Buttery Garlic Quinoa

by Sabrina Snyder

Last Update:

2 Comments

5 from 1 vote
8 Servings
Prep Time 10 minutes
Cook Time 15 minutes
Total Time 25 minutes
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Buttery Garlic Quinoa is an easy, flavorful, fluffy side dish that you can quickly make and serve with any of your favorite dishes! Try soon!

Quinoa is a simple Side Dish with a mildly sweet and nutty taste. It is similar to Brown Rice or Easy Wild Rice as in it’s a great base recipe to which you can add a variety of ingredients and flavors.

Sabrina’s Buttery Garlic Quinoa Recipe

Garlic Buttery Quinoa is a simple yet flavorful side dish that transforms quinoa into something rich, savory, and comforting. Quinoa is a versatile dish that’s great to add to your daily diet. It is simple to make with a chewy, fluffy texture that pairs perfectly with a variety of food. Quinoa is also wonderfully healthy as it’s packed with nutrients, fiber, and minerals. Plus, it’s gluten-free so it is a great choice for anyone on gluten-free diets.

Recipe Card

Dinner, then Dessert

Buttery Garlic Quinoa Recipe

Buttery Garlic Quinoa is an easy, flavorful, fluffy side dish that you can quickly make and serve with any of your favorite dishes! Try soon!
Yield 8 Servings
Prep Time 10 minutes
Cook Time 15 minutes
Total Time 25 minutes
Course Dinner
Cuisine American
Author Sabrina Snyder
Top view of cooked ingredients in a white bowl
PrintRate

Ingredients
 

  • 2 tablespoons unsalted butter
  • 1/2 cup onion , chopped
  • 4 cloves garlic , minced
  • 1 cup quinoa , rinsed well, and drained
  • 2 cups chicken broth
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt

Instructions

  • Add butter to a medium saucepan on medium heat.
  • Add onion, cooking for 5-6 minutes until onions are translucent.
  • Add in garlic, stir and cook for 30 seconds.
  • Add quinoa, chicken broth, and salt, stir well.
  • Bring to a boil, then reduce to a simmer.
  • Cook, covered, for 15-18 minutes until broth is absorbed.
  • Fluff with a fork before serving.

Nutrition

Calories: 112kcal | Carbohydrates: 15g | Protein: 3g | Fat: 4g | Saturated Fat: 2g | Trans Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 8mg | Sodium: 362mg | Potassium: 188mg | Fiber: 2g | Sugar: 1g | Vitamin A: 92IU | Vitamin C: 5mg | Calcium: 19mg | Iron: 1mg

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Chef’s Note

For some extra texture and flavor, add sautéed mushrooms to the mix. Slice the mushrooms and sauté them in a separate pan. When the quinoa is done, mix the mushrooms in before serving.

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About This Recipe

Even though it’s made with simple ingredients, the combination of garlic and butter adds depth and richness, making the quinoa feel more indulgent while still staying light and versatile. The texture is soft and fluffy with a slight bite, which makes it a great alternative to rice or pasta. It pairs well with everything from roasted vegetables to chicken, seafood, or grilled meats, Whether served as a side or used as a base for bowls, Garlic Buttery Quinoa is an easy way to add extra flavor and comfort to a meal.

Can this be made ahead of time?

Yes, in fact, it works beautifully for meal prep because it reheats well without losing its texture. You can store this in your fridge in an air tight container and keep in the fridge for up to 7 days. This works great for meal prepping or just to have ready on hand for a quick weeknight meal.

Pairing Suggestions

Buttery Garlic Quinoa is perfect to serve with any of your favorite weeknight meals. Just serve your favorite meat dishes over a bed of Buttery Garlic Quinoa. It would go well with Slow Cooker Tikka Masala Chicken, Brown Sugar Sriracha Chicken, or any number of delicious family dinners. Essentially, any recipe where you’d typically serve rice would also taste amazing with Buttery Garlic Quinoa.

