Quinoa as a Backpacking Food

We’ve discussed the merits of quinoa as a staple food. It’s a complete protein and a valuable source of minerals, vitamins, phytohormones, and antioxidants, giving it an advantage over other plant foods. Additionally, quinoa contains more fat and protein than typical cereal grains like wheat or oats, making it a more efficient energy source for backpackers. However, many backpackers avoid packing quinoa for their trips because it requires a longer cooking time of up to 15 minutes. With quinoa’s growing popularity, more convenient options are available, making it an excellent choice for backpacking meals.

1. Instant Quinoa: Quickest Cooking

Regular (non-instant) quinoa must cook about 15 minutes to soften and be digestible. Instant quinoa saves on stove fuel and time because it’s been pre-cooked. Outdoor Herbivore produces a fully cooked and dried organic tricolor instant quinoa designed for backpackers. This convenient solution saves on stove fuel and time, requiring only a 10-minute soak in hot water.

• Look for fully cooked or instant quinoa to save time and produce less mess when backpacking. Quinoa that hasn’t been pre-cooked will require a boil and simmer to reconstitute.

How to make Instant Quinoa

Purchase regular uncooked quinoa, cook it at home, and then dehydrate it. Because quinoa seeds are tiny, you must dry the cooked quinoa on lined sheets to prevent it from falling through the mesh dryer sheets. You can use parchment paper as the liner. Spread the cooked quinoa in a thin layer on each liner sheet and dry at 125 – 135 degrees for 10 to 12 hours. The quinoa will be crispy when dry.

2. Sprouted (Cold Soaked) Quinoa: Quick Cooking or Eat Fresh

If you don’t want to purchase or make instant quinoa, you can sprout regular quinoa to make it edible without cooking. You can also choose to heat it up if you prefer it hot. Since quinoa is a seed, it is well suited for sprouting and has one of the fastest sprout times of any seed. It requires only 8 hours to germinate. To sprout quinoa, soak organic seed in cold water overnight (or while hiking). The shell will soften, break open, and a small tail will appear when it sprouts. You can eat it at this stage or continue to grow it further by following the normal sprout process for other seeds. Drain and rinse the sprouts before consuming. Always use treated water if sprouting or cold soaking quinoa seeds on the trail.

• Although quinoa is a seed, it should not be eaten raw. Sprout it first. Be sure the shell is broken open before eating, or cook it lightly. Otherwise, the seed will pass through your body without being digested or providing nutritional benefits.
• Use unpolished (pre-washed or unwashed) organic quinoa seed for sprouting.
• If you purchase pre-sprouted and dried quinoa, you need to soak it in hot water (180+ F) before eating it.

3. Crisped or Popped Quinoa: No Cooking

Crisped, puffed, or popped quinoa, made from quinoa seed that has been baked or heated directly rather than cooked in water and dried, offers a unique texture and flavor similar to rice crispies. You can eat crisped quinoa directly without cold-soaking or heating. Its airy and crunchy texture makes it great for cereals, granola, energy bars, and even as a substitute for couscous in cold-soak trail salads. Crisped quinoa is one of our favorite foods to extend the protein and calories for backpacking!

Types of Quinoa

Quinoa is a seed that cooks up like a grain. The most common colors are white, red, and black quinoa. White quinoa has the mildest flavor, while red and black contain slightly more calories and nutrients. Tri-color quinoa combines the benefits of all three. 

Nutrients in 100 Grams of Uncooked Quinoa, about 1/2 Cup

Characteristic	Black	Red	White
Energy (kcal)	409	380	370
Fat (g)	8	7	5
Carbohydrates (g)	68	62	68
Protein (g)	16	15	14
Flavor	Earthy & Sweet	Nutty	Nutty
Texture	Chewy	Chewy	Soft to Mushy

The Health Benefits of Quinoa

Quinoa seeds have many favorable characteristics, including their heart-healthy, monounsaturated fat content and nutrient-packed kernels. Here is a breakdown of their attributes –

Good Source of Protein

Quinoa, with its 15% protein composition, contains the perfect ratio of protein. This might seem like a low percentage, but consider that a large, muscular horse stays strong by consuming 10-15% of its protein requirement from plants. A human’s protein needs are similar. The commonly held belief that humans need more protein to maintain muscle is not a wise suggestion [1]. In fact, overeating protein causes calcium loss and harms the kidneys [2]. Strenuous activity requires more caloric energy by eating more food coming from complex carbohydrates. Over 70% of quinoa’s calories are from carbohydrates with the remaining amount of roughly equal amounts of protein and fat.

• Active people who focus on eating extra protein seldom consume enough carbohydrate calories, the essential energy during exercise. Always aim to eat more calories by eating more carbohydrate-rich food such as quinoa.

• Quinoa contains eight essential amino acids (proteins) the body requires, including lysine, a protein typically only found in animal products. Essential amino acids refer to those that the body must get through diet because it cannot produce them by itself. The most common sources of complete proteins are meat, milk, and eggs. If you are looking for an alternative source of protein, quinoa is a strong contender. It is excellent for vegetarians.

High in Manganese – A trace mineral that helps reduce fatigue levels, prevent bone loss, reduce menstrual flow, and help speed up the recovery from strains & sprains by increasing restorative antioxidant enzyme (superoxide dismutase). [4]

Fatty Acid Content – Most fat is oleic acid, a heart-healthy monounsaturated fat. Since quinoa has a significant amount of fat, it can be assumed that quinoa is more likely to oxidize quickly and damage the nutrients. But, studies show that despite its fat content, quinoa does not oxidize as fast as expected. Therefore, you can store quinoa much longer than oily seeds, and cooking does not jeopardize the nutrients. [5]

Gluten-Free – Quinoa is naturally gluten-free and does not grow near wheat crops. Most people also find that quinoa is easy to digest.

A Significant Source of Calories – Most plant foods are low in calories; however, quinoa is a significant source. 1/4 cup of uncooked tri-color quinoa (1.7 oz or 48g) contains 180 calories.

Origin of Quinoa

Quinoa is native to northern South America and grows primarily in Bolivia and Peru. If you follow food news, you might remember hearing a few years back about how the U.S. demand for quinoa was driving up the pricing so high that the South American farmers who grew it could not afford to eat it themselves. Since then, quinoa farmers have adjusted to the expanded demand and are still eating quinoa while making more money by selling it globally.

Due to the popularity of quinoa, it is now being grown in the U.S. and the Canadian Rocky Mountains, from Colorado to Saskatchewan.[6]

As you can see, quinoa is a fascinating plant food worthy of its own category and blog post. Its protein content and energy composition give it remarkable nutritional properties. Try it out on your next hike.

Pair quinoa with sauces and vegetables like you would other grains, such as rice or noodles. Its mild flavor complements soups and breakfast porridge nicely. A small amount boosts the nutritional content of almost any dish while adding a mildly nutty flavor.

• Outdoor Herbivore’s Instant Organic Tri-Color Quinoa (precooked and dehydrated for hot meals)
• Outdoor Herbivore’s Organic Crisped Quinoa (ready to eat for snacking or cold meals)

Article Co-Authored by Danny Eccles, Outdoor Herbivore Intern

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• What is so great about Quinoa?
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