant Pot. This gets rid of the quinoa’s natural coating, called saponin, which can make it taste bitter. And although boxed quinoa is generally pre-rinsed, it doesn’t hurt to give the seeds an additional rinse. Just place it in a fine mesh strainer and run it under water until the water is clear.
Before adding the rinsed quinoa to the Instant Pot, I like to spray the liner with a bit of cooking spray. This not only prevents the quinoa from sticking to the pot, but it also cuts down on the foaming a bit so that your Instant Pot doesn’t sputter and spit.
And the final detail? Just like with my Instant Pot perfect rice, I always add in a pinch of salt for each cup of quinoa that I’m cooking, to flavor it right from the get-go. This quinoa takes just 1 minute to cook in the Instant Pot on high pressure. Although, you’ll also need to account for the time it takes for the pressure to build (about 5 minutes) and release (10 minutes), so in total, you’re looking at about 20 minutes start-to-finish.
Adding Flavor to Instant Pot Quinoa
If you’d like to add even more flavor and nutrition to your Instant Pot Quinoa, you could cook it in bone broth instead of water. I love to make bone broth in either my slow cooker or instant pot. All you need is some leftover meat bones and veggie scraps.
The result is Instant Pot perfect quinoa that’s never mushy, and always flavorful.
You can make as little or as much Instant Pot quinoa as you’d like. I’ll often double or triple the recipe. There is no need to adjust the cook time. Once it’s finished, I like to portion the quinoa into freezer bags to have on hand for when I’m needing some cooked quinoa – especially handy when I get a craving for these Blueberry & White Chocolate Quinoa Breakfast Cookies. Just thaw the quinoa in the fridge overnight, or reheat it in the microwave or on the stovetop, adding a tablespoon of water and covering the bowl or pan. It will take about a minute in the microwave. On the stove, heat on low until heated through.
If this Instant Pot Quinoa turned out perfect for you I would appreciate it so much if you would give this recipe a star review! Also, be sure to snap a picture of your finished dish and share it with me on Instagram using the hashtag #platingsandpairings and tagging me @platingsandpairings.
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Instant Pot Quinoa Recipe
How to Cook Perfect Quinoa in the Instant Pot
With these easy tips, you’ll see it’s simple to cook perfect quinoa in the Instant Pot with minimal measuring. The result is fluffy and flavorful quinoa that’s super simple to prepare.
Ingredients
- 1 cup quinoa
- 1 1/2 cups water
- Spray cooking oil
- 1 pinch salt
Instructions
- Rinse quinoa under cold running water until the water runs clear.
- Spray the Instant Pot liner with cooking oil and add the rinsed quinoa (still damp), water and salt.
Lock the lid and set the steam valve to its “sealing” position.
Select the “MANUAL” button and cook for 1 minute on high pressure. It will take about 5 minutes for the pressure to build, then the countdown timer will start.
Allow the pressure to release naturally for 10 minutes and then release any remaining pressure.
Fluff quinoa with a fork and serve.
Recipe Video
Recipe Notes
Leftover quinoa keeps well, refrigerated, for 4 to 5 days. Make sure it has cooled to room temperature before covering and chilling. You can also portion the quinoa into freezer bags and freeze the quinoa until you’re ready for it.
Be sure to check out all my Instant Pot recipes here.
I love cooking quinoa in my Instant Pot, and have plans to do so a couple of times this week! So quick and easy! Love your reminder tip about the salt – so true!
Turned out just right! I’m still getting use to my instapot so this made it so easy! I have a question…ssometimes when I make quinoa I like to heat up this Palak paner (Indian creamed spinach) to put on top. I get it frozen from trader joes. This time I heated it up in the oven. Would there be a way to incorporate it into the instapot on top of the quinoa?
Came out absolutely perfect – I added a teaspoon of kosher salt 🙂
I was skeptical that this would work as often instant pot recipes have disappointed me. This one worked! The quinoa is fluffy and done! Thank you!
we love making a big pot of grains at the beginning of the week to add to salads or for quick & easy sides at dinner! i never would have thought about the cooking spray, that will make for MUCH easier cleaning! thanks for the tip!
So glad I could help Melissa!
You’re right that rinsing is clutch for good-tasting quinoa, though I’ve found almost all brands now pre-rinse for you. I like to cook mine with a teaspoon of Better than Bouillon, which gives it a delicious flavor!
