This quick and easy method for cooking quinoa in the microwave comes together with just quinoa and water. Make sure to use a deep, microwave-safe bowl so that it doesn’t overflow!
Microwave Quinoa = EASIEST Method Ever
If you’re wondering what the fastest way to cook quinoa is you’ve come to the right post! Microwaving quinoa is extremely fast and reliable.
We love serving quinoa in bowls, soups, salads, and beyond! We love that it’s plant-based and protein-packed.
In short – add uncooked quinoa and water to a large, deep, bowl and cover it with a microwave-safe top or plate. This part is extremely important as it will help steam/cook the quinoa.
Ways to Use Your Cooked Quinoa
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What You Need for Microwave Quinoa:
- Uncooked quinoa – we recommend white quinoa as we’ve noticed (and so have some commentors!) that red or tri-color takes longer to cook.
- Water or broth – Honestly, any liquid!
- Deep, microwave-safe bowl – I like using Pyrex nesting bowls.
- Microwave-safe top/dish – this will sit on top of the bowl to steam the quinoa. We used an upside-down plate!
Top Tips
- Rinse quinoa: we like to rinse the quinoa to get any residue and dirty flavors off if it.
- Quinoa to water ratio: like most quinoa recipes, the ratio of quinoa to water is 1:2.
- Use a large bowl with deep sides: make sure to use a large bowl with deep sides to prevent any overflow. Speaking from experience.
- Make sure your plate is big enough: The key to this recipe is to steam the quinoa in the microwave. This is where your plate comes in. Make sure the plate circumference is larger than the bowl circumference.
- Let sit: don’t forget to let your quinoa sit and steam on the counter after your cook it in the microwave. This will allow the quinoa to fully cook.
Reader tip: one commenter recommended setting your microwave to 70% power to prevent it from spilling over.
Storage
Cooked quinoa will last in the fridge for around 5 days, making it great for meal prep. Make sure to keep it in a glass, airtight container for the best results.
To reheat: you can reheat cooked quinoa in the microwave for around 30-45 seconds.
Can you freeze cooked quinoa?
Yes! Freezing cooked quinoa is easy. Let the quinoa cool completely. This part is important for preventing freezer burn. Then, transfer it into a freezer-safe gallon-size bag or glass container. Remove as much air as possible and seal. Freeze for up to 3 months.
How to Cook Quinoa in the Microwave
Ingredients
- 1 cup uncooked white quinoa rinsed
- 2 cups water or broth for a more savory option
Instructions
- Begin by rinsing your quinoa under warm water to remove residue.
- Then, transfer the quinoa into a large microwave-safe bowl or container that has deep sides. We recommend a glass pyrex mixing bowl. Add in 2 cups of water.
- Cover your bowl with a microwave safe plate. This is going to "steam" the quinoa.
- Cook on high for 6 minutes.
- Remove the bowl from the microwave and stir. At this point, more than half the water should be absorbed. Place the bowl back into the microwave, covered, for about 2 more minutes on high.
- At this point most of the water should be absorbed. If it's not, cook for an addiitoal 1 minute. Finally, let the bowl sit covered for an additional 5-10 minutes, or until all of the water is absorbed.
Tips & Notes
- Quantity: you can make as much or as little quinoa as you want. It really depends on the size of the bowl you have. The bigger the bowl, the more quinoa you can make. Just make sure you use a 1:2 ratio of quinoa to water.
- This recipe was slightly updated on July 9, 2023. We recommend white quinoa over red/tri as it cooks more evenly. We also added a note about a large, deep bowl to make sure your quinoa does not overflow.
This came out absolutely perfect! thank you for the recipe. I used a corningware dish with a lid. after first 6 minutes, I put it back in for 2 more minutes. After that, let it sit outside until all water is absorbed. I made it several times, and each time it comes out perfectly fluffy and cooked through. I have never had such luck on on the stovetop. The only addition is 1 Tbsp of vegetable broth base for flavor/salt.
A little tip for those wondering about making this without spillage, adjust your microwave’s power setting. I make this all the time with my nuke set at 70% power and it works great every time.
Thanks so much for the tip!
