Quinoa: it’s the superfood du jour and the topic of many healthy eating articles of late. And for good reason – it’s extremely high in protein and has almost twice as much fiber as do other grains, along with a number of other vitamins and nutrients. Plus, it goes with almost anything. It can be paired with vegetables, all types of meat, and can take the place of any type of grain.
Another benefit? It’s incredibly simple to cook.
How to Cook Quinoa
If you’ve got a saucepan, a stovetop, and 20 minutes, you can cook quinoa. Here’s how to do it.
- Step 1: Measure out 1 cup of quinoa (a serving size of quinoa is 1/4 of a cup, so 1 cup should be plenty for a family of 3-4 people).
- Step 2: Add 2 cups of water (or just double the amount of water per cup of quinoa) and quinoa to saucepan.
- Step 3: Bring quinoa to boil.
- Step 4: Once quinoa is boiling, lower heat and simmer covered for 15 minutes.
- Step 5: Take quinoa off heat and let sit for 10 minutes. Then, fluff with a fork and serve.
That’s it. It really doesn’t get much simpler than that. There are a few tips for making your quinoa come out perfectly, though. Like most other grains, you can undercook quinoa where it comes out slightly crunchy. You can also overcook it to the point where it becomes mushy. To avoid this, try these simple tips:
- Rinse quinoa in cold water before you boil it. This gets rid of any bitter taste that it might have by rinsing away the outer protective coating of saponin.
- Always let your quinoa sit after it finishes cooking. Quinoa holds a lot of water, and giving it time to sit will help it absorb any extra water in the pot. You can also strain it through a fine mesh strainer to get rid of any excess water that isn’t soaked up.
Interesting Ways to Cook Quinoa
Since cooking quinoa is pretty straight forward, we’ve found some more interesting ideas on how to cook quinoa. If you’re looking for something different, try these cooking methods.
Toasted Quinoa – Before cooking quinoa in the traditional method listed above, use a skillet and olive oil to lightly toast your quinoa before cooking it. Make sure that you watch it carefully and stir constantly so that it doesn’t burn. It should take around 6-8 minutes for it to turn light brown. Once it’s finished, add it to boiling water and then simmer for an additional 15 minutes. This method brings out the natural nutty flavor that quinoa has.
Flavored Quinoa – Instead of cooking the quinoa in water, opt for a chicken or vegetable broth. Use the same measurements as above (two cups of liquid or broth to every cup of quinoa). The cooking method stays the same as above, but you’ll come out with quinoa that’s flavored like whatever type of broth you’re using. It’s a great way to spice up the flavor if you’ve gotten bored with quinoa, but want to keep eating it for its health benefits.
Risotto Style Quinoa – Instead of using the cooking method above, cook quinoa the same way you would cook risotto. Add quinoa and butter to a skillet and toss to completely coat quinoa with butter. In a separate saucepan, heat water or stock to boiling. Once liquid is boiling, add one ladle of liquid to quinoa at a time, simmerly slowly until the water or stock completely absorbed. Keep adding a ladle at a time and stirring constantly until you’ve used all of the liquid (2 cups). Quinoa should be completely cooked through and creamy.
How do you cook your quinoa? Share your recipes and tips in the comments!
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