By Martha Rose Shulman
- Total Time
- 30 minutes
- Rating
- 5(390)
- Notes
- Read community notes
Many recipes for quinoa instruct you to cook it like rice, in 2 parts water for 1 part grain. This works, but I find the grains are fluffier if I cook them in 3 parts water and drain the excess water once the quinoa is tender. The tiny seeds swell to about 4 times their original size, so 1 cup uncooked quinoa yields about 4 cups, enough for 6 to 8 servings.
Featured in: Quinoa: A Protein-Packed Alternative to Grains
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Ingredients
Yield:about 4 cups, serving 6 to 8
- 1cup quinoa
- 3cups water, chicken stock or vegetable stock
- ½teaspoon salt (more to taste)
Ingredient Substitution Guide
Nutritional analysis per serving (8 servings)
78 calories; 1 gram fat; 0 grams saturated fat; 0 grams monounsaturated fat; 1 gram polyunsaturated fat; 14 grams carbohydrates; 1 gram dietary fiber; 0 grams sugars; 3 grams protein; 150 milligrams sodium
Note: The information shown is Edamam’s estimate based on available ingredients and preparation. It should not be considered a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s advice.
Preparation
Step
1
Place the quinoa in a bowl and cover with cold water. Let sit 5 minutes. Drain through a strainer and rinse until the water runs clear.
Step
2
Bring the water or stock to a boil in a medium saucepan. Add the salt and the quinoa. Bring back to a boil, reduce the heat to low, cover and simmer 15 minutes, or until the quinoa is tender and translucent, and each grain displays a little thread. Drain and return to the pan. Cover the pan with a clean dish towel, replace the lid and allow to sit undisturbed for 10 minutes. Fluff and serve.
Ratings
5
out of 5
390
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Cooking Notes
G
Hello. Yes. The reason for the soaking beyond what the manufacturer has done is to do as thorough dissolving of the saponins that coat the outside of the seed as possible. Saponins can cause humans a lot of gastrointestinal distress. In addition to basic discomforts like stomach ache, abdominal cramping, and gas, it can also cause Leaky Gut.Thoroughly rinse quinoa until water runs clear: Let sit in a bowl full of water. Check it in an hour. Empty it, fill it again, let it sit, etc.
G
Learning how to cook quinoa, the 2:1/ 3:1 ratio of water to quinoa has repeatedly given me soggy, blowsy quinoa. I prefer al dente quinoa.The ratio I have found to yield al dente quinoa is 1.25:1, allowed to reach a boil, then the heat reduced to a simmer and left for 15 minutes. I also soak quinoa in a fine colander until the water it sits in is clear. This means that I change water at least twice. I do this because the last time I did as the recipe suggests (twice), the quinoa was bitter.
Russ Schnapp
I'm pretty sure it's not necessary: If the package says "no rinsing", it means that the manufacturer has already removed the saponin coating.It's like rinsing rice -- it's not generally necessary anymore. Rice used to be packaged with talc to prevent clumping -- this is rarely done anymore. It doesn't hurt to rinse, but it wastes time and water.
amy
This came out great! I used organic chicken stock so I didn't add any extra salt. Then when it was all fluffed I stirred in about a TBSP of unsalted butter. Delicious!! Finally figured out how to make quinoa taste good. The whole family loved it. Had it with steak and roasted broccoli
Anne H
I use this recipe every time I cook quinao. It works flawlessly.
shore cook
Cooking quinoa following this recipe, with this ratio of liquid to quinoa, has given me the best quinoa I have made. Fluffy, not bitter, flavorful.
Kim
Fluffiest quinoa ever! Also yields many cups, as said in the description.
Buz
This is simple, succinct and fantastic. The quinoa was fluffy and flavorful. I followed the recipe faithfully, from the rinsing all the way to the resting with the clean dish towel. I look forward to making this regularly.
JB
This was gluey for me. I think simmering with the lid off or cooking for less time would’ve made it actually fluffy. I dressed it with fresh lemon juice, preserved lemon, and sumac, which was tasty. Even if the texture was meh.
Teresa
When you return the quinoa to the pan after drawing, is the burner still on simmer? It’s not clear.
Richard
Followed recipe exactly as written and ended up with perfectly cooked, fluffy quinoa. My new "go to" recipe. When draining the quinoa, give the strainer a good shake or two to get rid of extra water.
Julia
Why do you cover the pot with a dish towel?
dana s
This came out unbelievably soggy. I had to throw it out and start all over again. I knew 3 cups of water wouldn’t work. This is probably the worst quinoa recipe ever made.
Bobby
Since I had a 32oz box of chicken stock, I made the recipe with 1 1/3 C of bulk quinoa. I didn't add salt. I had no liquid to pour off. It came out more like oatmeal, so maybe next time I'll increase the amount of quinoa to get a result more like rice. There's nothing remotely unappealing about the appearance.It was delicious, and then I dressed it up with olive oil, lemon juice, garlic, and green onion.Yum. This is going on the rotation.
gk
Thank you for this recipe! I had tried making quinoa from the instructions on the package and it was terrible, tasted gritty. The soaking makes a big difference, it tastes great.
John S
Saponins are widely found throughout the world of plants including legumes. They function as a natural insecticide for plants. There is very little evidence that consumed in typical amounts that they cause serious health problems and they may yield benefits.. Beware warnings about "foreign" foods that are often rooted in myth!
Keels
Perfect quinoa! Glad I finally have a reliable method.
Giada
This is not steamed, this is boiled!
Kim
Fluffiest quinoa ever! Also yields many cups, as said in the description.
shore cook
Cooking quinoa following this recipe, with this ratio of liquid to quinoa, has given me the best quinoa I have made. Fluffy, not bitter, flavorful.
Rita J
3 cups of water/cup of quinoa is too much liquid, and there isn’t enough water/stock left after the cooking to drain it, my quinoa came out super soggy and sticky.I’ll go back to the 2/1 ratio
Patricia C
I agree with G. Rinse (unless pre-rinsed) and then cook in 1 quinoa to 1.25 H2) until it boils and let steam. Fluffy and fast!
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