Master this easy recipe for how to cook quinoa in a pressure cooker, whether you have an Instant Pot, or other brand.
It’d be an understatement to say that electric pressure cookers have changed the game.
Cooking grains (or seeds, in the case of quinoa) offers an easy, useful way to break in your Instant Pot. Even if you’ve never cooked a full-on dish in one of those, just cooking beans, rice, and other grains alone will keep your pressure cooker busy!
Have it plugged in while you carry on with the other ingredients for your dish…Buddha bowls are great for this easy kind of multi-tasking.
Make sure to read my in-depth review of the Instant Pot.
Pressure Cooking Grains
At Steamy Kitchen, we like to build healthy one-bowl meals on a sturdy foundation of grains and greens. Think brown rice, couscous, quinoa, crispy salad greens, even farro–to name a few. Of course, go half-and-half if you like! We want to help you find your favorites–delicious grains/greens you can make time and time again.
And just like that, a Buddha Bowl is born!
Although quinoa is technically a seed, not a grain, it is typically prepared like any traditional grain such as rice–used in salads, casserole bakes, pilafs, you name it! Buy it in plain beige (white) or rainbow varieties, you’ll enjoy the same fragrant but pleasantly neutral taste.
The job of the pressure cooker? Deliver fluffy, not-too-dry, definitely not gummy quinoa so you can get on to blinging up the rest of your Buddha Bowl!
Tips for Perfect Pressure Cooking Quinoa
- Lubricate that pot! Either use cooking spray or toast the quinoa beforehand in oil.
- If you have extra time, rinse quinoa thoroughly to get rid of extra bitterness. Most quinoa comes pre-rinsed, but true quinoa freaks won’t forget the ol’ rinse ‘n shake!
- Add the right amount of water to avoid soupy, mushy quinoa. Don’t worry, the ratio couldn’t be simpler! Use 1 cup water or broth for every cup of quinoa.
How to Cook Quinoa in a Pressure Cooker – Step by Step
1. Toast the quinoa (optional step)
Select “SAUTE” mode on your Instant Pot®. Heat some oil up and stir in the quinoa to coat. Cook and stir until lightly toasted and fragrant, about 3 minutes.
*If you wish to skip this step, lightly coat the inner pot of your pressure cooker with cooking spray.
2. Pressure cooking time!
Add water and salt to the toasted quinoa. Don’t skip the salt! Stir everything one more time before sealing the valve and cooking on Manual high pressure for 1 minute.
*Some folks say to cook for “0” minutes; point is, quinoa cooks up super quickly. Most of the cooking takes place during the time it takes for the pot to come to pressure–typically about 5 minutes (more if you’ve doubled or tripled the recipe).
