Quick & Easy Indian Curry Quinoa

When lunch rolled around yesterday, I decided to experiment a bit and I came up with this Indian Curry Quinoa recipe that is a mix of my Quick & Easy Red Curry Quinoa and this Indian Potato Curry.

Quick & Easy Indian Curry Quinoa - Vegan, Gluten-Free, and ready in no time!

It’s been a while since my last post but I’m almost all set up in my new apartment now, so I should be able to get a bunch of new recipes posted before the end of the year. Can you believe it’s already the middle of November? Time flies!

Quick & Easy Indian Curry Quinoa - Vegan, Gluten-Free, and ready in no time!

Because it’s made up of pantry staples, this recipe is easy enough to pull together, even for a basic kitchen like mine is right now!

Curry powder and other ingredients

For the veggies, I used carrots and a mixture of kale and spinach, however frozen green peas, butternut squash, cauliflower, broccoli or mushrooms would be equally delicious.

Quick & Easy Indian Curry Quinoa - Vegan, Gluten-Free, and ready in no time!
Quick & Easy Indian Curry Quinoa - Vegan, Gluten-Free, and ready in no time!

Updates – Quick & Easy Indian Curry Quinoa

March 3, 2014 – This recipe (along with my Quinoa Falafel with Avocado Tahini Dressing) was featured in the March/April 2014 issue of Go Gluten Free Magazine. It’s so cool to see my humble little recipes in print 🙂

Go Gluten Free Magazine - March/April 2014

October 5, 2014 – Some readers thought 3 Tbsp of curry powder made the dish way too spicy. Because curry powders can vary in heat, I’ve updated the recipe accordingly.

Quick & Easy Indian Curry Quinoa - Vegan, Gluten-Free, and ready in no time!

More curry recipes you’ll love:

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Quick & Easy Indian Curry Quinoa

By cooking the quinoa in the coconut milk and tomatoes, you get a very quick and tasty meal that is ready in no time! Vegan & Gluten-Free.

  • Author: Angela @ Vegangela.com
  • Prep Time: 10 mins
  • Cook Time: 20 mins
  • Total Time: 30 mins
  • Yield: 4 1x
  • Category: Main
  • Cuisine: Indian, Vegan

Ingredients

Scale
  • 1 cup quinoa, rinsed & drained
  • 1 can (400ml) coconut milk
  • 1 can (400ml) diced tomatoes
  • 3 tbsp curry powder (note: curry powders vary in heat. If in doubt, go with less, and add more later)
  • 2 tbsp ketchup or tomato paste
  • 2 tbsp coconut oil (or other vegetable oil)
  • 1 large onion
  • 1 clove garlic, minced
  • 1 carrot, diced
  • 1 can (400g) chickpeas, drained
  • 2 large handfuls of chopped spinach or kale
  • 1/2 tsp crushed red chili pepper
  • salt and pepper
  • cilantro (fresh coriander) (optional)

Instructions

  1. In a medium saucepan, mix quinoa, coconut milk, diced tomatoes (with juice), curry powder and ketchup/tomato paste, and bring to boil. Lower heat to lowest setting, cover saucepan and simmer until quinoa is ready, about 15 minutes.
  2. While quinoa is cooking: in a frying pan, heat oil over medium heat and stir-fry the garlic and onion until translucent.
  3. Add the carrot and sauté for a couple minutes.
  4. Add the chickpeas and cook for another couple minutes.
  5. Add the spinach/kale and cook until wilted, about a minute.
  6. Mix the veggies with the quinoa, season with salt, pepper and crushed red chili pepper, and garnish with cilantro before serving.

Keywords: chickpea, coconut milk, curry, easy, favorite, gluten-free, high-protein, indian, kale, low-carb, nut-free, original, quinoa, soy-free, spinach, stove top, under 30 minutes, vegan

Did you make this recipe?

Share a photo and tag me — I can’t wait to see what you’ve made!

Quick & Easy Indian Curry Quinoa - Vegan, Gluten-Free, and ready in no time!
Quick & Easy Indian Curry Quinoa - Vegan, Gluten-Free, and ready in no time!

140 thoughts on “Quick & Easy Indian Curry Quinoa”

  1. This really is a great recipe! I make it often and if I take it to an event everyone wants the recipe. Thank you!!

    Reply
  2. Soo good! I subbed sweet potato for carrot and 2nd time around also added fresh ginger. Delicious! Thank you!!

    Reply
  3. Can this recipe be modified to create it in an instant pot? I’d love that version of the recipe if possible. Thanks!

