Instant Pot Hibachi Fried Quinoa

Hibachi Fried Quinoa

The first recipe of mine to go “viral” and put me on the map as a trusted recipe creator was my Instant Pot rendition of Hibachi Fried Rice. So many have written to tell me it’s their favorite recipe and they make it foten as it reminds them of being at Benihana and the likes. Now you’re getting a version of this dish where we will use a healthy, springy grain known as quinoa (pronounced “keen-wa”) in place of the rice, making it healthier and guilt-free with all of the satisfaction. If you were ever hesitant about trying quinoa, now is the time to fall in love with Hibachi Fried Quinoa. And if you want the sauces to go with it, check out Jeff’s Tips in the recipe card below.

Wattch The Video!

Instant Pot Hibachi Fried Quinoa

I’ll Keep It Short & Simple

Man holding cookbook
This recipe comes from my Super Shortcut Instant Pot cookbook (the green one), where no recipe exceeds ten basic ingredients. This one only requires 7 (or less – see the recipe card below). It is super quick, easy and deliciously satisfying.

Cook The Quinoa

Rinsed quinoa in a fine-mesh strainer being added to Instant Pot
Rinse the quinoa through a fine-mesh strainer and then add it to the Instant Pot.
Adding broth to the quinoa in the Instant Pot
Add a broth of your choice…
Stirring the quinoa with the broth
…and then stir well…
Making sure quinoa is totally submerged in the broth
…making sure the quinoa is fully submerged in the broth. Secure the lid and pressure cook.
Pressure cooked quinoa
When done, the quinoa will have cooked perfectly and gotten nice and springy. Using a serving spoon…
Removing quinoa to a bowl
…transfer the quinoa to a large serving bowl. Set that aside for the time being.

Sauté Away

Adding sesame oil to Instant Pot and heating it up
Now it’s time to act like a fun hibachi chef (with or without the wild antics). Add some sesame oil to the pot and give it some heat so the oil is hot.
Adding diced white onion to Instant Pot
Next up, we’ll add in a diced onion…
Adding a frozen vegetable blend to the Instant pot
…and a bag of a frozen vegetable blend (NOTE: you can use them frozen or let them thaw out a bit on the counter at the start of the recipe when cooking the quinoa).
Sautéing the veggies
Sauté for a few minutes until heated and the onion is softened to your liking (personally, I like my onion with a slight crunch in this case).

Make it Egg-cellent

Moving the veggies over to one side of the pot
One of the best things about hibachi fried quinoa (and rice) is adding egg to it, so we’re definitely doing that here as well. Move the veggies over to one side of the pot…
Pouring beaten eggs into the other side.
…and then pour three lightly beaten eggs into the space.
Scrambling the eggs with a spatula
Scramble the eggs for about a minute until it begins to firm up a bit.
Mixing the eggs with the veggies
Then we’ll mix it together with all the veggies!

Let’s Get Married

Returning the cooked quinoa to the Instant Pot
Let’s combine everything together now, shall we? Return the quinoa to the pot…
Adding soy sauce to the pot
…add some soy sauce (I use low-sodium), tamari or coconut aminos…
Adding sesame seeds to the pot
…and some sesame seeds, if desired.
Mixing everything together until combined.
Mix until everything is well-combined and that’s all it takes! Hibachi Fried Quinoa is served.

The Taste Test

Man smiling at the plated Hibachi Fried Quinoa with fork in hand
Now let’s but some spring in our bite.
Man trying food
Give it a try.
Man giving it a thumbs-up.
And known that this recipe is going to become one of your new, healthy best friends whenever the mood strikes. Hibachi Fried Quinoa goes as a great side to my Chicken Teriyaki!
Yield: 6

Instant Pot Hibachi Fried Quinoa

Instant Pot Hibachi Fried Quinoa

The first recipe of mine to go "viral" and put me on the map as a trusted recipe creator was my Instant Pot rendition of Hibachi Fried Rice. So many have written to tell me it's their favorite recipe and they make it foten as it reminds them of being at Benihana and the likes. Now you're getting a version of this dish where we will use a healthy, springy grain known as quinoa (pronounced "keen-wa") in place of the rice, making it healthier and guilt-free with all of the satisfaction. If you were ever hesitant about trying quinoa, now is the time to fall in love with Hibachi Fried Quinoa.

