Quinoa Pulao is a quick and satisfying one-pot meal that can be made in the Instant Pot or on the stovetop. It’s a flavorful blend of quinoa and mixed vegetables, with Indian spices adding warmth and depth. Naturally vegan, gluten-free, and protein-rich, it’s a wholesome twist on traditional pulao.
Quinoa is incredibly simple to cook—it’s prepared much like rice but with slightly less water. I often switch things up from the usual rice pulao by making daliya pulao, couscous pulao, and this quinoa pilaf to bring variety to both flavor and texture. While the cooking method for rice, daliya, and quinoa is quite similar, each has its own distinct taste.
Quinoa, in particular, is a nutritious grain that’s great to use as a rice alternative from time to time. For this recipe, I’ve taken my go-to vegetable pulao and simply swapped the rice with quinoa for a wholesome twist. You can also try my quinoa khichdi and quinoa dosa recipe if you’re looking to explore more easy and delicious indian quinoa recipes.
I absolutely love one-pot meals for busy weeknight dinners—they’re quick, satisfying, and require minimal cleanup. This vegetable quinoa pulao is a complete meal in itself, made effortlessly in the Instant Pot. The only thing I like to serve it with is a simple bowl of raita or plain yogurt to round things out.
Table of Contents
Watch How to Make Quinoa Pulao
Ingredients
Quinoa: Also known as a superfood, quinoa is high in protein and fiber. It is also gluten-free.
Whole Spices: I used bay leaf, cinnamon, cloves, cardamom, black peppercorns, and cumin seeds. It is okay to make this quinoa pulao without whole spices, too, but I love the sweet aroma they add to the final dish.
Aromatics: We will add green chili, onions, ginger, and garlic. I added finely diced yellow onions and used freshly grated ginger and minced garlic.
Oil and/or Ghee: You can use ghee or oil, or a combination of both. I love to use ghee, as it gives a richer taste to the final dish. To keep the rice vegan, use plant-based oil of your choice.
Spices: This pulao is mildly spiced, so feel free to increase the spices to your taste. I have used turmeric powder, red chili powder, garam masala, and salt.
Vegetables: You can use fresh or frozen veggies of your choice. I have used a frozen mix of carrots, green peas, corn, and green beans. Other options include bell peppers, mushrooms, and cauliflower.
Garnish: I like to sprinkle a little lemon or lime juice over the quinoa once it’s cooked. Garnish with chopped cilantro leaves.
How to make Instant Pot Quinoa Pulao?
When preparing quinoa in an Instant Pot, add 1 cup of quinoa and 1.25 cups of water. In this recipe, we are adding a variety of veggies along with the quinoa. That said, the water ratio remains the same. Cooking the quinoa along with the veggies in this one-pot recipe helps to infuse the flavor of the veggies into the quinoa.
Stovetop Method for Quinoa Pulao
The main difference with the stovetop method is that the ratio of quinoa to water is different: 1 cup quinoa to 1.5 cups of water. Other than that, after adding all the ingredients to cook the pulao to the pan, bring to a boil and then cover the pan with a lid until the quinoa is cooked and all the liquid is absorbed.
Enjoy this quick and flavorful quinoa pulao. Serve it with yogurt or raita. I love making yogurt in the Instant Pot.
Recipe Tips
Rinse quinoa well: Quinoa has a natural coating called saponin that can taste bitter or soapy. Rinse the quinoa well under running water using a fine-mesh strainer before using it.
Customize the veggies: Add whatever you have on hand—carrots, green beans, peas, corn, bell peppers, even spinach! You can also use a mix of frozen veggies to make this pulao easier.
Ghee: This pulao tastes even better and richer when made with ghee.
Let it rest before fluffing: After cooking, let the pulao sit for a few minutes before fluffing with a fork. This helps the quinoa absorb any remaining moisture.
Storage: Quinoa pulao can be stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 3 days. If it gets too dry, add a sprinkle of water.
How to Serve Quinoa Pulao?
Quinoa pulao is best served hot, paired with cooling raita and kachumber salad on the side. Serve it with a spoonful of mango pickle or lime pickle, and a crisp roasted or fried papad.
To make it a quinoa Buddha bowl with some greens, beans, and hummus. Or serve it along with a dal or curry.
Give this easy and nutritious Quinoa Pulao a try and let me know in the comments how it turns out.
