Rinse dry quinoa in a fine-mesh strainer under cold running water for 30 to 60 seconds, stirring with your fingers until the water runs clear. Shake off excess water. Use a ratio of 1 cup dry quinoa to 1½ cups water or broth. The sealed pressure cooker retains moisture, so less liquid is needed than stovetop. One cup dry yields about 3 cups cooked. Transfer rinsed quinoa to the inner pot, add measured liquid, and add a pinch of salt if desired.

Add rinsed quinoa and liquid to the inner pot. Secure the lid and turn the steam release valve to Sealing. Select Manual or Pressure Cook, set to HIGH pressure, and set the cook time to 1 minute. The pot will take several minutes to pressurize before the countdown starts — that is normal. When the cycle ends, do not open or vent immediately. Let the Instant Pot naturally release pressure for a full 10 minutes. Skipping this step causes gummy, wet quinoa. After 10 minutes, turn the valve to Venting to release remaining pressure. Wait for the float valve to fully drop before opening the lid. Open the lid away from you. For a stovetop pressure cooker, use a 1:1½ quinoa-to-water ratio. Seal and heat over medium. For a whistling-style cooker, let it whistle twice before turning off the heat, roughly 15 to 20 minutes total.

Open the lid and check that all liquid is absorbed and the spiral germ has separated from each grain — the sign quinoa is fully cooked. If liquid remains, replace the lid loosely and keep on Warm for 2 to 3 minutes. Fluff with a fork using light lifting strokes, not stirring. Rest uncovered 2 to 3 minutes to let steam escape and texture firm up. Serve immediately or refrigerate in an airtight container for up to 5 days.