    Reply
  4. Very delicious. Added mango chunks, mushrooms, a serano pepper, and cayenne pepper (some of us like spicy). I had a lot of leftover quinoia already made so I prepared it in a different order. Still grateful for the idea and all three of us who ate it enjoyed it!

    Reply
  5. This was awesome!! I was sceptical at first because I’ve tried a lot of recipes that are vegan on the Internet, but this was actually so nice.Will definitely be making again!:))

    Reply
  6. Thank you so much for this recipe, it was amazing and so easy to make! My husband and I aren’t vegan but we are trying to not eat meat at every meal. He is always hesitant when I cook vegetarian dishes but he loved it. Great that you have so many gluten free recipes, we also try to avoid it and it can be hard to find good recipes.

    Reply
  7. I just made this and it was extremely tasty and easy to make! My mom and boyfriend absolutely loved it! It was the perfect amount of heat and so creamy. I will definitely be making this again, thank you 🙂

    Reply
  8. I made this recipe with kale and roasted butternut squash and it was fabulous!! My daughter loved it, and my husband went back for a huge, second helping. So tasty and flavorful, and we thought 3 tablespoons of curry powder was perfect. The best part was that it was guilt-free. We’ll be making this again!

    Reply
  9. Hi Angela, just tried this tonight and it was great. Looking foward to tweaking it according to what’s available at the farmer’s market. I used tricolour quinoa so it took a lot longer to cook and was a bit crunchy. I’ll use all white next time. Thank you for the blog and I look forward to making more of your recipes.

    Reply
  10. Just finished making this.. WOW, I really love the texture of this dish.. I put 2 Tablespoons of curry powder in with the quinoa, coconut milk and tomatoes, I fried the other Tablespoon off with the onions, carrots, chickpeas etc.. Thank you so much for posting..

    Reply
  11. I love your recipes, as an dutch vegan student i’m able to cook healthy for less, thanks to you!
    I get so much inspiration from your recipes!

    Reply
  12. OMG Angela. Just made this for my family and WOW. wow wow wow haha. This is the first recipe of yours I have tried and it 100% wont be the last. Love from across the ditch x

    Reply
  13. I absolutely love this recipe. I’m very new to being vegan and only 20, so I live with my parents. I was making this for myself for dinner because I didn’t want to inconvenience the rest of my family with my new food choices but they went crazy for this. They absolutely loved it (and I did too)! This convinced them that they wanted me to make vegan dinners for the whole family 3 or 4 nights a week and want me to go grocery shopping to get everything I need. So thank you so much for this recipe!

    Reply
  14. OMG this is BEYOND amazing!!!! Made it exactly as written, turned out to be a TKO with me and my two roommates, and one of the roomie’s GFs (all of whom are omnivores!). I used lacinato (or “dinosaur”) kale, which is my favorite of the kales due to its deep, sweet flavor and its tender texture. After adding the kale, I sprinkled some sea salt on it, fried it down a bit, and then put a lid on the pot and cooked it until it was tender. (I like my kale reallllly tender!) Added the rest of the ingredients and chowed down like a champion.

    Just LOVE this. Will definitely make again–and will explore the other recipes on your fun website : ) !

    Reply
  15. Just a note for all you folk who are worried about the curry powder amounts: The yellow Clive of India curry powder pictured in the photo on this recipe is perfect at three tablespoons – my housemate hates anything spicy or hot, and he loved this when I made it. (I wouldn’t trust my own opinion because I love it hot).
    Also, you may like to shred the spinach and add it fresh on top with the chopped coriander. If you’re going to make a lot of it and reheat leftovers this is a good idea rather than adding the spinach to the pot – the leaves can get a little slimy if it isn’t eaten straight away when you cook it.
    An awesome recipe – simple but sophisticated, and something you can face making after a busy day at work without too much drama!

    Reply
  16. My mom finally let me become vegan so I made this and she liked it too! thank you so much for all the lovely recipes! x

    Reply
  17. HI Angela. Thank you for the wonderful recipe. I have recently adopted a vegan diet and recently I’ve been struggling to be satisfied with the things I’ve been making. So I came across your website and this recipe, which is the first I tried. It’s absolute delicious. Thank you so much.

    Reply
  18. Hi! I just wanted to say that I tried this for the first time tonight and it was so delicious!! And it has so many nutrisious ingredients, so it’s very good for your body too. I used both kale and spinach and it was a great idea to put in. I actually made two servings worth of this so I could heat some up for dinner tomorrow but it was so good I ate everything in one go haha. I’ll definetaly make this a lot more and I’ll try more of your recipies too!

