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.

Quinoa in Cooked in rice cooker in a bowl garnished with parsley

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.

Ingredients laid out to make the recipe with an Aroma rice cooker on the side

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.
Person preparing rice cooker by oiling the insert and adding the ingredients in
  1. 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.
  2. 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.
  3. Set it and forget it: Use the white rice setting and let the rice cooker do its magic.
Person fluffing quinoa after it was freshly cooked
  1. 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.

Person showing what setting to cook quinoa in an Aroma cooker

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.

Short on time? Try my Microwave Quinoa. While I love using my rice cooker for cooking quinoa when I need cooked quinoa fast I use my microwave. It takes only 10 minutes from start to finish and it is just as good.

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.

Cooked Quinoa in a bowl garnished with parsley

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:

Quinoa Dinner Recipes:

If you try this Rice Cooker Quinoa recipe or any other recipe quinoa recipes on Foolproof Living, please take a minute to rate the recipe and leave a comment below. It helps others who are thinking of making the recipe. And if you took some pictures, be sure to share them on Instagram using #foolproofeats so I can share them on my stories.

How To Cook Quinoa In A Rice Cooker (Recipe)

4.41 from 5 votes
Yields3 cups
Prep Time5 minutes
Cook Time30 minutes
Total Time35 minutes
The one and only recipe you need to cook quinoa in a rice cooker perfectly every time. Follow my steps to make the most flavorful and delicious quinoa with my hands off rice cooker method.

Ingredients 

  • 1 cup Quinoa, White, red, black and tricolor quinoa would all work
  • 2 cups water or broth, chicken stock, vegetable stock would both work
  • 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
  • 1 tablespoon vegetable oil, olive, coconut and avocado oil would all work

Instructions 

  • Place quinoa in a medium-mesh strainer and wash under cold running water until it runs clear.
  • Grease the rice cooker insert with a tablespoon of vegetable oil to prevent sticking. I use a sheet of paper towel to distribute the oil evenly throughout the insert.
  • Place rinsed quinoa, liquid of your choice, and salt. Give it a stir.
  • Put the lid on and press the white rice setting on your rice cooker. If your rice cooker does not have that function, just press "cook".
  • It should take somewhere between 25-35 minutes for it to cook completely.
  • Once it is done, fluff it with a fork and serve.

Video

Notes

FAQs Answered:
  • Can I Cook More Than A Cup of Quinoa? You sure can. However, be sure to check the capacity of your pressure cooker. One cup uncooked quinoa yields about 3 cups of cooked quinoa.
  • Best Way To Store: Store cooked quinoa in an airtight container after it comes to room temperature. Keep it in the fridge until ready to serve.
  • Can I use other seasonings to flavor my quinoa? You sure can. Start with small amounts of (1/4 to 1/2 teaspoon or so) of ground cumin, ground coriander, and even ground turmeric and adjust to your liking.

Nutrition

Calories: 249kcal | Carbohydrates: 36g | Protein: 8g | Fat: 8g | Saturated Fat: 4g | Sodium: 390mg | Potassium: 319mg | Fiber: 4g | Calcium: 27mg | Iron: 3mg

Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.

Additional Info

Course: Side Dish
Cuisine: American
Tried this recipe?Mention @foolproofliving or tag #foolproofeats!

About Aysegul Sanford

Hello Friend! I'm Aysegul but you can call me โ€œIce." Iโ€™m the cook/recipe-tester/photographer behind this site.

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4.41 from 5 votes (2 ratings without comment)

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11 Comments

    1. You sure can. As a matter of fact, I have a whole post on how to freeze quinoa properly. Feel free to search for it on my website for everything you need to know about it.
      Hope this helps.

  1. 5 stars
    This is my go-to rice cooker quinoa recipe. I really like that it is a hands off approach to cooking quinoa. Thanks for the recipe.

    1. Hi Stephanie,
      Will you please provide more information as to what didn’t work? Did it not fully cook? The rice cooker shouldn’t matter. It is a pretty straightforward process. So, it would be helpful if you could share more about what happened and why it didn’t work.
      Thanks for your time in advance.

    2. Try adding more water the next time. I have had this problem with certain types of rice and more water increases cooking time.

  2. Great article. When you say one cup quinoa and two cups water are you using the included cup and the liquid line marks in the cooker or actual measuring cups.

    1. Hi Tara,
      I use actual measuring cups. I prefer those as they are universal. Those line marks are helpful but I am worried that they might differ from one rice cooker to another.
      I hope this helps. Please let me know if I can help in any other way.
      Cheers!