Instant Pot mushroom quinoa is a savory, fluffy side dish that cooks in one pot, and the flavor comes from browning your vegetables first instead of dumping everything in at once.
Most pressure cooker quinoa is bland because people skip the sauté step. They toss quinoa and broth in, lock the lid, and wonder why it tastes like wet cereal. Ten minutes of sautéing onion, garlic, and mushrooms changes the whole dish. Soy sauce and thyme add depth, and butter at the end gives it a rich finish.
The pressure cooking part takes one minute. That’s not a typo.
Why This Works
- Browning the mushrooms first. Mushrooms hold a lot of water. Cooking them until they’re browned drives that water off and concentrates the flavor.
- Soy sauce in the broth. It adds a savory, meaty note without making the dish taste like soy sauce.
- A 1 to 1.5 ratio. One cup of quinoa to a cup and a half of broth gives you fluffy grains that hold their shape.
- Butter at the end. Stirring it in off the heat keeps the flavor fresh and gives the quinoa a little gloss.
Ingredient Notes
Rinse the quinoa well. Quinoa has a natural coating called saponin, and it tastes bitter and a little soapy. Put the quinoa in a fine mesh strainer and run cold water over it for a good 30 seconds, stirring with your hand. The water will go from cloudy to mostly clear. Don’t skip this one.
Use any mushrooms you like. Cremini give you the deepest flavor. White button mushrooms work fine. A mix is even better.
Use a broth you’d drink. The broth is most of the flavor here, so homemade is best. If you buy it, pick one with a short ingredient list. Low sodium is the smart choice since the soy sauce adds salt. The one I keep on my shelf is Better than Bullion and it is indespensible!
Soy sauce amount. Start with 1 teaspoon. Go to 2 if you want a stronger savory note, and taste before you add more salt.
How to Make Mushroom Quinoa in the Instant Pot
Sauté the onion
Set your Instant Pot to Sauté. Add 1 tablespoon of oil or butter and let it heat up. Add the chopped onion and cook for 2 to 3 minutes, until it softens and turns translucent.
Add the garlic and mushrooms
Stir in the garlic and sliced mushrooms. Cook for 4 to 5 minutes, stirring now and then, until the mushrooms shrink down and turn a deep golden brown. If they still look pale and wet, keep going. This is where the flavor comes from.
Add the quinoa and liquid
Stir in the rinsed quinoa, chicken broth, thyme, and soy sauce. Add a pinch of salt and pepper. Scrape the bottom of the pot with your spoon. Nothing should be stuck there. Stuck bits can trigger the burn warning, and they’re also flavor you want in the quinoa.
Pressure cook
Lock the lid and make sure the vent is set to Sealing. Cook on High Pressure for 1 minute. When the timer ends, let the pressure release naturally for 10 minutes, then flip the vent to release whatever pressure is left.
Finish
Open the lid and fluff the quinoa with a fork. Stir in 1 tablespoon of butter until it melts. Taste it and adjust the salt and pepper.
Tools I Used for This Recipe
- Fine mesh strainer because quinoa is small enough to slip through a regular colander, and you need to rinse it well.
- Instant Pot because the sauté function lets you brown the vegetables and cook the quinoa in the same pot.
- Wooden spoon for scraping the bottom of the pot so nothing sticks.
Tips and Variations
- Make it vegetarian. Swap the chicken broth for vegetable broth. It works well, though the flavor is a little lighter.
- Make it dairy-free. Use olive oil to sauté and skip the butter at the end, or use a plant-based butter.
- Add greens. Stir in a handful of fresh spinach after pressure cooking and let it wilt under the lid for a minute.
- Add more herbs. A little chopped fresh parsley at the end adds brightness.
- Storage. Keep leftovers in a sealed container in the fridge for up to 5 days. Reheat with a splash of water or broth.
- Scaling. Keep the quinoa to broth ratio the same and make sure the pot is no more than half full.
What to Serve With This
This pairs well with roasted chicken, pan-seared pork chops, or a good steak. The earthy mushrooms and thyme go especially well with anything that has a crispy, browned crust.
You can also eat it on its own. Top a bowl with a fried egg and it’s a full meal.
Instant Pot Quinoa with Mushrooms
Ingredients
Equipment
Method
- Set Instant Pot to Sauté. Add a little oil or butter and cook the onion 2–3 minutes until softened. Add garlic and mushrooms; cook until the mushrooms are browned, about 4–5 minutes.
- Stir in the rinsed quinoa, broth, thyme, and soy sauce. Season with a pinch of salt and pepper. Make sure nothing is stuck to the bottom.
- Lock the lid, set to High Pressure for 1 minute. When it finishes, let it naturally release for 10 minutes, then quick-release any remaining pressure.
- Fluff with a fork and stir in the butter. Taste and adjust seasoning.
