Today I’m sharing a delicious healthy instant pot recipe that’s comfort food with a lighter, veggie-packed twist: Instant Pot Quinoa Fried Rice.
Now that it’s the new year and many people (myself included) are looking forward to getting back into the kitchen, I figured it was time to share some new healthy instant pot recipes! It had been a while since I played around with my Instant Pot and I had almost forgotten how incredibly fast and easy it is.
Looking for more ideas? Here are some of my favorite quinoa recipes!
Instant Pot Quinoa Fried Rice
This quinoa “fried rice” tastes just like your favorite takeout meal, but it’s packed with veggies and can be on your table in under 30 minutes. That’s less time than it takes to get delivery!
The method for this healthy instant pot recipe is super simple. Cook the onions, ginger, and garlic in the bottom of the Instant Pot on saute mode. Then, toss in the remaining ingredients and pressure cook for 8 minutes. That’s it!
The result is an all-in-one meal that’s filling, flavorful, and on the table in no time.
Instant Pot Quinoa Fried Rice Ingredients
This is a great meal to make when you need to empty the vegetable drawer in your fridge! I used diced carrot, bell pepper, mushrooms, and broccoli. But most other veggies would be great in here, too.
If you have extra celery, green beans, peas, cauliflower, etc. – toss ’em in! You can also add more veggies than the recipe calls for if you’d like to increase the veggie-to-quinoa ratio – up to you. And for a vegetarian option, feel free to swap vegetable broth for the chicken broth and diced tofu for the chicken breast.
I was amazed by how much this healthy instant pot recipe tasted like takeout fried rice.
It’s savory and comforting, but without the salt overload, and it’s got a hint of spiciness without making you sweat. If you want, toss some roasted cashews onto the finished meal to add satisfying crunch (and healthy fats for balance!). Chopped green onions are another optional garnish that can bring freshness to the dish.
This healthy instant pot recipe holds up well in the fridge, too. We made it on Sunday and have been eating on it all week. It makes a great packed lunch!
Ready to add this Instant Pot Quinoa Fried Rice to your weeknight menu? Here’s the full recipe!
This quinoa “fried rice” tastes just like your favorite takeout meal, but it’s packed with veggies and can be on your table in under 30 minutes – less time than it takes to get delivery! *The first time I made this, I put the quinoa in the bottom of the pot and there was uncooked quinoa and extra liquid at the bottom. I just stirred everything together and cooked it for another minute on high pressure and it turned out great! So don't worry if you run into that issue, but you should be fine if you add quinoa to the pot last. 🙂Instant Pot Quinoa Fried Rice
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