Making Fluffy Quinoa is a kitchen technique that every at-home Chef can easily master. Quinoa is versatile, lightly textured, slightly nutty in flavor and did I mention ... healthy!
Quinoa is a fun new ingredient that your whole family will love. I keep quinoa as a staple pantry item - right next to my other dry goods like rice, pasta, beans, seeds and nuts.
Achieving fluffy quinoa (as opposed to mushy, overcooked quinoa) is easier than you think. Make fluffy quinoa every time with my easy tips. And get my recipe for Spiced Fluffy Quinoa. Fluffy Quinoa how-to.
Plus get my how-to for fluffy quinoa video!..
post updated 10/2017
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Quinoa (pronounced keen-wa) has become quite the trendy grain over the past few years (and actually it's really a seed). Well you can embrace the quinoa hype...
Quinoa is rich in protein (for a grain/seed), is gluten free, rich in fiber, magnesium, iron and more. See complete nutrition facts in this quinoa super food post. And see the quinoa plant here.
But the best part about quinoa is it's ability to get super fluffy in texture. More so than rice or even couscous. The quinoa "blooms" and unravels as it cooks and if you've set yourself up for success - the end result is a bowl full of fluffy snowflake-like quinoa that is delicious, healthy and very versatile! Serve it warm or cold. Sprinkle quinoa onto salads, serve as a side dish, use in place or rice in recipes, fold in chopped veggies, seeds, beans or nuts or even make 'breakfast quinoa' in place of oatmeal. Use in tacos, veggie burgers and so much more.
Your quinoa should be slightly unraveled to a bit more unraveled like this. Rinsing your quinoa well will usually produce a slightly more tender quinoa.
Also, brands and varieties of quinoa will vary.
The basic recipe. Look for further tips + explanation below.
Try my quinoa risotto: Almond Coconut Quinoa Risotto with Saffron Mushroom Gravy recipe here.
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How-to Make Fluffy Quinoa Every Time: More Tips
Tip 1: Rinse it.
Rinse your dry quinoa in water before cooking. This removes some of the 'mush-promoting' grit on the grain. And may make the flavor cleaner and less bitter. You do not need to rinse, but it may be a good idea if you are sensitive to nutty or earthy flavors.
Tip 2: Less is More. (Water)
Most boxes of quinoa say to add 2 cups of water for every one cup of dry quinoa. I like to use a tad less. And remember if you are rinsing your quinoa you will be adding a bit more water anyways. For fluffy quinoa, less water is more. I do 1 part dry quinoa : about 1 ½ parts water ratio - then I rinse the quinoa and drain as much water as I can. If I do not rinse,
I do about 1 ¾ cups water for 2 cups dry quinoa. Note: If adding in dry spices or other ingredients like onions or chopped greens before cooking the quinoa, you may want to increase the water a bit too.
Tip 3: No Peeking!
Once you close that pot lid over your cooking quinoa - no peeking! No stirring! You don't want to disturb the quinoa fluff factory bubbling inside by releasing the precious steam.
Tip 4: Let it Sit.
After cooking and before you lift the lid, turn OFF the stove and in the words of Kelly Clarkson, "Just Walk Away." Let the quinoa sit for a good 5-10 minutes. Again - no peeking!
Tip 5: Stick a Fork in it.
Fluff your cooked quinoa with a fork. No mush-enhancing spoons allowed. A wide slotted spatula also fluffs things quite nicely.
Spiced Quinoa Version:
Spices:
Spiced Fluffy Quinoa
vegan, makes 4 fluffy bowls of quinoa
1 cup + 2 tablespoon dry, unrinsed quinoa
1 ⅔ cup water
dry spice mix:
sea salt (salt to taste! - I used 1 teaspoon citrus sea salt)
spices:
1 teaspoon chili powder
1 teaspoon cumin
½ teaspoon cayenne
1 teaspoon coriander
1 teaspoon garlic powder
optional: 1 teaspoon Extra Virgin Olive Oil (or any veg oil)
Directions:
1. Measure out your quinoa. Add to a larger bowl and begin the rinsing process. I do 2-3 rinses. To rinse: fill the bowl with water, swirl the quinoa around a bit and carefully drain off the top water. The quinoa acts like sand a bit - a few grains float to the top, but they mostly sink to the bottom of the bowl. Repeat and repeat. You'll notice the water gets less murky after the final rinse.
