I was searching recipes for quinoa peanut butter balls recently. Almost all the recipes I found were for “puffed” quinoa. I had no idea what this was, but I wanted to see if I could make it so I could try some of these recipes.

It was so easy! All you need is a hot skillet and rinsed quinoa. If you have to rinse your quinoa, you will want to make sure it is completely dried before attempting to pop it. The result is a crunchy, nutty grain very similar (though smaller) to the crunchies in the chocolate crunch candy bars.

Use a pot at least 6 inches deep. Quinoa will “pop” like popcorn, and it’s easier to keep an eye on everything without a lid so if you have a pot deep enough to use without having to use a lid, go for it. The quinoa will not get much bigger than it already is.

Turn the burner to medium high or a notch lower. Add some quinoa to the pot – maybe half a cup at a time to get you started. It will burn easily so you need to pop just enough to be able to pop everything before the already popped stuff burns.

Once the quinoa is in the pot, listen for it to begin popping. Keep it moving so it won’t burn so quickly. Once the popping sound slows down, remove the quinoa from the pot to another bowl. Once cooled, use it as you wish!