Vegetable Quinoa Upma is a tasty, low carb Indian breakfast quinoa recipe that can be made under 30 minutes! Loaded with veggies, this vegan snack is great for weight loss, easy and very delicious!
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What is Upma
Upma or Upama is one of the most common and popular Indian breakfast/snack recipe! This meal is cooked as a thick savory porridge using dry-roasted semolina also known as Rawa/Rava or coarse rice flour along with veggies.
It is a filling and nutritious meal that is very easy to make and tastes great! This is why, today this dish is popular all around the world and is prepared in various ways using different ingredients like Poha, Oats, Bread or even Rice.
Upma is so simple to make that bachelors, vegetarians, vegans looking for healthy protein-rich recipes can make this snack in just a few minutes. I have always been a fan of Upma and often make it using whatever vegetables available.
Since I prefer having a hot breakfast over cold, I have many recipe options to choose from even on busy mornings.
My GO-TO healthy breakfast/Snack recipes
- Potato Waffles
- Lentil & Spinach Crepes | Moong Dal & Palak Chilla
- Cilantro Poha Recipe
- Tamarind Poha
I love creating variations in recipes, Instant Pot Oats & Vegetable Upma and Bread Upma being some of them. Which is why I wanted to make Quinoa Upma this time. Why quinoa you may ask. Read on.
There are different types of quinoa in the market. Some popular ones are white, red, black, flakes and flour. Each can be used to make a variety of recipes. I have used white quinoa extensively. So here are my tips to cook them right.
How to cook fluffy Quinoa or Kenova with tips
- Rinse quinoa until the foam disappears completely. I usually rinse it in running water for 2 minutes. This also removes any bitterness from quinoa.
- You can even roast quinoa before cooking to enhance its taste and give a crunchy texture. Place the seeds in a frying pan and roast on medium to low heat while stirring constantly for 5 minutes.
- Unlike other grains or rice, quinoa can be cooked in 15 minutes.
- The ratio for quinoa and water is 1:2. For every cup of quinoa, add 2 cups of water.
- Once it's cooked, fluff it with a fork to ensure that they don't get smashed.
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How to make Vegetable Quinoa Upma
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This Indian snack recipe is a great low carb snack that can also be enjoyed as a light lunch or dinner. I am sure you will love this breakfast quinoa recipe!
- Heat avocado oil in a pan. Temper with mustard seeds and cumin seeds.
- Once they begin to splutter, add pine nuts, minced green chilies, and curry leaves. Fry for 30 seconds.
- Then add chopped onions and cilantro. Fry till the onions turn translucent.
- Next add mixed veggies like corn, bell pepper, carrots, green peas, edamame along with salt and turmeric powder.
- Mix and cook till the veggies are cooked. This could take 5-7 minutes.
- Meanwhile, rinse quinoa in running water for about 2 minutes. Then add the rinsed quinoa to the pan.
- Give it a mix and then add water.
- Cover the pan with the lid and cook this for about 15 minutes on medium flame.
- After the set time, open the lid and lightly fluff the upma with a fork.
- Garnish with hemp seeds and chopped cilantro and serve this delicious low carb vegan snack.
Tips to make this Indian snack recipe
If you follow the instructions and the tips, you make this breakfast quinoa recipe effortlessly.
- Rinsing removes quinoa's natural coating, called saponin, which can make it taste bitter. Although boxed quinoa is often pre-rinsed, it's still advisable to give the seeds an additional rinse at home.
- Use any cooking oil or ghee in this recipe. I prefer using Avocado oil. Sauteing cilantro in the oil gives the dish a better flavor rather than only using it as a garnish. Substitute pine nuts with almonds, cashews or even pistachios. This just gives a nutty flavor and crunch to the dish.
- Add any mix of veggies as per availability and liking. You can use frozen or fresh vegetables. Keep all the vegetables, seasonings needed for the upma ready and nearby. It saves a lot of time and reduces mess. Curry leaves are available at any Indian grocery store and on Amazon. Skip adding it if not available to you.
- Once the water has evaporated and the grains are fluffy and not sticky, the upma is done. You can enjoy this low carb vegan snack by itself. No accompaniment needed. But if you must, serve it with some Indian pickle.
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Recipe 📖
Vegetable Quinoa Upma
Ingredients
- ½ tablespoon avocado oil
- 1 teaspoon mustard seeds
- 1 teaspoon cumin seeds
- 1 tablespoon pine nuts
- 3 green chillies or 1 Jalapeno
- 5 curry leaves
- 1 onion
- ⅓ cup cilantro
- 1 cup mixed veggies
- 1 teaspoon turmeric powder
- 1 cup white quinoa
- 2 cups water
- 1 tablespoon hemp seeds optional
Instructions
- Heat avocado oil in a pan. Temper with mustard seeds and cumin seeds.