Fun fact: Below is the original image I had shared for this recipe when I first posted it in 2017 🙂
More Pulao Recipes to Try
Rice & Grains
Beetroot Rice Pulao (Instant Pot & Stovetop)
Rice & Grains
Peas Pulao (Matar Pulao)
Rice & Grains
Chana Pulao (Easy Chickpea Rice)
Rice & Grains
Chicken Pulao
Quinoa Pulao (Instant Pot & Stovetop)
Video
Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon Ghee or Oil
- 1-2 Green Chili Pepper, diced
- 1 cup Onion, diced
- 4 cloves Garlic, minced
- 1 inch Ginger, grated
- 2 cups Mixed vegetables, (green peas, carrots, green beans) I used frozen
- 1 cup Quinoa, rinsed
- 1 1/4 cup Water
- 1/2 Lemon , juiced, optional
- Cilantro, to garnish
Spices
- 1/2 teaspoon Ground Turmeric (Haldi powder)
- 1 teaspoon Kashmiri red chili powder, or paprika, adjust to taste
- 1/2 teaspoon Garam Masala
- 1 teaspoon Salt
Whole Spices
Instructions
Instant Pot Method
- Heat the instant pot in Sauté mode and add oil. Add the whole spice and let them saute for a minute until they release their aroma.
- After the cumin seeds start to splutter, add green chili, onions, ginger, and garlic. Sauté for 3-4 minutes until the onions are lightly golden.
- Add the spices and give a stir. Then add the mixed vegetables
- Add quinoa, water, and mix well. Close the lid with the vent in sealing position.
- Change instant pot setting to pressure cook mode at high pressure for 2 minutes. After the instant pot beeps, let the pressure release naturally.
- After you open the Instant Pot, mix the juice of half a lemon and garnish with chopped cilantro leaves. Serve hot with yogurt or raita.
Stovetop Pressure Cooker Method
- Follow the same steps as the instant pot method. Add 1 1/2 cup of water for this method. Pressure cook for 1 whistle on medium-high flame. Then let the pressure release naturally.
Stovetop Pan Method
- Heat a pan on medium-high heat. Then add oil or ghee. Add the whole spices and let them saute for a minute.
- Add green chili, onions, ginger, and garlic. Sauté for 3-4 minutes until the onions are lightly golden. Add the spices and give a stir.
- Then add the mixed vegetables, quinoa, and water. Stir it all well and let it come to a boil. Now reduce the heat to low and cover with a lid. Let the quinoa cook for about 12-14 minutes until all the liquid is absored.
- Let it rest for 5 minutes, then open the lid and add the lemon juice. Garnish with cilantro leaves. Serve hot with yogurt or raita.
Notes
- You can use any veggies you have at home for this recipe, such as corn, carrots, bell peppers, broccoli, spinach, mushrooms, green peas, asparagus, and more…
- I used frozen veggies for this recipe; however, you can use fresh veggies cut into small pieces, and they will cook well in this suggested cooking time.
- This recipe was created in a 6qt Instant Pot DUO60 Multi-use Pressure Cooker.
We made this easily customizable dish on the stove top. It was fast and easy. We served it with a chopped salad dressed with lemon juice, a kachumber with a few added veggies. Quinoa ivter and full of vegetables that will vary as time goes on. Thank you!!
PJ
Hi – So glad you enjoyed it! 😊
Some quinoa was uncooked for me. Is there a way to fix this? I made three cups and added the water as suggested but about 20% of the quinoa isn’t cooked… any suggestions?
Hi Sabah, I would suggest to sprinkle some water and give the pulao a stir. Then let it sit for 10 minutes on keep warm mode, and the grains might cook completely. I hope you liked the pulao.
Wow! I was searching for a Quinoa pulao (Pilaf) recipe and found this recipe. It came out excellent. I also made Chick Peas Coconut curry with it. It is a mouth-watering, delicious combination. My eating choices are changing as in my golden years. With all the health challenges and restrictions, I am going to enjoy your recipes.
Hi Umesh – So good to hear that. Thank you for sharing it back 🙂
Could you do cauliflower + broccoli as well for this recipe?
Hi Katherine – It would work to add broccoli or cauliflower. They both cook quickly so add larger pieces and just place on top after adding all the other ingredients. If you have a low pressure option on your instant pot, you can also try using that. Hope you enjoy the pilaf!
Tried this recipe today . Cam out really good .!!
Are the vegetables frozen or cooked already before adding them?
Hi Rika – I used frozen veggies when making this recipe. However even if you use fresh veggies cut into small pieces, they will get cooked well in the suggested 2 minutes of pressure cooking time.
please post the lauki chana dal recipe. it is not coming up under may 14th post for instant pot recipes.
thank you
Hi Amar – Here is the recipe link – https://pipingpotcurry.com/lauki-chana-dal-pressure-cooker/. You can also google to find any of my recipes “pipingpotcurry recipe-name” 🙂 Would love to hear if you try it!