How to Cook Fluffy Quinoa

Learn how to cook perfect quinoa every time with my tried & true method. Then, use it in bowls, salads, or one of my 17 favorite quinoa recipes below!

quinoa

For a lot of you, back-to-school season is meal prep season. As you get into a new routine at work, at home, or at school, having meals ready to grab & go in the fridge can be a lifesaver. One of my go-to meal prep tips is having a cooked grain on hand to bulk up salads or add to bowls. Quinoa is one of my all-time favorites: it’s SUPER healthy, it pairs well with a wide range of flavors, and it cooks in under 30 minutes!

Everyone has their own method for how to cook quinoa, but I’ve been using this one for years, and it always comes out perfect. The grains are light, fluffy, and soft, but not mushy. If you want to get a head start on the coming week, cook up a big batch and store it in the fridge for easy lunches and dinners! You’ll thank yourself later.

What is quinoa?

While I often use quinoa interchangeably with millet, farro, rice, and other grains, it is not actually a grain, but a grain-like seed hailing from South America! Not only does it have a delicious nutty flavor, but it’s healthy, too. 1 cup quinoa contains over 8 grams of protein, as opposed to 5 grams in brown rice. Plus, it’s a good source of nutrients like manganese, magnesium, and copper. You can read more about the health benefits of quinoa here, but the bottom line is that adding even a small amount of it to your diet can be good for you.

Quinoa

You can find it in a variety of colors, like black, red, white, or a mix of all three, but each variety cooks in the same way. Lighter varieties have the mildest flavor, so if you’re trying it for the first time, I recommend starting with white before venturing on to red or black.

And one final note before you cook: This grain is coated in naturally occurring insecticides called saponins. They can give it a bitter taste and make it difficult to digest, so make sure to rinse quinoa in a fine mesh strainer before putting it on the stove. Once you’ve rinsed it, you’re ready to cook!

How to Cook Quinoa

When I cook rice, I add oil and salt to the pot, but cooking quinoa is even simpler. All you need is quinoa and water! If you look at different methods for how to cook quinoa, you’ll find a range of water ratios. Some recipes call for as high as a 2:1 water to grain ratio, while others go as low as 1 1/2:1. In my experience, the sweet spot for light, fluffy quinoa is right in the middle. I use 1 3/4 cups water for every cup of quinoa. Any more water, and the grains get mushy. Any less, and they’re too dry. 

Once you’ve measured both, follow these easy steps:

  1. Combine the quinoa and water in a medium pot. Bring to a boil, cover, and reduce the heat. Simmer for 15 minutes.
  2. Remove the pot from the heat and let it sit, covered, for 10 minutes more.
  3. Then, remove the lid and fluff with a fork!

Now, your quinoa is cooked to fluffy perfection, but it’s plain on its own. If you’re serving it as a simple side dish, season it first. At the very least, toss it with salt, pepper, lemon or lime juice, and a drizzle of olive oil. To kick it up another notch, stir in chopped fresh herbs, minced garlic, toasted nuts, or crumbled feta cheese, or use it in one of the quinoa recipes below!

How to Cook Quinoa in a Rice Cooker

If you’re in a pinch or don’t want to use the stove, you can actually make quinoa in a rice cooker.

I recommend using one of the popular models from Zojirushi, which has a quinoa setting, making it a one-step process. It also has automatic settings for keep warm, extended keep warm, and reheating. You can get it at Amazon for around $200.

How to cook quinoa

17 Favorite Quinoa Recipes

Once you’ve made a batch of quinoa, you have endless options for using it.

Make it the base of your next grain bowl, toss it into a salad, or stuff it into squash or sweet potatoes. It’s also at home in soups & wraps, and it pairs nicely with sweet flavors as well as savory. Try topping it with cinnamon and fresh fruit in the morning, or mix it into a batch of breakfast cookies! Here are a few of my favorite quinoa recipes to get you started:

  1. Cinnamon Spiced Breakfast Bowl
  2. Carrot Breakfast Cookies
  3. Quinoa Salad
  4. Vegan Seven Layer Dip
  5. Kale Quesadillas 
  6. Tomato & Kale Salad Wrap
  7. Best Black Bean Burger
  8. Big Green Kale Salad
  9. Kale Pesto Mushroom Bowl
  10. Roasted Veggie Grain Bowl
  11. Simple Sweet Potato Quinoa Bowl
  12. Taco Bowl with Jalapeño Ranch
  13. Stuffed Sweet Potatoes
  14. Butternut Squash & Kale Stew
  15. White Bean Risotto with Roasted Vegetables
  16. Spinach Salad Stuffed Acorn Squash
  17. Avocado Black Bean Stuffed Acorn Squash

Quinoa recipe

More Whole Grains to Try

If you love this recipe, try cooking one of these whole grains next:

Get This Recipe In Your Inbox
Share your email, and we'll send it straight to your inbox. Plus, enjoy daily doses of recipe inspiration as a bonus!

How to Cook Quinoa

rate this recipe:
4.96 from 240 votes
Prep Time: 2 minutes
Cook Time: 25 minutes
Total Time: 27 minutes
Serves 4
Use this easy fool-proof method to make perfect light, fluffy quinoa every time!

Equipment

Ingredients

  • 1 cup quinoa, rinsed
  • 1¾ cups water

Instructions

  • Combine the quinoa and water in a medium pot. Bring to a boil, cover, reduce the heat, and simmer for 15 minutes.
  • Remove from the heat and let it sit, covered for 10 more minutes.
  • Fluff with a fork.

 

190 comments

4.96 from 240 votes (167 ratings without comment)

Leave a comment:

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Rate this recipe (after making it)




  1. Julie
    10.03.2024

    5 stars
    This method is perfect! It’s the only quinoa that I’ve ever made (among many attempts) that’s been the what I consider the perfect texture for my taste. Thanks for sharing.

  2. Mary
    09.25.2024

    5 stars
    I’ve used this recipe many times. It’s easy and always turns out perfectly.
    Thanks!

    • Jeanine Donofrio
      09.27.2024

      I’m glad your quinoa has been perfect!

  3. Ian Wyles
    09.22.2024

    5 stars
    Thanks for this. I’m new to quinoa and am trying to improve my diet.
    This worked perfectly! I used cups and weighed everything so I can scale it easier as we don’t really use volume measures in the UK.
    I used 175g quinoa and 355g water if anyone’s interested. I also used 7g of vegetable stock.

  4. Maddy
    09.05.2024

    5 stars
    This is my go-to recipe!

    • Phoebe Moore (L&L Recipe Developer)
      09.06.2024

      So glad you love it, Maddy!

A food blog with fresh, zesty recipes.
Photograph of Jeanine Donofrio and Jack Mathews in their kitchen

Hello, we're Jeanine and Jack.

We love to eat, travel, cook, and eat some more! We create & photograph vegetarian recipes from our home in Chicago, while our shiba pups eat the kale stems that fall on the kitchen floor.