Pressure Cooker Quinoa Almond Pilaf Recipe

One of the recipes people often search for on my site is quinoa. Quinoa [KEEN-wah] is a grain grown primarily for it’s seeds, which are high in protein and gluten free. Quinoa’s become popular because it’s a great substitute for pasta and rice.

It’s also quick cooking, especially in the pressure cooker. You only need to pressure cook it for one minute and then let it steam for 5 minutes.

Making Quinoa Almond Pilaf in an Instant Pot

Quinoa has a mild, nutty taste so it’s nice to flavor it while it’s cooking. We love my Saffron Almond Rice Pilaf recipe so I used it as a base for creating a quinoa recipe. Be sure and rinse the quinoa thoroughly before cooking it because it has a coating on the seed that can make it taste bitter.

It makes a great side dish, or you could stir in some diced, cooked chicken and vegetables and make it a meal.

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Quinoa Pilaf Recipe

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Ingredients

• 1 tablespoon butter
• 1/2 cup onion, finely chopped
• 1 celery stalk, finely chopped
• 1 1/2 cups quinoa, well rinsed and drained
• 1 14 oz can chicken broth
• 1/4 cup water
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 cup sliced almonds, toasted
• 2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley

Instructions

Add the butter to the pressure cooking pot. Select Saute and when the butter is melted and sizzling, add the chopped onions and celery. Cook, stirring occasionally until vegetables are tender, about 3 to 5 minutes.

Add quinoa, broth, water and salt to pressure cooking pot. Cover and lock lid in place. Select High Pressure and set timer for 1 minutes. When beep sounds, turn off pressure cooker, wait 5 minutes and then use a Quick Pressure Release to release any remaining pressure.

When valve drops carefully remove lid, tilting away from you to allow steam to disperse. Fluff with a fork. If all the liquid isn't absorbed, let steam another five minutes. Stir in almonds and fresh parsley, and serve immediately.