Abstract: In the Indian context limited attention is paid to the consumption of a diverse diet. It is required for tackling undernourishment, micronutrient deficiencies and overnutrition. This paper fills this gap by using nationally representative consumption expenditure data for 2009-10 with that on information from Census to analyze determinants of dietary diversity. Using quantile regression analysis we examine the impact of determinants across the distribution of diet diversity. Level of consumption expenditure, agricultural land holding, access to markets, educational attainment and information dissemination are important factors. Quality adjusted unit-values (prices) of staple food items has a significant negative impact. The immediate policy implications are: (i) adoption of nutrition education campaigns, improvement of market infrastructure, indirect taxation etc. to promote consumption of a diverse diet; (ii) incorporation of a diet diversity index in the food component of the poverty line for identification of households whose consumption is that below the recommended dietary levels; and (iii) convergence in policy targeting across all interrelated government departments .