Can you make quinoa in a rice cooker? Absolutely! Learn how to cook quinoa in a rice cooker to make delicious and fluffy quinoa with ease...
Quinoa In Rice Cooker
I just LOVE a good kitchen hack, don't you? Which is why I'm so excited to share this easy method for cooking quinoa in a rice cooker with you today. It's a total game changer!
I recently had the good fortune of winning a Zojirushi Umami rice cooker via the lovely bell'alimento. That email totally made my day, but I found myself wondering if it would be one of those gadgets that I used once or twice and then put on a high shelf to collect dust... We all have a few of those, right?
Much to my surprise, I've found that I've been using it near daily since it arrived on my doorstep! It's actually a very versatile kitchen appliance.
Cooking Quinoa In A Rice Cooker
What I didn't realize beforehand is that rice cookers are useful far beyond just preparing a simple batch of rice. I've had loads of fun experimenting with this wonderful gadget, and I'm excited to share some of my findings with you, starting with how to cook quinoa in a rice cooker.
First of all, if you haven't tried quinoa yet, you really ought to ASAP. Yeah, I was skeptical too, but my family has quickly grown to love the nutty taste and firm texture. Some people don't care for it plain — I happen to LOVE it when it's prepared with chicken stock.
But either way, it's a fantastic base for a number of quick and easy side dishes, like this simple quinoa and cherry tomato salad I'm sharing on GoodLife Eats today.
While preparing quinoa in a rice cooker isn't necessarily a faster method of cooking quinoa, much like my tried and true Instant Pot hard boiled eggs, it's a more hands-off cooking method, allowing me to focus my attention elsewhere without worrying about pans boiling over.
My favorite brand of quinoa is Bob's Red Mill Organic Quinoa. Their quinoa is pre-rinsed, saving me a step before cooking.
If you purchase a different brand, be sure to check the package carefully to see whether it needs to be rinsed or not. If it does, simply place the amount of quinoa you're planning to cook in a fine mesh strainer and rinse it thoroughly with cold water.
How To Cook Quinoa In A Rice Cooker
The cooking settings will vary based on your particular rice cooker, but the quick cook setting is a pretty safe bet. While I'd consider the Zojirushi Umami rice cooker to be "the Cadillac" of rice cookers, with a lot of fun settings to play with, quick cook is my go-to setting. My quinoa is ready within about 30 minutes, including a few minutes of resting time that the cooker automatically builds in at the end.
For a standard rice cooker, a single cycle should be all that's needed to produce delicious, perfectly cooked quinoa. Once the cooking cycle has completed, allow the quinoa to rest for about 4-5 minutes before fluffing with a fork.
Printable Recipe ↓
How to Cook Quinoa in a Rice Cooker
Ingredients
- 1 cup quinoa - rinsed if necessary
- 2 cup water - or chicken stock
- ¼ teaspoon salt
Instructions
- Check the quinoa package to see if your quinoa needs rinsed. If it does, pour 1 cup of quinoa into a fine mesh strainer and rinse thoroughly with cold water.
- Place quinoa, your liquid of choice, and salt into the rice cooker.
- I use the quick cook setting on my Zojirushi Umami rice cooker, and then press the start button to start the cooking process.
- The rice cooker will beep after about 30 minutes, and your quinoa will be ready to serve.
- For a standard rice cooker without all of the bells and whistles, one cooking cycle should be enough to do it. Note that you should let the quinoa set for about 4-5 minutes after it's done cooking and then fluff it.
Have fun experimenting with mix-ins both during and after the cooking process! I'll often add some lemon zest or a little curry powder to the liquid and quinoa when I cook it. Then I stir in some chopped fresh veggies from our weekly CSA delivery after cooking while the quinoa is still warm.
When I'm lucky enough to have quinoa leftovers, I like to add it to my salad at lunch the following day. I'm really not much of a fan of leftovers, but I love leftover quinoa!
Want a little change of pace? Try this delicious (yet totally simple) 3-ingredient Coconut Lime Quinoa recipe! It also uses the quinoa in rice cooker method (or make it in your Instant Pot!), making it another of my go-to weeknight side dishes.
Have you tried quinoa? And if so, what's your favorite way to serve it?
Note: If you're looking for a more budget-friendly rice cooker, I've heard that this Aroma Housewares Rice Cooker is an excellent basic model.
Nicki says
I tried this today and my God it total worked. I have a National fuzzy logic rice cooker that I lost the instruction book too long time ago. I took 2 cups of quinoa and 3 cups water hit the sushi button for 43 mins closed the lid and away it went. It was fluffy and fantastic! THANK YOU!!!
