Basic Steamed Quinoa

By Martha Rose Shulman

Basic Steamed Quinoa
Andrew Scrivani for The New York Times
Total Time
30 minutes
Rating
5(435)
Comments
Read comments

Many recipes for quinoa instruct you to cook it like rice, in 2 parts water for 1 part grain. This works, but I find the grains are fluffier if I cook them in 3 parts water and drain the excess water once the quinoa is tender. The tiny seeds swell to about 4 times their original size, so 1 cup uncooked quinoa yields about 4 cups, enough for 6 to 8 servings.

Featured in: Quinoa: A Protein-Packed Alternative to Grains

  • or to save this recipe.

  • Subscriber benefit: give recipes to anyone
    As a subscriber, you have 10 gift recipes to give each month. Anyone can view them - even nonsubscribers. Learn more.
    Subscribe

  • Print Options

Advertisement

Ingredients

Yield:about 4 cups, serving 6 to 8
  • 1cup quinoa
  • 3cups water, chicken stock or vegetable stock
  • ½teaspoon salt (more to taste)
Ingredient Substitution Guide
Nutritional analysis per serving (8 servings)

78 calories; 1 gram fat; 0 grams saturated fat; 0 grams trans fat; 0 grams monounsaturated fat; 1 gram polyunsaturated fat; 14 grams carbohydrates; 1 gram dietary fiber; 0 grams sugars; 3 grams protein; 150 milligrams sodium

Note: The information shown is Edamam’s estimate based on available ingredients and preparation. It should not be considered a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s advice.

Powered by
Cooking Newsletter illustration

Opt out or contact us anytime. See our Privacy Policy.

Opt out or contact us anytime. See our Privacy Policy.

Preparation

  1. Step 1

    Place the quinoa in a bowl and cover with cold water. Let sit 5 minutes. Drain through a strainer and rinse until the water runs clear.

  2. Step 2

    Bring the water or stock to a boil in a medium saucepan. Add the salt and the quinoa. Bring back to a boil, reduce the heat to low, cover and simmer 15 minutes, or until the quinoa is tender and translucent, and each grain displays a little thread. Drain and return to the pan. Cover the pan with a clean dish towel, replace the lid and allow to sit undisturbed for 10 minutes. Fluff and serve.

Ratings

5 out of 5
435 user ratings
Your rating

or to rate this recipe.

Have you cooked this?

or to mark this recipe as cooked.

Private Notes

Leave a Private Comment on this recipe and see it here.

Comments

G

Hello. Yes. The reason for the soaking beyond what the manufacturer has done is to do as thorough dissolving of the saponins that coat the outside of the seed as possible. Saponins can cause humans a lot of gastrointestinal distress. In addition to basic discomforts like stomach ache, abdominal cramping, and gas, it can also cause Leaky Gut. Thoroughly rinse quinoa until water runs clear: Let sit in a bowl full of water. Check it in an hour. Empty it, fill it again, let it sit, etc.

amy

This came out great! I used organic chicken stock so I didn't add any extra salt. Then when it was all fluffed I stirred in about a TBSP of unsalted butter. Delicious!! Finally figured out how to make quinoa taste good. The whole family loved it. Had it with steak and roasted broccoli

G

Learning how to cook quinoa, the 2:1/ 3:1 ratio of water to quinoa has repeatedly given me soggy, blowsy quinoa. I prefer al dente quinoa. The ratio I have found to yield al dente quinoa is 1.25:1, allowed to reach a boil, then the heat reduced to a simmer and left for 15 minutes. I also soak quinoa in a fine colander until the water it sits in is clear. This means that I change water at least twice. I do this because the last time I did as the recipe suggests (twice), the quinoa was bitter.

Josh S

Turned out total soggy mush.

Karen

This recipe turns out perfect fluffy quinoa. Depending on the type of quinoa I’m using I may only cook it for 12 minutes.

Alioop

This is a wonderful, easy & delicious way to make quinoa. It’s been my go to recipe for several years. I like to keep a big batch in the fridge for grain bowls. Great with greens & Miso-sesame vinaigrette on this app.

Private comments are only visible to you.

Recipe Tags

Advertisement

or to save this recipe.