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    Home » Recipes » Vegan Side Dish Recipes

    Orange Spiced Quinoa

    By: Amy Katz · Published: Jul 22, 2019 · Last modified: Jan 28, 2022 · This post may contain affiliate links. · As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.

    Jump to Recipe - Print - Pin
    Special diet: gluten-free, soy-free, vegan
    Bowl of spiced quinoa garnished with orange wedge and sprig of fresh mint.

    Moroccan-inspired Orange Spiced Quinoa is full of flavor from cinnamon, raisins, walnuts, carrots, and fresh herbs. It's easy to make this vegan side dish on your stovetop or in an Instant Pot pressure cooker.

    Serving bowl of quinoa garnished with an orange wedge and sprig of fresh mint.

    If you're bored with plain quinoa, this is the recipe for you. Inspired by Moroccan Carrot and Orange Salad, this spiced quinoa also contains fresh mint and cilantro.

    And the addition of raisins and walnuts makes it not only more flavorful but substantial enough to be a complete meal on its own.

    Jump to:
    • Why you'll love this recipe
    • Ingredients and substitutions
    • Top tip
    • Instructions
    • Serving suggestions
    • Storing and freezing
    • FAQ
    • More quinoa recipes
    • 📋 Recipe
    • 💬 Comments

    Why you'll love this recipe

    • It's loaded with flavors and textures but is just as easy to make as plain quinoa.
    • You can make on the stove or in an Instant Pot.
    • It's a delicious Mediterranean side dish that's worthy of main-dish status.

    Ingredients and substitutions

    For the complete list of ingredients with measurements plus recipe instructions, please see the recipe card at the bottom of this post.

    • Olive oil (for sauteing)
    • Shredded carrots (Use a box grater or food processor to grate the carrots. Or purchase pre-shredded carrots in a bag from the supermarket.)
    • Ground cinnamon (A little goes a long way, so you only need a pinch.)
    • Quinoa (I used white quinoa in this recipe, but tri-color or red would work well, too.)
    • Raisins (or substitute cranberries, chopped apricots, or your favorite dried fruit)
    • Walnuts (or nut of your choice)
    • Orange (zest and juice)
    • Fresh cilantro (or substitute parsley)
    • Fresh mint
    • Salt and pepper

    Top tip

    Before cooking, rinse the quinoa in cold water using a fine mesh strainer. This will help remove any potential bitterness.

    Instructions

    Collage of 4 numbered images showing how to make this recipe.
    1. Saute the carrots in olive oil until soft.
    2. Add the cinnamon and rinsed and drained quinoa and saute for a minute.
    3. Add water and simmer or pressure cook until the water is absorbed.
    4. Fold in the raisins, walnuts, orange zest, orange juice, cilantro, and mint. Taste and add salt and pepper as needed and serve.

    Serving suggestions

    Close up of bowl of orange quinoa.
    • For a simple meal, enjoy this quinoa side dish as a main course with a Green Olive Salad or Sauteed Green Beans and Mushrooms.
    • Or try it with Oven Roasted Chickpeas and Pesto Brussels Sprouts with Sun-Dried Tomatoes.
    • It's also wonderful for making a quinoa power bowl with your favorite types of beans and greens.

    Storing and freezing

    Leftovers can be covered and refrigerated for up to 5 days or frozen for up to 3 months. Reheat or enjoy cold.

    FAQ

    What does quinoa taste like?

    Quinoa has a mild nutty flavor. It's naturally gluten-free and a great substitute for couscous, bulgur, rice, and other grains.

    What should quinoa look like when cooked?

    Once the cooking liquid is absorbed, the quinoa will look like it has opened revealing "rings" around the seeds.

    Why do you need to rinse quinoa before cooking?

    Quinoa seeds have a natural coating called saponin which has a bitter taste. While quinoa is often sold pre-rinsed, I recommend giving it a quick rinse in cold water anyway to improve the taste and get rid of any remaining bitterness.

    More quinoa recipes

    • Cilantro Lime Quinoa (Instant Pot Option)
      Cilantro Lime Quinoa (Instant Pot Option)
    • Easy Vegan Quinoa Salad
    • Slice of casserole on a plate topped with cubes of avocado and sliced green onions
      Vegan Black Bean Quinoa Casserole
    • Stuffed squash on a platter.
      Vegan Stuffed Acorn Squash

    And for even more recipes, join the Vegan Mediterranean Diet Recipes Facebook group for support, inspiration, and fun.

    If you love this recipe, please give it 5 stars! ★★★★★

    📋 Recipe

    Serving bowl of spiced quinoa garnished with an orange wedge and sprig of mint.