    Overall, great dish!!

    Reply
  19. Hi there! I am so excited to try this recipe out. One quick question though- chickpeas and I don’t go together well, what do you think would be a good alternative with this recipe? Thanks!

    Reply
  20. This dish is fantastic! I didn’t have enough curry powder left, so only used 1.5 tbsp, but I think that kept it within range for my younger boys to enjoy as well. Thank you, I’ll definitely make this dish again!

    Reply
  21. This was great! I love using quinoa as a high-protein alternative to rice (more typical to curries)- I used a tri-color blend which cooked perfectly.

    It’s funny reading the comments on here as the primary criticism seems to be that it was too heavy on the curry powder – this definitely must be a spice that varies greatly as I actually added some in after. I doubled the recipe to make plenty of leftovers for my family (of 4) and it came out great. I also used a lot more veggies – adding in a frozen package of broccoli, carrots, cauliflower, and green pea pods in addition to the spinach and kale. It still tasted a bit bland to me so I threw in a bit more curry powder, some cumin, turmeric, garam masala, and lastly a pinch of cayenne pepper to spice it up. I still could’ve used a bit more spice but this combo worked perfectly for my family.

    Sided with some naan – delicious, thank you!

    Reply
  22. Absolutely amazing and enjoyed by the whole family. We are new to Vegan and I have been looking for recipes online. I will certainly be looking for more of your recipes and an even bigger bonus was how easy it was. Thanks million 🙂

    Reply
  23. I made this earlier in the week and I loved it!! Super easy and a great option for a packed lunch for work. Thanks!

    Reply
  24. I made this tonight and WOW is this dish spicy! It is definitely hotter than I bargained for. Next time I will only add 1 tbsp of curry powder instead of 3!

    Reply
  25. Dynamite! I added a little ginger and some chopped dates, since I like some sweetness in my curry. Amazing! Thanks.

    Reply
  26. Hello! Don’t normally write comments on these things ever, but just made this and it is amaaaazing! Great to have found another quick and simple recipe for a vegan dish! 🙂

    Reply
  27. I was craving curry and took to pinterest to find a recipe. I came across your recipe there and right now I’m sitting and eating the finished product and it is delicious! Thanks for the recipe!

    Reply
  28. Hi Angela

    Bumped into ur website and this recipe while googling on recipes with quinoa. Am vegetarian (not vegan or an eggetarian though). The curry powder caught my eye, me being from India. However I am cooking quinoa for the first time though (and red quinoa at that !!) .. Any tips to make this dish (or any other quinoa dish) work better ??

    Cheers
    Kalyani aka momchef
    http://www.sizzlingtastebuds.com

    Reply
  29. Love your curries! Have made 3 now and the Mediterranean dish with sun dried tomatoes.

    We clearly have the same taste buds and what’s great is how easy your recipes are to follow. Great job girl x

    Keep em coming!

    Reply
  30. I just tried this out today. Loved it so much. Thank you so much for sharing this recipe. I love my chillies so i added some extra chilli powder. Loved the kick that came with every bite.

    Reply
  31. I made this last night for the family. The thing I find difficult about quinoa is that it takes a lot of flavoring. Quinoa doesn’t seem to soak up flavoring like rice or couscous will. So I found this recipe and saw three tablespoons of curry powder and I thought “yeah! This will work”. And it did. Though I’ve tried many different quinoa recipes I’ve always been going back to the same default Mexican quinoa recipe because it has a lot of spice, cilantro, cumin and jalapenos in it.

    Following some of the other commenters suggestions, I may try garam masala or fresh curry leaves the next time I make it. Very very good.

    Reply
  32. *Correction, “then” lima beans, not “ten” lima beans…even though “ten” wouldn’t be too far off. I am just learning to like them. Your recipe helped 🙂

    Reply
  33. This was excellent. I’ve made it two weeks in a row! Leftovers are even better! I didn’t have any kale or spinach either time. I used chick peas the first time, and ten lima beans and carrots the second time with some leftover pasta sauce, and it was so good. Thanks for the great recipe!

    Reply
  34. My first recipe using quinoa… Excellent! I love the spicy taste. I substituted kale with broccoli and it is still mouth watering. Thanks for the post!

    Reply
  35. Just made this for dinner. Thank you so much for sharing…super easy with your detailed instructions. Healthy and very tasty!