Dry Quinoa:
Rinsing Quinoa:
2. Place your spices in a prep bowl and set aside. Measure out about 1 and ⅔ cups of water - set aside.
3. Toss your dry spices with the rinsed/drained quinoa until each quinoa grain is well coated with light spice. The wetness of the quinoa allows the spices to easily stick.
Fold in spices:
4. Place your large pot on stove and turn on heat. You can either add the water and bring to a boil. Or you can toast the spiced/rinsed quinoa in the dry pan, heat on, for a few minutes to bring out the nuttiness of the quinoa and spices. Your call. Today I simply boiled my water, then add my quinoa - it was yummy.
5. Bring quinoa/water to a boil. Cover pot with lid. Reduce heat to a simmer. Walk away for 12-15 minutes.
Lid on:
6. After around 12-15 minutes, walk over to the stove and turn the heat off. Walk away again.
7. After about 5-10 minutes remove the lid allowing a lot of steam to escape in a gush. Instant quinoa steam facial.
Lift lid:
8. Grab your fork and fluff the quinoa.
Fluff with fork:
Serve warm as is - or fold in a dash of nutritional yeast, seasoned rice vinegar, EVOO, apple cider vinegar, chopped veggies, nuts, beans - whatever you'd like. You can also chill your quinoa in the fridge and serve cold.
Fluffy quinoa! Bravo!
Serve!
Mushy Results? Troubleshooting:
* Leave the lid on longer after cooking. 15-20 mins or so.
* Cook for a few more minutes.
* Add even less water.
* Rinse your quinoa if you din't already.
* Try and try again.
This post was updated 10/2017
Fluffy Quinoa
Ingredients
- 2 cups dry quinoa
- 1 ¾ cups water (use 2 cups if you like a moister fluffiness)
- pinch of sea salt
Instructions
- Rinsing your quinoa first is optional. Rinsing the quinoa removes the natural coating called saponin. Sometimes unrinsed quinoa can have a bolder, nuttier and sometimes bitter flavor. If you do rinse your quinoa, reduce water amount to 1 ½ cups since the quinoa will be slightly moistened from the rinsing process.
- Add the water to a soup pot. Add the quinoa and pinch of salt.
- Bring to a low boil. When the first signs of boiling begin, cover the pot with a lid and reduce heat to low-medium. Allow to simmer at this heat, covered, for 15 minutes.
- When 15 minutes has passed, pop back over to the stove and turn the heat all the way off -- but DO NOT open the lid of the pot yet! This will upset the fluffing ability of all that trapped steam in the pot.
- With the heat OFF, walk away from the pot for about 5-10 minutes.
- Return back to the pot and remove lid. Using a fork, fluff the quinoa a bit as the remaining steam escapes.
- You can sprinkle spices over top and fold those in or simply serve as is, warm and fluffy.
ActiveEz says
No peeking! This is the tip I have been missing to get my quinoa right, that and allowing it to steam a little. I am definitely going to try the spiced quinoa as a variation. Thanks for the great content!
Beatriz Herrmann says
Hi, I've been cooking Quinoa since I was a teenager 35 + years!. I am originally from Peru, one of the two South American places where Quinoa is originally from. Your suggestions are really, really good.
One observation , is always good to rinse your Quinoa, saponin gives the Quinoa a bitter taste more than nuttier taste, it can also cause stomach pains ( in extreme cases)
One suggestion since red and black quinoa is also available I I mix them ( red and white nutritional values are almost the same, but red has high riboflavin and protein content). Black and red quinoa are crunchier and it prevents the grains to stick together. I always cook quinoa and always perfectly fluffy. My ratio quinoa-water is as you first suggested 1 cup of quinoa for 2 cups of water. if I have the 3 colors (red and black quinoa need that extra water), wait until it boils, and then lower the heat...all for 20 minutes...Is so fluffy that I usually eat it at breakfast with Tofu scramble and avocado. I also make my Tabbouleh with quinoa instead of bulgur wheat..is deli....:) I hope you appreciate a suggestion from a Peruvian Quinoa fan..:)
Kathy Patalsky says
Thanks for sharing your process. I sometimes rinse my quinoa and sometimes not. I personally don’t notice a huge difference in taste or digestive reactions. Maybe the brands I buy are pre rinsed as I was reading some are.
