By:AlyssaRating78 Comments on 5-Ingredient Garlic Butter Quinoa
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This delicious garlic butter quinoa recipe is one of the easiest recipes you'll ever make! It uses just 5 ingredients, one pan, and goes well with everything!
this recipe
When you're craving fluffy white quinoa that's got an indulgent buttery flavor, this is what you need to make. And if that isn't something you've craved before, this is still what you need to make!
This garlic butter quinoa is legit one of the best ways to make quinoa ever. It's so easy – hello, one pot! – but it can also be used a ton of different ways and pairs well with everything.
Whether you're looking for the ultimate healthy side, or you want a new jazzy way to enjoy quinoa, I can't wait for you to try this.
What You'll Need to Make This Recipe
You guys know I don't eat dairy, so I decided to use a vegan butter spread to get that nice buttery flavor into the quinoa, but you could certainly also use regular butter or ghee.
For the garlic, we're using organic garlic powder from Simply Organic. What I love about using garlic powder – and I use it in pretty much everything – is that you get that nice garlic flavor without having to do an extra step of cooking. No chopping, no mincing, no sauteeing, but still all that incredible garlic flavor.
And of course, since it's a powder, it's easy to stir in and gets incorporated evenly throughout the entire dish.
To that we're also adding salt, quinoa and we're cooking it all in vegetable broth!
How to Make Garlic Butter Quinoa
In addition to this recipe only using 5 ingredients, you also just need one pot. Basically, we're going to cook the quinoa like we normally would – in a liquid, then simmer until fluffy – and just add in the flavorings.
Here's how to make it:
Put the quinoa, garlic powder, butter, and salt in the pan
Add the vegetable broth
Bring the mixture to a boil and cover
Simmer it until it's fluffy
Fluff with a fork and serve!
And that's it! So simple and delish.
How to Make Quinoa More Flavorful
We're using vegetable broth instead of water to help give this garlic butter quinoa even more flavor. The vegetable broth adds a touch of saltiness, while also complementing the butter really nicely.
If you're not a veggie broth fan, you have other options. You could use chicken broth, water or you could also do water and a chicken/vegetable bouillon cube. Either method will give you the same effect: a flavorful quinoa dish that goes well with everything!
And when I say everything, I really mean it!
How to Serve Our Garlic Butter Quinoa
This is one of those recipes that you can serve a million and one ways. From breakfast to lunch, to dinner, to leftovers, to sides, to dessert (wait…what!? jk). Garlic + butter + anything = heaven
Well, okay, maybe not a million different ways, but you get the idea. It's a versatile recipe and you're gonna love it!
Here are some ways that I recommend trying:
Lunch/dinner: toss it with sauteed mushrooms, broccoli, and tofu/chicken (or chickpeas)
Breakfast: serve it warm with a soft boiled egg, some salsa, and sliced avocado
Leftovers: saute chopped tomatoes and white beans
As a side: serve warm with grilled chicken (or tofu), roasted asparagus and a salad
And for dessert: Ummm yeah, I got nothing there 😉
More 5-Ingredient Recipes to Try:
Broccoli + Quinoa Mac and Cheese
Coconut Curry Quinoa
Quinoa Flour Pizza Crust
Sweet Potato Quinoa Fritters
Peanut Butter Honey Cookies
Lemon Blueberry Energy Balls
5-Ingredient Garlic Butter Quinoa
4.7 from 14 votes
This delicious garlic butter quinoa recipe is one of the easiest recipes you'll ever make! It uses just 5 ingredients, one pan and goes well with everything!
Add all ingredients to a small saucepan. Bring to a boil and stir until butter has melted. Cover and reduce to low and simmer for 15 minutes. Remove lid, take off the heat and fluff with a fork. Let stand for 5 minutes then serve.
Notes
* if you're sensitive to garlic, start with 1 teaspoon and add more to taste.
Serving suggestions: I love to stir a drizzle of olive oil and clove of garlic into warm quinoa for extra flavor. Other options include chopped fresh spinach or arugula, or massaged kale. Fresh herbs and/or dried spices are nice, as well as grated or crumbled cheese, sun-dried tomatoes, pitted and sliced olives, etc.
It all comes down to texture. Add too little water and your grains may burn on the bottom of the pot before they cook through. Add too much water and you'll end up with soggy, overcooked, and mushy grains.
