In an effort to eat healthier and save some money, we’ve been cutting back on…

I’ve been meaning to try my hand at making my own puffed quinoa for a while, to use as an alternative to rice krispies or oats in my baking. I finally had the perfect chance on a rainy, miserable day when I was stuck in the house with the kids and we were looking for something fun to do!
When I googled “how to make puffed quinoa”, I came up with all sorts of complicated instructions involving big pots, lids and lots of oil. I tried making it that way, and I didn’t get the results I wanted. First of all, I didn’t have a pot big enough, so I was wielding my lid like a maniac, waiting for the quinoa to jump out of my sturdy-but-short cast iron frying pan. Didn’t happen. It stayed nicely in the pan like it should. Second, when I used coconut oil, some of the puffed quinoa stuck to the pan and wouldn’t come out, so that when I put my second batch in to puff, the left over bits from the first batch burnt. Not cool. Eventually I tossed their ideas out the window and did it my way, and ta-da…… great and simple puffed quinoa. Awesome!
Check out the step-by-step instructions below for the easiest way to puff quinoa, and stay tuned for some super delish recipes that I used my puffed quinoa in!


- Uncooked Quinoa
- Rinse uncooked quinoa thoroughly
- Spread quinoa evenly onto an ungreased cookie sheet and place in the oven on the lowest temperature to dry with the door open.
- Remove from oven when dry, approximately 30 minutes
- Transfer dried quinoa in small batches into a pot or pan set on medium heat
- Stir occasionally to avoid sticking
- Puffed quinoa is ready when the crackling sound slows, similar to popcorn
- Repeat
- No oil or grease is needed for any stage of puffing the quinoa, it's that easy! Best of all, you can store it in a zip loc bag or airtight container in your pantry for future use.
