By Reed Mangels, PhD, RD
A Vegetarian Resource Group member wrote us asking about the saponins in quinoa and whether these interfere with the absorption of vitamins and minerals. The outer layers of quinoa grains contain a bitter coating called saponin. This bitter layer makes quinoa less appealing to birds and other animals. Saponins (from the Latin word for soap), give quinoa a bitter taste. They have also been shown to reduce the amount of iron and zinc absorbed from quinoa although the extent of this reduction does not appear to have been assessed in humans. If you eat other foods that provide iron and zinc, it’s not likely that this reduced absorption of iron and zinc from quinoa will be a concern.
Saponins can be removed from quinoa by rinsing, heat treatment, and abrasion as well as through selective breeding for lower saponin quinoa. Many packages of quinoa include a statement on the label that they have been pre-washed or rinsed to remove saponins. If you are not certain that the quinoa you plan to use has been pre-washed, you can put the quinoa in a fine-mesh strainer and rinse it until the rinse water runs clear. This should reduce its saponin content and eliminate the bitter flavor.
Reference:
El Hazzam K, Hafsa J, Sobeh M, et al. An insight into saponins from quinoa (Chenopodium quinoa Willd): A review. Molecules. 2020;25(5):1059.
To read more about cooking with quinoa see: