Quinoa to Water Ratio

Want to cook fluffy, perfect quinoa without a recipe? All you need is this quinoa to water ratio, which works every time.

Wondering how to make quinoa without a recipe? All you need is that quinoa to water ratio, which works every time. Here is is:

Quinoa to water ratio:
1 cup quinoa to 1 ¾ cups water

Most recipes for quinoa suggest a ratio of 1 cup quinoa to 2 cups water. After extensive testing, we’ve found it’s easy to get soggy grains with this method. So we’ve developed a new quinoa to water ratio: 1 cup quinoa to 1 ¾ cups water. This quinoa ratio works every time! Here are a few other things to keep in mind when cooking quinoa:

• Should you rinse quinoa before cooking? There are mixed opinions, but we say Yes, rinse! We find the quinoa cooks more evenly.
• Do you have to boil the water first? No! Place the quinoa and water in a pot together and bring to a boil, then cover and simmer.
• How long do you cook quinoa? 15 to 20 minutes, once the water is all cooked out. (You can check with a fork while it’s cooking.)

Want a recipe? Jump to the full recipe below!

Quinoa serving sizes

How much quinoa to cook? It’s all in the math. Here are a few handy formulas to remember:

• How much does 1 cup of dry quinoa make? Quinoa increases in volume about 3 times when it’s cooked. One cup dry quinoa equals about 3 cups cooked quinoa.
• How much is 1 serving of quinoa? If you’re serving quinoa as a side dish, plan for ¾ to 1 cup per person.
• How much dry quinoa do I need for 2 cups cooked? Since quinoa increases 3 times when cooked, divide the cooked volume by three. 2/3 cup dry quinoa = 2 cups cooked quinoa.

Quinoa recipes

Now that you know the quinoa to water ratio, there are so many ways to use this powerhouse grain! Here are a few ideas:

• Salads like Easy Quinoa Salad, Mexican Quinoa, or Kale Quinoa Salad
• Side dishes like Pesto Quinoa or Seasoned Quinoa
• Soups like Quinoa Vegan Chili
• Tacos like Loaded Quinoa Tacos
• Stuffed vegetables like Quinoa Stuffed Peppers or Quinoa Stuffed Squash
• Main dishes like Mango Quinoa Bowl, Quinoa Enchiladas, Quinoa Fried Rice

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Go-To Quinoa Salad

02

How to Cook Quinoa

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Perfectly Seasoned Quinoa

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Quinoa Stuffed Peppers Recipe

Got a pressure cooker or Instant Pot?

You can make quinoa in an Instant Pot too! That’s got a different quinoa to water ratio; here’s our recipe! Instant Pot Quinoa

Want to see the quinoa to water ratio in action?

See the video below the recipe! We’ll show you how to make quinoa, and then whip up our fan-favorite quinoa tacos recipe.

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