How to Pressure Cook Quinoa + Cranberry Pumpkin Seed Salad

If you’ve been wondering how to cook quinoa in your electric pressure cooker, I’ll show you how I do it! Pressure cooking quinoa is a great way to meal prep salads for to-go lunches.

Whether or not you have a pressure cooker, you can take some cooked quinoa to make a simple salad and divide it into to-go lunch containers. I showed you a variation on a recipe I put in my new pressure cooker cookbook, which we’ll make here with dried cranberries, goji berries, pumpkin seeds, and lime juice.

When I took it for lunch the 2nd day, I added a chopped apple and some roasted edamame and it was so delicious!​​ Let me know what you do with this one down below.

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Cranberry Pumpkin Seed Quinoa Salad

This is a simple salad, but so fresh and tasty! You could make endless variations on this theme, with whatever dried fruit and nut or seed you want.

Prep Time10 minutes mins

Cook Time2 minutes mins

Course: Lunch, Salad

Cuisine: American

Keyword: pressure cooker, quinoa

Servings: 4 servings

Calories: 412kcal

Author: Heather Nicholds, C.H.N.

Ingredients

• 1 1/2 cups quinoa
• 1 3/4 cups water
• pinch salt
• 1/3 cup dried cranberries goji berries, or chopped dried apricots
• 1/4 red onion finely chopped, soaked in water and drained
• 1/3 cup pumpkin seeds or shelled pistachios
• 2 Tbsp lime juice or orange juice
• olive oil for drizzling, optional

Instructions

• In your electric pressure cooker’s cooking pot, combine the quinoa, water, and salt. Close and lock the lid and ensure the pressure valve is sealed, then select High Pressure and set the time for 2 minutes.
• When the cook time is complete, let the pressure release naturally for 10 minutes, then quick release any remaining pressure, being careful not to get your fingers or face near the steam release.
• Once all the pressure has released, carefully unlock and remove the lid. While the quinoa is hot, stir in the drained onion, cranberries, pumpkin seeds, and lime juice. Taste and season with salt and pepper, then add a drizzle of olive oil, if you like. Serve warm or chilled.

Video

Notes

Preparation tip: Soaking the onion in water helps soften its bite. If you don’t like raw red onion, substitute chopped scallions, which have a milder onion flavor.

Tried this recipe?Tag me @HeatherNicholds so I can see!