How Much Protein in Quinoa? Calculator & Nutrition Guide

Quinoa, pronounced “keen-wa”, is not a grain. It is made up of seeds similar to grains, that comes from a grassy plant from the amaranth family. That yearly grass is grown mainly because of its edible seeds.

The origin of Quinoa is in the region of the Andes in South America, where people grew it for around 5,000 years. Already before hundreds of years the Inca people valued it as holy food.

All About Quinoa

Twenty years ago most folks would not be able to identify Quinoa or say its name. Even so during the 2000s, it took over the market of natural foods almost like a hurricane. During the following years Quinoa left the special stores for health foods and entered the sections of grains in almost all grocery stores.

Those seeds are rich in Protein, fibers for the diet, vitamin B and minerals from food. In one cup of Quinoa there are more than 8 grams of Protein, while brown rice has only 5 grams. Moreover, it forms complete Protein, so it carries the nine essential amino acids.

Moreover, Quinoa is rich in zinc, folate and antioxidants. It carries also heart-healthy fats. A serving of 3.5 units of cooked Quinoa delivers 2 grams of fat.

Quinoa does not carry gluten, so it works four people sensitive or allergic to gluten.

Widely one finds three kinds of Quinoa: white, red and black. In Peru there are other types, but those three shades are the most common in supermarkets. When one buys it in the store, Quinoa appears as little round balls.

After cooking, on the other hand, the seeds rise and become soft, so that they look like real grains. It has a natural nutty flavor. Sometimes Quinoa has a soapy coating, that gives it a bitter taste.

Most Quinoa in stores is already pre-washed, so it was rinsed at least once and often polished to remove that coating. Washing Quinoa through a fine sieve under cold water before cooking, one helps to remove any staying bitter taste.

A usual serving matches a quarter of cup of uncooked Quinoa. That amount grows to around three-quarters of a cup after cooking. Quinoa rises a lot during cooking, so one easily underestimates the prepared amount.

In a rice cooker, the ratio of water to Quinoa stays same as in the method on the stove, namely one part Quinoa to one and half parts of water.

Quinoa goes well in salads together with chickpeas, red peppers, cucumbers, parsley and olives. One can use it also in bowls, that one tops with diced common vegetables like avocado and lettuce. Quinoa cookies form another favorite choice.

It works best as a replacement for rice in many foods andabsorbs the flavor of what it cooks with.