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.
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.
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
- 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
Amy's tip
Before cooking, rinse the quinoa in cold water using a fine mesh strainer. This will help remove any potential bitterness.
For the complete list of ingredients with measurements plus recipe instructions, please see the recipe card at the bottom of this post.
Instructions
- Saute the carrots in olive oil until soft.
- Add the cinnamon and rinsed and drained quinoa and saute for a minute.
- Add water and simmer or pressure cook until the water is absorbed.
- Fold in the raisins, walnuts, orange zest, orange juice, cilantro, and mint. Taste and add salt and pepper as needed and serve.
Serving suggestions
- For a simple meal, enjoy this spiced quinoa as a main course with a salad with Green Olive Dressing 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 and roasted butternut squash power bowl.
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.
Refer to the FDA Food Storage Guidelines for more information.
Recipe FAQs
Quinoa has a mild nutty flavor. It's naturally gluten-free and a great substitute for couscous, bulgur, rice, and other grains.
Once the cooking liquid is absorbed, the quinoa will look like it has opened revealing "rings" around the seeds.
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 vegan quinoa recipes
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
Orange Spiced Quinoa
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
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
Nutrition
Nutritional information is an estimation only.
Marsha N
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.
Amy Katz
Great idea, thanks Marsha!
Toni
We made this for Passover and it was a great hit! Thanks, Amy!
Amy Katz
I'm so happy everyone enjoyed it, Toni!
Ruchama Burrell
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.
Amy Katz
I think it will be wonderful for Passover. Thanks for the tip, Ruchama!
Itris
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.
Amy Katz
Thank you, I'm glad you enjoyed it!