How to Cook Quinoa

You can learn how to cook quinoa, the protein-packed superfood you can use for healthy lunches, dinners, and snacks, in just a few simple steps. 

How to Cook Quinoa

There are actually a million and one ways to cook quinoa. Just Google it and you’ll quickly find that you can use a rice cooker, a slow cooker, a pressure cooker, a microwave, or, my preferred method, a regular ol’ saucepan.

Quinoa is covered with this bitter, almost soapy tasting coating called saponin, so I always break out my fine mesh strainer and give it a good rinse in cold water. I used to soak my quinoa before cooking, but I recently read that soaking it can actually cause it to absorb the saponin, so I ditched that extra step.

After rinsing, just dump the quinoa into the sauce pan and add the broth. I use low sodium chicken broth, because it adds extra flavor, but you can just use plain ol’ water for basic quinoa. You definitely wouldn’t want to use broth for a sweet quinoa recipe! If I don’t have chicken broth on hand, I’ll toss in a bouillon cube. Sometimes I add diced onions or minced garlic to add more flavor, depending on what I’m using the quinoa for.

Bring it to a boil, then turn down the heat and simmer until all the liquid is absorbed, which should take around 15 minutes.

That’s it! Now you have fluffy, super-food, protein-packed goodness, ready to top with grilled salmon or mix with black beans and corn, or use in your favorite quinoa bite.

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Basic Quinoa

Yield: ~3 cups

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Ingredients

• 1 cup quinoa, uncooked
• 2 cups low sodium chicken broth

Instructions

1. In a fine mesh strainer, rinse quinoa thoroughly.
2. Pour into a saucepan.
3. Add broth.
4. Turn burner to medium-high and bring to a boil.
5. Reduce heat, cover, and simmer until all liquid is absorbed, about 15 minutes.
6. Fluff with a fork and serve.