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    Home » Recipes » Food and Produce Guides

    How to Cook Quinoa, and Tasty Recipes

    Published: Oct 30, 2012 · Updated: Aug 18, 2021 · This post may contain affiliate links.

    Here's a basic guide on how to cook quinoa, along with an array of easy recipes for this tasty, quick-cooking grain. Nutritious and versatile, quinoa (pronounced KEEN-wa) is an ancient food indigenous to the South American Andes. Considered a “superfood” for its superior nutritional profile, it was revived for the American natural foods market in the 1980s. Your basic quinoa grain is a kind of yellowish-tan, but red and black varieties are now available as well. They cook up the same way and taste pretty much the same as well; their appeal is mainly visual.


    Quinoa pdf e-book cover - VegKitchenQuinoa has more and higher quality protein than any other grain aside from amaranth. It’s also rich in minerals, B-vitamins, and vitamin E. Best of all, I appreciate the fact that quinoa cooks in a mere 15 minutes, and its fluffy texture and nutty flavor and aroma make it extremely versatile. If you'd like more quinoa in your life, you might also enjoy having one of VegKitchen's affordable pdf e-books, We Love Quinoa, right on your desktop (or printed out) for easy access to our most popular quinoa recipes.

    Here are some basic uses for quinoa:

    • Use it as a bed of grain for bean or vegetable dishes in place of rice.
    • Use it to make pilafs with nuts and dried fruits.
    • It’s great for stuffing vegetables.
    • Make tabbouleh-style salads with it. Add diced crisp vegetables, fresh tomatoes, and minced herbs. Toasted nuts or seeds add a delicious touch.
    • Just use it simply, as a nutrition-boosting side dish.

    quinoa and bell pepper salad


    Basic cooking tips:

    1. Rinse the quinoa in a very fine sieve.
    2. Combine with water in a 2 to 1 ratio in a small saucepan (I usually do either 2 cups water to 1 cup quinoa, or 3 cups water to 1 ½ cups quinoa, depending on how much I want to have at a given meal). Add a bouillon cube (I like Rapunzel salt-free vegan bouillon) for added flavor, if you’d like.
    3. Bring to a rapid simmer, then lower the heat and cover. Simmer gently until the water is absorbed, about 15 minutes.
    4. Add Earth Balance margarine or a fragrant nut oil as desired and salt gently.

    To this basic formula, I have sometimes added finely chopped steamed broccoli; toasted pine nuts; minced scallion; steamed frozen green peas; steamed frozen corn kernels; sautéed garlic; or any combination of two or three of these items.

    Quinoa pilaf varieties
    Simple quinoa pilafs; photo by Hannah Kaminsky

    Here are some quinoa recipes you'll find on VegKitchen:

    Quinoa Salads

    • Composed Quinoa Salad Platter
    • Tabbouli-Style Quinoa and Black Bean Salad
    • Mexican-Style Quinoa Salad
    • Summery Quinoa Salad
    • Summer Quinoa Salad 
    • Tabbouli with a Twist
    • Tropical Quinoa with Black Beans
    • Quinoa, Corn, and Bean Salad
    • Quinoa with Corn and Scallions
    Quinoa, corn, and black bean salad
    Quinoa, corn, and black bean salad

    Quinoa Pilafs

    • Simple Quinoa Pilaf with Peas and Almonds
    • Quinoa and Corn Pilaf with Pine Nuts
    • Red Quinoa Pilaf with Kale and Corn
    • Simple Kale and Quinoa Pilaf
    • Quinoa Pilaf
    • Salsa Grain-and-Bean Pilaf
    • Quinoa and Seashell Noodle Pilaf
    Seashell pasta with quinoa2
    Quinoa and Seashell Noodle Pilaf; photo by Rachael Braun