    Orange Spiced Quinoa

    Moroccan-inspired Orange Spiced Quinoa is full of flavor from cinnamon, raisins, walnuts, carrots, and fresh herbs. It's easy to make this vegan side dish on your stovetop or in an Instant Pot pressure cooker.
    4.80 from 5 votes
    Print Pin SaveSaved! Rate Email recipe + ingredient list
    Special diet: gluten-free, soy-free, vegan
    Course: Side Dish
    Cuisine: Fusion, Mediterranean, Moroccan
    Prep Time: 15 minutes
    Cook Time: 30 minutes
    Total Time: 45 minutes
    Servings: 6
    Calories: 232kcal
    Author: Amy Katz

    Equipment

    • Box Grater
    • Food Processor
    • Fine Mesh Strainer
    • 5-blade herb scissors

    Ingredients

    • 1 Tablespoon olive oil
    • ½ cup carrots, peeled and grated (use box grater or food processor)
    • pinch ground cinnamon
    • 1 cup quinoa, rinsed and drained (use fine mesh strainer)
    • 2 cups water, (1¼ cups water if using Instant Pot Method)
    • ½ cup raisins
    • ½ cup walnuts, roughly chopped
    • zest of one orange
    • 2 Tablespoons orange juice
    • 3 Tablespoons fresh cilantro, chopped
    • 1 Tablespoon fresh mint, chopped
    • salt and pepper, to taste
    US Customary - Metric
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    Instructions

    Stove Top Method:

    • Heat the oil over medium heat.
    • Add the carrots and saute until soft.
    • Stir in the cinnamon and rinsed quinoa and saute for 1 minute.
    • Add the water and bring to a boil. Reduce heat and cover. Simmer until the water is absorbed, 15 to 20 minutes.
    • Fold in the raisins, walnuts, orange zest, orange juice, cilantro, and mint. Taste and add salt and pepper as needed and serve.

    Instant Pot Method:

    • Using the saute function, heat the oil.
    • Add the carrots and saute until soft.
    • Stir in the cinnamon and rinsed quinoa and saute for 1 minute.
    • Add 1¼ cups water and stir to combine. Close and lock the lid. Cook on high pressure for 5 minutes. Allow the pressure to release naturally.
    • After the pressure has released, open the lid and fold in the raisins, walnuts, orange zest, orange juice, cilantro, and mint. Taste and add salt and pepper as needed and serve.

    Notes

    Leftovers can be covered and refrigerated up to 5 days or frozen for up to 3 months. Reheat or enjoy cold.
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    Nutrition

    Calories: 232kcal | Carbohydrates: 31g | Protein: 6g | Fat: 11g | Saturated Fat: 1g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 6g | Monounsaturated Fat: 3g | Sodium: 17mg | Potassium: 353mg | Fiber: 4g | Sugar: 1g | Vitamin A: 1848IU | Vitamin C: 5mg | Calcium: 35mg | Iron: 2mg

    Nutritional information is an estimation only.

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    About Amy

    Amy Katz is a vegan recipe developer, photographer, and Certified Vegan Nutrition Health Coach. She loves sharing delicious plant-based Mediterranean diet recipes that home cooks of all levels can enjoy. Her easy vegan recipes have been featured on HuffPost, LIVESTRONG, Healthline, Parade, VegNews, BuzzFeed, MSN, Greatist, Country Living, Insider, Brit+Co, Well+Good, and more. She lives in Orange County, California with the love of her life, Brad, and their adorable black cat, Ozzy.

    Reader Interactions

    Comments

    All commentsI made this
    1. Marsha N

      February 11, 2022 at 12:17 pm

      4 stars
      This was a very easy recipe. When we tasted it, the flavor was a bit bland, so I sprinkled some cardamom over the top and stirred it in. With this addition we could really taste the orange and other add ins.

      Reply
      • Amy Katz

        February 11, 2022 at 12:50 pm

        Great idea, thanks Marsha!

        Reply
      • Toni

        April 15, 2022 at 11:34 pm

        5 stars
        We made this for Passover and it was a great hit! Thanks, Amy!

        Reply
        • Amy Katz

          April 16, 2022 at 9:33 am

          I'm so happy everyone enjoyed it, Toni!

          Reply
    2. Ruchama Burrell

      February 07, 2022 at 9:25 am

      This recipe looks wonderful. We will definitely want to make it for Passover when maintaining a vegan diet is especially challenging. One thing: I've been cooking with quinoa for quite a while. One blogger suggested that the two-to-one liquid to quinoa was a little too much liquid. I tried her stove top method and found that 1 3/4 or even 1 1/2 cups of liquid to quinoa actually worked better. It helps to have a heavy pot with a tight lid and keep a close eye on the quinoa as it cooks.

      Reply
      • Amy Katz

        February 07, 2022 at 10:26 am

        I think it will be wonderful for Passover. Thanks for the tip, Ruchama!

        Reply
    3. Itris

      November 23, 2020 at 8:33 pm

      5 stars
      I like this recipe - it covers all the bases: nutritional and yummy. There was enough leftover to have with lunch the next day. Definitely one of our new favourites, thank you.

      Reply
      • Amy Katz

        November 24, 2020 at 4:54 pm

        Thank you, I'm glad you enjoyed it!

        Reply

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    Hi, I'm Amy! As a Certified Vegan Nutrition Health Coach, my passion is creating vegan Mediterranean diet recipes to inspire everyone to choose plant-based meals more often. At Veggies Save The Day you'll find simple delicious recipes that are easy to make any night of the week.

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