Tara Kuczykowski says
I'm SO happy to hear this, Nicki — very pleased to help!!
Judy says
I just bought my fancy ZOJIRUSHI Umami, rice cooker & warmer. I was glad to find your website that used my ZOJIRUSHI. I love Quinoa, and many others.
I had a plain rice cooker but now wanting to upgrade. I have not made the coconut quinoa yet. I have your website in bookmarks. I looked at your other recipes but I didn’t know if they were the ZOJIRUSHI.? Could you let me know if you have more recipes. I love your website and all info. Your list of recipes look yummy and hoping you have more recipes for me to try
Thank you
Judy i
Tara Kuczykowski says
Hi Judy — in addition to the regular quinoa in this recipe and the Coconut Quinoa you mentioned, you can also make this yummy Coconut Milk Rice in your Zojirushi! My 18-year-old nephew swore he hated rice until he tried it, and now my sister-in-law has to make a batch pretty much every other day. Enjoy!!
Yvette says
Sounds great. I've never had quinoa and am so pleased to hear that I can cook it in the rice cooker. Much better than keeping an eye on another pot! I don't have the super-duper rice cooker you do but I'm sure it will work in mine as well. I'm not sure what my husband will think of it. We have our dogs on a diet that includes healthy human food so they may get a taste as well. Thanks again for the article.
Tara Kuczykowski says
Thanks for your comment, Yvette! Yes, you definitely do not need a fancy rice cooker to get the job done. I'm sure yours will work just fine. Just keep in mind that quinoa on its own has very little flavor, so season it well with salt, pepper, zest, whatever strikes your fancy!
Dallas Jensen says
I can't rate this because I haven't made it. I have an inexpensive rice cooker with only on and off. It works great for rice and I don't want to buy another. Can I just use the normal method for this cooker? I simply add measured rice, add water and turn it on. The water measurements are on the device for the water and it comes with a cup to measure the rice.
Thanks!
Tara Kuczykowski says
Hi Dallas! Yes, this will definitely work in your rice cooker. Just make sure you stick to the 1:2 ratio of quinoa to liquid, as in the recipe. Quinoa requires more liquid than rice.
Candi Elm says
I just got rid of my rice cooker. Your quinoa looks delicious, I love the cilantro and lime on top.
Candi Elm says
I just got rid of my rice cooker. Your quinoa looks delicious, I love the cilantro and lime on top.
Joanie says
I was so happy to stumble upon your article! We eat mostly quinoa instead of rice and pasta and I had no idea I could cook it in my rice cooker - it never even crossed my mind to try. Thank you!
Joanie says
I was so happy to stumble upon your article! We eat mostly quinoa instead of rice and pasta and I had no idea I could cook it in my rice cooker - it never even crossed my mind to try. Thank you!
Brandi says
I didnt know you can cook quinoa in the rice cooker! It turned out absolutely fantastic!
Alyssa says
Lots of great tips - thank you. I like to add extra quinoa to my salads, too.
Brandi says
I didnt know you can cook quinoa in the rice cooker! It turned out absolutely fantastic!
Alyssa says
Lots of great tips - thank you. I like to add extra quinoa to my salads, too.
TK says
hi,
it's my 1st time cooking Qunioa. Can I find out how to cook 1/2 cup or less for one person in rice cooker?
1 cup of Qunioa is to much to cook at one time
Please advice. Thanks.
Tara says
Thanks for your question, TK! I haven't tried it, but it would seem that you could just halve everything: 1/2 cup quinoa, 1 cup liquid, 1/8 teaspoon salt. But what I would actually recommend is just preparing the recipe as written and freezing the excess. Let the cooked quinoa cool down and transfer it into a resealable plastic bag. Press out any excess air and freeze it flat. It thaws quickly whenever you need to use it!
Jolene Fails says
Thank you SO much! Worked like a charm. Now, if I could only get brown rice to cook right in my Zojirushi. Any tips? Mine is always mushy.
Tara @ Unsophisticook says
You know, I don't think I've actually tried a plain brown rice in my cooker, Jolene. I often make Lundberg Wild Blend Rice in it, using chicken stock and olive oil, and it turns out perfectly. Another of our favorite rice cooker recipes is this coconut milk rice: https://unsophisticook.com/coconut-milk-rice/
Jim says
zojirushi has a brown rice setting. Read the manual that comes with the cooker or go online and check the zojirushiweb site for manual and cooking tips.
