Instant Pot Mexican Quinoa

Mexican Quinoa flavored with cumin, smoked paprika and chili powder. This easy one pot meal is made in the Instant Pot and is the perfect meal for those busy days. Vegan & gluten-free.
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Do you have only 30 minutes to put dinner on the table? Then try this Instant Pot Mexican Quinoa!

One pot, vegan, gluten-free and it gets done in 30 minutes or less! Perfect for those busy nights!

If you love all the Instant Pot vegetarian/vegan recipes that I share on the blog, please join me on this Facebook Group – Instant Pot Vegetarian Recipes. The group would share/feature vegetarian instant pot recipes and ideas from all around the web!

mexican quinoa in a round black bowl, garnished with diced avocados and a lime wedge

Last week I was in Salt Lake City to attend a blogging conference. I really enjoyed it! The thing is that blogging can get really lonely, the human interaction is minimal plus not many people understand the work that goes behind it.

So it was great to be among like minded people who get what you do and in general it was just nice to catch up with my virtual blogging friends.

I shared a lot from the conference on my Instagram stories, so if you want to keep up with what goes in my kitchen and life beyond blogging, don’t forget to follow me on Instagram.

The first thing I did after coming back was to go grocery shopping and then make this Mexican Quinoa. This is one of my favorite things to make in the Instant Pot!

mexican quinoa in a round black bowl, garnished with diced avocados and a lime wedge

This Instant Pot Mexican Quinoa

✓ is one pot meal

✓ gets done in 30 minutes or less!

✓ is vegan and gluten-free

✓ flavored with cumin, smoked paprika and chili powder

✓ leftovers makes great lunch and also perfect for lunch-box

I love easy meals and I am sure you love them too. You guys have been loving the Thai Peanut Noodles that I shared on the blog recently and so I thought of sharing more easy dinner recipes with you guys.

When it comes to easy dinner, I always go back to my trusted Instant Pot. It never disappoints me!

mexican quinoa served in a small blue plate with a fork on the side

How to Make Mexican Quinoa

To make this mexican quinoa is really easy. The prep work is minimal and the result is so good. I really love recipes which require less prep work, I am not a fan of chopping and peeling.

All you have to do is to saute the onion, garlic and jalapeno in little oil and then add the tomato, beans, corn and quinoa along with the spices to the pot.

Add water and let it cook on high pressure. Finish off with cilantro and lime juice! I also like to add some diced avocados before serving.

 

Helpful Tips

  1. I have used fire roasted crushed tomatoes here, you may use plain crushed tomatoes too.
  2. De-seed the jalapeño to make the dish less hot.
  3. Adjust spices levels to taste. Add more of the chili powder if you like it hot.
  4. I added 1.25 cups water to this recipe and it results in a softer quinoa (more like rice as you can see in pictures). If you want quinoa seeds to be more separated and be more like the way it looks in salads, use 1 cup water.
  5. Some of the newer Instant Pot models get the BURN message frequently. If you face similar problems with your IP, add the crushed tomatoes at the end (on top of everything) and DO NOT stir after adding the tomatoes. Close the pot and cook as usual.

Hope you guys like easy one pot Mexican Quinoa recipe. It’s healthy, flavorful and the best part is that it is so easy to put together!

Method

Press the saute button on the Instant Pot. Once it displays hot, add oil to it and then add the chopped onion, garlic and jalapeño. Saute for 2 minutes until onion is softened.

Add the black beans, fire-roasted crushed tomatoes and corn kernels. Mix well. I used frozen corn kernels and put them in warm water for 5 minutes before adding to the pot.

Please note if your IP has the problems of getting BURN message, do not add tomatoes at this point. Add everything else and add tomatoes at the very end. Do not stir after adding the tomatoes.

Add the spices – cumin, smoked paprika, chili powder. Also add the salt and black pepper and mix.

Add the quinoa and toss until well combined.

Add water or vegetable broth and mix.

Close the pot with its lid. Press the manual or pressure cook button and cook on high pressure for 1 minute with the pressure valve in the sealing position.

Let the pressure release naturally.

Open the pot, fluff the quinoa with a fork. Add cilantro and lime juice.

Add in the diced avocados and serve Mexican Quinoa immediately. You may also top it with guacamole, salsa or some sour cream!

mexican quinoa in a round black bowl, garnished with diced avocados and a lime wedge

If you’ve tried this Instant Pot Mexican Quinoa then don’t forget to rate the recipe! You can also follow me on FacebookInstagramPinterest and Twitter to see what’s latest in my kitchen!