The 2:1 ratio works well for sure, but I find that for some reason some people can still come out with mushy quinoa, so I tell people to try reducing the water a bit and see if that helps.
The real trick for fluffy quinoa for me isn’t necessarily about the ratio but more about waiting a few minutes after cooking to let the quinoa absorb all the lovely steam.
Beatriz Herrmann says
True, that's why I used that ratio when cooking the three colored quinoa, when using white quinoa defineately youtr method helps to get a fluffy quinoa. I bring my organic quinoa from Peru,- I still have family there- but yes there are pre-rinsed quinoa that makes the process easier...thanks
Connie Almeida says
After thousands of failed attempts to get the perfect quinoa, this process finally did it for me! Thank you so much for sharing!
Kathy Patalsky says
Hooray! That's awesome 😊
Raven says
Put the lid on.
Raven says
Um Whole Foods lol duh. Also sometimes Jewel.
Mercedes says
Thanks for this recipe! I am not a great cook and had been disappointed every time I made quinoa. After trying this recipe, I feel like a great cook (quinoa cook :). My quinoa actually turned out fluffy and tasted good. Now I wonder what the recipe would look like to get double the servings. I have been making this twice, but that takes too long. Have you tried to double this recipe? If so, what did it look like? Thanks!
Janice says
I have made this twice now. The first time with spices and the 2nd just plain, both times it was delicious. I had made quinoa years ago and hated it but, with this recipe, I love it.
Luke Morrison says
Just made this, turned out a tad soggy but i'll just use less water next time.
Added some fresh tomatoes and cilantro and it tastes great to me. Also tastes good on its own.
Michelle says
My first time ever making quinoa was last night and I used this recipe...it came out perfect, IMO!! It was delicious, your instructions are excellent. I can't even say quinoa properly, but at least now I can cook it!
Marcy Ringness says
I rinse mine abit first, then toast it wet in the pot with a bit of olive oil. Then after some of the seeds pop and a few get really dark brown, I add the water, salt and bit of olive oil to the water and let it cook. While it is cooking, I make sort of a tadka, an Indian spice mix to go into it after. Today I used half a yellow onion, 2 chopped garlic cloves, cumin, turmeric and sauted it all in a small pan in some olive oil and bit of butter. I use coconut oil too sometimes. Ghee would be the best tasting and healthiest one to do it with. Once the quinoa is done, I fold the tadka into it. I also add a bit more butter, green onions and sumac to the finished cooked quinoa. I like to add a can of chickpeas too sometimes. Other beans and veggies would be great too. I love to make just plain quinoa with some salt, garlic powder and some amazing white cheeses and butter and olive oil too. So fun to try new ways to make this! Enjoy everyone! 🙂
Marcy Ringness says
Great instructions and great comments and tips here!
Judy says
I buy it at Central Market in their bulk foods section. Scoop out as much as you need and it always cooks up perfectly using this method.
Brian says
Thanks for posting this, I've made quinoa several times using this method. Tonight all I have on hand is some coconut milk & Sriracha sauce to add to it, gonna see how that turns out.
Kenna says
Okay no but whenever I make it all the water evaporates away and it gets crunchy and SO not fluffy 🙁
Kathy Patalsky says
Super! Glad to hear!
bethradd says
Thank you for this! PERFECT quinoa every time!
Yvonne says
This is the best quinoa cooking tutorial I have ever seen!
Monica Elizer says
Thank you very much for the help. I had tried a Quinoa brand and enjoyed it. I then decided to buy it and make it myself the package directions left me with soggy Quinoa. I will recommend this to all my friends. Delicious. I added butter sauteed mushrooms and onions and fresh tomato.
