Quinoa Granola ~ The BEST Yogurt Topping!

I've been making this Quinoa Granola for years, but was ecstatic when I realized it would be even easier to make in the Ninja Foodi Pressure Cooker & Air Crisper!

Don't worry if you don't have the Ninja Foodi Pressure Cooker & Air Crisper though, you can still make this delicious quinoa granola by using the stove and oven or your instant pot and oven or, of course, the Instant Pot Duo Crisp!

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Not only is quinoa granola the BEST yogurt topping, it also makes a really great cereal. You can also modify the recipe some and make granola bars. I plan on working on a recipe for this soon!

If you haven't made your own yogurt yet, do it! It is so easy in the Ninja Foodi and most Instant Pots and the flavor is so much better than store-bought. I make a batch a week without any sweeteners and strain it for a thick Greek yogurt.

Here is my recipe for Yogurt in the Ninja Foodi if don't have a yogurt function, but have the dehydration function.

I used a plain quinoa granola and strawberry jam for the topping in this picture. YUM!

Homemade Yogurt in the Ninja Foodi

Frequently Asked Questions

What Variations of Quinoa Granola can I Make?

The sky is the limit here. I make mine with almonds and dried cranberries, but you could use any type of nuts or dried fruit you like.

You can skip the nuts and use all dried fruit or vice versa. There are so many possibilities, but here are some that sound delicious to me.

Almond Joy Quinoa Granola: Follow the same recipe, but add in shredded coconut & almonds. Once you have air crisped or baked the mixture, add in some chocolate chips.

Blueberry Lemon Quinoa Granola: Follow the same recipe, but use dried blueberries instead of the dried cranberries and some lemon zest. You could even add some pecans to this one.

Maple Pecan Quinoa Granola: Follow the same recipe, but instead of the honey, use maple syrup. Use pecans instead of almonds and skip the dried fruit.

Apple Cinnamon Quinoa Granola: This would work best with dried apples, so I would either use the dried apples or make a cinnamon quinoa granola and dice fresh apples when serving. You would still follow the same recipe, but add in about ¼-½ tsp of ground cinnamon before you PC the quinoa. Less is more with cinnamon, if you add too much it can be overpowering.

There are tons of other types of quinoa granola you can make, so get creative, have fun and make it delicious! Please let me know what flavors you come up with!

How do I Make this without the Ninja Foodi or Instant Pot Duo Crisp?

It's easy and like I said, I've been making it for years. Simple cook the quinoa on the stove or even in your instant pot until it has just sprouted.

For the Instant Pot, I would use the same timing as I do in the recipe.

On the stove, it will vary. You definitely need more liquid when cooking it on the stove, so my suggestion is to follow the package instructions and reduce the time by a few minutes. You only want to cook the quinoa until it just starts to sprout.

Once the quinoa is done, mix in the other ingredients and spread it out on a parchment lined pan. Pop it in the oven and bake at about 300℉/150℃ for 15-20 minutes. If it seems like it is burning, lower the heat. The quinoa granola is done when it is no longer tacky to touch. As it cools, it will harden up and become crunchy.

You can also adjust the texture by cooking less for a softer granola.

Allow to cool completely and break it up if needed. I love the clusters, so I leave those alone!

How to Make Quinoa Granola in the Ninja Foodi or Instant Pot Duo Crisp

This is a super quick and easy recipe using the pressure cooker and the air crisper/fryer.

The first thing is to pressure cook the quinoa. The idea is to PC it just enough that it sprouts, but not so much that it's super soft. I have tested this recipe multiple times and the way it works the best for me is to use ½ cup of quinoa to ½ cup PLUS 2 Tablespoons of water.

If you have the 5qt Ninja Foodi, decrease that to ½ cup quinoa to ½ cup PLUS 1 Tablespoon of water.

If you have the 8qt Ninja Foodi, increase that to ½ cup quinoa to ½ cup PLUS 3 Tablespoons of water.

The reason for the difference due to size is because the bigger the size of the Ninja Foodi, the more steam that needs to be produced to go under pressure. The steam is produced by evaporating liquid, so when making recipes that use a very small amount of liquid and the food being cooked absorbs the water, you need to make slight adjustments for the best outcome.

My ratios in the recipe are slightly different from the video demo on YouTube because I've made it several times since filming that video and on a few occasions, the quinoa was slightly undercooked. Not enough that I would remake the video, but enough that I altered the recipe a bit.

Add the quinoa and water to the inner pot of the Ninja Foodi and stir so the quinoa is mostly covered with the water. Because of the convex shape of the bottom of the inner pot, I push the quinoa to the outer part of the pot so it doesn't burn and has water covering it.

Put the pressure lid on and set high pressure for 1 minutes. When the time is up allow the pot to natural release for 5 minutes. Remove the lid and stir the quinoa. It should have absorbed all of the water and just starting to sprout.

If it hasn't sprouted, add a few tablespoons of water and use sear/sauté to finish cooking it.

If there is water left, stir and put the lid on let it sit for a few more minutes.

Here is what it should look like when it's done.

Next add in the honey, chopped almonds, and craisins. Give a good stir and close the crisping lid.

Select the air crisp or air fry function, set the temperature to 400℉/200℃ and the time to 10 minutes. Stir every 3 minutes until it browns and dries. You can tell when you stir, if it still looks a little wet, keep going. Usually it takes between 8-10 minutes, but keep a close eye on it.

When the Quinoa Granola is done, spread it out onto a parchment lined tray and let it cool. It will crisp up as it cools.

Store it in sealed container. I like to use a mason jar, but any container will work. Just make sure it is completely cool before storing. I keep it on the counter, but you can also store it in the fridge, just make sure it is sealed well.

Top your yogurt with this delicious quinoa granola, eat it as a snack, or add some milk and have a bowl of cereal. Enjoy!