I figured it was about time to share another one pot recipe! My last two forays into the one pot phenomenon were both pasta dishes, so this time I’m changing it up with this one pot tandoori quinoa. (Now with a recipe video!)
My one pot pasta puttanesca actually started an interesting conversation with a reader about authenticity of recipes. Is one pot pasta an insult to the art of Italian cooking? Can we really call something ‘puttanesca’ if it doesn’t have anchovies in it, and we’ve added chickpeas, which are never used in the classic dish? I say ‘yes’! It gives people an idea of what to expect from the recipe, without having to read the ingredients list in detail. It’s obvious just from the title what the inspiration and flavor profile will be. And I try to be forthcoming and honest in my blog posts when I’m introducing a recipe that strays from being authentic (which is… most of them! Exhibit A: last week’s Brussels sprout banh mi).
Which leads me to my next comment. The tandoori-ness of this one pot tandoori quinoa is disputable. 🙂 The term ‘tandoori’ actually refers to the tandoor, which is a clay oven used in Southern Asian cooking. And this recipe quite obviously doesn’t use one of those! However, the flavors of the dish do take their inspiration from tandoori masala, which is a curry paste usually comprised of garam masala, cayenne pepper, garlic, ginger, and onion. Tandoori masala is often used to flavor things that are cooking in the tandoor.
If you like, this tandoori quinoa can stand alone as a meal. It’s got a whole (pseudo)grain, vegetables, beans, and satisfying full flavor. If I wanted to make it stretch farther I would probably serve it with a side of additional veggies like some sauteed greens.
It now occurs to me that I haven’t been posting nearly enough dessert recipes lately. So I got my butt in the kitchen this weekend and I will be sharing something for your sweet tooth very soon. NB: It’s really really hard to photograph chocolate things (and quinoa, for that matter…)
One Pot Tandoori Quinoa
Ingredients
- 1 tbsp olive oil or coconut oil, or other plain oil
- 1 cup diced sweet potatoes (115 grams) (a small dice is best) (equals 1 small sweet potato or 1/2 of a large one)
- 1/2 red onion finely chopped
- 2 cloves garlic minced
- 1 jalapeno or 2 Indian green chiles seeded and minced
- 1 tbsp minced fresh ginger
- 2 tbsp garam masala (see notes)
- (optional) 1/4 tsp. cayenne pepper
- 1 cup uncooked quinoa rinsed
- 1 and 1/4 cups low-sodium vegetable broth
- 1 and 1/2 cups cooked chickpeas (equal to one 15 oz. can)
- about 1 and 1/2 cups diced tomatoes (equal to one 14 oz. can)
- 1 tsp coconut sugar (or brown sugar)
- salt and pepper to taste
- fresh lime juice (lemon also works), for serving
- chopped fresh cilantro for serving
Instructions
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In a large skillet, heat the olive oil over medium-high heat. Add the sweet potatoes and stir.
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Cook the sweet potatoes, stirring frequently, for about 6-8 minutes or until softened significantly.
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Add the onion and cook for another 2-3 minutes, stirring frequently, until softened. Add the garlic, chiles, and ginger, and cook for another minute until fragrant. Finally, stir in the garam masala and (optional) cayenne pepper and cook for 30 seconds.
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Add the quinoa, vegetable broth, chickpeas, tomatoes, and sugar, and stir to combine. Bring the mixture to a boil, then reduce to a simmer and cover, stirring occasionally.
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Cook until the quinoa and sweet potatoes are cooked through, about 20 minutes. If there seems to be too much liquid, simmer uncovered for a few minutes to evaporate the excess. If the liquid runs out before the quinoa is done, add more water or broth and continue simmering. Add salt, pepper, and additional garam masala and cayenne to taste.
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Serve with a squeeze of fresh lime or lemon juice and a generous sprinkle of chopped cilantro.
Recipe Video
Recipe Notes
For variations, try using curry powder instead of or addition to the garam masala; or use different vegetables, adjusting the liquid and cooking time as needed.
The quantity of sweet potatoes is flexible; I have doubled it with good results.