I definitely need to test out cooking in stock instead of just plain water next time!
Thank you for the Better than Bouillon tip. Tasty, perfect, Instant Pot quinoa!
Two of my favorite things…instant gratification and quinoa. I love this. Not eating meat, I eat a lot of quinoa. This is a great convenient way to whip it up quick. Thank you for sharing!
-Bre
Of course – I hope you enjoy the recipe Breona! This is definitely my new favorite way to prepare Quinoa… By far!
I’ve almost always cooked my quinoa in my rice cooker, so when I traded up for an instant pot, I found this protocol. I’m cooking it right now. I do something called jeweled quinoa, where I put in some craisins/dried cherries, walnuts, saffron and cook in broth. Hopefully this will work with my additions.
That sounds delicious CJ – How did it turn out?
I loved the quinoa and I used to live in the Portland area as well. Now I am in Southeastern WA about an hour from Walla Walla and near some good wine :). Thanks for the recipe.
So jealous Kim! I absolutely LOVE Walla Walla! We visit at least a couple times a year and are definitely due for a trip up that way soon!
So glad I found this instant pot recipe. I’ve been using the Trader Joe’s fully cooked quinoa that you throw in the microwave, which is great, but I got a HUGE bag of quinoa from Amazon awhile back and want to use that up, especially so I won’t have to keep buying from TJ . I’ll be adding broth to my quinoa and maybe some turmeric 🤔. Anyways, thanks again for this post
So happy I could help Alex!
I love the freezer tip. Could you tell me the best way to warm it up again?
Hi Jacquie – I like to reheat in the microwave or stovetop. Just add a tablespoon of water and cover the bowl or pan. Microwave for a minute, or heat on low until warmed through. No need to thaw first, but you can if you’d like. Just put the quinoa in the fridge overnight. This is great when you’re making salads. You can also add the frozen quinoa right to soups or skillet meals. Hope that helps!
Ours turned out mushy and awful. It was closer to mortar consistency.
Hmmm… I’m not sure what could have happened Sarah 🙁
I wonder, Sarah, if your quinoa was the golden Canadian variety like is now sold at Costco. I am having trouble with that type.
Looks like am having that same problem, mine is the Costco brand. That makes sense
When doing the natural pressure release, do you turn off the instant pot and wait 10 min? As as soon as its done, it goes onto the warm function as you know, so, would you turn it off, or keep it on the warm function and wait the 10 minutes? thanks
Hi David – You can do either, but I believe that by turning it off completely, it will release its pressure a bit quicker.
No it’s not the same. The kind you get from Costco you cook like pasta: boil 4 cups water, put in 1 cup quinoa and cook for 12-15 mins. Then drain.
I find when doing rice or other starches it’s better to turn off he keep warm feature. If you forget about it the rice starts to cook to the bottom of the pot because of the heat.
It worked great – thanks very much!
This is a perfect recipe for cooking Quinoa, thanks! I tripled the recipe and it was awesome!
I’m so glad you liked it BJ!
Such an easy go to recipe.
I work 45+ hours a week an have no time/energy to cook daily. I meal prep this once or twice a week. I make various dishes with it. It is so versatile. Instead of water I use low sodium chicken broth for more flavor .
I love that idea to add in some broth Emily!
Delicious! I’m at high altitude, and it needed two minutes to be done. Thanks for the recipe!
Used Canadian Quinoa and it turned out mushy 🙁
Just made this to use tomorrow in Quinoa Breakfast Bowls and it turned out PERFECT! So much easier than making on the stovetop and less mess/sticking. Thank You!
I’m glad you liked it Alison! This is definitely my favorite way to make quinoa!
I used truRoots sprouted quinoa and also got very mushy quinoa. Not all the water had evaporated. For others who had this issue, I am pretty sure that simply reducing the amount of water would do the trick—some recipes recommend a 1:1 ratio of water to quinoa, and the Instant Pot recipe book that came free with my unit recommends a 1.25:1 ratio. So next time I will just reduce the water.
This was perfect! I followed your Instant Pot instructions, using 1 cup quinoa with 1.25 cup hot stock (didn’t need more salt). Delicious, fluffy & tasty. Thanks so much! I’ll be prepping my quinoa this way from now on!
