This Quinoa Khichdi or Mix Vegetable Lentil Quinoa recipe is one-pot ultimate comfort food prepared with quinoa, moong dal/lentils, veggies, and some basic spices in an Instant Pot pressure cooker or stovetop. Vegan, Gluten-free, and great for weight loss.
Quinoa is one of the superfoods, rich in protein, dietary fiber, and has many more nutritional values than rice. So I am trying to add quinoa to day-to-day cooking these days.
My husband, who was not a fan of quinoa over rice, has started liking it recently. He could not even distinguish between the khichri made with rice and khichri made with quinoa, since they tasted similar and delicious. Another family favorite quinoa recipe is Quinoa Bisi Bele Bath made in the pressure cooker.
I have also added mixed vegetables like carrots, green beans, peas in this quinoa moong dal khichdi recipe to add extra nutrition. Feel free to add any vegetables of your choice.
This Quinoa dal khichdi is a very healthy and great weekday lunch or dinner recipe for toddlers, or infants. You can just mash the vegetables in the khichri before giving them to infants or toddlers.
Today I am sharing how to make Healthy Quinoa Khichdi in Stovetop Pressure Cooker and Instant Pot.
Why you'll love this Quinoa Khichdi Recipe
- One-pot wholesome meal ready in less than 30 minutes.
- Comfort food.
- Packed with protein.
- Healthy, full of flavor, and nutritious.
- Vegetarian, Vegan, and Gluten-free
Quinoa Moong Dal Khichdi Ingredients
- Quinoa: There are 3 main varieties of quinoa available in the stores, white, black, red, or tri-colored quinoa. I used white quinoa here. Make sure to rinse it under cold water to remove the natural coating, called saponin, to avoid any bitterness before adding it to the Quinoa & Vegetable Khichdi.
- Moong Dal: Use split yellow moong dal for this recipe. I did not soak the dal before cooking as yellow lentils cook faster.
- Green chilies: I used Thai green chilies for the heat.
- Ginger: I have used a paste made from fresh ginger. You can also add minced ginger.
- Vegetables: I like to use Onions, tomatoes, carrots, beans, and green peas. You can also swap for other vegetables like broccoli, potato, zucchini, and bell peppers.
- Dry spices: I have used turmeric, coriander powder, and garam masala.
- Oil: For Cooking. Use Olive oil for the best flavor, but any cooking oil will work well.
- Whole spices: cumin seeds, bay leaf.
- Lemon juice: Be sure to use fresh if you can, as it adds extra flavor.
- Herbs: I like to use fresh coriander leaves for garnish to add flavor to this quinoa khichdi.
How to Make Quinoa Khichdi in Instant Pot
Press SAUTE on Instant Pot. Heat oil (or ghee). Add in the bay leaf and cumin (jeera) seeds. Let cumin seeds splutter.
Add the chopped green chilies, ginger, and onions. Saute till onions turn light brown.
Then add mixed vegetables, tomato and cook for a minute.
Next, add the rinsed moong dal, quinoa, turmeric powder, coriander powder, garam masala, water, and salt. Mix well. Also, deglaze the pot, i.e., and make sure there is no food particle sticking to the pot to avoid burn alerts.
Close the lid securely, and turn the vent to "SEALING". Select the PRESSURE COOK/MANUAL (High Pressure) setting and set the cooking time to 5 minutes.
When the instant pot beeps, allow the pressure to release naturally for 10 minutes, then release any remaining pressure before removing the lid.
Lastly, Open the lid, squeeze some lime juice, add coriander leaves and mix the khichdi well.
Note: If khichdi is not mushy or too dry, select saute mode. Then add ½ cup of water and cook for another minute.
Instant Pot Quinoa Khichdi recipe is ready, serve with either yogurt, raita, or kadhi.
Stovetop Pressure Cooker Method
- Follow the steps as Instant pot instructions. Give 2-3 whistles on medium flame and let the pressure release naturally. All the other steps remain the same. Pressure Cooker Quinoa Khichdi is ready to serve.
How to Serve Quinoa Khichdi?
Quinoa lentil khichdi tastes best when it's warm. Serve with your favorite side dishes like pickles, raita, or kadhi to make a complete meal.
You can also serve it with buttermilk (masala chaas) and sprouted moong salad.
Storage Suggestions
- Refrigerator: Quinoa Khichri tastes best when served fresh and piping hot. But if you have leftovers, you can store them in the fridge in an airtight container for up to 2-3 days.
- Freezer: Vegetable Quinoa Khichdi freezes well. Store them in freezer-safe zip locks or containers for up to 1 month.
