Pseudocereal
Quinoa
Chenopodium quinoa
Domesticated ~4,000–5,000 years ago
In the atlas
Quinoa is a goosefoot, cousin to lamb's quarters and amaranth, not a grass. Incan armies marched on it; Spanish colonizers ignored it; a 21st-century boom put it on every American salad bar and strained Andean farm economies. The seeds wear bitter saponins — most retail quinoa is pre-rinsed. Mill it only after you trust that rinse, or you'll bake soap.
Origin. Andean Altiplano — Bolivia, Peru, Ecuador
Flavor. Grassy, nutty, a hint of sesame; red/black are earthier.
Worth knowing
- Gluten-free.
- A complete protein by amino-acid score — rare in the seed world.
- White, red, and black are the same species; color is mostly bran pigment.
- Rinse even 'pre-washed' quinoa if you plan to mill a lot — saponins taste like detergent.
Flours you can make
| Flour | Extraction | Protein | Gluten | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Whole-grain flour | 100% | 14.1% | 0% | Everything the berry holds — bran, germ, and endosperm. Mill 1:1 by weight. Use within days, or freeze. |
| High-extraction (85%) | 85% | 14% | 0% | Sift once through a #30–#40 sieve. Keeps most flavor and minerals, slightly stronger dough than 100%. |
| Sifted / bolted flour | 75% | 13.8% | 0% | Second sifting (#50–#60). Lighter crumb, longer shelf life, less fiber. Bran left behind is gold in porridge. |
Nutrition / 100 g
- Calories
- 368 kcal
- Protein
- 14.1 g
- Carbs
- 64 g
- Fiber
- 7 g
- Fat
- 6.1 g
- Iron
- 4.6 mg
- Magnesium
- 197 mg
- Zinc
- 3.1 mg
- Thiamin
- 0.36 mg
- Selenium
- 9 µg
Typical whole-grain flour / 100 g.
Sources & USDA linksBuy it retail
- Every grocery
- Azure Standard (bulk)
- Alter Eco / Andean importers
- Bob's Red Mill
- Costco bags (perfect for milling)
Availability rotates by harvest. Search the berry name plus “food grade.”
Bakes well as
Mill Quinoa now
Miller’s desk
Grain to flour
Vital wheat gluten booster
Most bags of vital wheat gluten are 75–80% protein. The booster is added on top of the flour, not swapped in.
Whole-grain flour · No gluten
- Whole grain needed
- 510 g
- Flour you’ll get
- 500 g
- Bran left behind
- 0 g
- Protein in that flour
- 70.5 g · 14.1%
- Natural gluten
- 0%
- Add VWG
- None needed
- After VWG
- 14.1% protein · 0% gluten
About 3 cups of berries → 4.5 cups of whole-grain flour. Whole-grain milling is essentially 1:1 by weight; sifting is where you lose bran.
How to mill it
Spread rinsed quinoa on a sheet pan overnight before milling.
Fine. Dry thoroughly after rinsing or you'll cake the mill.
Tempering: Opposite of tempering: dry completely.
Everything the berry holds — bran, germ, and endosperm. Mill 1:1 by weight. Use within days, or freeze.
Milling 101 →Next: bake it
Pick a loaf for this flour
14.1% protein after VWG · Quinoa whole-grain flour. Sandwich loaf, focaccia, sourdough — the kitchen will scale dough, hydration, and times to this mix.
