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 and 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.
Recently, there has been a significant focus on reducing rice intake in daily meals. Quinoa and cauliflower rice have been gaining popularity as rice alternatives. This inspired me to create this quinoa fried rice and cauliflower fried rice recipes.
This quinoa veggie fried rice is super healthy, and you can add a lot of veggies to it to make it healthier. I keep adding different vegetables each time I make it.
A nutritious, wholesome meal that you can pack in kids lunch boxes or make for a quick-fix lunch or dinner. You can also make it in a large quantity as meal prep and reheat it when you are ready to serve.
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, onions, spring onions, carrots, beans, broccoli, 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 light 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.
- Sesame oil: Toasted Sesame oil adds a great nutty flavor to the dish. You may also use olive oil or any cooking oil of your choice.
- 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 of the sesame (or olive oil) in a skillet or wok over medium-high heat. Add 3 garlic cloves (minced) and saute for 30 seconds or until aromatic.
Then add ¼ cup of onions (finely chopped) and 2 green chilies, and cook for about 2 minutes till the onions turn soft.
Add ¼ cup carrots (diced), ½ cup of colored bell peppers (diced), ¼ cup broccoli florets, and ¼ cup green beans (diced), and stir fry on high flame till the vegetables are cooked and tender.
Then add 2 teaspoons of soy sauce, 1 teaspoon of white vinegar, and saute on high flame, stirring regularly without getting burnt.
Add 1.5-2 cups of cooked quinoa, salt, and ground black pepper, and gently mix until evenly combined. Cook on low flame for 2-3 minutes.
Final Garnishing:
Sprinkle sliced 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, 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), tofu, or scrambled eggs.
- 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.
More Fried Rice Recipes
Quinoa Fried Rice Recipe (Indo Chinese Style)
Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon sesame Or olive oil
- 3 cloves garlic minced
- 2 green chilies slit lengthwise
- ¼ cup onions finely chopped
- ¼ cup carrot diced
- ¼ cup green beans diced
- ½ cup colored bell pepper (red, green)
- ¼ cup broccoli
- 2 teaspoons soy sauce (adjust to suit your taste)
- 1 teaspoon white vinegar or apple cider (optional)
- 1.5-2 cups cooked quinoa
- black pepper to taste
- salt to taste
- 2 tablespoons spring onions for garnish
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 1 tablespoon of the sesame or olive oil in a skillet or wok over medium-high heat. Add the minced garlic and saute for 30 secs or until aromatic.
- Then add onions and green chili and cook for about 2 minutes till onions turn soft.
- Add carrots, colored bell peppers (capsicum), broccoli, green beans, and stir fry on high flame till the vegetables are cooked and tender.
- Then add soy sauce, vinegar, and saute on high flame, stirring regularly without getting burnt.
- Add the cooked quinoa, salt, ground black pepper to this and gently mix it evenly. Cook on low flame for 2-3 minutes.
Final Garnishing:
- Sprinkle sliced spring onions just before serving.
Notes
Variations for Making Quinoa Fried Rice
- Protein: Add ½ cup of crumbled paneer (cottage cheese), scrambled tofu, or eggs.
- 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 or schezwan sauce.
- Oil: You can also use coconut oil. But to get a classic fried rice taste use sesame 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.