The Vegetable Quinoa Fried Rice recipe is an easy, healthy, and delicious Indian Chinese-style stir-fried dish that you can prepare with leftover quinoa in just 20 minutes. It makes a great weeknight or lunchbox meal that everyone will love. Vegan and kid-approved!
Going to a nearby Sagar restaurant, ordering gobi manchurian, vegetable hakka noodles, or vegetable fried rice, was almost a weekly routine during our stay in Bangalore. Lately, there has been so much focus on cutting down on rice in your daily meals.
With more people looking to reduce their rice intake, nutritious alternatives like Quinoa and cauliflower rice have become increasingly popular. Inspired by this trend, I created this flavorful Quinoa Fried Rice recipe (along with my cauliflower fried rice) as a wholesome, protein-packed alternative to traditional veg fried rice.
This quinoa veggie fried rice is healthy, flavorful, and loaded with colorful vegetables. Feel free to mix and match your favorite veggies based on what you have on hand. A nutritious, wholesome meal that you can pack in kids lunch boxes or make for a quick-fix lunch or dinner.
If you like quinoa, check out more Indian Quinoa Recipes
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Ingredients
- White Quinoa: Make sure to rinse it under cold water to remove the natural coating, called saponin, to avoid any bitterness before adding it to the Lemon Quinoa recipe.
- Vegetables: I used veggies like garlic, spring onions, carrots, beans, broccoli, cabbage, and colored bell peppers in this recipe, but feel free to add other veggies of your choice, like mushrooms and sweet corn.
- Soy sauce: I used dark Soy sauce. If gluten-free, you can use Tamari or coconut aminos.
- Vinegar: I used white vinegar, as it adds a slight tang to the rice and elevates the flavors. You may substitute it with rice vinegar or apple cider vinegar.
- Seasonings: Salt and freshly crushed black pepper.
How to Make Quinoa Vegetable Fried Rice
How to Cook Quinoa:
On Stovetop Pot: Cook the ½ cup of rinsed quinoa with 1 cup of water on medium-low heat until cooked, and let it cool.
Stovetop Pressure Cooker: Pressure cook the ½ cup of rinsed quinoa with 1 cup of water for two whistles on medium-low heat. Let the pressure release naturally.
In Instant Pot (Electric Pressure Cooker): Pressure cook the ½ cup of rinsed quinoa with ¾ cup of water on MANUAL/PRESSURE COOK mode for 1 minute. Let the pressure release naturally. Check the detailed recipe of How to cook quinoa in instant pot.
Stir Fry:
Heat 1 tablespoon olive oil (or toasted sesame oil) in a skillet or wok over medium-high heat. Add 3 minced garlic cloves and ¼ cup of finely chopped white spring onions. Saute for 30-60 seconds over high heat until fragrant. Dont burn the garlic.
Add ¼ cup diced carrots, ¼ cup diced green bell pepper, ¼ cup diced broccoli florets, ¼ cup diced green beans, and ½ cup shredded cabbage. Sprinkle in a pinch of salt and stir-fry over high heat for 2-3 minutes, or until the vegetables are tender-crisp and cooked through.
Add 1½ cups cooked quinoa, ½ cup of cubed extra-firm tofu, 2 teaspoons dark soy sauce, 1 teaspoon white vinegar, freshly ground black pepper, and salt to taste. Gently toss until everything is evenly coated, then cook over low heat for 2-3 minutes, stirring occasionally, until heated through.
Final Garnishing:
Sprinkle 2 tablespoons of chopped spring onions over the Indian-style vegetable fried rice with quinoa just before serving.
What to Serve with Quinoa Fried Rice?
Serve quinoa veggie fried rice with sriracha sauce, chili garlic noodles, cauliflower manchurian, and veg clear soup on the side. If you don't prefer sides, it can be eaten as it is.
Storing Suggestions
Quinoa fried rice can be stored in an airtight container for about 2-3 days in the refrigerator. Then, reheat it in the microwave or wok until warm before serving it again.
Variations
- Protein: Add ½ cup of crumbled paneer (Indian cottage cheese), scrambled eggs, or soya chunks instead of tofu.
- Vegetables: Add vegetables of your choice. You can also add mushrooms.
- Greens: Stir in some spinach leaves or kale towards the end of the cooking time.
- Spicy: Add either crushed red pepper flakes or a few teaspoons of sriracha, schezwan sauce, or chili crisp oil.
- Keto: Replace quinoa with cauliflower rice. You can also add edamame to the keto diet.
More Fried Rice Recipes
Quinoa Fried Rice Recipe (Indo Chinese Style)
Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon olive oil (or toasted sesame oil)
- 3 cloves garlic minced
- ¼ cup white spring onions chopped
- ¼ cup carrot finely chopped
- ¼ cup green bell pepper diced
- ¼ cup green beans diced
- ¼ cup broccoli diced
- ¼ cup cabbage shredded
- 1.5 cups cooked quinoa
- ½ cup extra-firm tofu cubed
- 2 teaspoons dark soy sauce (adjust to suit your taste)
- 1 teaspoon white vinegar or apple cider (optional)
- ½ teaspoon black pepper
- salt to taste
- 2 tablespoons spring onions chopped
Instructions
How to Cook Quinoa
- On Stovetop Pot: Cook the ½ cup of rinsed quinoa with 1 cup of water on medium-low heat until cooked, and let it cool.Stovetop Pressure Cooker: Pressure cook the ½ cup of rinsed quinoa with 1 cup of water for two whistles on medium-low heat. Let the pressure release naturally.In Instant Pot (Electric Pressure Cooker): Pressure cook the ½ cup of rinsed quinoa with ¾ cup of water on MANUAL/PRESSURE COOK mode for 1 minute. Let the pressure release naturally. Check the detailed recipe.
Stir Fry:
- Heat olive oil (or toasted sesame oil) in a skillet or wok over medium-high heat. Add minced garlic cloves and finely chopped white spring onions. Saute for 30-60 seconds over high heat until fragrant. Dont burn the garlic.
- Add diced carrots, diced green bell pepper, diced broccoli florets, diced green beans, and shredded cabbage. Sprinkle in a pinch of salt and stir-fry over high heat for 2-3 minutes, or until the vegetables are tender-crisp and cooked through.
- Add cooked quinoa, cubed extra-firm tofu, dark soy sauce, white vinegar, freshly ground black pepper, and salt to taste. Gently toss until everything is evenly coated, then cook over low heat for 2-3 minutes, stirring occasionally, until heated through.
Final Garnishing:
- Sprinkle chopped spring onions over the Indian-style vegetable fried rice with quinoa just before serving.
Notes
Variations for Making Quinoa Fried Rice
- Protein: Add ½ cup of crumbled paneer (Indian cottage cheese), scrambled eggs, or soya chunks instead of tofu.
- Vegetables: Add vegetables of your choice. You can also add mushrooms.
- Greens: Stir in some spinach leaves or kale towards the end of the cooking time.
- Spicy: Add either crushed red pepper flakes or a few teaspoons of sriracha, schezwan sauce, or chili oil.
- Keto: Replace quinoa with cauliflower rice. You can also add edamame to the keto diet.
Nutrition
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Nily
Loved this recipe! Packed for my kid's lunchbox. Only thing is to have cooked and cooled quinoa on hand.
Bhavana Patil
Hi Nily, thats so good to know.. Yeah pre-cooked quinoa helps with meal planning, however, if you have Instant pot , you can make the quinoa fried rice in one-pot itself, will update the post shortly.