The quinoa cultivar ‘Apelawa’ carries both normal and male sterile cytoplasms. Plants with male sterile cytoplasm produce flowers characterized by the complete absence of anthers and prominent exsertion of stigmas. Intraspecific crosses between male sterile quinoa plants and normal male fertile pollen donors consistently produced male sterile offspring under greenhouse conditions. Interspecific hybridization between male sterile quinoa plants and the related weed species Chenopodium berlandieri resulted in offspring with partial restoration of male fertility. The male sterile cytoplasm found in ‘Apelawa’ has potential for use in the production of quinoa hybrids, although a more complete restorer system than that identified in C. berlandieri would be desirable.