Janelle says
I just tried this method and it worked PERFECTLY! I added chunks of cucumbers, grape tomatoes, chile peppers (seeds removed) and fresh cilantro and dill and EVOO to make this perfect dish even better!! Thank you for a fantastic post.
Hannah says
This was great! I added some chopped green peppers in there as well. Delicious!
Melanie says
I buy mine at Winco (if you have one near you) many stores that carry bulk bins will also have quinoa. If you have no luck there, try a natural foods store. You may also find it in the gluten free section of your local grocery store. It is gaining "popularity" so it's slowly emerging everywhere - just gotta be willing to invest time searching. GL!
Peggy Oakley Lobertini says
I buy mine online at NUTS.COM, the best! I use organic or homemade vegetable broth instead of water. Great tips, Thanks!
robyn says
can I buy quinoa in bulk and would you know where the best place to do so. So far I have only found a box of flavored quinoa by Near East.
Kathy Patalsky says
Ha. Yay 🙂
Chris says
I nailed the SH*T out of this quinoa...first time. Thank you so much!!!!!
P.S. GO VEG! 🙂
Lisa says
I read a lot of vegan recipe sites and I never comment.. but I printed this out.. even though I have successfully cooked quinoa many times in the past. And I am moved to say.. wow! What a difference putting less liquid and not peeking makes! I usually always cook it with veggie broth instead of water in an attempt to convince myself it would be even better for me. .. so I followed your instructions last night instead of stirring and using 2 cups to 1 cups and wow.. big difference in texture. Thank you!!
Judy says
Oh lord. I was already cooking the quinoa when I found this post, and I followed the tips I still could -- and my quinoa was AMAZING. Thank you so, so, so, so, sososo much!
Rek says
Definitely way too salty. Otherwise very tasty, and the Quinoa came out very well.
Julia says
This recipe is amazing! I halved the salt, and instead of using garlic power, I sautéed a clove of fresh garlic in the optional 1 tsp. of olive oil in the pot before adding the quinoa. Delicious.
Courtney says
Thanks for the tips! I've been experimenting with quinoa and recently discovered a great recipe of my own! Quinoa stuffed peppers! I put prepared quinoa mixed with roasted red pepper strips, chopped onion, organic black beans, and feta cheese into green peppers and baked them for about 15min. Delicious!!
Sally says
I made this today and while the quinoa turned out fluffy and beautiful, it was way too salty. I will try it again with about half the suggest amount of salt.
Helen G. says
Kathy, your clear pictures and precise instructions gave me the courage to try quinoa this evening. And it turned out perfectly! That is one fine spice combo, I must say. I enjoyed the quinoa with some black beans out of the can, no fancy stuff, and steamed broccoli, along with an ear of corn. It was fabulous. I needed a dry run before making the Citrus Superfruit Tacos for guests in two days. Thanks so much for those great instructions, they made all the difference.
Taramilhem says
Came out unbelievable!!
TechSkirt says
Thanks for the post! Just made my first ever batch of quinoa and it turned out perfectly thanks to your guidance!
Kathy Patalsky says
Yay!!
Vkuluz says
Are there any side affects for people who have diverticulitis since quinoa is as grain or seed?
Yrsqrtr says
I made this last night. First time for cooking Quinoa. After cooking it in my rice cooker I served it topped with slightly sauteed carrot, onion, portabello mushrooms, green peppers and zucchini. Delicious! Thanks for the recipe!
Kathy Patalsky says
hmm, probably not because the quinoa is soo light and fluffy it would get weighed down by the thick "cheeze" However, if you are OK with a more 'mushy' thick quinoa (like quinoa risotto) - go for it!
Kathy Patalsky says
yay and thanks! 🙂 ..to get printer friendly versions, simply click on the add this plus sign and scroll through the options to "print friendly" it's a little printer with a green swoosh on it. Then open that link and click the *remove images* option. Easy and print friendly! 🙂
diandrizzle says
oh perfect! thank you so much 🙂