How To Store

  • Serve: Don’t leave cooked Buttery Garlic Quinoa at room temperature for more than 2 hours.
  • Store: Seal the dish in an airtight container to store in the fridge for up to 7 days.
  • Freeze: You could also seal and freeze the quinoa for up to 3 months.

Frequent Questions

What vegetables are good added to quinoa?

There are a variety of other roasted vegetables you can add like green peppers, roasted asparagus, carrots, broccoli, or peas. Chop your choice of roasted vegetables into bite-sized pieces and stir them with the Buttery Garlic Quinoa before serving.

What seasonings could I use with Buttery Garlic Quinoa?

You can add a variety of herbs and spices for some extra flavor in the recipe. Try mixing in fresh parsley, black pepper, rosemary, cilantro, basil, bay leaves, or thyme.

Can I add cheese to this quinoa recipe?

A great way to add some melty texture and more savory flavor is to top your quinoa off with some extra cheese. Parmesan, mozzarella, provolone, or cheddar cheese would taste great.

Does lemon go well with quinoa?

For some refreshing, citrus flavor, squeeze fresh lemon juice over the top of the quinoa before serving.

Variations

  • Salad: Quinoa is also a good base for a salad. Cook the Buttery Garlic Quinoa as usual, then toss your favorite green salad with leafy veggies like spinach or kale. Add in some diced tomatoes, cucumber, bell pepper, onions, and any other vegetables you like. Toss the whole salad with your quinoa and enjoy!
  • Soup: You can also stir quinoa into your favorite soup recipes to make them more filling.
  • Bowl: Or, serve it up in a protein-rich bowl of beans and veggies for an easy side or lunch dish.

More Flavorful Sides

Buttery Garlic Quinoa Collage

Photos Used In Previous Posts

Cooked ingredients in serving dish with spoon
Closeup of cooked ingredients with a spoon for serving
Cooked ingredients finished cooking in pan
Cooked ingredients in white serving dish with spoon
Collage of prep steps and ingredients in bowls

About the Author: Sabrina Snyder

Sabrina is a professionally trained Private Chef of over 10 years with ServSafe Manager certification in food safety. She creates all the recipes here on Dinner, then Dessert, fueled in no small part by her love for bacon.

Sabrina Snyder is a professionally trained personal and private chef of over 10 years who is the creator and developer of all the recipes on Dinner, then Dessert.

She is also the author of the cookbook Dinner, then Dessert – Satisfying Meals Using Only 3, 5 or 7 Ingredients, published by Harper Collins.

She started Dinner, then Dessert as a business in her office as a lunch service for her coworkers who admired her lunches before going to culinary school and becoming a full time personal chef and private chef.

As a personal chef Sabrina would cook for families one day a week and cook their entire week of dinners. All grocery shopping, cooking and cleaning was done along with instructions on reheating. As a private chef she cooked for private parties and cooked in family homes in the evenings for families on a nightly basis after working as a personal chef during the day.

Sabrina has been certified as a ServSafe Manager since 2007 and was a longstanding member of the USPCA Personal Chef Association including being on the board of the Washington DC Chapter of Chefs in the US Personal Chef Association when they won Chapter of the year.

As a member of the community of food website creators Sabrina Snyder has spoken at many conferences regarding her experiences as a food writer including the Indulge Food Conference, Everything Food Conference, Haven Food Conference and IACP Annual Food Professionals Conference.

Sabrina lives with her family in sunny California.

See more posts by Sabrina

Dinner, then Dessert, Inc. owns the copyright on all images and text and does not allow for its original recipes and pictures to be reproduced anywhere other than at this site unless authorization is given. Read my disclosure and copyright policy. This post may contain affiliate links.

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Comments

  1. Sautéing the onions and garlic in butter first adds so much depth that you usually don’t get with plain quinoa. It’s the perfect healthy swap for rice, and my whole family actually enjoyed it

    Reply

    1. It absolutely does, and I’m glad it was enjoyed by the entire family. Thank you for the 5 star review!

      Reply