One cup of uncooked quinoa weighs 177 grams when spooned and levelled, according to King Arthur Baking. That makes quinoa a little lighter per cup than rice, which weighs 198 grams, and a little heavier than rolled oats at 89 grams — quinoa's tiny, bead-like seeds pack together well, but each seed is small and round, so there is more air between them than between flat rice grains. A quarter cup of quinoa weighs about 44 grams, half a cup weighs about 89 grams, and a tablespoon weighs about 11 grams. These are approximate figures, because seed size varies slightly by variety — red and black quinoa are a touch denser than white — but 177 grams per cup is the reliable reference value, and you should verify with a kitchen scale whenever the amount matters.

Quinoa is not technically a grain at all. It is the seed of a plant related to spinach and beets, and it has become a staple of modern cooking because it is a complete protein — it contains all nine essential amino acids — it cooks in 15 minutes, and it works in salads, bowls, pilafs, porridge and baking. The weight matters because quinoa roughly triples in volume when cooked: 177 grams of dry quinoa becomes about 3 cups, or roughly 550 grams, of cooked quinoa. If you are cooking for a crowd or meal-prepping for the week, that ratio is the difference between having enough and having a mountain of leftover quinoa.

How much does quinoa weigh?

The table below gives the weight of uncooked quinoa for the amounts you are most likely to meet, from a single tablespoon up to four cups. All figures come from the King Arthur Baking value of 177 grams per cup, spooned and levelled. The cooked yields are approximate — the exact amount depends on how much water the quinoa absorbs — but the standard ratio is 1 cup of dry quinoa to about 3 cups cooked.

Amount (uncooked) Weight (grams) Cooked yield (approx.)
1 tablespoon 11 g 3 tablespoons cooked
1/4 cup 44 g 3/4 cup cooked
1/3 cup 59 g 1 cup cooked
1/2 cup 89 g 1 1/2 cups cooked
2/3 cup 118 g 2 cups cooked
3/4 cup 133 g 2 1/4 cups cooked
1 cup 177 g 3 cups cooked
1 1/2 cups 266 g 4 1/2 cups cooked
2 cups 354 g 6 cups cooked
3 cups 531 g 9 cups cooked
4 cups 708 g 12 cups cooked

A useful comparison: one cup of quinoa weighs 21 grams less than one cup of brown rice (198 grams) and 88 grams more than one cup of rolled oats (89 grams). That puts quinoa in the middle of the grain weights — dense enough that a small measuring error matters, light enough that a cup of it does not feel heavy in the hand. The practical consequence is that swapping quinoa for rice by volume gives you slightly less food by weight, which matters if you are tracking portions or costing a recipe.

For everyday cooking, the half-cup and one-cup rows are the ones that matter. A single serving of quinoa is about 1/2 cup uncooked (89 grams), which cooks to about 1 1/2 cups — a generous portion for a grain bowl. A family dinner for four needs about 2 cups uncooked (354 grams). If you are weighing quinoa for a recipe, weigh it dry, before cooking and before rinsing: wet quinoa weighs more, and cooked quinoa varies with how much water it absorbed.

Worked examples

Example 1: Meal-prepping grain bowls for the week

You want five grain bowls, each with 1 cup of cooked quinoa — about 185 grams cooked per bowl. Working backwards, 5 cups of cooked quinoa needs about 1 2/3 cups of dry quinoa, which is about 295 grams. Weighing 295 grams of dry quinoa into the pot is far more reliable than measuring 1 2/3 cups by volume, especially since quinoa's tiny seeds settle and a scooped cup can vary by 10 grams. Rinse it well first — quinoa is coated in saponin, a bitter natural compound, and unrinsed quinoa tastes soapy — then cook it with about 2 1/2 cups of water for 15 minutes. You will have five identical portions that keep in the fridge for up to five days.

Example 2: Scaling a quinoa salad for a party

A quinoa salad recipe serves six and calls for 1 cup of quinoa — 177 grams. You are making it for eighteen people, so you triple it: 3 cups, or 531 grams. Measuring 3 cups of tiny seeds by volume means three separate cupfuls, each with its own small error; weighing 531 grams once is faster and exact. It also tells you how much water to use: quinoa typically needs 1 1/2 to 2 cups of water per cup of dry quinoa, so for 3 cups you need about 5 cups of water, and the cooked quinoa will fill about 9 cups — a very large bowl, so check your serving dish before you start.

Example 3: Converting a quinoa porridge recipe to grams

A breakfast porridge recipe written in American cups calls for 1/3 cup of quinoa per serving, and you are writing it out in grams. One third of a cup is 59 grams of dry quinoa, which cooks to about 1 cup. If you are making porridge for two, that is 118 grams. Note that porridge uses more water than savoury quinoa — about 2 1/2 cups of water or milk per cup of quinoa — and a longer, gentler cook, so the yield is a little higher and the texture is creamier. The dry weight is the same either way, which is why weighing the dry quinoa is the reliable starting point.