Prep Time 5 minutes
Cook Time 1 minute
Additional Time 15 minutes
Total Time 21 minutes

Ingredients

  • 2 cups quinoa, rinsed
  • 2 cups broth of your choice (I like chicken or garlic broth, using Better Than Bouillon base by mixing 2 teaspoons of the base with 2 cups of water to form 2 cups of broth)
  • 2 tablespoons sesame oil (any kind)
  • 1 white or yellow onion, diced
  • 20-24 ounces frozen vegetable blend (I use one with corn, carrots, peas, and green beans - feel free to let them sit out and the a bit when you begin the recipe)
  • 3 large eggs, lightly beaten
  • 1/3 cup low-sodium soy sauce, tamari or coconut aminos
  • 2 tablespoons sesame seeds, plus more for topping (optional)

Instructions

  1. Add the rinsed quinoa to the Instant Pot followed byt the broth and stir. Secure the lid, move the valve to the sealing position , and hit Pressure Cook or Manual on High Pressure for 1 minute. When done, allow a 10-minute natural release followed by a quick release.  (NOTE: If the pin on the lid drops early where all the steam will have released on its own without requiring a quick release, still wait the full 10 minutes to remove the lid).
  2. When the quinoa is done, remove to a bowl and set aside. Don't worry if some grains are still in the pot as we don't want to rinse.
  3. Add the sesame oil to the pot and hit Cancel followed by the Sauté button and Adjust so it's on the More or High setting. After 2 minutes of heating, add the onion and frozen veggies and sauté for 3-5 minutes, until lightly softened.
  4. Move the veggies to one side of the pot. Pour the beaten eggs into the other side and tir constantly to scramble. After 1 minute of scrambling the eggs, mix them with the veggies.
  5. Hit Cancel to turn the pot off. Return the quinoa to the pot and top with the soy sauce and sesame seeds (if using). Stir until all is combined and top with additional sesame seeds, if desired. Goes great with my Chicken Teriyaki!

Jeffrey's Tips

To make this vegan, omit the eggs.

MAKE THESE SAUCES TO GO WITH IT!:

JAPANESE MUSTARD SAUCE

  • 2 tablespoons ground mustard powder (the typical stuff you’d find in the spice section)
  • 1 1/2 teaspoons white sugar
  • 1/4 cup milk
  • 2 tablespoons heavy cream
  • 1/4 cup soy sauce (low sodium is best), tamari or coconut aminos
  • 1 teaspoon crushed garlic

JAPANESE GINGER SAUCE

  • 1/2 cup soy sauce (low sodium is best), tamari or coconut aminos
  • 1/4 teaspoon white vinegar
  • 2 tablespoons lemon juice
  • 1/2 teaspoon white sugar
  • 1/2 tablespoon onion powder
  • 1 teaspoon crushed garlic
  • 2 tablespoons minced/crushed ginger

YUM YUM SAUCE

  • 1 cup mayonnaise
  • 1 tablespoon melted butter
  • 1 teaspoon tomato paste
  • 1 teaspoon white sugar
  • 1/2 teaspoon paprika
  • 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
  • 1/2 teaspoons salt
  • 2 tablespoons water

Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. Maureen

    Hello! I came across this recipe on You Tube and I like quinoa, so I wanted to try it. You mention sesame oil on the video and in the comments with the recipe but the printed version uses vegetable oil as the ingredient. I used to proof read all my kids papers, so I wanted to point this out just in case it wasn’t intentional. Thank you for the recipe, I am looking forward to trying it!!

  2. Joanne Couture

    This is unbelievably delicious. It’s even good cold. My husband, who had to be coerced to try it since he’s not very adventurous, loved it too. Now on my list of favorites from you Jeffrey. Well done!

  3. Sunshine Bob

    Hi Jeff!
    I’ll be making this for dinner tonight.
    I just wanted to point out that in the recipe ingredients you list, 2 tablespoons vegetable oil. Everywhere else, description & video, it’s sesame oil.
    Have a great day!
    Bob

  4. Mike Warren

    “Add the sesame oil”?? What sesame oil? Same amt as vegetable oil? Or is there sesame oil PLUS vegetable oil?

    • Jeffrey

      Whoops! I meant sesame oil in stead of vegetable oil and have since corrected. But you can totally use any oil you want!

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