How to Cook Red Quinoa in the Instant Pot

Name: How to Cook Red Quinoa in the Instant Pot
Prep time: 5 min
Cook time: 14 min
Total time: 29 min
Ingredients: 1 cup uncooked red quinoa (rinsed & drained); 1 1/2 cups water; 1/2 teaspoon sea salt; olive oil (optional)

02/06/2019

a top view of a big white bowl filled with cooked red quinoa

Home » How to Cook Red Quinoa in the Instant Pot

Written by Kristen Wood

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Last Updated on 04/24/2020

Simple, easy, healthy and delicious Instant Pot Red Quinoa. Learn how to make this extra nutritious and nutty variety of quinoa in your pressure cooker + tips and tricks for the fluffiest results, health benefits and the best recipes for making use of your perfect Instant Pot Red Quinoa!

Quinoa is one the quickest, easiest, and healthiest things you can make in your Instant Pot. But, if you’ve ever tried to make the red variety of quinoa in your pressure cooker using the same method as white quinoa, you may have discovered that it doesn’t exactly come out the same way!

Red quinoa inherently has a bit more of a bite than white quinoa regardless of cooking method (think of brown rice vs white), but if you throw your red quinoa into the pressure cooker for just one minute, you will be sorely disappointed. Hence, this recipe!

But first, let’s learn more about red quinoa . . .

What are the Benefits of Eating Red Quinoa?

Red quinoa has a high fiber content (even higher than the white variety of quinoa).
It is a complete protein (it contains all nine essential amino acids).
Red quinoa is rich in zinc, iron, magnesium, calcium, copper and B vitamins.
It has anti-inflammatory properties.
It promotes healthy gut bacteria.

This naturally gluten-free super seed is beneficial for a variety of chronic illnesses and helps provide optimum health!

In just a few simple steps, you can have perfectly delicious and fluffy red quinoa straight from the Instant Pot!

How to Make Red Quinoa in an Instant Pot Pressure Cooker:

Instant Pot Red Quinoa uses a 1:1.5 ratio. So for 1 cup of red quinoa, use 1 1/2 cups water.

Rinse and drain quinoa.
Place rinsed quinoa in Instant Pot with water and salt. Stir.
Place the lid on. Make sure the vent is sealed.
Cook on manual High Pressure for 14 minutes.
Wait 10 minutes then release pressure.
Optionally, drizzle with oil and fluff with a fork before serving.

This Instant Pot Quinoa is

Super healthy, flavorful and easy to make.
Naturally gluten-free, vegan, nut-free, soy-free and dairy-free.
A great choice for meal prepping. It stores and freezes well!
Filled with a wonderfully chewy & nutty texture and flavor.

Tips for Making the Best Instant Pot Red Quinoa:

Be certain to rinse your quinoa before placing it into the Instant Pot. Sometimes quinoa contains a bitter outer coating called saponin that can cause digestive irritation if not fully rinsed off.
You can double or triple the recipe, just keep the ratio the same. So for 2 cups of quinoa use 3 cups of water. For 3 cups of quinoa use 4 1/2 cups of water. The time will remain the same.
You can keep quinoa stored in the refrigerator in airtight containers for up to one week. You can also store in freezer bags or freezer-safe containers for up to 10 months. Just be certain to let the red quinoa cool completely before storing.
It isn’t necessary, but I find drizzling the just cooked quinoa with a little olive oil and then fluffing with fork helps separate the grains and lends itself to a fluffier result.
I find pre-salted quinoa to be the most versatile for using in dishes, but you can certainly omit the salt for a low-sodium version (quinoa itself is naturally low in sodium).
You can add any variety of spices you would like before cooking this pressure cooker red quinoa.

Quinoa Recipes you might enjoy:

Quinoa Flatbread Pizza Crust (Gluten-Free, Vegan)

White Cheddar Quinoa Bites With Hot & Spicy Buffalo Sriracha Sauce (Gluten-Free)

Sweet And Spicy Quinoa Peanut Stir Fry (Gluten-Free, Vegan)

Crispy, Cheesy, Mixed Green Quinoa Cakes (Gluten-Free)

Tropical Coconut Quinoa Salad With Spicy Ginger-Sesame Dressing (Gluten-Free, Vegan)

Quinoa Cocoa Molasses Crunch Granola (Gluten-Free, Vegan)

Spicy Roasted Pumpkin Quinoa Bowl (Gluten-Free, Vegan)

Roasted Green Chile, Potato, & Quinoa Soup (Gluten-Free, Vegan)

Quinoa & Steel Cut Oat Granola Bars (Gluten-Free, Vegan Option)

Sweet & Spicy Green Power Tofu Quinoa Bowl (Gluten-Free, Vegan)

Spicy Southwestern Corn, Potato, Quinoa, And Red Lentil Chowder (Gluten-Free, Vegan)

Spicy Chickpea Quinoa Crackers (Gluten-Free, Vegan)

I hope you enjoyed this Instant Pot Red Quinoa how-to post! xo.

If you try this recipe please let me know! Leave a comment, rate it, share this post, use Pinterest’s “tried it” feature, or take a photo, & tag me on Instagram and I’ll share it! Thank you so much! <3

It is a complete protein (it contains all nine essential amino acids).

Red quinoa is rich in zinc, iron, magnesium, calcium, copper and B vitamins.

It has anti-inflammatory properties.

It promotes healthy gut bacteria."
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