A flavorful, vegan Instant Pot quinoa burrito bowl is an easy, weeknight meal. It also works great as a meal prep recipe for the week!
Jump to:
No Instant Pot? No problem! Try my easy tofu burrito bowl or a delicious chipotle-lime burrito bowl instead!
The Instant Pot is my favorite way to cook quinoa, and this Instant Pot quinoa burrito bowl comes together all in that one pot!
You sauté the veggies and cook the quinoa, corn, and beans all in your Instant Pot. Then, divvy up that mixture and add your burrito bowl toppings of choice!
I have some toppings suggestions in the recipe card below, but feel free to mix and match to build the quinoa burrito bowl of your DREAMS!
Ingredients and substitutions
- oil - To sauté. You can water fry the veggies, if you want this to be an oil-free recipe.
- peppers, onions, and garlic - These veggies add flavor and texture to your quinoa burrito bowl mixture!
- salt and spices - Cumin, coriander, oregano, and paprika or chili powder combine to season the quinoa, corn, and beans.
- quinoa - The base for your burrito bowl! You can use white rice instead, just reduce the water to 1 ¼ cups.
- corn kernels - Choose fresh or frozen. You can omit these, if you don't like corn in your burrito bowls.
- beans - Black or pinto beans work best in this recipe. You want a 15-ounce can or 1 ¾ cups cooked beans. We are not cooking them from dried in this recipe.
- lime juice - For finishing. Lime juice adds acidity which works so well with quinoa's earthy flavor!
- toppings - Choose your favorite burrito bowl toppings! If you need ideas, choose from: vegan cheese shreds, guacamole or fresh avocado, salsa, cilantro, green onion, tomato, black olives, cucumber, and crushed tortilla chips.
How to make an Instant Pot quinoa burrito bowl
Hit your Instant Pot's saute button, and cook the bell pepper, onion, and garlic until they just start to brown.
Add the dried spices, salt, and quinoa to the pot. Stir constantly to toast for just a minute, then add the water, stirring one more time.
Now add the beans and corn to the pot, but don't stir them in, as this can cause a burn warning, depending on your pot.
Cover the pot, lock the lid, and cook at pressure for 6 minutes with a 10-minute natural release.
Then, open the pot, add the lime juice, and fluff the quinoa with a fork.
Divvy up the quinoa mixture between your bowls and pile on your toppings of choice!
Helpful tips
- After adding the spices and quinoa to the pot, stir constantly for just a minute. You just want to toast everything to bring out the flavors, but they can burn easily if you don't stir and then add the water after a short time.
- When you add the corn and beans, do not stir them in! Instant Pots love to give a burn warning, if they think there isn't enough liquid. Let the beans and corn just steam on top of the quinoa-veggie mixture.
Storage directions
Leftovers will keep for four to five days in the fridge in an airtight container. You can also divvy it up between meal prep containers for lunches.
I recommend storing the toppings separately, so you can reheat the quinoa burrito bowl without heating up toppings that are best fresh and cold on this dish, like cilantro or guacamole.
Frequently asked questions
Chances are, you let the natural release go for too long or used too much liquid.
Instant Pot quinoa burrito bowls are naturally gluten-free, as long as you don't choose any optional toppings that contain gluten.
More vegan quinoa recipes
Instant Pot Quinoa Burrito Bowl
Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 cup chopped bell pepper
- 1 cup chopped sweet onion
- 4 cloves of garlic - minced
- 1 tablespoon paprika - or chili powder
- 1 teaspoon cumin
- ½ teaspoon ground coriander
- ½ teaspoon dried oregano
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- 1 cup quinoa
- 1 ½ cups water
- 1 ½ cups corn kernels - fresh or frozen
- 15 ounce can of black or pinto beans - drained and rinsed
- 2 tablespoons lime juice
Toppings
- vegan sour cream
- vegan cheese shreds
- guacamole
- your favorite salsa/pico de gallo
- fresh cilantro
- green onion
- diced tomato
- black olives
- diced cucumber
- crushed tortilla chips
Instructions
- Hit your Instant Pot's saute button, and cook the bell pepper, onion, and garlic until they just start to brown. Add the dried spices, salt, and quinoa to the pot. Stir constantly to toast for just a minute, then add the water, stirring one more time.
- Add the beans and corn to the pot, but don't stir them in, as this can cause a burn warning, depending on your pot.
- Cover the pot, lock the lid, and cook at pressure for 6 minutes with a 10-minute natural release. Then, open the pot, add the lime juice, and fluff the quinoa with a fork.
- Divvy up the quinoa mixture between your bowls and pile on your toppings of choice!
Equipment
- Instant Pot or other pressure cooker with a sauté function
Tried this recipe? Have a question? Leave a reply!