- Once they begin to splutter, add pine nuts, minced green chillies and curry leaves. Fry for 30 seconds.
- Then add chopped onions and cilantro. Fry till the onions turn translucent.
- Next add mixed veggies like corn, bell pepper, carrots, green peas, edamame along with salt and turmeric powder.
- Mix and cook till the veggies are cooked. This could take 5-7 minutes.
- Meanwhile rinse quinoa in running water for about 2 minutes. Then add the rinsed quinoa to the pan.
- Give it a mix and then add water.
- Cover the pan with lid and cook this for about 15 minutes on medium flame.
- After the set time, open the lid and lightly fluff the upma with a fork.
- Garnish with hemp seeds and chopped cilantro and serve.
Video
Notes
- Rinsing removes quinoa's natural coating, called saponin, which can make it taste bitter. Although boxed quinoa is often pre-rinsed, it's still advisable to give the seeds an additional rinse at home.
- Use any cooking oil or ghee in this recipe. I prefer using Avocado oil. Sauteing cilantro in the oil gives the dish a better flavor rather than only using it as a garnish. Substitute pine nuts with almonds, cashews or even pistachios. This just gives a nutty flavor and crunch to the dish.
- Add any mix of veggies as per availability and liking. You can use frozen or fresh vegetables. Keep all the vegetables, seasonings needed for the upma ready and nearby. It saves a lot of time and reduces mess. Curry leaves are available at any Indian grocery store and on Amazon. Skip adding it if not available to you.
- Once the water has evaporated and the grains are fluffy and not sticky, the upma is done. You can enjoy this low carb vegan snack by itself. No accompaniment needed. But if you must, serve it with some Indian pickle.
- Rinse quinoa until the foam disappears completely. I usually rinse it in running water for 2 minutes. This also removes any bitterness from quinoa.
- You can even roast quinoa before cooking to enhance its taste and give a crunchy texture. Place the seeds in a frying pan and roast on medium to low heat while stirring constantly for 5 minutes.
- Unlike other grains or rice, quinoa can be cooked in 15 minutes.
- The ratio for quinoa and water is 1:2. For every cup of quinoa, add 2 cups of water.
Emily Liao says
This quinoa dish was so delicious! Loved all the flavors and it was so simple to make.
Kushigalu says
Love this delicious breakfast recipe. Interesting twist to regular up a. Yummm
Jen says
I didn't realize how boring my quinoa game was until I tried this. Amazing!!!
Amanda Wren-Grimwood says
I love the colours and flavours in this dish and some great info on quinoa too as I've not used it much.
Sisley White says
A delicious dish which feels so health and tastes great. A lovely meal to eat.
Adrianne says
I love the colour combination that this recipe has, it is bright and looks so tasty!! I also enjoy quinoa but haven't seen it like this before, so I am interested and will give this a go, many thanks!
Shantala says
To be honest, it took me a while to adjust to the flavor of quinoa. And even then I did not like it plain, as a rice substitute. But a lot of my family chooses to eat it that way. But quinoa upma and pulao? Those are things that first made me enjoy quinoa. This one looks amazing!
Priya says
I can so relate to what you are saying. Being a rice eater myself, I was not sure of quinoa myself. But now, having made this so often, I have begun to love it. 🙂 Thanks for your comments. Do try it and let me know how it turns out for you.
Mahy says
Great quinoa to make over the weekend. The looks are amazing and health benefits are hard to overestimate!
Sally @ Savory With Soul says
This is fabulous! Love quinoa, and this is a great fried rice substitute when we want to switch up our grains.
Priya says
Absolutely! Glad you liked this recipe. Do give it a try.
Anjali says
I've actually been looking for a quinoa upma recipe for some time (since using quinoa is much healthier as a base for upma)! I can't wait to try this recipe this week!
Priya says
That was one of the reasons why I wanted to try this recipe for myself. It is so delicious that trust me, you will not miss the good old upma! 🙂
Jeannette says
SO GOOD! Thanks for sharing such a healthy recipe for us to enjoy on weeknights.
Priya says
Glad you liked it. Thank you
Anita says
That is one lovely quinoa dish. I bet they are great for a light and satisfying meal. That said, I notice your recipe card only has 1 ingredients (avocado oil) and you may want to update it. 🙂
Priya says
Thanks for pointing that out. Somehow that got deleted. Have updated the recipe card now.