Instant Pot Mexican Quinoa

mexican quinoa in a round black bowl, garnished with diced avocados and a lime wedge
Manali
Mexican Quinoa flavored with cumin, smoked paprika and chili powder. This easy one pot meal is made in the Instant Pot and is the perfect meal for those busy days. Vegan & gluten-free.
4.68 from 82 votes
Prep Time 10 mins
Cook Time 20 mins
Total Time 30 mins
Course Side Dish
Cuisine Mexican
Servings 5
Calories 374 kcal

Ingredients

  • 1 tablespoon olive oil
  • 1 small red onion chopped
  • 3 garlic cloves chopped
  • 1 jalapeno chopped, de-seed for less heat
  • 14.5 oz can fire roasted tomatoes
  • 3/4 cup corn kernels I used frozen and added them to warm water for 5 minutes
  • 15 oz can black beans drained and rinsed
  • 1/2 teaspoon cumin powder
  • 1/2 teaspoon smoked paprika
  • 1/4 teaspoon red chili powder or to taste
  • 3/4 teaspoon salt or to taste
  • 1/8 teaspoon black pepper
  • 1 cup quinoa uncooked, 180 grams, rinsed well, I usually rinse quinoa for 1-2 minutes
  • 1-1.25 cups water or vegetable broth use 1 cup if you want quinoa grains more separated
  • 2-3 tablespoons chopped cilantro
  • 1 lime juice of 1 lime
  • 1 avocado diced

Instructions
 

  • Press the saute button on the Instant Pot. Once it displays hot, add oil to it and then add the chopped onion, garlic and jalapeño. Saute for 2 minutes until the onion is softened.
  • Add the black beans, fire-roasted crushed tomatoes and corn kernels. Mix well. I used frozen corn kernels and put them in warm water for 5 minutes before adding to the pot. [Please note if your IP has the problems of getting BURN message, do not add tomatoes at this point. Add everything else and add tomatoes at the very end. Do not stir after adding the tomatoes].
  • Add the spices – cumin, smoked paprika, chili powder. Also add the salt and black pepper and mix.
  • Add the quinoa and toss until well combined. Then add the water or vegetable broth and mix.
  • Close the pot with its lid. Press the manual or pressure cook button and cook on high pressure for 1 minute with the pressure valve in the sealing position. Let the pressure release naturally.
  • Open the pot, fluff the quinoa with a fork. Add cilantro and lime juice.
  • Add in the diced avocados and serve Mexican Quinoa immediately. You may also top it with guacamole, salsa or some sour cream!

Nutrition

Calories: 374kcalCarbohydrates: 56gProtein: 14gFat: 11gSaturated Fat: 1gSodium: 531mgPotassium: 743mgFiber: 14gSugar: 3gVitamin A: 570IUVitamin C: 13.7mgCalcium: 76mgIron: 4.4mg
Tried this recipe?Mention @cookwithmanali or tag #cookwithmanali!

187 thoughts on “Instant Pot Mexican Quinoa

  1. 5 stars
    I made this tonight and it is delicious! I added just a little more than the called for spices, because I find so many recipes never have enough of the spice for my taste. But this is just so good, making several lunches out of it for the week. Thank you!

  2. 5 stars
    Ever since I started making this during the pandemic, it’s become a staple with my partner and I. It is so good and makes great leftovers.

  3. 5 stars
    Tasted great and easy! It came together super quick and made the perfect last minute dinner. Thanks so much, this one’s a keeper!

  4. 4 stars
    It looks delicious, but when I am making something when you say add water how much? How big of Insta pot is this for? Is there a recipe for smaller ones? I apologize if the info is there but didn’t see it.

    1. Hi Robert, please see the recipe card at the end of the post. It has water measurements. This recipe was made in 6qt, but will work well in a 3 qt as well, no change needed.

  5. 5 stars
    Very healthy recipe! It also tastes good with 2 yellow onions instead of a red onion, and even was good with refried beans substituted because that’s what was available. And for my non-vegan husband, I have added cooked ground beef.

  6. 4 stars
    Added browned ground turkey and cooked for 3 minutes. Used 1/2 pasilla pepper in lieu of jalapeno cuz that’s what I had on hand. Great dish! I like spicy so no problem for me. One can always tamp it down with guac and/or sour cream. Good stuff!

  7. 4 stars
    Delicious but very spicy even without the jalapeño. I agree with the commenter above—3 minutes in the pressure cooker was just the right amount of time. I did not add the jalapeños because i was afraid of it being too spicy and I am glad I left them out because the chipotle powder is strong enough on its own—next time I might only put a Sprinkle. I left the corn out to only because I didn’t have any on hand. Overall very tasty and super easy and quick to make!

  8. 5 stars
    Delicious and easy! I made my dry beans in the instapot first and then drained and proceeded with the recipe. It came together quick and made the perfect easy dinner for a cold evening. Thanks for sharing, this one’s a keeper!

  9. 5 stars
    This is a pretty good and easy recipe! I doubled the quinoa, beans, and corn (i used canned) and added one orange bell pepper as well as some mushrooms I had left over in the fridge. I seasoned with my heart after the initial guidelines and added some adobo instead of salt. When I cooked for 1 minute I opened up the pot and it was still WAY too runny and the quinoa was not cooked, so I popped the lid back on for another minute and let it naturally release again. It was perfect after that. Eating it now with some toppings and its pretty tasty! I love that i can do everything in one pot.

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