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This Brown Rice and Quinoa Recipe is a homemade version of the popular side dish that you can find at Costco. I love making this in large batches and keep in the freezer, and is so much cheaper than the store bought version.
Along with this recipe, my Instant Pot Coconut Rice, easy Instant Pot Sweet Potatoes, and these Rosemary Garlic Smashed Potatoes are delicious side dishes for any meal.
Why I Love This Copycat Seeds of Change Recipe
One of our favorite convenience foods is the Seeds of Change quinoa and brown rice with garlic. As with all prepackaged foods, it has a decent amount of sodium in it. Once I realized how easy it is to make this copycat recipe at home, I had to share it with you all.
Enjoy!
– Becca
Ingredients in Brown Rice & Quinoa Blend
See the recipe card for full information on ingredients and quantities.
- Brown rice: I use short grain brown rice in this recipe.
- Quinoa: Quinoa is packed with nutrients like protein, zinc, fiber, folate, and antioxidants.
How to make this Copycat Quinoa and Brown Rice
This recipe takes about 40 minutes from start to finish.
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Step 1: Start by gathering your ingredients.
Rinse your quinoa and brown rice, and then spray the inside of your pot with olive oil to prevent sticking.
Step 2: Add the rice, quinoa, garlic, 2 cups of water, olive oil, and (optional) salt to the pot.
Close and lock the lid to your Instant Pot and turn the valve to sealing.
Pressure cook for 18 minutes on high pressure.
Step 3: When the cook time is complete, let the pressure naturally release for 5 minutes. After the natural release, quick release the pressure and remove the lid.
Serve warm or let cool and then store in an airtight container in the refrigerator.
Recipe Tips
- It’s easy to spice this dish up a bit! We’ll sometimes add red pepper flakes, roasted garlic, or lemon juice or lemon zest to give this side dish a fun flavor twist.
- I have had rice and quinoa boil over too many times, so the Instant Pot is my preferred cooking method. Even more than a rice cooker!
Quinoa and Brown Rice FAQs
Both quinoa and brown rice are gluten free, but make sure that the product ensures that it was grown in a field that had not previously grown products with gluten in them.
It is. Like I mentioned above, the Seeds of Change brand (and the new Costco brand recently seen on shelves) is pretty healthy for a prepackaged product. But it’s also expensive and simply because it’s store bought, it contains added sodium and preservatives.
Nutrition comparison for sodium and calories: Per 1/2 cup serving, this recipe has 104 calories (120 calories for Seeds of Change product), and 5 mg sodium (200 mg sodium in Seeds of Change).
One batch (ten 1/2 cup servings) of this recipe costs about $2.10. One bag (four 1/2 cup servings) of the store bought blend costs $2.79.
Quinoa is both a protein and a carb, and is unique in that is is a complete protein, meaning it provides all nine essential amino acids. It does contain more carbs than protein by weight, as carbs are its primary macronutrient.
Healthy Eating Plans
21 Day Fix Containers
1/2 cup of this quinoa and brown rice counts as 1 yellow container.
Weight Watchers Points
1/2 cup of this dish is 4 2025 Plan Points
If you tried this Brown Rice and Quinoa Recipe or any other recipe on my site please leave a rating and let me know how it went in the comments!
Brown Rice and Quinoa Recipe
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Equipment
- instant pot
- Strainer
- Sealing Rings
Ingredients
- 1 cup dry quinoa dry
- 1 cup brown rice dry, I used short grain
- 3 tbsp garlic minced
- 1.5 tsp olive oil
- 2 cups water
Instructions
Instant Pot Instructions
- Rinse your quinoa and brown rice. Spray inside of pot with olive oil to prevent sticking. 1 cup dry quinoa, 1 cup brown rice
- Add rice, quinoa, garlic, water, olive oil, and (optional) salt to the pot. 3 tbsp garlic, 1.5 tsp olive oil, 2 cups water
- Set the pressure cooker for 18 minutes on high pressure.
- Allow dish to naturally release for 5 minutes, then quick release the rest of the steam.
Stovetop Instructions
- Bring your broth or water to a boil, then add quinoa and brown rice, and the garlic and olive oil. 1 cup dry quinoa, 1 cup brown rice, 3 tbsp garlic, 1.5 tsp olive oil
- Simmer on low for 20-25 minutes, keeping an eye for the liquid to absorb into the rice and quinoa.
- Test the rice and quinoa to make sure it’s cooked thoroughly. If so, remove from heat and serve as a side dish.
Notes
Nutrition
Make This Recipe?
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Love how simple yet flavorful this is!
So flavorful and delicious!!! Made in the Instant Pot
This is exactly what I was looking for. I love the Seeds of Change, but knew it could be made cheaper. I was actually going to make the rice and the quinoa separately, then I stumbled on your version. I used long grain brown rice because that’s what I had on hand. Ended up going 16 minutes in my pc and it came out great. Now to portion and vacuum seal for future easy meals. Thanks!!
Thank you for this recipe. I also added 1 Tablespoon of Harvest Blend Seasoning with the minced garlic. No oil, I don’t use oil at all.
This will be on my rotation of batch cooking.
You need to double the amount of water.
Yes, I’ve gotten a burn warning multiple times using the Instant Pot instructions.
That’s strange, I do not get a burn warning with this recipe. Are you changing any ingredients, and what size is your pot?
Love, love this! I am such a gooberhead. I actually used my strainer without a cloth barrier. Like forever. And thus hated quinoa because of the cleaning process. Duh, duh, duh. Yup. Me, the gooberhead. SO. My first batch is done. I added a little vegetable Better Than Bullion (low sodium), will not have to continue purchasing Seeds of Change. Thank you and bless your sweet heart for sharing this simple recipe which I pinned to my Back to Basics board. YOU, my dear, are a rockstar.
Yay! I’m so glad you like it :)
Hey there, thought I’d add that I did eat it crunchy first round, but then I realized I had way less water than I needed and basically just put it back on the boil. Here in NoNV, I needed 4.5-5 cups of water to my two cups of rice and seed. Which is how many of my rices boil up. Thought I’d share in case anyone else found their dish to be crunchier than they expected. Thanks again!
Thanks for your info! I’m not sure where NoNV is but if it’s a higher elevation, this could be the issue!
I love this recipe, it has always turned out perfectly for me! It is my go-to rice recipe.
Question!! If I double or 1.5 the recipe, do I still do the same with the liquid? I’ve never cooked it for a bigger crowd until now. But I know sometimes some of the liquid is due to pot pressure. Cooking in 36 hours! Thank you!
Hey Christine!
You’ll want to have one cup of liquid for each cup of quinoa/brown rice, so if you double the rice, double the liquid :)
I just tried this brown rice and quinoa blend recipe and it turned out wonderfully! It’s such a healthy and flavorful alternative to plain rice. I appreciate the simplicity and the option to cook it in an electric pressure cooker, which made preparation a breeze. The addition of garlic and olive oil really elevates the dish. I’m definitely adding this to my meal prep rotation. Thanks for sharing such a cost-effective and delicious recipe!
Followed the recipe useing an instapot. The rice is very undercooked and pretty blank honestly. I did use bouillon and still not much flavor. Not sure if the issue is the difference in pressure cookers. I also used long grain rice so that could be it since the grain is longer and maybe harder to soften? Idk. Not a fan
Hi Charlotte, I’m sorry you didn’t love this as much as we do. Long grain rice actually takes less time to cook than short grain -sometimes the age of your rice can cause it to not cook quickly. This recipe should have a strong garlic taste – did you use minced garlic?