Learn how to cook quinoa in an Instant Pot until fluffy and tender in around 20 minutes, no soaking required! This perfect pressure cooker quinoa is also great for meal prep and freezer friendly!
Using a fine-mesh strainer, rinse your quinoa until the water runs clear.
Place the water and quinoa into the pressure cooker and cook on high pressure for 5 minutes.
Use the quick release.
Fluff with a fork.
Notes
Don’t skip the rinsing step: While lots of quinoa is pre-rinsed, this isn’t always the case. Without rinsing it, the grains contain a bitter coating called saponin, which can make the cooked quinoa taste bitter. Just make sure to drain the rinsed quinoa very well, or it will throw off the water to quinoa ratio.
For more flavorful quinoa: Sauté the quinoa in the instant pot until it’s fragrant and lightly browned (about a minute). Then add the water (or stock) and cook the quinoa as usual.
Be careful when using quick-release: Steam and scorching water may shoot from the release valve, so be careful.