What is quinoa?
Quinoa is a healthy carb option that’s perfect for pairing with your choice of protein and vegetables! It can be used to replace rice in recipes, as it is higher in protein and healthy fiber.
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Is quinoa a grain?
When it comes to healthy recipes, quinoa can be treated as a gluten-free grain. While quinoa is technically a seed, it is most often treated like it is a part of the grain family due to the way that it’s used and prepared!
How to cook quinoa
To cook quinoa so that it’s perfectly fluffy, use a 1:2 ratio. For example, 1 cup of quinoa should be cooked with 2 cups of water! Bring the water to a boil, add the quinoa and salt (to taste), let cook for about 3-5 minutes. Lower the heat, cover, and continue to simmer for another 7-10 minutes.
The trip to perfectly cooked quinoa is to make sure that the quinoa has absorbed all of the water! One way to do this is to let the quinoa sit, covered, for an extra 3-5 minutes after removing from heat. Check the quinoa and use a fork or spatula to “fluff”. Serve and enjoy or refrigerate for easy meals throughout the week!
Other tips and tricks for cooking quinoa
1. You don’t always have to cook quinoa
You can also purchase pre-cooked quinoa that simply needs to be heated up or is ready to go! This is great if you’re on-the-go a lot or just don’t have the time to make homemade quinoa. Our favorite option is this one from Thrive Market!
2. Use the right size pot
A small, deep pot like this one is a great option for cooking quinoa!
3. Store quinoa in the refrigerator
Quinoa can be meal prepped and stored in the refrigerator all week long! Feel free to reheat it for warm meals or add it cold to salads.
Our favorite recipes with quinoa:
- Easy Quinoa Salad With Feta Cheese
- Chili Mango Zesty Quinoa Salad
- Vegan Turmeric Quinoa Power Bowls
- Vegan Meal Prep Black Bean Quinoa Bowls
How To Cook Quinoa
Ingredients
- 1 cup quinoa
- 2 cups water
- sea salt (to taste)
Instructions
- Bring the water and quinoa to a boil.
- Add in the sea salt to taste and let boil for about 3-5 minutes.
- Lower the heat and cover with a lid.
- Continue to let simmer for about 7-10 minutes.
- Remove from heat and let quinoa continue to sit (covered) for another 3-5 minutes, or until the quinoa has completely absorbed the water.
- Use a fork to fluff the quinoa, then serve and enjoy!
Abbey Sharp says:
These are great step by step instructions! Will keep this in mind next time I’m whipping up some quinoa