Instant Pot Quinoa Pilaf with Mushrooms and Thyme
Fluffy, separate-grain quinoa cooked in the Instant Pot with deeply browned cremini mushrooms, sweet shallot, garlic and fresh thyme. Browning the mushrooms first builds savory flavor, and a squeeze of lemon at the end keeps the pilaf bright. It's an easy side for roast chicken, salmon or a holiday table.
- Prep
- 12 min
- Cook
- 26 min
- Wait
- 15 min
- Total
- 53 min
- Makes
- About 5 cups (6 side-dish servings)
Steps
Before you start
- This recipe is written for a 6-quart (5.7 L) Instant Pot. In an 8-quart model it works the same, but the pot takes a little longer to come to pressure.
- Rinse the quinoa thoroughly. Unrinsed quinoa has a bitter, soapy coating (saponin).
- Measure the broth exactly. The ratio is 1 part quinoa to 1 part broth by volume, because the mushrooms and shallot add their own moisture.
- Plan for about 10 minutes of natural pressure release, which is part of the cooking.
Prep the ingredients
- Rinse the quinoa in a fine-mesh sieve under cold running water for 30 seconds, rubbing the grains with your hand.
- Shake the sieve firmly and let the quinoa drain for a couple of minutes.
- Slice the mushrooms ¼ inch (6 mm) thick, dice the shallots, mince the garlic and strip the thyme leaves.
- Measure the broth.
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Ready when: Quinoa is well drained with no pooled water in the sieve; vegetables are cut and ready by the pot.
Tip: Drain the quinoa well. Leftover rinse water adds extra liquid and can make the pilaf mushy.
Brown the mushrooms
- Press Sauté and set to More/High.
- When the display reads Hot, add the olive oil and butter.
- Add the mushrooms in a single layer as much as possible and spread them out.
- Let them sit undisturbed for 2 minutes, then stir and cook 6 minutes more, stirring every minute or so.
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Ready when: The liquid released by the mushrooms has evaporated, and the slices are deep golden brown and shrunken by about half.
Tip: Don't salt the mushrooms yet. Salt draws out water and slows browning.
Soften shallot, garlic, thyme
- Add the shallots to the mushrooms and cook, stirring, for 3 minutes.
- Stir in the garlic and thyme and cook 30 to 60 seconds more.
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Ready when: Shallots look soft and translucent, and the garlic and thyme smell fragrant but are not browned.
Tip: If the garlic begins to darken, move to the next step right away; burnt garlic turns bitter.
Toast quinoa, add broth
- Stir in the drained quinoa and toast for 1 minute, stirring constantly.
- Pour in the broth, then add the salt and pepper.
- Scrape the bottom of the pot thoroughly with a spoon to dislodge every browned bit, then stir once and level the surface.
- Press Cancel to turn off Sauté.
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Ready when: The quinoa smells slightly nutty, and the pot bottom is smooth with nothing stuck to it.
Tip: Stuck-on bits cause the "Burn" warning. Scrape the pot bottom clean before sealing the lid.
Pressure cook
- Lock the lid and turn the valve to Sealing.
- Select Pressure Cook (Manual) on High pressure and set the time to 1 minute.
- The pot takes about 10 minutes to come to pressure before the 1-minute countdown starts and ends.
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Ready when: The display counts down 1 minute and the pot beeps.
Tip: Don't be tempted to add more time. Extra minutes under pressure make quinoa mushy.
Natural release
- Leave the pot alone, with the valve still on Sealing, and let the pressure drop naturally for 10 minutes.
- The quinoa finishes steaming during this time.
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Ready when: The timer shows about 10 minutes since the beep.
Release and rest
- Carefully turn the valve to Venting to release any remaining pressure, keeping your hands and face away from the steam.
- When the pin drops, open the lid, tilting it away from you.
- Replace the lid loosely and let the pilaf rest for 5 minutes.
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Ready when: The surface looks dry with small steam holes, and the quinoa grains are tender with visible white spiral "tails."
Tip: If any liquid still pools at the bottom, leave the lid off and rest 3 minutes more.
Fluff and finish
- Fluff the pilaf with a fork, gently lifting from the bottom to fold the mushrooms through.
- Drizzle in the lemon juice and fold again.
- Taste and add a pinch more salt if needed.
- Fold in the parsley, if using, and serve warm.
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Ready when: Grains are separate and fluffy, never clumped or wet, and taste bright and seasoned.
Tip: Fluff with a fork rather than stirring with a spoon, which can crush the grains.
Good to know
Tips
- Brown the mushrooms until their liquid is gone. This is where most of the savory flavor comes from.
- Use a 1:1 ratio of quinoa to broth by volume. More liquid makes the pilaf wet, since pressure cooking loses very little steam.
- Wipe mushrooms with a damp paper towel instead of soaking them; waterlogged mushrooms won't brown.
- For extra richness, stir in 1 tablespoon of butter or a handful of toasted pecans or almonds at the end.
Make ahead
"Brown the mushrooms, shallot, garlic and thyme up to 1 day ahead and refrigerate in an airtight container. Add them back to the pot with the quinoa and broth, then pressure cook as directed. The finished pilaf can also be made 2 days ahead and reheated."
Storage & reheating
"Room temperature: up to 2 hours. Fridge: cool, then store in an airtight container up to 5 days. Freezer: up to 3 months in a freezer-safe container or bag, thawed overnight in the fridge. Reheat in the microwave, covered, with 1 to 2 tablespoons of water per serving for 1 to 2 minutes, stirring halfway, or in a skillet over medium-low heat until steaming hot."
Substitutions
- cremini mushrooms → baby bella, white button or a mix of shiitake and oyster mushrooms. Remove tough shiitake stems. Keep the total weight at 12 oz (340 g) so the liquid balance stays the same.
- medium shallots → ½ medium yellow onion, finely diced (about ⅔ cup / 100 g). Slightly sharper flavor; cook it the full 3 minutes until soft.
- fresh thyme leaves → ¾ teaspoon dried thyme. Add it with the garlic. Dried thyme is more concentrated, so use less.
- unsalted butter → additional 1 tablespoon (15 ml) olive oil. Makes the dish fully vegan with no change in method.