Enjoy this turmeric quinoa bowl as a flavorful lunch idea or served as a side dish! It's packed with veggies and aromatic spices, and so easy to make as a vegan and gluten free skillet recipe in about 30 minutes.
Have a peek at my pesto chicken quinoa bowl for another fun 'bowl' lunch or dinner recipe!
Are you as big of a fan of quinoa as I am? I love how you can use it to make tasty breakfast recipes such as my quinoa flake porridge and my berry quinoa bake or a fun dinner such as my quinoa stuffed zucchini or my vegetable soup with quinoa.
This turmeric quinoa recipe makes the most of delicious spices of turmeric and ginger for so much flavor, and adds tasty veggies to make it a fun 'bowl' lunch or dinner.
It's a simple skillet quinoa recipe that makes the most of fresh produce and pantry staples, and can be served as a vegan lunch or side dish.
This recipe was updated on 12 January 2024 with slight amendments to the recipe, new photos and recipe tips.
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⭐ Why this recipe is so good
Packed with delicious spices. We combine turmeric and ginger for so much flavor. Use fresh if you have them, or ground if not!
Budget friendly. This turmeric quinoa bowl uses easy to find affordable ingredients that definitely don't lack in flavor.
Skillet recipe. No need to turn the oven on, this quinoa risotto comes together so easily in your skillet.
🥣 Ingredients
All the ingredients and their quantities are set out in the recipe card below.
Some notes on a few of them:
- Quinoa - I like to use white quinoa, but you can easily swap out for a tri-blend quinoa with red and black quinoa. Make sure to rinse your quinoa before use!
- Turmeric - you can use ground turmeric powder or grated fresh turmeric root. If using fresh turmeric, you want to use about three times the quantity.
- Ginger - it's easy to use ground ginger or a larger amount of peeled, grated root ginger root.
- Fresh vegetables - I suggest to use red bell peppers, zucchini and carrots, but you can swap out for broccoli, cauliflower or the veggie you like best!
📖 Swaps and variations
Swap the veggies. Choose those you like best, but if you add leafy greens you want to add them towards the end of the cook time.
Add more spice. Love a more spiced quinoa bowl? Add a pinch of sweet paprika or cardamom!
🔪 Step by step instructions
Making this turmeric quinoa is very simple, so let's grab our ingredients and skillet and I'll walk you through the recipe!
All the instructions are in the recipe card below, but these photos should help guide you.
Step 1: Combine quinoa and veggies
In a large skillet, saute onion and minced garlic in a little olive oil for 4-5 minutes. Tip in the diced vegetables, rinsed quinoa, turmeric and ground ginger. Cook for 2-3 minutes (image 1).
Step 2: Cook the turmeric quinoa
Pour in the vegetable broth, bring to a boil then reduce the heat to a very light simmer (image 2). Pour in the coconut milk and stir well to combine. Cook the quinoa for 15-20 minutes, stirring occasionally and adding more broth if required. The quinoa is ready when it's fluffy and the 'tails' have opened.
💭 Recipe tips and notes
- It's best to rinse quinoa before use to remove the saponin coating that has a bitter taste.
- The consistency of this quinoa turmeric bowl is slightly down to preference. Add more vegetable broth for a looser consistency that's similar to risotto.
- Make sure the 'tails' of the quinoa have opened. You need a little longer cook time if they have yet to do so.
- Stir the risotto occasionally so the quinoa cooks more evenly.
- Pour in more vegetable broth if the quinoa and vegetable mix seems a little dry.
📋 Frequently asked questions
White quinoa is a good choice as it has a softer texture, but you can also use a tri-blend of red and black quinoa.
Yes, you can easily use peeled grated turmeric root. Simply adjust the amount and increase by 2-3 times depending on how much spice you like. Fresh turmeric isn't as pungent as turmeric root.
No, if you want a more simple quinoa side dish, you can leave out the vegetables and just use the spices.
🍽 Serving suggestions
Serve this turmeric quinoa risotto as it is for a tasty fragrant vegan lunch, or as a side dish recipe with a protein! For some sides you may like to try:
- Pair with my air fryer boneless chicken thighs, my ricotta stuffed chicken or my air fryer frozen cod, or a vegan or vegetarian protein source.