    Heartier Quiona Dishes

    • Quinoa with Wild Mushrooms and Mixed Squashes
    • Quinoa with Cauliflower, Cranberries, and Pine Nuts
    • Smoky Quinoa with Mushrooms
    • Quinoa with Edamame and Oranges
    • Quinoa with Cabbage and Green Beans
    • Miso-Ginger Red Beans with Quinoa and Broccoli 
    • Pink Bean, Quinoa, and Spinach Soup
    • Quinoa Paella
    • Quinoa and Mushroom Stuffed Peppers
    • Chickpea and Quinoa Salad in Sweet Pepper Boats
    Quinoa with edamame and oranges pilaf
    Quinoa with edamame and oranges pilaf; photo by Hannah Kaminsky

    Wraps and Such

    • Asian-Flavored Quinoa Wraps
    • Pinto Bean and Quinoa Sloppy Joes
    • Quinoa Tacos
    • Hummus and Quinoa Wrap
    • Quinoa Scallion Fritters
    • Quinoa, Lentil, and Mushroom Burgers
    Asian flavored quinoa wraps
    Asian flavored quinoa wraps; photo by Rachael Braun

    Sweets and Such

    • Quinoa, Apricot and Oat Muffin Clusters

    Kañiwa

    • Kañiwa 
    • Kañiwa Confetti Salad

    For lots more features on healthy lifestyle, explore VegKitchen’s Healthy Vegan Kitchen page.
    Here are more of VegKitchen’s Natural Food Guides.

    More recipes you may enjoy

    • Guide to Tofu for Beginners
    • How to Eat Dragon Fruit? There Are More Ways Than You Might Imagine
    • Beyond Brown Rice: Whole Grains for Everyday Meals
    • Tasty and Easy Chickpea Flour Recipes and Tips

    Reader Interactions

    Comments

    1. Casper says

      February 21, 2014 at 2:55 pm

      The pics are to die for! I'd love to eat these dishes right off the screen... Perfect!

    2. Betsey says

      February 21, 2014 at 4:38 pm

      I cook the quinoa in Veggie broth and add garlic powder. It is amazing.

    3. Nava says

      February 21, 2014 at 4:42 pm

      That's a great idea, Betsey. Thanks for sharing!

    4. SuziQ says

      February 21, 2014 at 7:36 pm

      Thanks for using "regular" items in your recipes....stav, if you know how to substitute more healthy items, who cares.?

    5. Nava says

      February 21, 2014 at 7:45 pm

      Thanks, SuziQ! I want to make these recipes as accessible as possible.

    6. Lynne says

      February 21, 2014 at 8:57 pm

      thank you for sharing your recipies . I find them very inspiring..

    7. Nava says

      February 21, 2014 at 8:59 pm

      Thank you, Lynne!

    8. Laura says

      February 22, 2014 at 12:46 am

      Quinoa patties are delicious.

    9. Dot Blair says

      February 22, 2014 at 12:46 pm

      great recipes

    10. Judie Guthrie says

      February 22, 2014 at 9:58 pm

      I can't wait to try some of these recipes.

    11. Betsey says

      March 28, 2014 at 8:27 pm

      I made the quinoa, corn and black bean salad tonight.(I also make my quinoa with veggie broth instead of water.) I used canned Southwestern corn with serano peppers.
      This is the BEST recipe ever!!!! SOOOOO good! Thank you so much.

    12. Nava says

      March 29, 2014 at 11:18 am

      Thanks so much, Betsey! I enjoy cooking my quinoa in broth as well, or using a natural bouillon cube.

    13. CONSTANCE HAMPTON says

      March 30, 2014 at 12:51 am

      I have tried it before. But I don't know anything about it. Never cooked it. I need something easy.

    14. Nava says

      April 06, 2014 at 9:14 pm

      Hi Betsey, sorry for the delayed response — thanks so much for your comment; so glad you enjoy this. And I appreciate hearing about your tweaks, too!

    15. niharika says

      August 13, 2014 at 1:32 am

      I love the pics.. quinoa is a must for my dinner. Bored of routine recipes n searching for some new and low fat recipes.
      Your recipes sounds really yummy 🙂
      I am gonna try this weekend !!!

    16. Nava says

      August 13, 2014 at 8:18 am

      Thanks for your comment! I hope you will enjoy these.

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