Cooking quinoa is easy, but there is an important step you must follow, or you risk developing a sensitivity or allergy to quinoa.
Quinoa is a very nutritious grain, and an ideal food as part of a gluten free diet. It is very popular with celiacs and those with a gluten allergy.
However, a small minority of people report becoming sick after eating quinoa, usually after consuming it for some time. This is a real shame, as quinoa is very tasty, extremely nutritious, and easy to cook. It is versatile, and can be used in many ways.
The most likely problem is saponin, which protects the plant from insect and fungal attack. This is a soapy substance which can be washed out of the quinoa pseudograin. It has a bitter taste, and possible minor toxic effects.
Because of the bitter taste and possible toxicity, it is important that you wash out most saponin before cooking the quinoa. It certainly is not a very dangerous substance, nor is it as bitter as fish bile, so you do not have to take the same care with washing your quinoa as you would with preparing a puffer fish or something.
Washing Quinoa
There are several ways to wash quinoa.
You can put it into a sieve, one with a fine enough mesh to trap even the smallest seeds. Then run it under the tap, shaking the sieve gently from side to side, until the water runs clear.
Or you can immerse the sieve in a big bowl of water. Rub the seeds with your fingers to help shift the saponin. Repeat two or three times until the water is clear and no foam forms on the surface.
Or you can put the quinoa in a blender with some water, and pulse it a few times to agitate the mixture, but not actually chop up the seeds. Drain it through a sieve.
Cooking Quinoa
Put quinoa in a pot, with water in a 1:2 ratio (twice as much water). It takes approximately 12 minutes to cook. Allow a little longer (15 minutes or so) if cooking with other acidic ingredients.
A dash of salt brings out the flavor, although some people prefer to cook without salt and are used to the reduced flavor.
{ 33 comments… read them below or add one }
Unlike most people here I had never tried quinoa until tonight. I have been following a wheat-free diet because of a slight sensitivity, so I thought I’d give quinoa a shot. I finished dinner 4 hours ago, went to bed 3 hours ago, and was awakened by a nasty stomach ache half an hour ago. I have IBS, so I just assumed it was too much citrus or something, but that doesn’t involve being violently sick and wheezing! I must have an allergy 🙁 too bad we just bought two 1-pound bags of the stuff!
I think I must have had an allergic reaction to quinoa-we had it for dinner last night. I vomited and had diarrhea from 9 p.m. to early this morning—I took Immodium for diarrhea around 1 a.m. and then 2 other doses—at 5 a.m. my hands started itching like from shellfish allergy in the past, and then I itched gradually all over, and had welts everywhere, and got hoarse. We went to the ER, and I told them I had cous-cous–did not realize it was quinoa. They thought it was that or the Immodium. I am thinking it was more the quinoa. On steroids now for 5 days.
You’re better off without the immodium. If your body wants it out, let it out as quickly as possible!
You may be allergic to quinoa, or you may have got the flu, or some other type of food poisoning …
Has anyone heard of quinoa causing a urine sample test for drugs/benzodiazepines to be positive or slightly positive?
I had severe stomach pain for weeks and could not understand what was causing it. At one point the pain was so bad. I experienced nausea throughout the day and dizziness. The pain was so bad, I was shaking. I took ultrasounds, did blood tests, and gave urine samples.
Finally, i realized after buying a quinoa salad at my local Metro grocery store, that the mind blowing came back. I was rocking in my bed and my boyfriend didn’t know what to do. Finally, I took some Tylenol to help with the pain and finally…I fell asleep.
I had been eating quinoa straight for a year…but now… I just don’t feel it’s worth the pain.
I used to eat quinoa with no problem until a couple months back. I get severe stomach cramps. I feel like is somebody were drilling a hole through my stomach. I tried rinsing with water, but it didn’t work. I thinking about not eating it ever again. The pain just isn’t worth it.