- Serve with a light side salad such as my fennel and cucumber salad or my cucumber pomegranate salad for some refreshing flavors!
❄️ Freezing advice
I have frozen this coconut turmeric quinoa dozens of times and it works perfectly! Simply portion into freezer-safe containers and store for up to 2 months.
My low histamine readers may wish to read the SIGHI guidance on freezing food, which states not to freeze 'for an unnecessarily long time'.
🍚 More risotto recipes
I like to think of this turmeric quinoa as a twist on risotto as it's such a cozy comfort food dinner idea! For more risotto recipes I think you'll love my chicken and leek risotto and my roasted butternut squash risotto, as well as these fun recipes:
I’m always in the kitchen, so come join me on Instagram, Facebook and Pinterest to be the first to hear of new recipes! And please do leave a star rating ⭐⭐⭐ if you've tried the recipe!
📖 Recipe
Turmeric Quinoa
Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- ¼ onion diced
- 1 clove garlic finely diced or minced, optional
- 1 teaspoon ground turmeric
- 1 teaspoon ground ginger
- 1 cup quinoa rinsed
- 1 carrot diced
- 1 bell pepper diced
- ½ zucchini diced
- 1.5 cups vegetable broth more as required
- ½ can coconut milk
- pinch salt
- pinch black pepper optional
- fresh parsley to garnish
Instructions
- In a large skillet, saute the onion and garlic (if using) in olive oil on a gentle heat for 4-5 minutes until softened. Be careful not to let the garlic burn!
- Tip in the diced carrot, bell pepper and zucchini, rinsed quinoa, turmeric and ground ginger. Cook for 2-3 minutes, then pour in the vegetable broth. Bring to a boil, then reduce the heat and pour in the coconut milk. Cook for 15-20 minutes, stirring occasionally until the quinoa is cooked through and the 'tails' have opened. Add more vegetable broth, if required.
- Season with salt and black pepper, if using, and garnish with fresh parsley to serve.
Notes
- Rinse your quinoa before use to remove the saponin coating, as it has a strong bitter taste that isn't too nice!
- I like to use white quinoa for this recipe, but you can also use a tri-blend if you prefer.
- If using fresh turmeric or ginger, it's best to use about three times the amount as you would for dried spices.
- Make sure the quinoa is fully cooked. It should have opened it's 'tails' and no longer be a hard seed.
- Add more vegetable broth if the skillet looks a little dry, or if you prefer a looser consistency.
- garlic and ginger, which score 1.
- onion, which scores 1 with a ? as a liberator. White onion scores 0.
- vegetable broth will vary depending upon ingredients used and cooking technique.
- black pepper, which scores 2.
Alice L says
I doubled this recipe and took a bit longer to cook but I live in Denver so makes sense. So colorful it made me happy and I will try to freeze some to see if that works. Thank you for you ur creativity.
Claire says
I've frozen this plenty of times and it works well! You may need to add a dash of water as you reheat it. Love that you enjoyed how colorful it is!
Mary says
This was my first low-histamine recipe, and it was so easy and delicious! I'll definitely be making this again.
Claire says
So lovely to hear that you enjoyed it Mary! Thanks so much for taking the time to comment 🙂
Andrea says
I’ve recently been diagnosed with MCAS and your blog has been a lifesaver! This recipe is one of my absolute favorites. Have you ever tried freezing this? Cooking everything fresh has been one of the biggest struggles for me and finding meals that freeze well has been a big help. Thanks!!
Claire says
Hi Andrea, so glad you find the recipes helpful! Sorry to hear that you have been diagnosed with MCAS. It's a tough condition to navigate isn't it. And yes, I have frozen this. It turns out OK, but I would suggest adding a little water or vegetable stock when you reheat it, or it could be a bit dry.
Ida says
Tried this today. So so good! Will be making it a lot. Thanks for the recipe!!
Claire says
You're welcome Ida! So glad you enjoyed it and thanks for taking the time to comment!