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A skillet full of quinoa

How to Make Quinoa Recipe

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Quinoa (Keen-wah) is hearty and yummy. In this video I’ll show you how to make quinoa in 20 minutes with very little effort!
Course side dishes
Prep Time 5 minutes
Cook Time 20 minutes
Total Time 25 minutes
Servings 3 cups
Calories 47
Author Cheryl Najafi

Ingredients

Instructions

  • One cup of dried quinoa yields 3 cups cooked quinoa.
  • I feel a ratio of 1: 1½ (quinoa to liquid) is best for cooking quinoa. You don’t want all the grains to completely open or it will get mushy, I like the texture to be more al dente (like basmati rice as opposed to soft like oatmeal). However, if you like your grain softer, add ½ cup more broth and follow the same directions. Make this a vegetarian dish by simply swapping chicken broth for vegetable broth.
  • Rinse quinoa in a mesh strainer and tap it several times to release as much of the water as possible.
  • Heat oil in a medium-sized saucepan over medium high until it shimmers. Add the quinoa and toast it for 2–3 minutes until it is fragrant, stirring continuously. Add broth and salt to the pan and bring the mixture to boil then cover, reduce the heat to low, and simmer for 15 minutes.
  • Without removing the lid (no peaking) remove the pot from the heat and let it stand for 5 more minutes. Remove the lid and fluff the quinoa with a fork like you would rice. You’ll know it is done when close to half the beads have opened up into little spirals.
  • Heat oil in a medium-sized saucepan over medium high until it shimmers. Add the quinoa and toast it for 2-3 minutes until it is fragrant, stirring continuously. Add broth and salt to the pan and bring the mixture to boil then cover, reduce the heat to low and simmer for 15 minutes.
  • Without removing the lid (no peaking) remove the pot from the heat and let it stand for 5 more minutes. Remove the lid and fluff the quinoa with a fork like you would rice. You’ll know it is done when close to half the beads have opened up into little spirals.
  • What to do with leftovers? Dry it in the oven and use it as a crunchy coating for chicken breasts!

Notes

You can replace rice with quinoa in any of your favorite recipes, including chicken teriyaki and vegetable brown rice casserole!

Nutrition

Calories: 47kcal | Carbohydrates: 2g | Fat: 5g | Saturated Fat: 1g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 3g | Sodium: 664mg | Potassium: 1mg | Sugar: 1g | Vitamin A: 250IU | Calcium: 1mg | Iron: 1mg