How to Cook Quinoa

I could eat quinoa til the cows come home. And I don’t just eat it plain—I make it into salads, granola, or burgers and eat it alongside chicken, fish, veggie dishes…the possibilities are endless. For those of you who don’t know, quinoa is a seed-like grain that has been used for thousands of years and can be used in place of rice in many dishes. Quinoa is also a great source of iron, protein, and fiber. 

I’m going to show you how to cook quinoa at home the easy way. It only takes a few minutes, two ingredients, and one pan. So let’s get started!

The proportions for quinoa are this: 1 cup of quinoa to 2 cups of water. You can add 1/2 teaspoon of salt per cup of quinoa (to flavor it), but if you’re on a low-sodium diet, you can easily omit it. 

The first thing you’re going to want to do is rinse the quinoa because quinoa has a coating called “saponin” that makes it very bitter. A vigorous rinse through a fine sieve can get rid of the saponin easily though. 

Once you rinse the quinoa, plop it into a saucepan, pour the water over the top (look for proportions below), and put it on the stove. Turn the heat to medium-high and wait for it to boil. Once it starts boiling, cover it with a lid, reduce the heat to medium, and cook for about 12 minutes or until the quinoa is fully cooked and fluffy. 

Here’s a quick reference for quinoa proportions:

1 cup quinoa + 2 cups water = 3 cups cooked quinoa

2 cups quinoa + 4 cups water = 6 cups cooked quinoa

4 cups quinoa + 8 cups water = 12 cups cooked quinoa

Here’s the recipe: