Puffed Quinoa

Course: Sides, Snack

Cuisine: American

Diet: Gluten Free, Vegetarian

Prep Time: 2

Cook Time: 8

Total Time: 10

Servings: servings

Calories: 156kcal

Author: Shruthi Baskaran-Makanju

One ingredient and one dry skillet. This is the crunchy quinoa topping I keep in a jar by the stove for yogurt bowls, salads and anything that needs texture.

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Equipment

1 Light stainless or nonstick skillet
1 Splatter screen grains do launch!

Ingredients

1 cup white quinoa uncooked

Instructions

Set a light stainless or nonstick skillet over medium heat and let it warm for 2 minutes.

Heavy pans like cast iron or clad stainless run too hot for this, especially on gas. They scorch the outside of the grain before the moisture inside can flash to steam. If a heavy pan is all you have, start at medium low and work up.

Test the pan before committing to a full batch. Drop in 3 or 4 grains. They should puff within 3 to 5 seconds without darkening. If they burn, pull the pan off the heat for 30 seconds and test again.
Add 2 to 3 tablespoons of quinoa. Do not overcrowd the pan. Leave it undisturbed for a second or two, then shake every few seconds. A batch puffs in about 5 seconds.

Shake every few seconds, not continuously. Brief stationary contact with the hot surface puffs the grain, and constant motion prevents it.

Tip each batch straight into a bowl the moment it is puffed. Left in the pan it burns within seconds. Repeat with the rest, testing the heat between batches if the pan runs hot.
Cool completely before storing, or trapped steam will soften it. Season at this point if you want it salted, see the notes.

Notes

Skip the rinse. Almost all packaged quinoa is pre-rinsed, and rinsing means drying it completely before you can puff it. If yours came from a bulk bin, rinse it in a fine-mesh strainer, dry it in a skillet over medium heat for 3 minutes while stirring, and let it cool before you go on.
Puffed and popped are not the same thing. The airy puffed quinoa sold in bags is made by an industrial high-pressure process that cannot be reproduced at home. This makes popped quinoa: smaller, denser, much toastier, and far cheaper.
White quinoa pops most reliably. Red and black have tougher seed coats, so expect a lower yield. Old quinoa pops poorly too.
To salt it, toss the warm quinoa with half a teaspoon of neutral oil, then a quarter teaspoon of fine salt. The oil makes the salt stick. Salted keeps about a week. Leave it unsalted for anything sweet.
Storage: cool completely, then airtight at room temperature up to 2 weeks.
Reheating: none needed. If it softens, 2 minutes in a dry skillet over medium restores it.

Nutrition