Instant Pot Quinoa is the easiest, quickest, and fluffiest way to cook quinoa! In just minutes with your pressure cooker, you can have foolproof perfect quinoa ready to serve as the ultimate side dish to ANYTHING!

Best Instant Pot Quinoa:

We love having a great side of warm steamy quinoa or rice to go with our main courses in our crazy family. Instant Pot Brown Rice, Instant Pot Jasmine Rice, this Instant Pot Quinoa, and Parmesan Quinoa come to mind quite often.

But this recipe is the BEST Instant Pot Quinoa recipe you will find on the internet!

Why???

Well, I will show you how ridiculously easy and foolproof my method of cooking this warm fluffy quinoa really is!

This Instant Pot Quinoa is so incredibly versatile! Season it just the way you LOVE it!

Quick quick quick! Love quinoa but hate the time it takes to make it come out right???

Yeah. us too! So let me show you how you can cut down on that cooking time, mmmm-k???

Perfect Instant Pot Quinoa Pairings:

This hot and fluffy pressure cooked quinoa recipe goes perfectly with just about anything, including gluten-free favorites such as Instant Pot Pork Chops with Gravy, Asian Honey Chicken, Blackened Chicken, Pineapple Basil Thai Chicken, Air Fryer Pork Chops, One-Pot Garlic Mushroom Chicken Skillet, and Fresh Creamy Cilantro Lime Chicken.

Pressure Cooker Quinoa Ingredients:

You will definitely need these three ingredients. No skimping!

1. 1 cup quinoa
2. 1 cup water
3. cooking spray

How to handle the quinoa:

I'm a big proponent of rinsing your quinoa before you cook it.

Why? You may ask.

Well, have you ever rinsed quinoa off and seen the water that was used to rinse it?

Pretty dirty right? If you pay any ind of attention you'll notice that the water runs off hazy.

Gross, right???

Yeah. There always seems to be a ton of residue that comes off of the quinoa during the quick rinse process.

How to clean Quinoa?

Take a fine mesh strainer to pour your quinoa in to. Allow water to run over the quinoa filled strainer. Stir it until the water changes from hazy to clear.

How to fluff quinoa:

Easy Peasy! Grab a spoon and stir your hot cooked quinoa. Your perfectly cooked quinoa will become fluffy after a stir or two!

Instant Pot Guide:

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You will need a pressure cooker of some kind! Obvi, as the title insinuates, this dish uses an Instant Pot but you can always use a different brand of pressure cooker to create the same masterpiece of quinoa perfection.

I highly recommend two pressure cookers that I use in my own kitchen.

The first is the 6 Quart Instant Pot.

The other pressure cooker is my beloved Pampered Chef Quick Cooker.

No matter which pressure cooker is on your kitchen counter, follow this recipes' foolproof steps to perfectly cooked quinoa!

How to make Instant Pot Quinoa:

Here's how you make the BEST and FLUFFIEST quinoa on the planet:

Here’s how it works. You will need:

• 1 part water
• 1 part quinoa
• 1-3 minutes at high pressure depending on your brand and model of pressure cooker.

Allow for a natural pressure release, and you’ll have perfect quinoa every time!

Here are the step-by-step directions with even more precise instructions further down in the post on the actual recipe card:

1. Rinse your quinoa to rid it of residual starch. Prep your Instant Pot by spraying the bottom with an olive oil mister or cooking spray.
2. Place your rinsed quinoa and your water in the bottom of your pressure cooker and stir.
3. Place the lid on your pressure cooker and set it to cook "whole grains" (should be a high-pressure setting for 1-3 minutes depending on your pressure cooker.)
4. After cooking allow for a natural pressure release for 10 minutes before venting out the rest of the pressure, unlidding the pressure cooker, and stirring the quinoa to fluff and serve it.

Doubling or Tripling the recipe:

All you need to do is follow the 1 : 1 quinoa to water ratio.

However!!!!! Please be careful not to overfill your Instant Pot if you’re going for a triple batch!

Remember that more volume in a pressure cooker may mean that you need more time for the Instant Pot to heat up and reach pressure, but cooking time will remain the same.

Pressure Cooker Quinoa Tips:

Please rinse and drain your quinoa before placing it in the bottom of your Instant Pot or pressure cooker.

Can you freeze Instant Pot Quinoa?

Yes yes yes! This recipe for Instant Pot Quinoa is so easy to freeze so make a big batch of it and save lots of it for later!

To freeze your cooked quinoa let it cool to room temperature first and then transfer it to a freezer bag or freezer-safe container and then place in the freezer for up to 3 months.

How to store leftover cooked quinoa:

Store your leftover quinoa in an airtight container inside of your refrigerator for up to 3 days.

To reheat your Instant Pot Quinoa, simply place the refrigerated quinoa in a microwave-safe dish and cover it. Reheat it for 30-90 seconds depending on how much quinoa you are reheating and how hot you like your quinoa.

If you froze your leftover quinoa, then place it in the fridge or on top of your counter to thaw and then reheat in a skillet with a little water or reheat it once thawed according to the instructions in the previous paragraph.

How to fancy up your servings of quinoa:

Sprinkle with seasonings of your choice. Even salt and pepper with help with a visual spark as well as adding another dimension of texture.

Sprinkle with fresh-cut pieces of herbs like parsley that is seen in these recipe pictures.

Sesame seeds! Sprinkle a finers pinch of white or black sesame seeds on the top of each hearty quinoa serving to immediately make it fancy!

More easy quinoa dishes:

• Parmesan Quinoa
• Turkey Stuffed Peppers with Quinoa
• Caprese Quinoa Casserole
• Quinoa Chicken Tenders
• Slow Cooker Mexican Quinoa Dip
• Gluten-Free Quinoa Breakfast Bars
• Pineapple Chili Quinoa Sausage