Jessica says
Nice article Tara! Very informative. I have never cooked quino before but plan to try it now :-) I couldn't afford the zojirushi umami rice cooker but knew I wanted a Zojirushi because word is that it's the cadillac of rice cookers. Only problem was there are lots of models and its difficult to figure out which model was the right one for me based on my price range, but I found a webpage that lays it out in an easy to understand way. Here is is: https://www.allaboutsushiguide.com/zojirushi-rice-cooker.html Maybe it will help somebody else pick the right zojirushi model for them.
sjh says
Thank you so much for the tip! It turned out perfectly.
Ruth James says
I love my rice cooker and use it often....mine has an insert tray so I can steam a few veggies with it..........like brocolli for the rice ;)
Alex says
Ok, I'm a newbie on both quinoa and rice cookers, but I have to say that I love how easy it is to use... My question is if the cups measurements you mention are the rice cooker's or regular?
Sorry if this is a dumb question but I have to ask.
Thanks!
Tara @ Unsophisticook says
It's not a dumb question at all, Alex! I used regular cups because I wasn't sure if all the cups that come with a rice cooker are sized the same.
Elbe says
Thank you all very much! I love quinoa, but just never had the chance to cook it. I am going to cook it for lunch. Again, thank you all!
Elle says
Thank you for the easy recipe! We make it every three days. You rock!
David Schultz says
One of the secrets of cooking with quinoa is you don't add salt until after you cook it. Salt will keep the quinoa from fluffing to its full potential. So you only add salt after the quinoa is cooked.
Tara @ Unsophisticook says
Thanks, David — I wasn't aware of that!
Christine says
I've been addicted to quinoa for the last month. I cook it in Swansons Mexican Tortilla Broth. I serve it with black beans and/or chopped walnuts.
I just bought a rice cooker today.
Ute says
Do you cover the quinoa with water like rice or do you only add the water in the lower part of the steamer?
Tara @ Unsophisticook says
My rice cooker doesn't have an upper and lower part — I just put the rinsed quinoa, liquid, and salt all in the bowl and then set it and forget it. It sounds like you would just cover the quinoa with the water like with rice for your steamer, Ute.
Britni says
Thanks. This was so helpful! I made it and reviewed your post on my blog. https://www.playpartyplan.com/
Tara @ Unsophisticook says
Thanks for sharing, Britni! I love how versatile quinoa is — definitely going to try your pilaf, yum!
Angie says
I've got to try this too! We love quinoa!
Lauren @ Rustic Honey says
This is a great idea! I love quinoa! I like to buy a plain, whole-wheat version and season it with garlic salt, basil and some parsley. It is delicious along with grilled meats and veggies! Thanks for sharing!
Karen says
My Chinese sister in law gave me a great rice cooker.. but I hardly ever use it. I have a Pampered Chef rice cooker that works in the microwave, cleans up in a flash, goes in the dishwasher and I can mix and cook yummy lava cakes in it in the microwave in 13 minutes.
Tara @ Unsophisticook says
That sounds like a great alternative, Karen!
marly says
I love my rice cooker but have never tried it with quinoa. Thanks for the easy steps to follow - I can't wait to give it a try!
Brenda @ a farmgirl's dabbles says
I don't have a rice cooker, and often wonder if I'd really like it and use it. It's hard to give up cupboard space! I love the versatility you spoke of, and what a great way to cook up quinoa!
Miss @ Miss in the Kitchen says
I have a rice cooker coming and I can't wait to try it out. This Quinoa will definitely be on the list!
Sommer@ASpicyPerspective says
What a fantastic idea!
Roxana | Roxana's Home Baking says
I love quinoa and now I'm banging my head against the wall. Why haven't I thought to cook it in the rice cooker? Brilliant!
Thanks for the inspiration and thank you for the lovely comment left on my guest post (Meyer Lemon Tart) left on Sommer's blog
Ali | Gimme Some Oven says
Love the idea of making this in a rice cooker - brilliant! I use mine all the time for rice!
Paula - bell'alimento says
I can't tell you how many times a week I use my Zojirushi rice cooker. It's amazing and I'm glad you love yours too! xoxo
Heather | Farmgirl Gourmet says
How creative. I guess I better dust off my rice cooker! Looks delish Tara!
Melinda T says
I love my rice cooker! We're big on rice, (we're Asian) and eat it at every meal, but as we're trying to eat healthier, we're cutting back on rice. I haven't tried quinoa but will definitely try it in my rice cooker! TFS!
Cindy says
I just have a cheapy rice cooker, but I do love it. I always hated to make rice because it always made such a mess to clean up. A rice cooker takes away all the hassel. Now, I can't wait to try the Quinoa. I believe I have some up in my cabinet and I am going to give it a try right now and have your salad for supper! Thank you Tara!!!!