Instant Pot Lemon Quinoa (South Indian Style)

Name: Instant Pot Lemon Quinoa
Prep time: 5 min
Cook time: 25 min
Total time: 30 min
Ingredients: 1 cup quinoa (185 grams); 1 tablespoon oil (15 ml, I used avocado oil); 1/2 teaspoon black mustard seeds; 1/2 teaspoon chana dal; 1/2 teaspoon urad dal dhuli; 1 teaspoon chopped ginger; 10-12 curry leaves; 1 green chili (sliced); 1/8 teaspoon hing; 1 cup + 2 tablespoons water (240 ml + 30 ml, add additional 1/4 cup (60 ml) for softer quinoa or if you have an 8qt IP); 2 tablespoons lemon juice (30 ml); 1/4 teaspoon turmeric powder; 1/2 teaspoon salt (or to taste); 2 tablespoons peanuts (roasted)

By Manali Singh

5 from 5 votes

Aug 15, 2022

This South Indian style Lemon Quinoa is flavored with ginger, mustard seeds, curry leaves and cooked in the Instant Pot and makes a wholesome vegan meal.

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Here’s a fun take on the traditional south Indian Lemon Rice- this Lemon Quinoa has the same flavors as the rice but is more wholesome and protein-packed! Its a one-pot, vegan meal which requires minimal prep-work and can be easily made on busy weeknights.

white bowl with yellow color quinoa topped with peanuts, with a wedge of lemon in the background along with a bowl of peanuts

Quinoa is something I have grown to like over the years. At first, I wasn’t a fan but then I developed the palate for it and now I enjoy it in various forms.

Sarvesh on the other hand is still not a fan. However, now he does eat it when I mix -in some flavors with the quinoa.

Like this Mexican Quinoa , Quinoa Khichdi or this Lemon Quinoa.

This Lemon Quinoa is another way in which I enjoy quinoa these days. It’s requires few ingredients and is easy to make in the Instant Pot.

Ever since I have had my Instant pot, I have never really cooked quinoa on stove-top. It takes zero monitoring and

South Indian style Lemon Quinoa

✔ is flavored with curry leaves, ginger, lemon juice and lots of peanuts!

✔ is vegan and can be easily made gluten-free.

✔ can be eaten for breakfast or lunch.

✔ served at room temperature making it ideal for lunch boxes or picnics.

I flavor this quinoa exactly in the same way that I make my lemon rice.

Swapping rice with quinoa makes the dish protein packed and wholesome.

Ingredients

Quinoa: I have used white quinoa but you can use red or tricolor quinoa as well.

Spices: this recipe used whole spice like mustard seeds and hing and turmeric for color and flavor.

Lemon juice: this since is lemon quinoa, I recommend using fresh lemon juice. Do not use bottled version.

Peanuts: the crunchy roasted peanuts add a lot of texture and flavor to this dish. You can add as much as you like.

Method

1- Rinse 1 cup quinoa using a strainer for a minute. This is important and helps remove the bitterness, you can skip this step if using pre-rinsed quinoa. Set it aside. Press the sauté button on the Instant Pot. Once the pot is hot, add 1 tablespoon oil and then add 1/2 teaspoon mustard seeds.

Let the seeds pop, and then add 1/2 teaspoon each of chana dal and urad dal. Cook for 30 seconds or so until the dal starts changing color.

2- Add 1 teaspoon chopped ginger, 10-12 curry leaves, 1 sliced green chili and generous pinch of hing. Cook for 30 seconds or so.

3- Then add the rinsed quinoa to the pot along with 1 cup + 2 tablespoons water (240 ml + 30 ml= 270 ml). If using 8 qt Instant Pot or if you prefer softer quinoa and want the texture to be like soft rice, add additional 1/4 cup (60 ml) water here. The total water in that case would be 330 ml.

4- Also add 2 to 2 & 1/2 tablespoons lemon juice.

step by step picture collage of making lemon quinoa in instant pot

5-Add 1/4 teaspoon turmeric and salt to taste, around 1/2 teaspoon. Stir everything and close the pot.

6- Press the manual or pressure cook button and cook on high pressure for 2 minutes with the pressure valve in the sealing position. Let the pressure release naturally.

7- Open the pot and fluff the quinoa with a fork.

8- Add in 2 tablespoons roasted peanuts. You can taste test and add more lemon juice if needed at this point.

Serving Suggestions

This lemon quinoa is best served at room temperature. I usually eat it with pickle on the side. You can also eat it with a chutney.

This is one of those recipes that you can make in literally no time, the prep time is only like 5 minutes, the pressure cooker does most of the work here.

If you are looking for new ways to flavor quinoa, then give this recipe a try. It’s easy, wholesome and the lemon flavor makes it perfect for summer!

Quinoa to Water Ratio

1 cup quinoa with 1 & 1/4 cup water results in the perfect quinoa where all grains are separate. So that’s why in this recipe the total liquid used is 1 & 1/4 cup (1 cup + 2 tablespoons water + 2 tablespoons lemon juice).

However, if you prefer softer quinoa like soft rice OR if you use an 8qt- please add additional 1/4 cup water. 1 cup quinoa to 1 & 1/2 cup water results in a softer quinoa and also since 8qt are bigger pots, less amount of water can result in a burn message especially in the newer models.

Tips & Notes

Skip hing to make this recipe gluten-free.
Use additional 1/4 cup water for softer quinoa. Adding extra water will also work better if you are making this for next day lunch-box since extra water will make it stay softer.

bowl of quinoa garnished with lemon wedge, curry leaves

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