I used a Corelle bowl that was 6 inches wide and 2 1/2 inches deep. Unfortunately, 2 cups of water and 1 cup of quinoa ran over onto the (Corelle!) plate that I placed the bowl on as well as out from under the (Corelle!) plate that I placed over the bowl. So it didn’t go all over my microwave but I did have to scrape all the water and the quinoa back into the bowl. FYI: I also used the dark quinoa (not the red as pictured and certainly not white), and it took 12 minutes for all the water to be absorbed. But it was perfectly edible and now I know for the next time I cook quinoa in the microcooker.
Carolyn
Mine did not sprout. I even cooked it a few minutes longer and let it sit for five minutes. Nothing. Tasted a little on the chewy side, too. 🙁
That is so weird! We suggest using white quinoa for best results and making sure it’s fresh, is important too!
It came out good add some turmeric and seasoning. I did add about 3 more minutes in microwave to get rid of some water that was left still. No boiled over. I used a 2 Quarter pyrex bowl with lid.
The measurements are not good, results in soupy quinoa. I’ll try with less water next time…
The concept of this is good but the ingredient measurements are off. Try using 1/2 cup Quinoa and 3/4 cup of Water. Cook 6 minutes, stir, then cook an additional 2-3 minutes at 80%. Let sit for a few minutes then fluff with a fork.
Boiled over in microwave
Hey Gillian! Wondering what size bowl you used! It’s important you use a large bowl for this so this does not happen!
It came out good add some turmeric and seasoning. I did add about 4 more minutes in microwave. No boiled over.
Hi Scott,
I use a Tupperware pizza/giant cookie dish. I put the bowl of pasta, quinoa, anything with bowl over potential inside this large flat circular Tupper Ware. It catches any overflow. No problems anymore.
After 8 mins, 2cups of water is still there!😡 i added 6mins more and it was good.😒 i should have read d reviews before cooking. I woukd have save myself frm disappointment.🤦🏻♀️
I just made 1 gigantic cup of quinoa mess with your instructions. I’m going to suggest you add 10 minutes to the prep time to clean up the destroyed microwave from the boil over? It mostly cooked the quinoa though…
Oh, yes, I’ve burned quinoa when cooking it on the stove top. I learned to turn the heat off while you can still see water within – not above – the level of quinoa, leave a cover on the pan and let it sit while you fix the rest of your meal. It will finish beautifully. As for the microwave, I had a mess and quickly determined my microwave must be much more powerful than the one you used. I will try again after having reduced the power.
Epic fail, just boiled over and made a mess in the microwave
I love this! Quick question – how many watts does your microwave have? I’m just concerned I may need to adjust the timing since my microwave has 1200 watts.
How do you adjust the ratio to make ¼ cup quinoa? I struggle with this on the stove too- it always ends up undercooked and I don’t understand why! I tried the microwave method with ¼ cup and got the same undercooked results. Do I need to add more water? less water? It would be really nice to be able to make one serving and cook it well for once haha
Hiyah! The ratio for quinoa is 1 to 2. So just double the amount of water you use for quinoa!
I tried this as well. Same result. 1/4 Cup quinoa, 1/2 cup water. 2 minutes, stir, 2 more, add 1/4 water because water gone but no sprouting, 2 more minutes, 1/4 Cup more water because water gone and no sprouting, 2 minutes, stir, 2 more, water gone and no sprouting, 1/2 cup water and 3 minutes, stir, 3 more, stir, eat oatmeal and dump quinoa in the trash.
Hi I was just wondering if you could do the same method for cous cous thanks !
This recipe did not work at all, I halved the recipe and put it in the same size container as you and it still boiled over a ton!
I am totally afraid of microwave boil overs.? I learned to reduce the power by about 1/3. No more problems, make sure the food begins in the very bottom of a high sided dish.
I also pre heat the water for a few minutes…
o0o GENIUS!! Thanks for the tips.
I recently moved to an apartment with an electric oven and had literally stopped trying to make quinoa because it ALWAYS boiled over because the temperature is so inconsistent.
I tried this microwave trick with low expectations and am blown away! I used a 1.5qt Pyrex bowl + lid and it worked perfectly and the quinoa is fluffier than I’ve ever gotten it on any stove (electric or gas). Thanks for this!!
YEAH!!!! That makes me so happy! Yes, electric stoves can be super tricky. I am so glad my microwave trick worked!
Just wanted to let you know your primary image to “pin” says “mircrowave” – great tip though, thanks!
Ahhhhh, thanks for letting me know Jada! FIXED!
Amazing tip! I have all this quinoa that I was too lazy to cook and now I just pop it in the microwave! Thanx!
<3