One Minute Quinoa – instant pot

Serves 4 to 6

1 – Minute Quinoa – Instant Pot

I follow the cooking directions to 1-Minute Quinoa that came with the Instant Pot. To keep your grains from getting mushy, pay close attention to the liquid to grain ratio. If you do not have an Instant Pot see stove top method here.

Quinoa has been prewashed, but some instructions will recommend rinsing quinoa well before using as quinoa has “saponin”, a natural insect repellent that can leave a bitter taste to this delicate grain. Personally,  I have tried both methods and have not found a taste difference, so I no longer rinse quinoa before cooking.

Instant Pot Instructions

  • 1 cup quinoa (any color)
  • 1 ½ cups water
  1. In the pressure cooker add the quinoa and water. Close and lock the lid of the Instant Pot. Press (Manual) and choose 1 minute pressure cooking time.
  2. When time is up open the cooker using the 10-minute Natural Pressure Release.
  3. Serve at room temperature or chilled, however for salad let the quinoa chill completely.

What I do different. When the 10 minutes are up, I immediately release the pressure and remove the cooking pot from the instant pot. I cover the pot with a lid and allow the quinoa to cool undisturbed for at least 10. This is a very fragile grain, and I find when I allow the grain to cool it holds it shape and is never mushy. When I plan to make a salad, then I will allow the quinoa to sit in the fridge overnight.