I get a lot of questions about the correct amount of garam masala to use in this recipe and the answer is that it definitely depends on your personal taste and tolerance to spices. It can also depend on the brand and the mixture of various spices used by that brand.
I personally do prepare this recipe with 2 tablespoons of garam masala, which was the originally-listed amount. Most readers have used 2 tablespoons and enjoyed it, but if you think less spice may be appropriate for you and your family, please start with 2-3 teaspoons and mix in additional garam masala if desired at the end of cooking.
Inspired by One Pan Mexican Quinoa.
Enjoy this one pot tandoori quinoa? Try some of my other quinoa recipes:
One Pot Moroccan Quinoa with Red Lentils
I'm Shannon, the writer and photographer of Yup, it's Vegan! I'm a morning person based in Baltimore, USA. My mission is to create healthy plant-based recipes that anyone would enjoy, using seasonal produce with inspiration from global flavors.
Sue says
Thanks for this easy and delicious recipe. Used a heaping tablespoon of spice (gmasala) and cooked in IP under high pressure for 6 minutes. When pressure came down I added the lime and cilantro. Very yummy!
Becky says
Followed the directions exactly but the quinoa did not cook fully. I had to cook it for 30 minutes longer than the recipe said and add another cup of broth before it finally cooked. Otherwise it tasted great and was really easy to make. Just needed a little more spice.
Andrea says
This is delicious and it is my first time making quinoa. I added cumin seeds and sautéed with the onions in the oil. Wonderful thank you !
Sumitra says
Great recipe! I actually doubled the spices because my husband and I eat really spicy food but this recipe was great. Thank you!!
Juhi says
This looks so good! Will have to give it a try!
Kayla says
I made this dish last night. It was very spicy but i LOVED it! Definelty a new favorite.
Doodlesroo says
I just made this exactly as listed. I used fresh Roma tomatoes. I’ll definitely make it again but I’ll use less Garam Masala next time (I’m a big fan of GM but unfortunately it overpowered everything here). Next time I’ll just put 1 TBSP. Just FYI, after I added the stock, tomatoes, quinoa etc, I added an additional 1/2 cup of water & cooked in the instant pot for 6 mins at high pressure, quick release. It was cooked to perfection. I stirred in some spinach & baby bok choy & baby kale at this point & served with a squeeze of lime & a generous 1/4 cup per bowl of cilantro….it was really really good & fed 4 hungry (and now satisfied) adults. Thank you!! Love your website & easy one-pot recipes!!
Ravi N Shankar says
You could easily stuff this delicious quinoa dish into a green or yellow sweet capsicum (bell pepper) and bake them to make bring about the really delicious flavors of the peppers into it.
Yves says
I’m so sorry, but 1 tablespoon of oil is definitely not enough to cook this dish, especially with the amount of spices it has. At minimum, it needs double or triple to work well in anything but a Teflon-coated pot.
Stephanie says
Could this be cooked in a pressure cooker?
Shannon @ Yup, it's Vegan says
I’m sure this would work well in a pressure cooker, but I wouldn’t be certain how many minutes to cook it so that might take a bit of experimentation.
Kathy Britt says
This is an amazing recipe. Made it tonight and loved it. I can’t wait to have it again for lunch tomorrow. 🙂
eve says
I love this recipe! actually, I love this and your one pot Mexican quinoa, and will be trying your one pot Moroccan soon. To make the recipe a bit bigger, I add cauliflower and spinach, (I love spinach), plus extra jalapeños, + habaneros when I can get them(I really like heat🌋), and instead of using only veg stock, I also use tomato juice because I love tomatoes too. I keep forgetting to try adding peas, and from reading through the comments, I would like to try adding cumin, as well as using a blend of garam masala and curry powder. Your recipes are regulars in my rotation, and I can’t wait to try more! Thanks!
Zoe says
Can’t wait to try this recipe. I can’t eat beans. Any suggestions?
Shannon @ Yup, it's Vegan says
You can simply omit the chickpeas (this won’t affect the amount of liquid needed or anything), or to replace them with another non-legume protein source, try adding some roasted cashews, stirring in a little bit of nutritional yeast or even adding some broccoli or spinach.
