Besides popcorn, there are other ingredients you can make pops with, and quinoa is one example. Its texture is very similar to toasted sesame seeds—crunchy and fun! That’s why today I’m going to show you how to make quinoa pops and how you can use them to accompany other recipes.
When I make them at home, I usually use them for breakfast or snacks and store them in a sealed glass container outside the refrigerator. This way, they stay crunchy for up to a week—if that!
Pairing compote with quinoa pops is one of the tastiest snacks I’ve ever made. I also often add them to yogurt, oatmeal, and even smoothie bowls. They give everything a crunchy texture that I love. I’ll be sharing my favorite recipes little by little.
Another thing I love about quinoa is that it’s perfectly safe for people with gluten intolerance or celiac disease; it’s also a very popular food among vegetarians. Plus, it contains other beneficial nutritional properties.
They need to be completely dry for cooking, so I washed them at night and spread them out on a tray lined with paper towels. This way, they would be dry the next day when I went to cook them. Some people add them to the pan straight from the package, but I prefer to wash them.
They can be made in either a pot or a pan, adding a thin layer so that they touch the bottom of the container, toast them over medium heat for about 5 minutes, always stirring with a spoon or moving the container directly and you will see how they start to pop.
How to Make Puffed Quinoa?
2 diners | 1 hour | Low difficulty
Ingredients
| Category | Ingredient | Quantity |
|---|---|---|
| Base for making puffed quinoa | Quinoa | 100g |
| Butter or sunflower oil | ½ tbsp | |
| For sweet puffed quinoa | Butter | ½ tbsp |
| Sugar (preferably muscovado or icing sugar) | 1 tbsp | |
| For salted puffed quinoa | Butter | ½ tbsp |
| Salt | 1 pinch | |
| Pepper | 1 pinch | |
| Spices to taste (optional) | – | |
| Curry sauce, barbecue sauce or other (optional) | – | |
| Optional companions | Honey or agave syrup | 1 tbsp |
| Fresh fruit and/or dried fruit | – | |
| Seeds, nuts or chips | – |
Steps to Follow:
- Wash the quinoa thoroughly. Place the seeds in a bowl. Pour water over them until they are covered. Dip your hands into the bowl and rub the seeds together. When the water becomes dirty or foamy, drain the seeds and discard the water. Repeat this process 5‑7 times or until no more foam appears.
- It’s worth noting that people with celiac disease can consume quinoa without any problems. Furthermore, vegetarians find quinoa to be a valuable source of plant‑based protein to complement their diet.
- Soak the seeds. Submerge them in water again, but this time, let them soak for 10 minutes.
- Drain the seeds. After the resting time, pass them through a fine‑mesh metal sieve until all the liquid is released. Washing and drying are essential steps for easily preparing puffed quinoa.
- Dry them very well. If you do this the night before, spread the quinoa seeds in a single layer on a tray lined with paper towels, and cover them with another piece of the same paper towel.However, if you dry the quinoa the same day (do this at least 1‑2 hours before preparing the puffed quinoa), follow the same procedure, but change the paper each time it becomes damp. Do this until the seeds are completely dry.
- Heat a wide, deep skillet or saucepan. You can puff the quinoa without oil, preferably using a non‑stick pan, but if you want a crispier texture, add ½ teaspoon of oil to the pan or saucepan. In either case, cook over medium heat and wait until the oil or pan is hot.
- Check if it’s hot enough. Drop a few grains of quinoa into the pot or pan, and if the temperature is right, the quinoa will swell in seconds. While it doesn’t expand as much as corn kernels, it will pop. It will also turn brown and release a nutty aroma.
- Place the seeds in the pan. Spread them out with a wooden spoon so they are not piled on top of each other. The layer should be thin and even. If you can’t cook all the seeds at once, do it in batches.
- Cover the pan and shake it around. Do this occasionally, gently shaking it from side to side. The seeds will toast, puff up, and pop, much like popcorn.The cooking time for puffed quinoa is approximately 5 minutes, or until all the grains have puffed up. Occasionally uncover the pot to allow steam to escape, being careful not to let it blow in your face.
- Add sugar and butter or oil as soon as the seeds stop popping, and mix until the sugar melts. It’s worth noting that the fat helps the ingredients blend better. Only do this step if you want sweet puffed quinoa; otherwise, skip it.
- If you want to enjoy savory puffed quinoa, add salt, spices, butter, or oil. Do this as soon as the seeds stop popping and stir well so the flavors blend.You can also add other ingredients; see more ideas in our article How to Season Quinoa.
- Remove it and let it cool. Wait a while before enjoying your easy homemade puffed quinoa.
- Serve puffed quinoa as a snack or for breakfast. If you prepared it sweet, you can combine it with honey, fruit, breakfast cereal, yogurt, etc. If you preferred it savory, you can add it to a salad, or top it with sautéed or steamed vegetables to add more texture to the dish.
- Store puffed quinoa in a glass jar. If you make a large batch, keep it tightly sealed in a previously sterilized jar. It will keep for up to a week. For more storage tips, see our article How to Store Quinoa.
If you liked the recipe for How to Make Puffed Quinoa, we suggest you check out our Recipes category.
Tips
- Besides sunflower oil, you can use coconut oil, canola oil, safflower oil, or any other neutral‑tasting oil.
- You can replace the butter with coconut oil or margarine.
- If you don’t wash the quinoa well, you’ll taste a slightly bitter flavor, due to substances called saponins.
- You’ll know you’ve removed the saponins from the quinoa when you no longer see foam in the cleaning water.