I’m glad you liked it!
Recipe worked well – confusing that your nutritional breakdown table does not show serving size?
Hi – The nutritional information is for one serving. There are four servings total for this recipe.
This was the very first recipe that I ever made in my new instant pot, and it turned out perfectly! I had to put the baby to bed after 8 minutes of natural pressure release, so I vented it and there was just a tiny bit of water in it, but it was cooked so well! I unplugged it and closed the lid, and when I came back an hour later to eat dinner it was perfect. Thanks for my first hit recipe!
I’m so glad it worked out for you Liz!
Worked great with a quinoa, amaranth, millet blend I bought @ Costco. Thanks!
Perfect every time! I substitute chicken broth for the water and add a bit of Galic or rosemary depending on what I’m making with it. Thank you!
I didn’t have spray so I poured in about a teaspoon of olive oil instead and it turned out perfectly. Thank you for this recipe. So much quicker than the traditional over the stove method, which is so necessary for me with 3 kids aged 4 and under. ☺️☺️☺️
Turned out perfect. Very simple.
I’m so glad it worked for you Charley!
If I double the recipe is it still one minute of pressure cooking?
Thanks!
Hi Tricia – Yep, cook time is still the same!
Thank you! My quinoa came out perfect!
I’m so happy to hear that. Thanks for the feedback!
I also toast my quinoa directly in IP with some butter or oil to.give it an extra layer of flavor
I love that tip Olga!
PERFECTION!!
Yay! I’m so happy it worked perfectly for you!
Perfect quinoa, thank you for the recipe
I’m so glad you liked it Patricia!
I’ve made this recipe multiple times now and it has been perfect each time! Thank you! Now I’m off to check out your other IP recipes 🙂
I’m so happy to hear that Lisa! Thank you for stopping by!!!
Absolutely brilliant 😊 I did not know the little tricks with rincing, salt, oil 😊 I used about 1 cup quinoa and only a bit over 1 cup water. Delicious and fluffy 🤗 Thank you
You are so welcome!
Do you need to adjust the time at all if you’re making more than 1 cup of quinoa? Thanks!
Hi Erin – Nope. Cooking time remains the same.
Tried it twice because the first time was a super flop! My fault though! The first time I apparently used Canadian golden whole grain quinoa. This is very different from the white quinoa. It made a sticky mess. Once I figured out that I was using a different kind of quinoa I went to Whole Foods and got the white kind. World of difference! It’s perfect!
I’m so glad it worked out for you Morgen!
Yummy, turned out perfect! I forgot the oil and threw in two garlic cloves. Perfect ratios, and super easy.
Love that Amber! Did you mince the garlic or leave it whole?
Awesome recipe for the instant pot. Here are a few things I changed when I made it, i used he sauté feature and some butter or olive oil and brown the quinoa a bit before adding the water and such, it also helps with the bitterness and gives it a nice nutty flavor. For those looking for a bit more, add some tomato sauce and chicken stock or base and its just like spanish rice. Thank you again for the recipe, I loved it!
I love your suggestions – Thanks Hector!
Turned out perfectly! Finished with a splash of olive oil and a bit of lemon juice and some crumbled feta. Everyone loved it! New family favorite. Thank you!
Those add ins sound amazing Shannon – Thanks for sharing!
Man that is some easy, perfect quinoa. Thanks for posting this!
I’m so glad you enjoyed Peter!
Would this work with a mini Instant pot? I got one on sale and want to start small, without the big investment. I wanted to be able to make rice, quinoa and other grains quick and easy.
Thanks for the great article!
Hi Pam – It will definitely work with a mini instant pot!
I need to make 6 cups of quinoa for a party. How do I set instant pot to cook that amount?
Hi Lisa – It will be the same cook time, you’ll just need to adjust the amount of liquid you’ll be using.
Thank you for these great precise instructions. I only just got my Instant Pot and wanted to try my quinoa with some bone broth. It was delicious!
You’re welcome Bridgett – I’m glad it was helpful!
Perfect proportions, super easy and great tips about rinsing and adding pinch of salt. Came out just as pictured and so fluffy and tasty.
If you double the recipe do you also need to double or add to the cook time? Thanks
Hi Christine – No need to adjust the cook time. It will stay the same. It may just take a bit more time for the pot to come to pressure. Hope that helps!