• Travel & Adventure
  • Musings
  • About
    • Copyright
    • Disclosures
    • Resources for Food Bloggers
    • Giving
  • Shop
  • Contact
  • Nav Social Menu

    • Email
    • Facebook
    • Instagram
    • Pinterest
    • TikTok
    • YouTube

Claudia's Table

Eat and Live in Color.

  • Home
  • Recipes
    • Main
    • Beef & Pork
    • Poultry
    • Fish
    • Pasta
    • Vegetarian
    • Soups
    • Salads and Sides
    • 30 minute meals
    • Dressings and Sauces
    • Breakfast
    • Dessert
    • Gluten Sensitive
    • Small bites
    • Cocktails and Beverages
    • Meal Prep Ideas
    • Pressure and Slow Cooker
    • Entertaining
    • One Ingredient – 3 Ways
    • Grilling
  • How to guides
  • Instagram

How to guides

How to Cook Quinoa

Whenever I mention the word Quinoa, my sister quite literally says, “whatever”. Why? Because she says it’s a fickle grain to cook. It’s never consistent and sometimes mushy. I must admit that in the beginning, I also had a hard time cooking Quinoa. But I’m going to admit, that I never paid careful attention to the package instructions either. I assumed I could cook it like rice and well maybe the technical method is the same, the difference is the quinoa and water heat up together, boil and cook. So for me, this is the best method I have found to cook this versatile pseudograin .

I have several recipes that call for quinoa. By now I’ve gotten much better and have it well, dialed in. So for today’s quick tutorial, I’m going to show you how to cook quinoa, my best method, which also happens to be on the stove top.

What is Quinoa exactly?

This is a true superfood. Quinoa (pronounced KEEN-WAH) is an ancient grain from South America. So let’s unpack the nutrients found is this pseudograin: Manganese, Magnesium, Phosphorus, Folate, Copper, Iron, Zinc, Thiamin, Riboflavin and Vitamin B6. If this isn’t enough, 1 cup comes in at 220 calories with 8 grams of protein, 4 grams of fat and 5 grams of fiber. Yet one more fun fact: Quinoa is one of the only plant sources that provides all of the amino acids in one food source. So for those friends who are vegetarian or vegan, this is an excellent food source to provide essential amino acids.

There are two kinds of Quinoa that a readily available: tri-color and white. The difference between the two is that the tri-color mix, includes white, black and red quinoa. There are nuances between the three colors are small. The white cooks up the fluffiest. The red has a slightly more intense taste and the black a more earthy taste. Both to me seem a bit more dense to chew as well. I do have a preference to the tri-color to mix into other dishes as it seems to hold up better.

Tips for Cooking

An important factor in cooking this grain is rinsing it well. And I mean well. If you place the fine mesh strainer over a bowl and rinse the quinoa, you will notice the water is cloudy. You have to rinse it about 1 full minute for the water to be clear.

Second, the quinoa and the water have to come to a boil together. This just works better for the grain to cook perfectly.

Third, a pot with a tight lid is very helpful.

Fourth, allow it to sit for a few minutes after the heat source has shut off.

And fifth, fluff with a fork after it’s ready. This reduces the clumps later when you are trying to use if for another dish like a salad.

  • quinoa the superfood
    Quinoa : Superfood
  • quinoa in measuring cup
    1 cup of quinoa
  • rinse quinoa thoroughly
    Rinse well until water is clear
  • quinoa in water in pot
    Place in pot with 2 cups of water, bring to a boil. Reduce heat.
  • fluff cooked quinoa with fork
    Simmer for 20 minutes. Remove from heat.
  • cooked quinoa fluffed
    Let sit for 10 minutes after it’s cooked and fluff with fork

One of my favorite recipes for quinoa, Pan Roasted Vegetable Quinoa with Feta and another favorite is Warm Quinoa with Roasted Asparagus. If your prefer a cold salad, my Colorful Superfood Spinach Salad.

You Might Also Like...

