How to Make Quinoa Flour
Quinoa is everywhere. It’s on millions of blogs, on restaurant menus and even on airplane menus (I swear!). And for good reason. Quinoa is an incredible superfood that is packed with protein, fiber, vitamins and minerals.
Most people use quinoa as a substitute for rice. It goes well with stir-frys, casseroles, salads and even for breakfast. But what some people don’t know, is that quinoa also comes in flour form!
Just like other gluten-free or whole grain flours, quinoa can be turned into a very fine flour, which is amazing in baking – not only because it’s easy to work with, but also because you get all the nutrients you normally do with the whole seed.
Here’s the thing, quinoa flour is expensive. At some health food stores, a bag of quinoa flour can cost you upwards of $13 – $15! And sure, it’s super healthy and a great way to add some protein to our sweet treats, that isn’t sustainable for everyone.
But I’m going to let you in on a little secret: you can make quinoa flour at home!
How to Make Quinoa Flour
Start with the whole raw seed (anywhere from 1/4 – 1 cup).
Now, the next two stages are optional, but I think lend a really nice flavor to the flour.
Add the raw quinoa to a dry skillet and toast the quinoa until it begins to brown and pop. It will have a distinctly nutty smell. Be careful here as quinoa can burn quite quickly, so keep a close eye on it.
Once toasted, transfer the quinoa to either a spice grinder (like I have here) or a high-powered blender. Blend/grind the quinoa on high for 1 minute until it’s a fine powder.
Place a fine mesh strainer over a bowl and add the quinoa mixture.
Sift until only large chunks remain. (p.s. don’t throw this out – it makes and excellent warm cereal when mixed with some water or plant-based milk)
If the quinoa was toasted, allow the flour to cool completely before storing. If not, transfer it to a sealed container and store until you’re ready to use it!
See how easy that was? Making your own quinoa flour is a cinch and will end up saving you loads of money.
Ingredients
- 1/2 cup quinoa, uncooked
Instructions
- Start with the whole raw seed (anywhere from 1/4 – 1 cup).
- (optional) Add the raw quinoa to a dry skillet and toast the quinoa until it begins to brown and pop. It will have a distinctly nutty smell. Be careful here as quinoa can burn quite quickly, so keep a close eye on it.
- Once toasted, transfer the quinoa to either a spice grinder, or a high-powered blender. Blend/grind the quinoa on high for 1 minute until it’s a fine powder.
- Place a fine mesh strainer over a bowl and add the quinoa mixture. Sift until only large chunks remain.
- If the quinoa was toasted, allow the flour to cool completely before storing. If not, transfer it to a sealed container and store until you’re ready to use it!
Nutrition
Natalie Monson
I'm a registered dietitian, mom of 4, avid lover of food and strong promoter of healthy habits. Here you will find lots of delicious recipes full of fruits and veggies, tips for getting your kids to eat better and become intuitive eaters and lots of resources for feeding your family.
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Definitely going to try making this quinoa flour – and the pumpkin pancakes (already pinned…)!
Thanks!
generally when quinoa is used it is washed first- is this a step that should be considered prior to grinding?
I was going to ask the same thing!
Darn! I’m wondering the same thing.
Yes
Thanks! I definitely needed to know that!!
Can you add to the flour yeast? So I can make puzza?
Washing it first?
It is always a good idea to rinse your quinoa first. Thanks!
when toasting, do you put the quinoa in a cold or heated skillet?
Quinoa is pretty delicate so I would add to a cool skillet.
You need to wash the quinoa first or the flour will have that bitter taste at the end from the saponin coating. In fact, one of the issues with buying quinoa flour is you don’t know if they washed it first. Knowing how industrialized commerce works and how they cut out any excess labor not sure they will take the time to do this. Wash first to remove that saponin coating.
after Washing the quinoa you want it to be completely dry before you dry roast it.
You can either just pour it onto paper towels and let it dry or spin it into a salad spinner which has a very small mesh.
Once washed and dried you can then dry roast it for 3-4 mins in dry skillet.
This is fantastic! Just ground my first batch yesterday and did half and half batch (whole wheat and quinoa ) muffins this morning. YUM!!!
Make Quinoa Flour according to your recipe is so easy. I have pined it and try to do when I have a time.
Thanks Natalie!
oh. If I can homemade Quinoa Flour, it would be convenient. I see your recipe very simple. So I think I can make it. I will try. Thanks you!
Csn you just re-grind the remnants after straining the flour? Can you provide the recipe for the breakfast cereal that you make withThe remnants? Do you cook it, eat it raw, mix in other ingredients? Thanks
You could definitely regrind them. The breakfast cereal we like is this: https://www.superhealthykids.com/recipes/quinoa-breakfast-mango-coconut/
a really nice flavor
So delicious, It doesn’t difficult with me. I will try it. Thank you!
great taste! Love it. Thank you!
Hi I have done this method to make quinoa flour, but you mention the bigger bits when sifting, to keep for cereal, how do I make cereal with those bits please?
Cook it like you would Cream of Wheat cereal! Simmer it with some water or milk on the stove until thickened. 🙂
Thank you. So easy to make. Can’t wait to try it!
Can you use the flour like oatmeal and don’t need to cook it?
I am making protein balls.
Yes! You can add the flour to protein balls- no need to cook it. 🙂
it was great with pancake
I loved this
Brilliant recipe. Thank you so much. I’ve only just discovered quinoa and love it so any new recipe or ways to use it is great for me
I will try washing it and drying it first because it is always recommended, I washed my quinoa before cooking, I will definitely try this Thank you!
This might be a dumb question…does turning quinoa into flour change its shelf life?
It shouldn’t, no. 🙂 But you can extend it’s shelf life by keeping it in the freezer!
So , I have a problem in that none of the grain is ever washed. I even use organic and still worry about this. Is this how they sell quinoa flour in stores?…they just grind ?
Most quinoa that is packaged and sold in stores has been pre-rinsed. Also, we have done a lot of research and found that it really isn’t necessary to do this at home.
You skipped a step. Quinoa is coated with saponin which
Can have an ill effect on the digestive system. It should be rinsed before use to remove this. The rest of the procedure looks great and I will try it. Plan to substitute this flour for oat flour in my oat cake recipe.
do you rinse the quinoa at all?
If not,I m afraid about the taste!!!!
Yes! I always rinse my quinoa before using it in a recipe or cooking it. Great question!
Can I use this to replace all of the flour in other recipes like pancakes or muffins?
The short answer is no. If you only use quinoa flour to replace all-purpose, your pancake, muffin, waffle, etc will like crumble and fall apart. You will need another ‘binder flour’ that will work with quinoa flour to hold it together. You can try 1/2 quinoa flour and 1/2 rice flour + 2-4 tablespoons tapioca starch. Good luck!
How many cups of flour do you usually get out of 1 cup dry uncooked quinoa?
Roughly 1/2 cup.