Can quinoa be soaked and stored in the freezer?

Question

Yes! Learn how to soak and freeze quinoa. This simple meal-prep step saves you time and makes adding quinoa to meals incredibly easy.

Answer 1

Yes, quinoa can be soaked before freezing. Soaking helps remove saponins, improving taste and digestibility, and freezing preserves it for later use.

Detailed Explanation:

Soaking quinoa is a beneficial practice as it removes saponins, naturally occurring compounds that can give quinoa a bitter taste. Here's how to soak and freeze quinoa:

1. Rinse the Quinoa: Begin by rinsing the quinoa thoroughly under cold water using a fine-mesh sieve. This helps remove loose debris and some saponins.
2. Soak the Quinoa: Place the rinsed quinoa in a bowl and cover it with plenty of water. A good ratio is about 3 parts water to 1 part quinoa.
3. Soaking Time: Soak the quinoa for at least 15-30 minutes, or up to a few hours. Soaking for longer can further reduce the saponin content.
4. Drain and Rinse Again: After soaking, drain the quinoa and rinse it thoroughly under cold water until the water runs clear. This ensures most of the saponins are removed.
5. Cook the Quinoa (Optional): You can either freeze the soaked quinoa raw or cook it first. If cooking, use a 2:1 water-to-quinoa ratio and cook until the quinoa is tender and the water is absorbed, about 15 minutes. Let it cool completely.
6. Portion and Freeze: Divide the soaked (or cooked) quinoa into freezer-safe bags or containers in portion sizes that you'll use later. Remove as much air as possible from the bags to prevent freezer burn.
7. Label and Freeze: Label each bag or container with the date and contents. Freeze for up to 8-12 months.

Pro Tip:

To prevent clumping when freezing raw, soaked quinoa, spread it out in a thin layer on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper and freeze it for a couple of hours before transferring it to freezer bags. This 'flash freezing' method keeps the grains separate.