Lately I have been getting a lot of questions about how to cook quinoa in a rice cooker, and although I am sure I have posted this information before, even I am having a hard time finding it easily so I thought I would post it again.
Cooking quinoa in a food steamer is one of my favorite ways to cook it. The biggest reason that I don’t do this more is that we are on the road all the time and my steam cooker generally doesn’t make the cut to take along. When I have access to a steamer, I do very often use it to prepare quinoa. It is very convenient and most any steam cooker that has a rice bowl will do the job.
To cook quinoa in a rice cooker, all you need to do is follow the manufacturer’s instructions for steaming white rice. Since quinoa does expand a bit more than rice (it goes to at least three times the size) make sure that you cook an appropriate amount of quinoa into your steamer so that you don’t overflow it. While every rice cooker is unique, it will generally take somewhere between 15 and 20 minutes to cook quinoa in a rice cooker.
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Many people who ask how to cook quinoa in a rice cooker also want to know if it is possible to cook quinoa in the microwave. I must confess that I am not big on cooking in the microwave, but I have tried it a few times just to see. By in large, the results have been very disappointing. In addition to this, it really required more attention than I cared to give it. There is one exception to this. If you want to purchase a microwave rice cooker, the results will be much better. In fact, this is very similar to cooking in a conventional rice cooker.
One thing to keep in mind – just because you are using a rice cooker you are still cooking quinoa! Don’t forget to rinse your quinoa completely prior to cooking. This is not necessary if you purchased pre-rinsed quinoa but it is very important if you buy your quinoa in bulk. Lately, I have been soaking my quinoa for two hours prior to rinsing. (I buy bulk quinoa – this would be completely unnecessary with most packaged quinoa.) I just find that it makes the rinsing process go quicker and I feel that it helps get more of the saponin off.
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I was going to say the same thing as Nik about time…my instructions for my rice cooker say for a 1/2 cup of white rice to add 3/4 cup water and cook for 35 minutes. Now that I read your response, though, I will try it for 20 and go from there. Thanks
Thanks for posting this. I'm a quinoa newbie and have tried cooking it on the stovetop several times with not so good results. I was ready to throw in the towel when I came across your website. Luckily, I own a rice cooker and use it almost every single day to cook rice, oatmeal, soups, whatever. So, it now has one more use…quinoa cooker. I just finished my first batch of quinoa in the rice cooker and voila! Cooked to delicious perfection! Now, I am so excited to try your other recipes. Thanks again!
Kellie – Thanks so much for your comment. You can make adjustments to every recipe on the site (except for ones with quinoa flour, flakes and ones where you baked the quinoa ) so that the quinoa can be cooked in your rice cooker. Don't be afraid to cook a big batch – it lasts for a week in the fridge. I like to make a big batch on the weekend so that I have it for recipes and to throw on a salad during the week. You might want to sign up for me email list because I have a free cookbook coming out next week that is going to feature my personal favorite quinoa recipes.
My rice cooker instructions say to cook the white rice for 35 minutes. Should I cook the quinoa for this length or reduce the time to 15-20 minutes?
Nik,
It should not take 35 minutes, but with my experience rice cookers take a little tweaking. As an example, mine cooks it in 15 minutes but my mom's takes 25. I would cook it for twenty minutes the first time and then make adjustments from there.
Awesome thanks for the info!!