Instant Pot Quinoa

Use the Instant Pot to cook perfect, fluffy, flavorful quinoa every single time. This simple Instant Pot quinoa recipe is a quick and easy way of cooking quinoa.

Editor's note: This recipe was originally published on January 14, 2019. Since then, it’s been freshened up with new pictures, commentary, and made even more delicious.

Cooking quinoa in the Instant Pot is easy, quick, and convenient. Combine the ingredients, turn on the Instant Pot, walk away and take care of anything else you need to at home while your quinoa cooks.

Additionally, there's so much you can do with this versatile ingredient, such as using it to make a Mediterranean Quinoa Salad, add it to your next Vegan Power Bowl, or serve it with Cauliflower Tikka Masala. I like to make a batch at the beginning of every week, store it in an airtight glass container, and use portions of it throughout the week.

Quinoa-to-water ratio

To make the perfect batch of quinoa, the ratio between water and quinoa is very important to achieve a fluffy texture. I use this formula:

For 1 cup of quinoa, use 1.5 cups of water.

Tip: Try using vegetable broth instead of water for added flavor.

Ingredients you'll need

To cook quinoa in your Instant Pot, you’ll need the following:

• Quinoa
• Water
• Sea salt, optional
• Instant Pot
• Measuring cup (1 cup) and spoon (¼ teaspoon)

How to cook quinoa in an Instant Pot

1. Rinse the rice and drain: Using a fine-mesh sieve, rinse the quinoa for 2-3 minutes to remove the natural coating (called saponin) that gives quinoa a bitter and soapy taste.

2. Combine ingredients: Add the quinoa, water, and salt (if using) to the stainless steel insert.

3. Pressure cook: Close the Instant Pot lid, set the valve on “sealing”, and pressure cook on high pressure for 2 minutes. Once completed, wait 10 minutes to naturally release the pressure. Quick-release any remaining pressure and carefully remove the lid.

4. Fluff and serve: Using a fork, fluff the perfectly cooked quinoa with a fork.

Serving suggestions

While you can always enjoy quinoa as a simple side, here are a few other ways to use it:

• Mediterranean quinoa salad
• Overnight quinoa and oats
• Serve with a curry
• A delicious addition to any salad and then drizzle with my favorite lemon tahini dressing.
• Add to soups, stews, and chilis.

Top tips and suggestions

• Rinse well: Be sure to take a few minutes to rinse the quinoa before cooking it. This will help get rid of any bitterness from the natural coating on quinoa.
• Quinoa to water ratio: Since the water isn't going to evaporate water as using the stovetop method, be sure to use the correct water to quinoa ratio.
• Let the quinoa natural release for at least 10 minutes: Using natural release for quinoa yields fluffy results and less likelihood that the quinoa on the bottom of the pot will stick or burn.
• Spray insert with oil: If you find the quinoa sticking to the bottom, try lightly spray the stainless steel insert with oil before adding the ingredients next time.

More quinoa recipes

• Stovetop Quinoa
• Vegan Power Bowl
• Mediterranean Quinoa Salad

Other easy Instant Pot recipes

• Instant Pot Carrots
• Pressure Cooker Butternut Squash Soup
• How to Make Hard-Boiled Eggs in the Instant Pot
• Instant Pot Cabbage
• Instant Pot Hard-Boiled Eggs

Are you looking to cook other grains in your Instant Pot? Check out brown rice, wheat berries, jasmine rice, black rice, Basmati rice, and sushi rice.

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