Quinoa is a great source of plant protein and is an excellent source of amino acids, which our bodies need to digest food. Quinoa can come in different forms such as white quinoa, black quinoa, and red quinoa.
The most common type of quinoa is white – so you will often simply see it labeled as quinoa. You can also buy it as flakes or flour, which allows you to include it in a variety of recipes.
Where is quinoa in grocery store? You will find quinoa in the grains section of the grocery store. Once you find rice products, you will usually see quinoa next to it. Some people even use it as a rice substitute.
If you don’t initially find it in the rice or grains section, try the organic food aisle. Some regular grocery stores will have a separate section just for healthy, natural, or organic foods such as quinoa.
Some stores also have a bulk bin section. Many people like to buy grains in bulk, so quinoa will most likely be there if it is not in another part of the store.
As you can see, what aisle is quinoa in depends on the type of store and their general layout. The best bet is to head for a grains section first. A store employee may be able to help you find quinoa if you’re unable to locate it.
Where to buy Quinoa near me
There are several places you can buy quinoa. You can find it sold in bulk bins at many stores, including ones specializing in health food, and superstores such as Walmart and Target. Prices of quinoa will vary depending on the store and location you choose to buy from.
Some top places to buy quinoa are:
- Whole Foods
- Trader Joes
- Harris Teeter
Whole Foods is the largest seller of quinoa, closely followed by Trader Joe’s. Whole Foods also has bulk bins at all its locations. There is a Whole Foods in each state except for Alaska, Montana, North Dakota, South Dakota, West Virginia, Delaware, and Vermont.
You can often get cooked quinoa at the Whole Foods self-serve salad bar if it is open. Just remember, you will also have to pay for that by weight. You can also buy some cooked and prepackaged quinoa.
Trader Joe’s has their own brand of quinoa that you may enjoy. Customers can try one of Trader Joe’s quinoa recipe hacks from the company website. This chain of health food stores has 552 locations in 43 states.
Harris Teeter is not as big as Whole Foods or Trader Joe’s, but it is still a great place to buy quinoa. There are several brands of quinoa available here such as Lundberg Organic Whole Grain Quinoa and Ancient Harvest.
How to buy Quinoa online
Many people also purchase their grains online – especially if they want to get a large volume of quinoa quickly. If you need your quinoa by a certain deadline, delivery is easy with an Amazon Prime account.
If you are shopping online, you can get quinoa from a variety of brands at a good price. These are the top online sites to buy quinoa:
- Amazon
- Walmart
- Vitacost
- iHerb
- Nuts.com
Do you mostly shop on Amazon? You can buy quinoa in a single pack or bulk from various brands on Amazon.
If you are a prepper, consider one 25 lb option on the site. With an Amazon account, you can also purchase quinoa as a Whole Foods or Amazon Fresh delivery.
Walmart sells quinoa under its Great Value Label but you can buy several other brands such as Ancient Harvest, Red Hill, and more. In addition to buying quinoa inside the store, you can pre-order for curbside pickup, or get it delivered to your home.
Some Walmart stores offer same day grocery delivery for an additional fee if you need to get your quinoia quickly.
Vitacost has several brands of quinoa available. If you have a preferred quinoa brand, including NOW, Pure Living, TruRoots, Ancient Harvest, Eden Foods, and Nature’s Earthly choice, you can find it on Vitacost. Quinoa is mostly available in dry single 12 – 16oz bag options on the site.
Shop iHerb for a range of quinoa such as tri-color, black, heirloom, organic, as well as a quinoa & brown rice blend. Like Vitacost, this site is best for shoppers looking for standard single bags. This website is an excellent resource of home cooks who want to add a bit of color and flair to their quinoa dishes.
Nuts.com is a great resource to buy quinoa in bulk. Everything available on Nuts.com must be ordered by the pound.
You are able to pick from a choice of organic quinoa flakes, organic toasted quinoa, organic red quinoa, organic tri-color quinoa, organic black quinoa, and organic quinoa puffs. Customers can buy quinoa in 1lb, 5lb, and 25lb bags.
What can i get instead of Quinoa?
So, what happens if you can’t find quinoa? Luckily, other healthy alternatives mimic the taste or texture of quinoa while also providing nutritional value.
In most cases, you can substitute any of these ingredients instead of quinoa in a recipe. These foods can also be found in the rice or grain aisle of any grocery store and are available at the stores listed above.
Consider these top 3 alternatives to this healthy grain:
- Brown Rice
- Couscous
- Barley
You can use brown rice to make your quinoa recipes. As far as taste, they are very similar. Just be sure to pay attention to how long you cook the brown rice (it cooks for a shorter time than quinoa). It also has fewer calories and carbs than quinoa.
Couscous is sometimes used in place of quinoa because it’s smaller and cooks faster. Several brands make organic couscous.
Barley is a grain that doesn’t get enough credit. Like quinoa, you can make salads or soups with it. You can also use barley to make bread and cakes. Barley is not as nutty tasting as quinoa is but has its own great taste. It will also fill you faster than most other grains. (Looking to purchase barley? See where to find barley in the grocery store)