  • Roasted Carrot and Sweet Potato Soup
    Roasted Carrot and Sweet Potato Soup
  • Asparagus Frittata with Ricotta and Prosciutto
    Asparagus Frittata with Ricotta and Prosciutto
  • Roasted Garlic and Shrimp Spaghetti
    Roasted Garlic and Shrimp Spaghetti
  • Chipotle in Adobo Macaroni and Cheese
    Chipotle in Adobo Macaroni and Cheese
  • 10 Vegetable Soup
    10 Vegetable Soup
  • Blueberry Lemon Cheesecake Bars
    Blueberry Lemon Cheesecake Bars

chat bubble
Leave a Comment

Subscribe

Get the latest delicious goodness straight to your inbox!

Previous Post: « How to Blanch Green Beans
Next Post: Refreshing Spaces »

Reader Interactions

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Recipe Rating




Primary Sidebar

Search

I’m so glad you’re here!

I'm so happy to share what's on our table most days. My California inspired food recipes are simple and full of fresh flavor. It is my hope that you will find something new to try and share with your family and friends. Enjoy! Read More…

Don’t a miss a recipe!

Get every new recipe straight to your inbox.

How to guides – tips and tricks

ribs cooked on bbq on platter with dark background

One Ingredient – 3 Ways

lemons on cutting board with knife and cut in half

Fast and Slow

spiced sweet potato and spinach soup topped with yogurt and served with bread.

Spiced Sweet Potato and Spinach Soup

This creamy, vegetable filled Spiced Sweet Potato and Spinach Soup celebrates the wonderful Moroccan ... continue reading...

platter of Salpicon de Res with avocado radishes and romaine

Mexican Salpicón de Res

Mexican Shredded Beef Salad Estilo Norteño-Northern Style Mexican Salpicón de Res is a ... continue reading...

Fast and Easy Beef Chili horizontal

Fast and Easy Beef Chili

Sometimes comfort food doesn't have to be complicated. This Fast and Easy Beef Chili is one of those ... continue reading...

Featured Categories

  • Beef & Pork
  • Poultry
  • Fish
  • Pasta
  • Vegetarian
  • Salads & Sides
  • Dressings & Sauces
  • Breakfast
  • Grilling
  • Cocktails & Beverages

Copyright

copyscape banner

Don't miss a bite! Join us friends!

Disclosures

Footer

Trending

horizontal creamy tomato chicken and mushroom pasta in blue bowl with white napkin

Creamy Tomato Chicken and Mushroom Pasta

horizontal image of frittata with asparagus ricotta and prosciutto

Asparagus Frittata with Ricotta and Prosciutto

chinese chicken salad ingredients in black bowl with salad dressing being poured onto

Classic Chinese Chicken Salad with Creamy Sesame Dressing

chicken schnitzel and kale autumn salad horizontal with serving utensils

Chicken Schnitzel with Autumn Kale Salad

Pork Tenderloin with Lemon Herb Pan Sauce

As seen on

as seen on banner

Copyright © 2023 · Claudia's Table

Manage Cookie Consent
We use cookies to optimize our website and our service to you.
Functional Always active
The technical storage or access is strictly necessary for the legitimate purpose of enabling the use of a specific service explicitly requested by the subscriber or user, or for the sole purpose of carrying out the transmission of a communication over an electronic communications network.
Preferences
The technical storage or access is necessary for the legitimate purpose of storing preferences that are not requested by the subscriber or user.
Statistics
The technical storage or access that is used exclusively for statistical purposes. The technical storage or access that is used exclusively for anonymous statistical purposes. Without a subpoena, voluntary compliance on the part of your Internet Service Provider, or additional records from a third party, information stored or retrieved for this purpose alone cannot usually be used to identify you.
Marketing
The technical storage or access is required to create user profiles to send advertising, or to track the user on a website or across several websites for similar marketing purposes.
Manage options Manage services Manage vendors Read more about these purposes
View preferences
{title} {title} {title}