This carrot raisin quinoa recipe comes together quickly with only 5 ingredients if you don't count salt and oil. But don't be fooled by its simplicity it packs a comforting flavor and it's a favorite among adults and kids. Give it a try and please let us know what you think.
In business, we are taught to try to recreate previous successes. We decided to apply the concept to our quinoa recipe. As we are stuck at home and the coronavirus (COVID-19) is devastating the world we are not feeling particularly creative, so we decided to look back and some of our most successful recipes and try to create a new twist. Our inspiration for this quinoa recipe comes from our Rosh Hashanah Carrot and Raisin Basmati Rice that our mom made frequently.
Fun Fact: Based on some of the comments we received on the basmati rice recipe it is similar to an Afghani rice dish named Kabuli (minus the spices), which is interesting because our mom created that recipe pre-internet times and in Spain where she didn't have any knowledge of Afghani cuisine.
We decided to create the same recipe using quinoa instead of rice and see if it worked, we had to play with the water and quinoa ratios, but we did it! Everyone loved the results! This shows you that it is easy to make quinoa taste good, just add some veggies, spices, herbs or even cheese if you are feeling indulgent and you can have a tasty quinoa dish. One of the key elements is to cook the quinoa right.
How to Cook Quinoa
We believe many people that don't like quinoa it's because they follow the packaging directions on how to cook it. We find that in those cooking instructions the ratio of water to quinoa is too high and it comes out too mushy, and who wants to eat mushy food that is not oatmeal? This is how we like to cook quinoa:
With our method, one cup of quinoa yields 2 ½ cups.
- Rinse 1 cup of quinoa in a fine-mesh strainer, until the water runs clear
- Drain the quinoa
- In a medium saute pan with a lid heat 2-3 teaspoons of olive oil or any other oil of your choice
- Add rinsed quinoa and saute over medium-high heat for 2-3 minutes, stirring often
- Add 1 ⅓ cups of water and ½ teaspoon of salt
- Bring to a boil, cover the pan, lower the heat and simmer for 20 minutes
- Uncover the pan, the quinoa should be tender, but not mushy. If the quinoa is still a little crunchy add ¼ cup of water and continue simmering with the pan covered until all the water has been absorbed.
- Sometimes, depending on the type of quinoa it may require 1 ½ cups of water instead of 1 ⅓ cups. The reason you may have to add more water is becuase sometimes red or black quino take longer to cook, depending on the brand.
How to make this carrot raisin quinoa recipe
Shred carrots and sliced onions
Saute onions
Add onions and continue cooking
Add quinoa and raisins
Add water and bring to a boil and simmer. Serve warm or at room temperature
Other Quinoa Recipe You May Also Like
- Cannellini Bean, Quinoa, and Kale Soup
- Veggie Loaded Quinoa Fried Rice
- Super Easy Quinoa Salad Recipe
- Quinoa Breakfast Bowl with Caramelized Bananas
- Vegan Gluten-Free Quinoa Paella
- Vegan Quinoa Stuffed Zucchini Boats
- Quinoa Pomegranate Salad with Orange Tahini Dressing
- Roasted Vegetable Quinoa Greek Salad
- Cauliflower Quinoa Meatless Meatballs In Coconut Turmeric Sauce
- Quinoa Mushroom Sliders
If you enjoyed this recipe, it would help us tremendously if you left us a star rating in the comments below or on the recipe card. Do you have any questions about the recipe? Do you need a swap for any of the ingredients? We are here to help, just leave us a question in the comments below.
PrintCarrot Raisin Quinoa Recipe - Vegan and Gluten-Free
- Total Time: 50 minutes
- Yield: 6 ½ cups 1x
- Diet: Vegan
Description
This carrot raisin quinoa recipe comes together quickly with only 5 ingredients if you don't count salt and oil. But don't be fooled by its simplicity it packs comforting flavor and it's a favorite among adults and kids. Give it a try and please let us know what you think.
Ingredients
2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
1 large sweet onion, sliced
5 medium carrots freshly shredded, or 4 cups store-bought shredded carrots
1 ¾ cups water
¾ tsp salt
⅛ tsp black pepper
¾ cup raisins
1 cup quinoa, rinsed
Optional Topping: any nuts of your choice, chopped
Instructions
- In a 3 qt sauté pan with a lid, heat oil and cook onions at medium-high heat until translucent, about 5 minutes
- Add shredded carrots and continue cooking at for an additional 5 minutes
- Add water, salt, pepper, raisins and rinsed quinoa and stir well.
- Bring to a boil, cover, reduce heat to low and simmer for 25 minutes
- Uncover the pan and gently fluff the quinoa up with a fork. If water remains, cover and continue cooking for an additional 5 minutes or until all the water has cooked out.
- Top with nuts, right before serving, if using.
- Serve warm or at room temperature
Notes
- This quinoa recipe comes out better and tastier with freshly shredded carrots
- Prep Time: 10
- Cook Time: 40
- Category: Side dish
- Method: stovetop
- Cuisine: Vegan and gluten-free
Nutrition
- Serving Size: ⅓ cup
- Calories: 223
- Sugar: 15.8
- Sodium: 316
- Fat: 5.8
- Saturated Fat: .8
- Unsaturated Fat: 5
- Trans Fat: 0
- Carbohydrates: 40.5
- Fiber: 5.3
- Protein: 5.1
- Cholesterol: 0
Rebeca
This is a really tasty side dish that well combines with any entree. I made it with cranberries instead of raisins (dont like them very much) and was very successful!
Chava Cohen
I loved this on Passover and make it year round now. Simple and delicious.
Vicky and Ruth
Thank you Chava! We do the same :-)!
Ruchama Burrell
You are so right about the water/quinoa ratio. After trying less water, I changed my way of cooking quinoa. I'm not sure why other foodies haven't tried less water. They should. You are doing a great service by pointing this out. I'm not a big fan of carrot/raisin recipes but I'll give this one a try based on your obvious understanding of how to cook quinoa.
Vicky and Ruth
Thank you! We are glad you agree with the quinoa/water cooking ratio. Quinoa is so much better, when it's not mushy!