I was so grateful to find this site with others who suffered from quinoa allergies too. I have been in the hospital twice in the last week. I was fine with eating the occasional quinoa before but this last bout I ate it 5 days in a row. I had such violent stomach reactions and pain, it felt like labor only it was higher up in my stomach. I was also vomiting so much. I hardly ever get sick and certainly not stomach and vomiting. The hospital checked me out for all major issues and just ruled it to be gastro stuff. For days after, I was still quizzy stomach and the odd throw up. I went back to the hospital as I had severe pains again, they even did ultra sound CT scan but found nothing. They thought it may be a stomach virus. No one else in my family had gotten sick, I was the only one that ate quinoa. I am very sure that it was the quinoa, since talking to people, several of my friends said they were extremely gassy and uncomfortable after eating it as well. I won’t be trying it anymore. I did wash mine as well. When they say the saponin has minor toxic effect, it certainly was for me.
I made a tasty chicken and walnut quinoa salad and was fine after eating the first serving. The next day I had some more and felt extremely nauseated for hours afterward. Two hours after eating the final serving I got violently ill. I think my body was not able to digest this, judging from what came back up. (Sorry for the gross factor). I have no other food allergies and 4 hours later I felt much better. I did rinse the quinoa, as I had read to do that. Glad I could find some information out there that other people unfortunately have suffered through this. I will not be eating it again, which is a shame as it is a great source of fiber and protein, but simply not worth getting sick over.
I too have found that every time I eat quinoa I get nausea. I think it is worse when it is combined with meat- possibly too much protein?
My reaction was also after eating meat. It was so severe. Everytime I ate meat after that, I would be nauseous and vomiting. Mine was more extreme than most. I have been doing a vegan diet for 1 month to get rid of that sick feeling. No more quinoa for me. I just starting to feel “normal” again.
I have not thrown up since I was 18. I am now 39 and have thrown up twice in the past month. the only thing in common between these two occasions was that I had eaten quinoa approx 3 hours before getting sick. I have eaten quinoa in the past without problems. I was under the assumption that quinoa is such a benign type of food….it doesn’t have gluten…so it seemed odd to think it could be a reaction to it. Now after reading the above entries I do think this is what it is. I’m curious to know for sure but hesitant to go through it again!
I used to eat quinoa quite often, and then about a year ago I had my first allergic reaction. I wasn’t sure if it was the quinoa or something else, so I just steered clear of the two possible culprits. I tried quinoa again last night and I had severe upper abdominal pain and back pain again for about 5-6 hours. My husband ate it and had no problems whatsoever.
I would like to know just HOW rare it is for people to develop an allergy or sensitivity to quinoa, and if there is anything people with quinoa allergies have in common.
The only place I’ve heard of problems with Quinoa is on this website. This is probably because if you search for anything related to quinoa and sick or alleriges, you will find this article, so it is about the only place for people to share their problems with quinoa.
This is the first link that shows up when doing a search on quinoa and allergies, but it is not the “only” place I have found people complaining of adverse reactions. While quinoa may be a great food for most people, it is painfully obvious to me that it is not great for all people. Some of us clearly have a sensitivity to it, and I don’t really think it is right to discount our experiences with it. I would guess that as the popularity of quinoa grows, more people will discover they have a sensitivity to it, even if it is a minority of people. I would never tell someone who hadn’t tried quinoa to never try it because as you stated, it can be a great addition to most people’s diets…just not everyone.
Agreed. I just wouldn’t want someone to assume that quinoa is dangerous because a majority of comments are about adverse reactions.
I used to be able to eat quinoa, and loved it. The last two times (a month apart) I became violently ill, the 1st time after two bowls: vomiting for several hours during the night, crawling to and from the bathroom. The 2nd time at work, ate a quinoa and kale dish bought at a local grocery store. About an hour later, severe stomach cramping followed by vomiting and when finished, I struggled to drive myself home. I read that it is the Saponin compound that causes this reaction in some. Sadly, I will not be partaking of this little seed again.
I was wondering if anyone as experienced dizziness after eating quinoa.
The reason the cooking instructions don’t mention rinsing the quinoa is because on the front of the box it has a note that it has been washed already (I’m assuming the Ancient Harvest brand, as it is the most common). Even so, I rinse my quinoa again before cooking – and I still wind up sick with stomach and back pain. I’m sad about it because I LOVE quinoa. But it’s really not worth having to lie in bed for a couple hours every time I eat it, so….