Method and source

The figure of 177 grams per cup comes from King Arthur Baking's ingredient weight chart, measured spooned and levelled: the quinoa is spooned or poured lightly into the cup and levelled off, without shaking the cup down. King Arthur lists the value with high confidence. There is no serious dispute about this figure — quinoa is a uniform, small seed, and the weight per cup is consistent across brands and varieties, with red and black quinoa weighing only a gram or two more per cup than white.

The one thing to be careful about is the difference between dry and cooked weights, which is where most quinoa confusion comes from. This page's figures are for uncooked quinoa. Cooked quinoa weighs about 185 grams per cup, because a cup of cooked quinoa is mostly water — but a cup of cooked quinoa started as only about a third of a cup (59 grams) of dry quinoa. If a recipe calls for "1 cup of cooked quinoa," that is about 59 grams dry. If it calls for "1 cup of quinoa" with no qualifier, it means dry. When in doubt, check whether the recipe includes a cooking step for the quinoa: if it does, the quinoa is dry; if it says "leftover quinoa" or "cooked quinoa," it is cooked.

Quinoa and rice are not interchangeable by weight without adjusting the cooking: quinoa needs 1 1/2 to 2 cups of water per cup and 15 minutes, while brown rice needs 2 to 2 1/4 cups of water and 40 to 45 minutes. Quinoa also needs rinsing, which rice does not — skip the rinse and the saponin coating will make the whole dish taste bitter and soapy.

Practical guidance

Quinoa cooks by the absorption method, like rice, but much faster. Rinse it in a fine sieve under cold water until the water runs clear — a regular colander's holes are too big and the seeds will escape. Combine 1 cup of rinsed quinoa with 1 1/2 cups of water and a pinch of salt, bring to a boil, cover, reduce to the lowest heat, and simmer for 15 minutes. Then rest it, covered, for 5 minutes, and fluff with a fork. The sign that quinoa is done is the little white spiral — the germ — that uncurls from each seed. If the spirals have not appeared, it needs a few more minutes; if the quinoa is mushy, it had too much water or cooked too long.

The most common mistakes are skipping the rinse, using too much water (quinoa needs less than rice — 1 1/2 cups per cup of quinoa is enough, and 2 cups makes it soggy), and stirring it while it cooks, which breaks the seeds and makes it gummy. Another common mistake is storing it like white rice: quinoa keeps for up to a year in an airtight container in a cool, dry place, which is longer than brown rice but shorter than white rice. Keep it sealed, because the tiny seeds absorb moisture and odours from the air. Cooked quinoa keeps in the fridge for up to five days and freezes well for up to three months — freeze it in flat bags so it thaws quickly.

If you are out of quinoa, the best substitutes by weight are brown rice (198 grams per cup, longer cooking time), pearled barley (213 grams per cup, about 30 minutes), or couscous (about 170 grams per cup, cooks in 5 minutes with just boiling water). None of them is a complete protein the way quinoa is, but all of them work in salads, bowls and pilafs. Do not substitute cooked quinoa for dry quinoa, or vice versa, without converting — the ratio is roughly 1 part dry to 3 parts cooked by volume.

Frequently asked questions

How many grams is 1 cup of uncooked quinoa?

One cup of uncooked quinoa weighs 177 grams, spooned and levelled, according to King Arthur Baking. Half a cup is about 89 grams, and a quarter cup is about 44 grams. One cup of dry quinoa cooks to about 3 cups, or roughly 550 grams, of cooked quinoa.

How much cooked quinoa does 1 cup of dry quinoa make?

One cup of dry quinoa (177 grams) makes about 3 cups of cooked quinoa, weighing roughly 550 grams. The exact yield depends on how much water the quinoa absorbs, but the 1-to-3 ratio by volume is a reliable rule. If you need 6 cups of cooked quinoa, start with 2 cups (354 grams) of dry quinoa.

Do I need to rinse quinoa before cooking?

Yes. Quinoa seeds are coated in saponin, a bitter natural compound that protects the seed from birds and insects. Unrinsed quinoa tastes bitter and soapy. Rinse it in a fine-mesh sieve under cold running water until the water runs clear — usually 30 seconds is enough. Most quinoa sold today is pre-rinsed, but a quick rinse is still worth doing.

Is quinoa heavier than rice?

No — quinoa is lighter per cup than rice. One cup of uncooked quinoa weighs 177 grams, while one cup of uncooked brown or white rice weighs 198 grams. The difference is 21 grams per cup, about 11 percent. If you swap quinoa for rice cup for cup, you will have slightly less food by weight, so weigh rather than measuring by volume when the portion matters.

How long does quinoa take to cook?

Quinoa takes about 15 minutes by the absorption method, plus 5 minutes of resting — much faster than brown rice at 40 to 45 minutes. Use 1 1/2 cups of water per cup of quinoa, keep the lid on, and do not stir. It is done when the little white spirals have uncurled from the seeds and the water is absorbed.

How should I store quinoa?

Keep uncooked quinoa in an airtight container in a cool, dry place for up to 1 year. Cooked quinoa keeps in the fridge for up to 5 days and freezes well for up to 3 months. Do not store uncooked quinoa in a damp cupboard — the tiny seeds absorb moisture easily — and keep it away from strong-smelling foods, because it absorbs odours too.

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