Think You Know Quinoa? Think Again.

If you guessed C. Quinoa, you got it! 🎉

It may look like a grain, cook like a grain, and sit right alongside grains in the pantry, but quinoa isn’t actually a true cereal grain at all.

And here’s the surprising part: quinoa is more closely related to spinach than it is to wheat.

Quinoa plants growing in a field with colorful seed heads.

So, What Is Quinoa?

Wheat, oats, barley, and rye are all members of the grass family. Quinoa belongs to an entirely different plant family called Amaranthaceae, the same plant family that includes spinach, beets, and chard.

The part of quinoa we eat is actually the plant’s seed.

Because quinoa is prepared and eaten much like traditional grains, it’s often called a pseudocereal: a seed that we use in many of the same ways as cereal grains.

Have You Ever Seen Quinoa Growing?

The little quinoa seeds in your pantry start out on surprisingly colorful plants.

Depending on the variety, quinoa plants can develop striking seed heads in shades of green, yellow, red, orange, and purple. Those seed heads contain the tiny seeds that are eventually harvested and prepared for us to eat.

It looks quite different from the small scoop of quinoa you might picture sitting in your pantry!

One More Interesting Quinoa Fact

Quinoa seeds naturally have a coating containing compounds called saponins, which can give them a bitter taste. This coating helps protect the seeds while they're growing.

Before quinoa reaches your kitchen, those saponins are typically removed during processing. Rinsing quinoa before cooking can also help remove any remaining residue.

So the next time you make a bowl of quinoa, remember:

That tiny “grain” isn't really a grain at all. It's a seed from a plant that's related to spinach. 🥬

Not bad for something so small.