I too have also eaten quinoa many times in the past and felt fine afterwards but the last two times I have become severly nauseous afterward and vomited. I dont think I will take the chance again. Can rinsing really make that much difference? why is that not said on the cooking instructions?
I suspect that once you become sensitive to quinoa, rinsing will not on its own reverse the problem.
You may lose the sensitivity if you cut it out of your diet for a few months (try a year since the symptoms are nasty) – then if you are brave enough to try it, rinse the quinoa before eating it.
No one will blame you if you never want to try it again!
My daughter has been diagnosed with quite a few allergies. Quinoa is something she likes and we’ve purchased by the box in a health food store. There were no directions that stated it should be washed prior to cooking. Is there other ways to purchase this, or does it only come in “box form”?
You can buy quinoa in bulk. Stores that sell it in bulk may sell you a 10 or 20 pound bag at a discount.
My mom ate quinoa. Had to admit her to the hospital. Thirty thousand dollars later they could not find her problem. They determined that she had a miny stroke, but now I know that it was the quinoa. Makes me wonder about the medical care when they could not figure out that it was an allergic reaction.
I have tried quinoa twice. On both occasions I developed severe resperitory infection the next day. Not 100% positive it is due to quinoa, but have an overwhelming suspicion since both instances were very similar.
Love quinoa
My family loves quinoa and we have never had any problems with it. Even our dog enjoys it with us from time to time! 😀
Good news quinoa!
So glad to hear some good news about quinoa!
Most people are fine with it.
This post seems to attract a lot of comments from people who have had problems with quinoa, but of all the people that eat quinoa, only a tiny minority have problems.
Nice to hear from the happy segment!
Mild allergy can only be related to quinoa
I have had an allergic reaction now on 2 occasions that seemed bizarre to me because I don’t usually have allergic reaction to foods. Several months ago I had some crunchmaster crackers from Sam’s and experienced a strange swelling (anaphylactic type response) around my mouth — it went away with benadryl. Yesterday I made quinoa veggie burgers for the family and had a more severe swelling again around my mouth along with back pain and also leg pain. I also experienced mild cramping in my intestinal area. Again, I took benadryl and the swelling subsided gradually. I rinse the grains always very well and cook according to directions. I’m guessing they did the same in the crackers. I have had quinoa years before without reaction although I do not eat it often. I’m saddened to now relate these reactions to quinoa and probably won’t risk a more severe reaction by continuing to try it being the second reaction was worse than the first. No one else in my family seems to have this same reaction….
I tried quinoa for the first time last night. This morning I woke up with hives all over my back, chest, neck and arms.
My daughter (who served it) forgot to wash it first.
Now I’m afraid to try it again. Bummer, I really liked it
I DID TOO! Which brought me here because I ate it for a week (off and on) and broke out in hives. I havent experienced anything severe, but YIKES!!! I did forget to wash the quinoa before cooking though. Yes, the itching is brutal!
Quinoa
Quinoa makes me feel nausiated and sick to my stomach. I have tried it 4 or 5 times and it is off my list as a food to eat.
nausea after eating quinoa
I have twice experienced severe nausea and vomiting after eating boiled quinoa – maybe the saponin – I had eaten it numerous times in the past year but the last two times I got severe nausea about 3 hours after eating it – my husband did not experience the illness. The first time I had cooked with applejuice to eat for breakfast and yesterday I cooked with 2 percent milk. Don’t know if I will be brave enough to try it again.
Give quinoa a rest for a while
I understand why you might not be brave enough to try it again.
Certainly you should give quinoa a rest for at least a month, before deciding if you want to try it again.
Good luck!
stomach issues after eating quinoa
i have been eating quinoa for about a year and love it. i have used it in salads and as a side dish with sauteed vegatables. recently i have cooked it plain for breakfast with different fruits. the last batch i cooked and ate for breakfast gave me severe stomach pain about 2 hours after eating it and lasted for several hours. i dont plan on giving up on it, since it is the “super grain of the future” i will try rinsing it as suggested above.