- Reheat: Khichdi soaks up all liquid and gets dry when refrigerated. For reheating, add a few tablespoons of water and heat in the microwave or stovetop pot.
Variations
- Water Ratio: The water ratio used in this recipe is 3 times the quinoa and lentils together. This helps to make a soft, porridge-like consistency for the final dish.
- Lentils: If you can’t find split yellow moong lentils, you can also use split green moong lentils, masoor dal (pink lentils), or toor dal (split pigeon peas).
- Other Grains: You can also prepare the same khichdi with other grains like foxtail millet, Kodo millet, and rice.
- Vegan: To make this Mix Vegetable Lentil Quinoa recipe Vegan, replace ghee with oil.
- Add vegetables: You can also vary the vegetables added to this Quinoa vegetable khichdi. You can also use spinach, potatoes, broccoli, and cauliflower.
Frequently Asked Questions
You can store leftovers in the refrigerator for 2-3 days without worry.
Make sure to let them cool completely before adding them to an airtight container.
Khichdi tastes best when served hot or warm. However, when it's stored, it soaks up all liquid and gets dry. So add little water before heating.
Then reheat it in either the microwave or on the stovetop until heated through.
Khichdi is made using quinoa, lentils, and vegetables, which are high in protein, and a good source of vitamins and minerals.
It is also high in fiber, has fewer calories and carbohydrates than white rice, and aids in weight loss.
1. Skip the whole spices and green chilies.
2. Hide in veggies. Mash it well with a potato masher until soft. You may also grind/blend if you prefer.
3. Drizzle extra ghee while serving.
4. This quinoa khichdi is ideal for babies older than 10 months after introducing quinoa and moong dal separately.
More Quinoa Indian Recipes
More Khichdi Recipes
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Quinoa Khichdi
Ingredients
Measuring cup used 1 cup = 250 ml
- 1 tablespoon oil or ghee
- 1 bay leaf
- 1 teaspoon jeera seeds (cumin)
- 3 green chillies
- 1 teaspoon ginger minced
- 1 medium onion finely chopped
- 1 medium tomato finely chopped
- ½ cup carrot diced
- ½ cup green beans chopped
- ½ cup green peas
- ½ cup quinoa rinsed
- ½ cup moong dal (split yellow moong lentils) rinsed
- ½ teaspoon turmeric powder
- ½ teaspoon coriander powder
- 1 teaspoon garam masala powder
- salt adjust to taste
- 3 cups water
- juice of half lime
- 2 tablespoons coriander leaves
Instructions
Instant Pot Method
- Press SAUTE on Instant Pot. Heat oil (or ghee). Add in the bay leaf and cumin (jeera) seeds. Let cumin seeds splutter.
- Add the chopped green chilies, ginger, and onions. Saute till onions turn light brown.
- Then add mixed vegetables, tomato and cook for a minute.
- Next, add the rinsed moong dal, quinoa, turmeric powder, coriander powder, garam masala, water, and salt. Mix well. Also, deglaze the pot, i.e., and make sure there is no food particle sticking to the pot to avoid burn alerts.
- Close the lid securely, and turn the vent to "SEALING". Select the PRESSURE COOK/MANUAL (High Pressure) setting and set the cooking time to 5 minutes.
- When the instant pot beeps, allow the pressure to release naturally for 10 minutes, then release any remaining pressure before removing the lid.
- Lastly, Open the lid, squeeze some lime juice, add coriander leaves and mix the khichdi well.Note: If khichdi is not mushy or too dry, select saute mode. Then add ½ cup of water and cook for another minute.
- Instant Pot Quinoa Khichdi recipe is ready, serve with either yogurt, raita, or kadhi.
Stovetop Pressure Cooker Method:
- Follow the steps from the instant pot instructions. Give 2-3 whistles on medium flame and let the pressure release naturally. All the other steps remain the same. Pressure Cooker Quinoa Khichdi is ready to serve.
Video
Notes
- The water ratio in this recipe is 3 times the quinoa and lentils together which makes a soft, porridge-like consistency for the final dish.
- If you can’t find split yellow moong lentils, you can also use split green moong lentils too.
- You can also prepare the same khichdi with other grains like foxtail millet, kodo millet, rice.
- To make this Mix Vegetable Lentil Quinoa recipe Vegan, replace ghee with oil.
- You can also vary the vegetables added to this Quinoa vegetable khichdi. You can also use spinach, potatoes, broccoli, cabbage.
Nutrition
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Aparna says
Just made it! Was amazing! Thanks so much
Bhavana Patil says
Hi Aparna ,So good to know that.Thank you for sharing it 🙂