Simple Curry Spiced Quinoa (Vegan, Gluten Free) (2024)

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Created On: October 10, 2018 | By Debbie | 12 Comments

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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!

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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.

Table of Contents

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.

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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.

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How to Make this Recipe

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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.

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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.

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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

Roasted Eggplant and Pepper Pita Sandwich
See Also
Vegan Lentil Meatballs Best Quinoa Salad Recipe Autumn Harvest Quinoa Bowls {High Protein & Vegan} - Simply Quinoa Curried Chickpeas with Spinach

Grilled Tofu Kebabs with Red Pepper Sauce
Vegan Sausage Sheet Pan Dinner
Vegan Shakshuka

More Recipes with Curry You’ll Love

Curry Roasted Vegetables
Healthy One-Pot Cauliflower Stew with Curry
Six Ingredient Red Lentil Curry
Curry Chickpea Stuffed Sweet Potatoes
Curry Yogurt Sauce

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