Cilantro Lime Quinoa
Updated March 26, 2019
Cilantro Lime Quinoa – a quinoa recipe for the books. Quick and easy to make, and goes with any Mexican dish! A great alternative to rice!
Quinoa Recipe perfect for any Mexican meal!
Today, I am sharing an easy quinoa recipe, Cilantro Lime Quinoa. This is one of go to side dishes. I love that it is easy to make and healthy! We probably make this easy quinoa recipe once a week, it is so good and good for you too!
This Cilantro Lime Quinoa recipe is very similar to our Cilantro Lime Rice – we just swapped the rice for quinoa. I love the boost of protein from the quinoa. This Quinoa recipe will surely please quinoa fans. The Cilantro Lime Quinoa goes great with any and every Mexican dish – enchiladas, burritos, burrito bowls, fajitas, quesadillas, and tacos.
Tips for Cooking Quinoa
- Make sure you rinse the quinoa before cooking. Quinoa has a natural coating, called saponin, that can make the cooked grain taste bitter or soapy. Place the quinoa in a mesh strainer and rinse under cold water.
- To cook 1 cup quinoa, you need about 2 cups liquid.
- Quick tip for getting extra flavorful quinoa from this, or any savory quinoa recipe: cook the quinoa in vegetable broth or chicken broth.
- You can use a rice cooker or Instant pot to cook quinoa. Follow the manual’s instructions.
- Fluff your quinoa with a fork before serving so it is nice and fluffy.
When the quinoa is done cooking spice it up by adding: garlic, lime juice, and cilantro. That is it! The quinoa has a nice flavor and is the perfect side dish for any Mexican meal.
If you like this cilantro lime quinoa, you might also like:
Cilantro Lime Quinoa
Ingredients
- 2 cups vegetable broth
- 1 cup quinoa rinsed and drained
- 1 clove garlic minced
- 2 tablespoons fresh lime juice
- 1/3 cup chopped cilantro
- Salt and pepper to taste
Instructions
- In a large pot, combine the broth and quinoa. Bring to a boil. Cover, reduce heat, and cook until broth is evaporated and quinoa is tender, about 15 minutes. Remove from heat and let stand for 5 minutes, covered. Remove lid and fluff the quinoa with a fork.
- Stir in garlic, lime juice, and cilantro. Season with salt and pepper, to taste. Serve warm.
Have you tried this recipe?
Leave a comment below and share a photo on Instagram. Tag @twopeasandpod and hashtag it with #twopeasandtheirpod
Love this! I am a big fan of quinoa, but get tired of doing it the same way. I also adore cilantro, but it comes in such large bunches I often have a hard time using it all up. This is brilliant!!
this was my first time making quinoa and it turned out excellent! I’m on a diet so I omitted the sugar and salt, I didn’t have any low sodium vegetable or chicken broth on hand so I just made it with water, even with these changes it still tasted great! Thanks for the great recipe, I’ll be adding this to my regular rotation 🙂
I made this last night as a side for jerk chicken. It was our first experience with quinoa. My husband & I both loved it and will definitely be having it again! Thanks for the recipe!
I don’t think that 1/4 t sugar is that high of an amount to this recipe when you consider the amount of servings. Also, I add cumin, and corn, black beans, diced red pepper, even maybe large diced shrimp. I love these flavours!
Recipe is great but if you add one hand full roasted crushed one time, peanuts it will be wow
What temperature do you cook the quinoa at? It say bring to boil, but it doesn’t say if you lower the temp after the initial boil. The first time I made this it turned out great. But I just made it again and the bottom burned. I stirred it several times and turned the heat down several time, ending on about medium (5).
I made this for dinner last night and it was delicious! Since I am really the only quinoa-eater in my family, I have enough left for a few meals! Thanks so much for sharing this recipe!
I love love cilantro and love quinoa and have no idea why I never thought to make something like this! Kudos, and I’m gonna do it this weekend. Thanks!
I just made this recipe and i loved it! Thank you so much for sharing 🙂
My quinoa takes forever too get tender and way more liquid than any recipe calls for…what am I doing wrong?
Jody, did you ever make this recipe – Cilantro Lime Quinoa? I tried making it one time and I was not impressed. It has been so long, of course, I don’t remember what recipe I tried. This one sounds very interesting though.
My neighbor, who is a vegetarian, made a vegetarian chili which was delicious. She said the quinoa was what it gave it a good texture and helped people not miss the meat.
When I made this, the quinoa did not come out soft and fluffy; in fact, it was hard. After bringing the broth to a boil, I added the quinoa. But was I supposed to turn down the heat? Should I have covered it?
Try adding the water and quinoa together and then bringing to a boil. It should be tender after 15 min. of simmering. No cover needed.
Somehow I never made quinoa before now, and I’m so glad I used your recipe for my first try – I loved it! I’ve generally shunned quinoa, not enjoying many pre-made offerings. But this recipe – combined with your fajita quinoa bowls – made me a big fan! Thank you!
Love this recipe! I didn’t have sugar and it still tasted great! I love having something healthier than rice to put in my taco bowls! Thanks!!
I haven’t liked cilantro in the past, but I love this recipe. I have made it a number of times since I discovered it a few months ago. I would make one small change though. It’s great warm, yes, but it is just as tasty cold.
I don’t understand people talking about sugar – there is no sugar in the recipe that I can see?
This is an awesome side dish to probably any Mexican meal. We served this with the grilled shrimp and poblano peppers tacos from the website and both recipes were amazing. Thank you Maria for the excellent recipes… It keeps me coming back.
What is the reference to sugar that several reviewers make? It does not appear in the recipe.