Sized for meal prep, this Instant Pot Quinoa recipe is the easiest, fastest way to make fluffy, perfect quinoa every time! Make once and enjoy throughout the week or freeze some for later.
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The Easiest Quinoa Recipe
Quinoa is one of my favorite grains to make and something I always like to have on hand for quick meals. But cooking it on the stove can be time-consuming and require constant attention. I looked for a better, quicker way to make quinoa that wouldn’t require me to hover over the stove with a glass of water at the ready.
Enter this recipe. As long as you have an Instant Pot, you can make this quinoa perfect every time. And it only takes a matter of minutes. Minimal effort and minimal clean-up.
To make this quinoa, add olive oil to your instant pot on the saute setting. Saute the quinoa until it gives off a nutty aroma. Toasting the quinoa before cooking elevates the flavor. Next, add your water and spices. Seal the instant pot and set to pressure cook. That’s it! The rest of the process is hands-off.
Ways to use Instant Pot Quinoa
This recipe is perfect for batch meal prepping. Essentially, this means cooking large batches of certain foods and mix-n-matching them throughout the week to create new meals. With this large, tasty batch of quinoa, you can transform it into salads, stir-fries, and more!
Here are some ideas to transform this quinoa into meals throughout the week:
Benefits of Quinoa
As you may have heard, quinoa is often labeled a “superfood.” While the term itself doesn’t mean much in a true nutritional sense, quinoa does provide numerous benefits.
One cup of cooked quinoa contains 8.14 grams of protein. It also offers a wide range of amino acids, which your body uses to grow and function properly. High amounts of essential amino acids are found in meat, eggs, and poultry. That’s why quinoa is great for a plant-based, vegan and vegetarian diet. It provides essential nutrients in a 100% friendly way!
Quinoa is also high in fiber and antioxidants. Both are important parts of a healthy diet. To learn more about the benefits of quinoa, check out this article from Medical News Today.
Equipment
- Instant Pot
Instructions
- Turn Instant Pot on Saute setting
- Once warm, add a drizzle of olive oil and the quinoa. Allow to cook for about 5 minutes, stirring occasionally, until quinoa gives off nutty fragrance.
- Add water or vegetable broth and stir. Add spices and salt.
- Set Instant Pot to Pressure cook on high for 3 minutes. (It will take about 9 minutes for Instant Pot to pressurize before cooking starts)
- Once the timer goes off, allow to natural release for 10 minutes, then manual release. Remove lid and turn off Instant Pot and allow to cool.
- Enjoy! Quinoa can be frozen and enjoyed later, or use in a quinoa salad.
One response to “Instant Pot Quinoa Recipe | Meal Prep”
[…] this recipe, I used my Instant Pot Quinoa recipe to make a nice large batch. Alternatively, you can use whichever quinoa method you’d […]