How To Cook Quinoa in Rice Cooker

I was recently gifted an Aroma rice cooker (affiliate link) by a sweet friend as a housewarming gift. Having grown up in Turkey, a rice cooker was not a gadget that my mother ever used so I had zero experience with it. 

However, after trying my first recipe I was immediately hooked. I know, I am very late to the party but now it is my current favorite toy in the kitchen. And in today’s recipe, I am showing you how to cook quinoa in a rice cooker.

Don’t get me wrong, I still cook quinoa in my pressure cooker or use my foolproof stovetop quinoa recipe regularly but when I am using my Instant pot for cooking something else or don’t want to babysit it on my stovetop, my rice cooker is a great alternative.

I Love Cooking Quinoa in Rice Cooker Because

1. You can set it and forget it. Once you set it, it is totally hands off.
2. It makes the fluffiest,  most flavorful, and perfectly cooked quinoa every time.
3. It is great when you want to make a large batch as a part of your meal prep to use throughout the week in various quinoa dinner recipes. Or better yet, you can freeze quinoa easily and have it on hand when you need to put dinner on the table quick on a weeknight.

Quinoa to Water Ratio

I find that the best quinoa to water ratio for cooking quinoa in a rice cooker is 1 to 2. 

In other words, you will need 1 cup of uncooked quinoa and 2 cups of water or other cooking liquid for a perfectly cooked rice cooker quinoa.

What Kind Of Quinoa and Liquid Should I Use?

• Quinoa: Any type of quinoa would work in this recipe. As you can see in the photos, I used a tricolor quinoa (also known as rainbow quinoa), but red, black, or regular (or organic) white quinoa would also work.
• Liquid: I find that the best way to flavor quinoa is to cook it in stock. You could use vegetable, beef or chicken stock. You could also use a combination of stock and water. Like, 1 cup of chicken broth and 1 cup of water as liquid.
• Seasoning for quinoa when cooking in rice cooker: As you can see in the recipe below, I used ½ teaspoons of salt as seasoning. However, you can add in any of your favorite spices to make it even more flavorful. During my testings, I’ve tried ground cumin, ground coriander, and even turmeric to flavor my rice cooker quinoa.

How To Make Quinoa in rice cooker?

There are only a few steps. Simply:

1. Wash Quinoa: I am a big proponent of rinsing quinoa so much so that I wrote a whole blog post on how to rinse quinoa properly. In my opinion, it is the easiest way to get rid of the saponin, the natural outer layer that makes it taste bitter.

2. Grease the rice cooker insert before adding the quinoa: Generously grease the rice cooker insert with a tablespoon of oil (olive oil, coconut oil, or butter would all work). This step is crucial to prevent quinoa from sticking to the bottom of the insert. I use a sheet of paper towel to distribute the oil evenly throughout the insert.
3. Place everything in the rice cooker: Add in the quinoa, liquid of your choice (water, stock or both), and ½ teaspoon of kosher salt into the rice cooker. Secure it with the lid.
4. Set it and forget it: Use the white rice setting and let the rice cooker do its magic.

5. Fluff it with a fork: Open the lid and fluff the quinoa with a fork. Serve.

What Setting Do I Cook Quinoa In A Rice Cooker?

While this might differ from one rice cooker brand to another, the quinoa rice cooker setting I use in my Aroma (8 cups) rice cooker (affiliate link) is the “White Rice” setting.

From what understand, in general the white rice setting is the way to go in other rice cookers as well. However, I would highly recommend checking the instructions provided by the manufacturer.

How long does it take to cook quinoa in rice cooker?

It takes about 30 minutes or so for quinoa to cook perfectly in a rice cooker. Once it is fully cooked, the active cooking will stop and your rice cooker will continue to keep it warm until you are ready to serve it.

How much cooked quinoa do I get?

One cup of uncooked quinoa delivers three cups of cooked quinoa when cooked in a rice cooker. 

Can I Cook More Than A Cup of Quinoa?

You sure can. However, be sure to check the capacity of your pressure cooker. I can cook 2 cups of quinoa (which yields 6 cups of cooked quinoa) in my 8-cup Aroma rice cooker (affiliate link). 

If yours is larger, you can cook more. Just keep in mind that quinoa triples when cooked.

Quinoa Recipes To Use Cooked Quinoa

There you have it friends, perfectly cooked rice cooker quinoa recipe that you can make over and over again.

If you didn’t know, adding a serving of quinoa in your weekly diet has a great deal of health benefits. I personally serve it to my family at least 3 times a week in various sweet and savory dishes.

Below are a few of my favorite recipes that will help you use your cooked quinoa:

Meal-Worthy Quinoa Salad Recipes:

• Butternut Squash Quinoa Salad
• Quinoa Salad with Avocado
• Southwestern Quinoa Salad
• Mediterranean Quinoa Salad with Chickpeas
• Want more? Here are over 10 Healthy Quinoa Salads for you to choose from.

Quinoa Dinner Recipes:

• Mexican Quinoa Bowl
• Black Bean Quinoa Tacos
• Quinoa Tabbouleh Recipe
• Roasted Brussel Sprouts and Sweet Potatoes with Quinoa
• Need more lunch & dinner ideas with cooked quinoa? Here are 30+ Quinoa Recipes that happen to be filling, nutritious, and healthy.