    Reply
  36. Easy to prepare and pretty good instructions to prepare. It was a breeze and was ready before I could say Quinoa Aloha !!

    Reply
  37. Your recipe is awesome. Healthy and delicious!!! I’m going to have to keep an eye on your postings now.

    Reply
  38. Made this in my Thermomix last night and it turned out perfectly! I was a little afraid about the amount of curry at first so I started with two tbsp but then added the third one after all!

    A real delight! I love hearty stews and curries because they usually freeze well and can be thawed as a healthy lunch at work.

    Please keep them coming:-)

    Reply
  39. It’s people like you that make starting veganism again a treat! I randomly have all these ingredients and never would have thought to put them all together, thank you so so so much for being awesome!! 🙂

    Reply
  40. Had all the ingredients so made this last night and it was 5 star DELICIOUS!!! Even my carnivorous husband loved it. Plus it was so pretty during the cooking process that I took pictures. I skipped the cilantro since I’m not a fan and it’s great like that. Thank you for posting this wonderful easy recipe. It will be on our regular dinner rotation for sure!!!

    Reply
  41. Tried this tonight – took me longer than 5 minutes to put it together – chop garlic, onions, carrots, spinach and kale. Also used red quinoa which took longer to cook. I drizzled some fresh lime juice over the top right before serving and it added a nice freshness to it.
    Thanks for the recipe!

    Reply
  42. This was sooo delicious!! Carnivore hubby loved it too. I’m now going to scour your site for more recipes. Thank you!!

    Reply
  43. Love this. It was my first attempt at Vegan cooking. Do you think it’s freezable? Any recommendations on quick, easy, freezable meals I could pre-prepare for work? Great site!!!

    Reply
  44. I tried this for the first time last night – yummo! I cooked the quinoa in the microwave (as I do with your delicious Mexican casserole), then cooked the veggies (celery, carrot, onion, kale and zucchini) in a pan. The creamy quinoa with the crunchy veg was a taste sensation.

    Thanks again for another fab recipe Angela. I can’t wait to try lots of different spice combinations – garam masala next time perhaps?

    Reply
    • Thanks for the feedback, so glad you liked it! Garam Masala would be a great addition. I left it out to keep it simple for people, but if you have it, definitely toss some in there. Yum! Thanks again for writing and keep in touch 🙂

      Reply
  45. I found it interesting that a lot of people said they were worried about the amount of curry powder – I actually found it wasn’t enough! The coconut milk was quite overpowering and made the whole thing taste a little bland and mild (I got light coconut milk), so I ended up with probably four spoons of curry powder and a generous amount of garam masala thrown in, too. Maybe I’m just a curry fiend haha – I prefer a strong, spicy curry flavour!

    Anyway, other than that it was good! I used peas, carrot, kale, mushroom and fresh instead of tinned tomato. Quite enjoyed it and looking forward to leftovers for lunch tomorrow. Thanks for another easy to follow recipe!

    Reply
  46. I tried it, but I really didn’t like it. I am disappointed because I haven’t made a good curry at home yet! Every time I make one, it comes out too strong and I can’t eat it. Three tablespoons of curry seems ridiculous- was it a typo? I don’t understand how the other people who made this recipe liked it. And I am a huge Indian curry fan!
    I also had a question- what onion was I supposed to use? I used red onion but did not like the way it smelled.

    Reply
    • I’m so sorry that you didn’t like it. This isn’t meant to be a traditional curry – it’s more of a curried quinoa if that makes sense. Is your curry powder really strong? You may need to cut back on it next time if so… Unless specified, when recipes call for onions, it usually means white onions. Hope that helps 🙂

      Reply
      • I didn’t think about my curry powder being strong- maybe it is. I will definitely cut back on it next time I use it- if I get the gumption to do it again haha! Thanks for the response. 🙂

        Reply
          • Hi,

            I too made this last night and had to throw it in the bin. I used mild madras powder 3 tbsp.does seem excessive. It tasted so bad I was so disappointed as I was really looking forward to it

            I plan to do it again over the weekend this time with normal curry powder but 3 tbsp but will use baby steps with the application. lets hope it works this time

  47. Do you have any suggestions for substituting the coconut milk? I am not vegan or lactose intolerant, so I don’t want to buy the Coconut milk if something I have on hand would work just as well!

    Thanks! This looks delicious!

    Reply
  48. Dear Angela

    Recently I had three kidney stones after following an over the top bodybuilding carnivorous and supplement high diet. Since passing them I have gone to find out a number of excellent recipes with a nice hit of protein, nutrients but meat and dairy free.

