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

Quinoa to water ratio
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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 to water ratio

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:

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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Quinoa to Water Ratio

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

  • Author: Sonja Overhiser
  • Prep Time: 5 minutes
  • Cook Time: 15 minutes
  • Total Time: 20 minutes
  • Yield: 4 1x
  • Category: Side
  • Method: Stovetop
  • Cuisine: Vegan
  • Diet: Vegan

Ingredients

Scale
  • 1 cup quinoa (white, red, or mixed)
  • 1 ¾ cups water
  • Kosher salt

Instructions

  1. Rinse the quinoa in cold water using a fine mesh strainer, then drain it and shake out the remaining water. Place it in a saucepan with the water and the kosher salt. Bring to a boil, then reduce the heat to low where the water is just bubbling.
  2. Cover the pot and simmer where the water is just bubbling for about 15 to 18 minutes*, until the water has been completely absorbed. Check by pulling back the quinoa with a fork to see if water remains.
  3. Turn off the heat and let sit with the lid on to steam for 5 minutes, then fluff the quinoa with a fork. Taste and add additional salt or other seasonings (see How to Season Quinoa).

Notes

*If you increase the recipe to 1.5x or 2x the quantities, the cook time will be on the longer side.

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About the authors

Alex & Sonja

Hi! We’re Alex & Sonja Overhiser, authors of the acclaimed cookbooks A Couple Cooks and Pretty Simple Cooking—and a real life couple who cooks together. We founded the A Couple Cooks website in 2010 to share seasonal recipes and the joy of home cooking. Now, we’ve got over 3,000 well-tested recipes, including Mediterranean diet, vegan, vegetarian, pescatarian, smoothies, cocktails, and more!

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