The basic ratio is 1 cup quinoa to 2 cups liquid. You can use water (season it with a bit of kosher salt), or you can use any kind of broth (we like to use low-sodium broths and add any extra salt to the finished dish as needed). You can also add a bit of dry white wine to the liquid for another layer of flavor.
Garlic powder: Garlic powder adds a nice savory note to quinoa. You can also use a bit of minced fresh garlic. Dried oregano: Oregano adds a nuance of flavor and a Mediterranean flair. Kosher salt : One of the biggest mistakes people make with quinoa: they don't add enough salt!
Quinoa is a nutritious choice for people looking for plant-based protein sources—it's a complete protein, containing all nine of the essential amino acids. Plus, its dietary fiber may help improve your digestion. Likewise, its fiber and protein content can help make you feel more satiated than other grains.
It wasn't a huge difference in texture, but definitely noticeable. Rinsing quinoa definitely starts to hydrate the seeds. Flavor – In terms of flavor, the unrinsed quinoa definitely had a nuttier, earthier flavor, but I didn't find it bitter at all. The rinsed quinoa was definitely milder and the flavors more muted.
*Soaking grains helps to remove some of the naturally occurring phytic acid in the grain, which helps improve digestibility and speed cook time. To soak: Rinse quinoa thoroughly then add to a large mixing bowl or pot and cover with twice the amount of lukewarm water (2 cups water, 1 cup quinoa).
Stay vigilant: Stir the grains constantly to avoid burning, watching for that perfect golden moment, around 6 to 8 minutes. Water is this grain's go-to companion, but other liquids–think low-sodium chicken, mushroom or vegetable broth–add flavor. Just keep the ratio 2 cups liquid to 1 cup quinoa.
So as an evolutionary defense against being eaten by birds, quinoa grows with a natural coating of a substance called saponin. Saponin has a bitter flavor which discourages birds from eating it. Unfortunately, it will also discourage you from eating it, unless you do something about it.
Now that your quinoa is rinsed or toasted, it's time to cook it. For 1 cup of uncooked quinoa, you'll want to use 2 cups of water—this will yield 3 cups of cooked quinoa. Bring the mixture to a boil over medium-high heat, then lower the temperature to medium-low and pop the lid on securely.
The golden ratio is one cup of quinoa to one and three-quarter cups of water. Using these proportions can save you from a pot of mushy, overcooked, gummy quinoa. Before cooking, you should rinse the grains to remove their saponins, or bitter-tasting compounds, and also toast them in a skillet to develop their flavor.
Because it is a seed, quinoa absorbs water differently than other grains. To make it fluffy, cook it uncovered at a low simmer.Once it's tender and no water remains in the bottom of the pot, cover it.
If you want 2 cups of cooked quinoa, measure out 2/3 cup of dry quinoa, etc. To cook the quinoa, you will use a 2:1 ratio of liquid to quinoa, or 2 cups of water for every 1 cup of dry quinoa.
Quinoa's got the carbs covered, so you'll likely want to add some additional protein (eggs, lentils, beans, tofu, chicken), a fat (olive oil, nuts, butter, cheese), and, ideally, some kind of fruit or vegetable (broccoli, berries, squash, spinach).
The outer cover of quinoa tastes bitter and hence first make sure to rinse it in water well for three four times. And the ratio of quinoa to water is 1:2 while cooking. Once you are done rinsing, measure quinoa and add twice the amount of water to it and let it cook for exactly 20 minutes.
Happily, the solution to preventing bitter quinoa is very simple. All you need to do is rinse your uncooked quinoa in cold running water for a minute or so until the water runs clear.
Quinoa's got the carbs covered, so you'll likely want to add some additional protein (eggs, lentils, beans, tofu, chicken), a fat (olive oil, nuts, butter, cheese), and, ideally, some kind of fruit or vegetable (broccoli, berries, squash, spinach).
Unless you prefer the more pronounced, earthier taste of the seed, I recommend giving it a quick rinse under cool running water, which gets rid of its natural coating that can cause a bitter taste. Even if the box says it is pre-washed, I find it doesn't hurt to give the quinoa another rinse.
Introduction: My name is Patricia Veum II, I am a vast, combative, smiling, famous, inexpensive, zealous, sparkling person who loves writing and wants to share my knowledge and understanding with you.
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