Ever wondered how to cook quinoa that’s fluffy and full? If you follow these four steps, you’ll get perfectly quinoa every single time. To rinse quinoa, place your quinoa in a fine-mesh strainer and rinse under running water for at least 30 seconds, and then drain well. Combine quinoa and liquid in a saucepanNow that your quinoa is rinsed or toasted, it’s time to cook it. For 1 cup of uncooked quinoa, you’ll want to use 2 cups of water—this will yield 3 cups of cooked quinoa.