This simply curry spiced quinoa is spiced with curry powder and loaded with add-ins like raisins, chickpeas, and fresh herbs. It also packs well for meal prepping for lunch!
I feel like I haven’t made any quinoa recipes in ages and I’m not sure why, because I love quinoa! This simple curry spiced quinoa is the perfect accompaniment to bowl based meals like this shawarma cauliflower and hummus bowl. It’s also a great recipe for meal prep as the flavors in this dish are even better the next day.
Why You’ll Love this Recipe
- It is super simple to whip up with just a few basic ingredients.
- Gluten free and vegan!
- Easily packable for a healthy lunch at work and great for meal prep.
Ingredient Notes and Substitutions
- Quinoa: I used a white quinoa for this recipe since the color is so vibrant after cooking in the curry powder. However, you can use red quinoa or a blend of red/white quinoa.
- Curry Powder: use your favorite curry powder blend from the store for this recipe. To really infuse the curry flavor into the quinoa, you’ll add the curry powder into the pot when cooking your quinoa.
- Golden Raisins: you don’t have to use golden raisins. Raisins, dried cranberries, or chopped medjool dates would also be great in this salad.
- Herbs: I like to use a combination of cilantro, parsley and mint. You could also use a bit of basil.
- Almonds: To make recipe prep faster, buy sliced almonds from the store for this recipe so you don’t have to chop them before adding to the quinoa.
How to Make this Recipe
STEP 1: Make the quinoa. Start by rinsing your quinoa in a fine mesh strainer to remove any bitterness. Transfer to a small saucepan and add the curry powder and broth. Bring to a simmer and cover with a lid. Continue to simmer for about 15 minutes or until the liquid has been absorbed and the quinoa is tender. Fluff with a fork and set aside.
STEP 2: Toss everything together. Add the cooked quinoa to a large mixing bowl and add the lemon juice, red wine vinegar, herbs, raisins, chickpeas, almonds, salt, and pepper. Toss until mixed well. Add more salt and pepper to taste if needed.
Health Benefits of Quinoa
Although quinoa is often prepared and served like a grain, it is actually a seed! Since it is a seed, it still includes the germ which is full of healthy fats and protein. About 15% of the total weight of dried quinoa seeds is made up of protein which is higher than most grains.
The other unique characteristic of the protein in quinoa is that it contains all nine essential amino acids including lysine which is not found in other whole grains like wheat. Those who follow a plant-based diet (ie. vegetarian/vegan) should make sure to incorporate foods high in lysine like quinoa into their daily diet.
Quinoa is also a good source of many B-vitamins like thiamine, riboflavin, B6 and folate as well as phosphorus and magnesium. Quinoa is gluten free so it makes for a tasty grain option for those who need to avoid wheat.
What is Curry Powder?
The key ingredient in this simply curry spiced quinoa recipe is curry powder. Although the exact mix of spices varies, the spices in the curry powder I have at home include: coriander, turmeric, mustard, cumin, fenugreek, paprika, cayenne, cardamom, nutmeg, cinnamon, and cloves.
The origin of curry powder is interesting as it is actually a British invention created to be able to mass produce some of the flavor from traditional Indian dishes .However, Indian cooking never uses a standard blend curry powder as unique spices are chosen based on the specific dish. You can read more about the history in this article from Gastro Obscura.
Quinoa Cooking Tips:
- Make sure to thoroughly rinse your uncooked quinoa under cold running water. Rinsing is an important step as it removes the coating (called saponin) which can make your cooked quinoa taste bitter or soapy.
- If you haven’t had quinoa before, buy white quinoa which is what I used for this recipe. White quinoa has a milder flavor than black or red quinoa.
- One cup of uncooked quinoa makes about 3 cups of cooked quinoa.
- For every 1 cup of quinoa, add 2 cups of liquid for cooking. It should take about 20 minutes to cook up 1 cup of dried quinoa on the stovetop.
What to Serve with this Quinoa Recipe
Simple Curry Spiced Quinoa
Ingredients
For the Quinoa
- 1 cup uncooked white quinoa
- 1 cup vegetable broth
- 1 cup water
- 2 teaspoons curry powder
For the Finished Dish
- Juice from 1 lemon ~2 tablespoons
- 1 tablespoon red wine vinegar
- 1/2 cup chopped herbs (mint, cilantro, parsley)
- 1/2 cup golden raisins
- 1 15 oz. can chickpeas, drained
- 1/2 cup slivered almonds
- 1/4 teaspoon sea salt
- 1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
Instructions
- Rinse quinoa well under cold running water using a fine mesh strainer.
- Transfer quinoa, water, broth, and curry powder to a medium saucepan and bring to a boil. Turn down heat, cover, and cook 15 minutes or until quinoa is tender and liquid has been absorbed.
- Turn off the heat, leave the lid on, and let quinoa sit for another 5 minutes to finish cooking then fluff with fork.
- Transfer cooked quinoa to a large mixing bowl and add lemon, red wine vinegar, herbs, raisins, chickpeas, almonds, salt, and pepper. Toss until mixed well. Add more salt and pepper to taste if needed.
Notes
- Make sure to thoroughly rinse your uncooked quinoa under cold running water. Rinsing is an important step as it removes the coating (called saponin) which can make your cooked quinoa taste bitter or soapy.
- Keeps up to 3 days in the refrigerator.
Nutrition
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Comments & Reviews
I LOVED this recipe. It was very flavorful and delicious! It’s a perfect side dish to other vegan meals. Thanks so much for sharing it.
Thanks so much!
OMG this recipe is the BOMB!!! LOVED IT!
Absolutely delicious!
Amazing recipe. The fresh herbs give it such a nice kick. This one is going into the recipe book for frequent use!
So glad to hear that you enjoyed it!
Not one of our favorites and we are quinoa and curry fans. The flavor is very different and it’s kind of bland. I really wanted to like it, sorry.
So sorry to hear that you didn’t enjoy it.
This was soooo good! THANK YOU for sharing! I’ve already shared with my curry quinoa loving friends!! So good as a meal or as a side (I mean, I’ll eat it up and down, lol).
Yay! So glad you enjoyed it Elyse!
Hi, the recipe just says half herbs – is it half a cup or tablespoon?
Thanks.
Thanks for catching that Anna! It should say 1/2 cup. I’ve corrected it above. 🙂