Jamaican Quinoa Rice And Peas is now my new favorite way of preparing my favorite childhood side dish, Rice And Peas, it’s rich, the creamy coconut flavor is so incredibly delicious.
It is easy to prepare and cooks in only 25 minutes. The recipe turned out great, and so addictive, you could basically eat it with a salad and be content or serve it as a side dish.
I decided to substitute quinoa for traditional rice and peas like Jamaican Rice And Pigeon Peas, Jamaican Rice, And Peas. Lately, I have been eating more quinoa than rice.

Jamaican Quinoa And Peas
Quinoa is an amazing pseudo-grain that typically cooks between 15-20 minutes, and has similar nutritional value to whole grains. Quinoa is gluten-free, high in protein, low in carbohydrates, and tastes phenomenal when cooked in this flavorful Jamaican coconut sauce.
For someone who wants to take a break from grains, who wants to add variety to their meal plan then Quinoa is definitely the answer. I find it is easier to digest than rice and it saves more time than cooking brown rice.
Jamaican Quinoa And Peas Ingredients
- Quinoa – purchase quinoa at a health food store, or online. I used white quinoa but there is also black and red quinoa. In this particular recipe, I cooked the quinoa and peas for 25 minutes, 5 minutes longer than I typically would.
- Coconut Milk – fresh coconut is best but if it isn’t available use can coconut milk.
- Water – I used equal parts of water to coconut milk.
- Onion, Garlic, Ginger, Green Onion – make sure to chop finely, will add flavor to your quinoa.
- Thyme – herb of choice for making authentic Jamaican rice. Use fresh sprigs or 1/4 teaspoon dried.
- Dark Kidney Beans -I love to use dark red kidney beans but light red ones are fine.
- Salt – I used Himalayan Salt.
- Scotch Bonnet Pepper – this is the traditional pepper that I use whole, if you can’t find it, you can substitute with peppers found in the Caribbean stores like habanero or Caribbean flavor peppers.

How To Make Jamaican Quinoa And Peas?
- Wash quinoa using a fine-mesh strainer, and set aside.
- Bring coconut milk, water, to a boil in a saucepan.
- Add onion, garlic, ginger, green onion, thyme, kidney beans, salt, and pepper.
- Return to a boil, reduce heat to simmer for 10 minutes.
- Add washed quinoa, bring to a boil. Cover the saucepan with parchment paper, followed by the lid of the saucepan.
- Reduce heat to the lowest setting and cook for 25 minutes, until quinoa is tender and all the liquid is gone. Fluff with a fork and serve.
How To Store Quinoa And Peas?
Cool your quinoa and peas completely, store in a container with a tight-fitting lid in the refrigerator for about 3 days. Place in a freezer-safe container for one month.
What Can I Serve With Quinoa And Peas?
Other Vegan Quinoa Recipes To Prepare
- Cilantro Lime Quinoa
- Vegan Kimchi Fried Quinoa
- Pineapple Fried Quinoa
- Italian Quinoa Fried Rice
- Cajun Quinoa Pilaf
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Categories
- Categories: Gluten-Free, Vegan
- Course: Side Dish
- Cuisine: Jamaican
Nutrition
(Per serving)- Energy: 291 kcal / 1216 kJ
- Fat: 10 g
- Protein: 12 g
- Carbs: 5 g
Cook Time
- Preparation: 5 min
- Cooking: 30 min
- Ready in: 35 min
- For: 6 Servings
Ingredients
- 1 cup quinoa
- 1 cup coconut milk
- 1 cup water
- 1/2 cup onion, finely diced
- 3 cloves garlic, minced
- 2 stalks green onion, chopped
- 1 teaspoon ginger, minced
- 2 sprigs fresh thyme, or 1/2 teaspoon dried thyme
- 1 cup cooked kidney beans
- 1/2-3/4 teaspoon sea salt
- 1 Scotch Bonnet pepper (whole), (optional)
Instructions
- Wash quinoa using a fine-mesh strainer, and set aside.
- Bring coconut milk, water, to a boil in a saucepan.
- Add onion, garlic, ginger, green onion, thyme, kidney beans, salt, and pepper.
- Return to a boil, reduce heat to simmer for 10 minutes.
- Add washed quinoa, bring to a boil. Cover the saucepan with parchment paper, followed by the lid of the saucepan.
- Reduce heat to the lowest setting and cook for 25 minutes, until quinoa is tender and all the liquid is gone. Fluff with a fork and serve.
Michelle,
I thoroughly enjoyed making this dish. First time was perfect. 2nd time the dish scorched and I’m not sure why.
Also, please let me know how to properly use canned beans. Do you drain and rinse or keep the canning liquid?
I’m so happy you enjoyed it, Lynette, make sure to have the heat at the lowest setting as soon as it begins to boil and cover tightly. Yes, drain and rinse your canned beans especially if there are preservatives and sodium. If you are in the USA, you can find canned beans without added sodium and ones that are preservative free.
This Jamaican Quinoa rice looks really phenomenal
Looks really splendid
So good! Looking for tasty and healthier recipes and this was awesome. My first time making quinoa and it turned out perfect to go with jerk chicken thighs
You can just look at this and, see that it’s very healthy.
Made your Jamaican style Quinoa ..but without the peas this time. Coconut milk made it soo delicious. Never thought of adding coconut milk before….nicely seasoned…yummy
This recipe is the truth: Delicious and nutritious!
Thank you Julian, I’m so happy you enjoyed it.
Would this work with lentils? Any particular type?
Jennifer yes, it would work with green, black, or brown lentils.
I loved the recipe. It feels good to know that I’m getting more protein and fiber from the quinoa
Nordia, I’m so happy you loved it. Thank you for sharing your feedback, I really appreciate it.
The recipe makes no mention of the peas, at all.
Thank you Idelys, definitely a typo