Quinn says
This was so yummy! I used tikka masala paste because that was all I had at my supermarket and used 2 cups of veg stock and it was delicious! I’m usually pretty sensitive to spice but didn’t find this too spicy at all.
Definitely going to become a regular in my kitchen.
Andrew says
Made as described. Awesome recipe! Taste was prefect for my preferences.
Lorraine Reigel says
I was searching for a recipe for the last evening of a 5-night kayak-camping trip. I happily stumbled across your site and found so many scrumptiously delicious options, making it hard to decide! After significant deliberation, I have decided on the Tandoori Quinoa, served with Naan. I think it will be a big hit with the group.
Never thought about it till now, but vegan cooking is perfect for longer camping trips, where refrigeration can be an issue. Thanks so much for a brilliantly executed cooking blog!
Anishka says
This was amazing, did not have sweet potato so used carrot and a normal potato. It was so yummmmm! Really easy on a weeknight!!!
Maddieknz says
Absolutely amazing! OMG best Indian food I’ve ever had, and I made it myself 🙂 thank you!! Subscribing too =]
Lauren says
WOW! Absolutely delicious! And so healthy, easy and fun. Would definitely recommend. Thank you!
lollie says
Made this tonight and it was amazing. I used potatoes because I didn’t have a sweet potatoe. I also read the reviews so I only used 1 teaspoon of garam masala and the flavor was perfect for me. I will definitely make this again. 🙂
Jette says
I made this tonight for two. This is delicious! I would agree that it would need another side of veggies to be a stand-alone meal for four; we do have leftovers from this recipe, but I dont know if this would comfortably feed four alone. I didn’t have to add any extra salt for it to taste good. This is a great guilt-free dish!
Kathy says
I made this tonight and it was delicious!! I doubled everything except the garbanzos and diced tomato. I only used 1 tbs of garam masala. Although I LOVE Indian food, my husband does not. But he ate it and said it was good. My 8 year old dutifully ate some. I added a dollop of plain yogurt on the side which was just perfect (tho not vegan). Definitely adding this to the rotation. Thank you!
Jibu says
I made this 4-5 times so far and it’s delicious!
My tweaks:
1. Add 1t cumin powder and 1t coriander powder instead of curry powder.
2. Add a 10 oz bag of spinach at the end and gradually mix in until wilted.
3. Add carrots along with the sweet potatoes.
4. Add the entire bunch of cilantro instead of just a little.
Katie says
I made this last night and it is so delicious! It was so easy to make, has such a simple ingredients list and is so flavourful. It’s my new favorite! Thank you so much for this amazing recipe 🙂
Melissa Beedle says
I just made this recipe and OH MY. The flavour is incredible!! I could easily eat this every day!! Thank you this is going in our rotation. Any other recipes like this? 😉
Jen says
Has anybody tried adding yellow raisins to this??
Shannon @ Yup, it's Vegan says
Hey Jen, I made a version of this with cayenne and curry powder instead of the garam masala and added golden raisins to it to great enjoyment! I’m guessing it would work with the garam masala flavor too but haven’t tried that specifically. I added them at the same time as the quinoa.
Cheryl says
Finally, a non Mexican quinoa recipe! Thank you! I did make a few changes to it though. I added some ground bison, because none of us are vegan. Sorry! I’m sure chicken probably would have been a better meat to use, but this didn’t turn out too bad! I also cooked the diced sweet potatoes and took them out and added in later because I thought they would be mush by the time everything else got done cooking. Same with the meat. I seasoned it with curry, ginger, salt and pepper, cooked it and set it aside to add in later. I didn’t have the garam masala, so I made the curry substitute like you suggested. The rest I did according to your recipe. It turned out great! Thank you 🙂
Anne says
Made this today and we love it. It felt a bit dry at first, so instead of adding more broth, I stirred in a half can of coconut milk. Yum! I will definitely put this on our regular rotation and play with different spices as well, just for variety.
Bianca says
This was terrific! I am a college student who’s relatively new to cooking. I made a huge batch of this dish and will eat it for lunch this week. Thanks for the recipe 🙂
Shannon @ Yup, it's Vegan says
Glad you liked it Bianca!