    By far this is my favourite of them all. Have made this twice now with Spinach once and Kale the next. Going to take the suggestion and add some broccoli and other cruciferous veg next time. A real winter warmer and delicious all the same. Really love this one, has done wonders for me and is easy but impressive enough to cook for my family at some point next time I am back from university.

    Going to try out a few more that you have here on this website. Keep up the good work, this recipe is really awesome! Looking forward to seeing more recipe suggestions from you.

    Best Regards from England!

    Ben

    Reply
      • I was going to give that one a go. Bought all the ingredients today to make the Raw Pad Thai. Unfortunately couldn’t get almond or cashew butter at my local supermarket or the sesame paste. Went for peanut butter instead. Do you think this will make much of a difference? Just need to grab a spiralizer tomorrow and i’ll be in business!

        Thanks again!

        Ben

        Reply
        • Ooo the raw Pad Thai is awesome! I made a version of it last night. So good! I make it with peanut butter all the time, so that’s fine. And if you can’t find a spiralizer, just use a regular vegetable peeler. The noodles won’t be as pretty, but it will still taste great. Good luck 🙂

          Reply
          • Just made it with Peanut Butter using the peeler. Put it in the fridge for tomorrow but tried a bit and it is incredible! Thank you once again! I could get used to the Veggie way. Inspired!

            Ben

  49. Made this tonight with black quinoa – it was delicious and beautiful! I will definitely be making this regularly. I had some fresh curry leaves, so I fried them in the oil with the onion and garlic. After years of being a vegetarian, I am a new vegan and am thrilled that you shared such a delicious, healthy, and easy meal!

    Reply
  50. This looks wonderful! I am going to make a double batch of this to freeze for after our baby is born. It looks very healthy and an easy reheat.

    Reply
  51. Hi Angela

    Just found this recipe googling ‘vegan’ and ‘quinoa’ and am so SO happy to have found your blog! Me and my workmate have both gone vegan within the last 2 months and were both trying to think of new and interesting recipes to try- having found this I am sure we will both be trying new recipes all the time!

    Reply
  52. I love this recipe. It lasts me the week. I have so far made it with carrot and parsnip, aubergine and spinach and I am now making carrot and sprout and butternut squash. Sprouts are left over from xmas dinner. Its great cus I can just heat it up all in one as I am the only vegan in my family but if my two little girls want to eat it I know its safe for them too as they cant eat dairy or egg. Thanks for posting

    Reply
  53. I’m cooking it right now! I could eat the stir fry all by itself it’s so yummy!! But I have a confession to make…I forgot to rinse the quinoa beforehand. Whoops!!! Oh well, everything tastes great!

    Reply
  54. I made this for dinner tonight, it was delicious! I used just one bunch of kale, but it must have been an especially large bunch, cause it was a ton of kale! But it was still super good. I omitted the oil and added 2 tbsp of turbinado sugar because I like my curries a little sweet. I was very afraid of the 3 tbsp of curry powder, but it came out just right! It was really easy to make and I’ll definitely make it again!

    My sister shared another recipe from your blog with me last week (that’s how I found out about the blog), and I now have plans to make several other recipes of yours over the next few day. I can’t wait! Thanks so much!

    Reply
    • Thanks so much for the kind words! I’m so glad that you’re enjoying my recipes.

      You know, I had used 2 tbsp of curry powder initially and decided that it could handle 3. I know it seems crazy, but it works!

      About the greens – I’m so glad you mentioned that! I meant 2 handfuls, not bunches. Eeek, sorry about that! I’ll change that as soon as I’m back at my computer! Thanks again for all the feedback and for taking the time to write 🙂

      Reply
  55. My boyfriend and I just made this, it was absolutely delicious, fast and easy, will definitely be making it again, thanks so much for posting this!!

    Reply
    • Hi Lope – Let me know what you think of the recipe. Most of my quinoa recipes are pretty easy and you can see from the comments that they do work out for people. Good luck!

      Reply
  56. I made this tonight and it was sooo delicious and easy. I’ve actually made about 5 of your recipes now, you’re amazing! Love trying them all thanks so much for sharing!

    Reply
    • I hope you like it! You may want to add a lot of chili flakes or Sriracha if you like things really spicy! Loving your blog – going to start following it now. Thanks for reaching out!

      Reply
  57. Ooo lummy! Thanks.

    I bought some small artichokes as well…..I was thinking of grilling them on the BBQ. Any other tips/suggestions?

    Reply

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