Quinoa Rice

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Quinoa Rice adds protein and fibre to family meals such as curries, stir-fries and rice bowls. Easy to make it's a tasty twist on plain rice.

A bowl of cooked rice and quinoa garnished with coriander being held above a skillet of curry.

Why This Recipe Works

  • Boosts your rice by adding a source of protein, folate, fibre, iron and magnesium
  • As easy to make as plain rice
  • Serve with curries and stir fries or wherever you would serve plain rice as a side dish.


Ingredients you will need

  • quinoa
  • water
  • basmati rice
  • salt
Bowls of quinoa, water, rice and salt each labeled with a text overlay laid out on a bench top.

Ingredient Notes and Substitutes

  • Quinoa: When I'm making quinoa rice I use white quinoa as it has a milder flavour and fluffier texture than red or black quinoa. But you can use which ever quinoa you have in the pantry.
  • Rice: The cook times I provide are based on using a white long grain rice. I personally use Basmati Rice when I make this recipe. I have not tested this recipe with brown rice, I can only assume the cook time will be much longer.


Step-by-step instructions

Below are illustrated step-by-step instructions to make my quinoa rice recipe, if you prefer just the written instructions then head straight to the printable recipe card below.

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Step one (optional*): Heat a large heavy based saucepan over medium heat. Add the quinoa to the dry hot sauce pan and toast until it becomes golden brown. 

*If you choose not to toast the quinoa then add it at the same time as the rice and water in the step below.

A two photo collage showing the colour difference between un-toasted and toasted quinoa, the toasted quinoa is more golden brown.

Step two: Add the water, rice and salt. Increase the temperature until the water is rapidly boiling. Cover the pot with a lid and immediately reduce the temperature to the lowest setting and simmer for 15 minutes.

Step three: Turn the heat off and leave for a few minutes. Remove the lid, and fluff the quinoa rice with a fork. 

Cooked quinoa and rice in a saucepan sitting on a grey marble bench.

Enjoy!

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Top Tips & FAQs

Here is how you can make this quinoa rice perfectly every time!

Toast Your Quinoa: If you can spare a few minutes I really suggest toasting the quinoa. It gives the quinoa rice a lovely nutty flavor. You can toast the quinoa right in the saucepan you were planning on using anyway, so it'd no more dishes just a couple of extra minutes.

Change the ratio: If you or your kids are new to quinoa and you aren't sure how the change in rice will go, reduce the ratio of quinoa. You can start with as little as ยผ cup quinoa to 1 ยพ cups rice. You just need the total volume of the rice and quinoa to be 2 cups!

Make a smaller batch: I have a family of 6 so cook quite big batches. You just need to ensure you multiply the volume of rice and quinoa you have by 1.5 to get the volume of water.

Extra flavor:

  • One of my favourite tips for adding a little extra flavor is to substitute plain water for broth or stock when you are cooking rice or quinoa.
  • Once cooked add a generous nob of butter and a teaspoonful of garlic powder, mix this through the quinoa rice!
  • Stir a couple of spoonful of soy sauce/tamari and sesame oil through the cooked rice
A large spoon of cooked quinoa and rice being scooped out of a saucepan.

A bowl of quinoa rice, a skillet of curry, a bowl of poppadoms and a single serving of curry and toppings on a bench top.
A bowl of cooked rice and quinoa garnished with coriander being held above a skillet of curry.

Quinoa Rice

Quinoa Rice cooks in the same way as plain rice, but adds extra fibre and protein to a family meal.
Print Pin Rate
Course: Side Dish
Cuisine: New Zealalnd
Keyword: Quinoa Rice, Rice and Quinoa
Servings: 6 servings
Calories: 217kcal
Author: Stacey

RATE THIS RECIPE

5 from 1 vote

Save This Recipe!

I'll email this post to you, so you can easily come back to it later!

Ingredients

  • 1 cup quinoa
  • 3 cups water
  • 1 cup basmati rice any long grain rice
  • 1 teaspoon salt

Instructions

  • Heat a large heavy based sauce pan over medium heat. Add the quinoa to the dry hot sauce pan and toast until it becomes golden brown.
  • Add the water, rice and salt. Increase the temperature until the water is rapidly boiling. Cover the saucepan with a lid and immediately reduce the temperature to the lowest setting and cook for 15 minutes.
  • Turn the heat off and leave for a few minutes. Remove the lid, and fluff the quinoa rice with a fork.ย 
  • Enjoy!

Video

Notes

  • Toast Your Quinoa: If you can spare a few minutes I really suggest toasting the quinoa. It gives the quinoa rice a lovely nutty flavor. You can toast the quinoa right in the saucepan you were planning on using anyway, so it'd no more dishes just a couple of extra minutes.ย 
  • Change the ratio: If you or your kids are new to quinoa and you aren't sure how the change in rice will go, reduce the ratio of quinoa. You can start with as little as ยผ cup quinoa to 1 ยพ cups rice. You just need the total volume of the rice and quinoa to be 2 cups!
  • Make a smaller batch: I have a family of 6 so cook quite big batches. You just need to ensure you multiply the volume of rice and quinoa you have by 1.5 to get the volume of water.
  • Extra flavor:
  • One of my favourite tips for adding a little extra flavor is to substitute plain water for broth or stock when you are cooking rice or quinoa.
  • Once cooked add a generous nob of butter and a teaspoonful of garlic powder, mix this through the quinoa rice!
  • Stir a couple of spoonful of soy sauce/tamari and sesame oil through the cooked riceย 
  • Quinoa: When I'm making quinoa rice I use white quinoa as it has a milder flavour and fluffier texture than red or black quinoa. But you can use which ever quinoa you have in the pantry.ย 
  • Rice: The cook times I provide are based on using a white long grain rice. I personally use Basmati Rice when I make this recipe. I have not tested this recipe with brown rice, I can only assume the cook time will be much longer.ย 

Nutrition

Serving: 1serve | Calories: 217kcal | Carbohydrates: 43g | Protein: 6g | Fat: 2g | Saturated Fat: 0.3g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 1g | Sodium: 396mg | Potassium: 195mg | Fiber: 2g | Sugar: 0.04g | Vitamin A: 4IU | Calcium: 26mg | Iron: 2mg
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One Comment

  1. 5 stars
    I'm happy to receive this recipe as I have bags of quinoa to use up. My husband would eat this rather than just quinoa on its own. Thanks so much for the inspiration.