How to Make Popped Quinoa (Easy, Crunchy Recipe) (2024)

Popped quinoa is a quick and easy way to boost a dish with extra nutrients and crunch! Learn how to make toasted quinoa for sweet and savory recipes.

Popping quinoa has been on my bucket list for years! I’ve had it in premade salads and thought it was delicious, but I never took on making it myself… until now!

And now I can't stop popping!

It's delicious in chocolate quinoa crunch bars. And it's a great way to add protein to homemade quinoa granola or granola bars for a quick breakfast.

While many refer to quinoa as an ancient grain, it is a seed... a magical seed! And let me tell you why it is so special! Popped quinoa is:

• healthy and packs a punch as a complete protein that contains all nine essential amino acids.
• vegan, gluten-free, nut-free, and oil-free.
• super quick and easy to make in under 10 minutes.
• a perfect way to add a nut-free crunch to any dish.

Ingredients

If you haven't guessed already, there is one main ingredient in this popped quinoa recipe:

• Quinoa - You will need raw quinoa seeds. Don’t boil the quinoa first!
  • You can pop any type of quinoa (white, red, black, or tri-colored), but I recommend starting with white until you understand the toasting process and timing. It's easier to tell when the color has changed to toasted and not burnt.
  • Clean it first if the packaging does not say it is pre-rinsed. Rinsed quinoa ensures there will be no bitter taste from the saponins.
• Water - A little bit helps keep the quinoa moist and gives you more control during the toasting process.

Soaking Quinoa

I learned about soaking or moistening quinoa from Ancient Harvest's how-to properly toast quinoa, and it has been a game changer in making perfectly popped quinoa!

Here's what I experienced by testing this recipe 3 different ways: with dry quinoa, moistened quinoa, and quinoa soaked overnight.

• Dry Quinoa - Toasts for too long before the quinoa pops. More quinoa goes to waste by becoming burnt—a tedious process.
• Moistened Quinoa - Using a 4:1 ratio of quinoa to water helps prevent quinoa from burning during toasting. The quinoa has time to dry out before popping. Best for eating popped quinoa alone or in salads.
• Overnight-Soaked Quinoa - Soaking quinoa overnight makes quinoa more tender and takes away some crunch. Completely submerge your quinoa in water and store it in an airtight container. Don’t soak the quinoa for too long, no more than 10-12 hours. This method worked better for chocolate bars or energy-bite recipes with quinoa. However, I still prefer the extra crunch of moistened quinoa.

Moistening or soaking your quinoa overnight both work and will achieve a gorgeous golden brown toasted quinoa. The method you choose depends on how much you are willing to prepare beforehand.

Directions

Here's a step-by-step guide to popping quinoa in small batches:

1. Moisten quinoa with a 4:1 ratio of quinoa to water (or soak quinoa overnight, completely submerging it in water.)
2. Place about 1 tablespoon of moistened quinoa into a small pan heated to medium-high temperature and flatten it into a single layer.
   • Note: In order to determine when the pan is ready, test about 10 quinoa seeds to see if the pan is hot enough. The seeds should crackle or pop within 15 seconds of going on the stove.
3. Water will start to evaporate and dry out the seeds. Break the quinoa up with a whisk.
4. Once quinoa starts to make a crackling or popping sound, shake the pan around. It will be time to take the quinoa off the stove within a few seconds.
   • Your quinoa will smell toasted and nutty. It will also visibly change to a golden brown.
   • The whole process goes by within 15-30 seconds. Blink, and you might miss it! It's only a matter of seconds until the quinoa turns from toasted to burnt!

Repeat this process until all quinoa is popped. Let cool for a few minutes before eating (it will be very hot right off the stove).

Ways to Use Popped Quinoa

These are some of my favorite ways to eat popped quinoa:

• On top of salads for added crunch. It would be fantastic sprinkled on kale salad with balsamic vinaigrette.
• To make chocolate quinoa crunch bars. You could also add a layer of almond butter to make chocolate quinoa nut bars!
• Add it to your favorite energy bar recipe for added crunch and protein.
• Baked into quinoa granola or maple vanilla granola for an extra seedy crunch and kick of protein.
• Alone as a snack, or add some spices like chili powder to it.
• Boil the quinoa afterward and make toasty lemon quinoa. The toasting adds a delicious nutty flavor that works great as a Buddha bowl or taco base.
• Grind into quinoa flour to be used as a gluten-free flour alternative.

Storage

Store popped quinoa in an air-tight container in a cool, dry place. I've kept mine on the kitchen counter for about a week, and it maintains its crunch.

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