How To Cook Quinoa (Stovetop Quinoa)

Close up of cooked, fluffy white quinoa in a small bowl.

How To Cook Quinoa (Stovetop Quinoa)

Course: Main Course

Cuisine: South American

Diet: Gluten Free, Low Calorie, Vegan, Vegetarian

Prep Time: 10

Cook Time: 20

Resting time: 5

Total Time: 35

Servings: servings

Calories: 167kcal

Author: Dini Kodippili

No mushy, overcooked, bitter quinoa with this recipe! Here's how to cook perfect, fluffy quinoa on the stove, and how to add more flavor, and different ways to serve it.

EASY - The basics of how to cook quinoa are part of my cooking & baking 101 and cooking basics series.

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Ingredients

1 cup quinoa about 200 g (you can use white, red, black, or tricolor quinoa)
1 ¾ cup water 420 g water (for red / black / tricolor quinoa)
1 ½ cup water 360 g water (for white quinoa)
½ tsp salt optional

Instructions

Method 1 - Preparing quinoa

Wash the quinoa in room temperature water, making sure to agitate the quinoa well.
1 cup quinoa
Make sure to wash the quinoa 3 - 4 times, until the water is fairly clear and there is no foam forming when you're washing it.
Drain the water from the quinoa using a sieve.

Method 2 - Preparing quinoa

Place a medium-sized skillet (or a larger one for larger batches) on medium or medium low heat. (The heat shouldn’t be so high that the quinoa can't be heated and toasted evenly and burns too quickly. But also not so low that it takes ages for the quinoa to toast.)
Place the quinoa on the pan and shake it so that it's evenly spread on the bottom of the pan. Using a spatula, move the quinoa around the pan or gently shake the pan to move the quinoa around to evenly heat and toast it.
1 cup quinoa
When the quinoa starts to turn a darker shade, then it's toasted. Place the quinoa aside in a bowl.

Cooking quinoa

Place the quinoa in a saucepan, along with the water and salt. Add the correct amount of water for the type of quinoa you're cooking (as indicated in the ingredients list above).
1 cup quinoa, 1 ¾ cup water, ½ tsp salt, 1 ½ cup water
With the lid closed, place the saucepan on the stove over medium / medium high heat to bring the water to a boil.
Lower the heat to a simmer and remove the lid and stir the quinoa in the pot.
Keep the lid off, and make sure the heat is lowered to maintain a simmer, and now cook the quinoa on a gentle simmer for about 4 - 5 minutes, or until the water level is just below the level of the quinoa.
Place the lid back on the pot, and continue to cook on very low heat for another 10 - 15 minutes. (Less for white quinoa, more for other types.)
With a fork, check to see if there's any water at the bottom of the pot. The quinoa should be soft, and should not be sticking to the bottom of the pot, and there should be very little water (or none).
Put the lid back on, turn off the heat, and allow the quinoa to absorb all the water and rest for about 5 minutes (this is the crucial steaming step).
Fluff up the quinoa with a fork and set aside for later (or use immediately, as you like).

Notes

Ways to add flavor to quinoa during the cooking process

Step by step cooking method with images

Storage instructions

Nutrition