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Instant Pot Quinoa Khichdi – a delicious, nutritious one-pot meal with a throw of veggies & generous amount of ghee that’s so comforting. If you love one-pot meals that’s filling, healthy & super easy, than, you must not miss this Quinoa Khichdi with vegetables. It’s just that! Pressure cooker & stove top option is included too.
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Quinoa Khichdi
Quinoa Khichdi is a fabulous one-pot meal that’s perfect for cleansing the whole system, very apt for those light-eating days, not-in-the-mood-to-cook days, & to break free from the monotony of a regular rice khichdi 😀 😛
Or you can cook it often may be because you love it, not everyone is a quinoa hater though or a hater changed lover 😀 Choose whatever fits your needs!
This Quinoa moong dal khichdi often finds it’s way in my weekly meal rotations.
Yes, I cook it that often because it’s damn tasty, super easy, I don’t have to clean tons of pots & pans as I hugely rely on my Instant Pot & most importantly, my 5 years old son licks the last drop from his bowl 😉
While trying to make the best, easy & quick khichdi with quinoa I experimented with various flavors & seasonings, swapped a lots of veggies, and I also cooked it in 3 different methods – Instant pot, pressure cooker & a pot on the stove-top!
And I am very happy with today’s recipe.
It is the best hassle free, the most delicious recipe amongst all the experiments so far.
It always shines with the right amount of seasoning that always packs a punch. I guarantee.
This is the only reason, I decided to share it with you all!
Don’t worry if you do not own an Instant Pot, browse through the stove-top & pressure cooker options given in the recipe card below.
There’s one secret ingredient though that makes this whole Quinoa Vegetable Khichdi a finger-licking one-pot meal that you can enjoy even if you are not much of a quinoa eater 😀
So read on. I don’t want you to miss the climax 😀
Instant Pot Quinoa Khichdi Ingredients
This is exactly what you’ll need to make a batch of finger-licking Quinoa moong dal khichdi:
- White Quinoa: Rinsed well. I always love my white quinoa lightly toasted, this makes the nutty flavor of this super-food quinoa so prominent. Try toasting them. For more Quinoa facts check out my Warm Quinoa Salad with Kale, chicken & veggies.
- Yellow Moong Dal: Also known as split yellow lentil. This will add a ton of body & flavor to the khichdi making it more wholesome & nutritious.
- White onion: I love adding white onion because it’s milder, slightly sweet & not that pungent as red onion. But, you may swap it with red onion too.
- Grated or Minced ginger: We love the flavor of ginger & add it to every single Khichdi recipe, like this Instant Pot Dalia Khichdi. You may add ginger juice instead of grated ginger.
- Tomatoes: Chop them roughly. Such a wonderful way to add a little tang to the recipe. You do not need to hunt down the juiciest tomatoes in town. Yes, that’s the beauty of a Khichdi recipe. Add that slightly unripe tomato & you won’t find out the difference here!
- Other Veggies: French beans, Green peas & carrots. I used frozen peas & chunky pieces of carrots. You may also use cauliflower florets. In that case chop them into medium chunky pieces so that they do not turn into a paste. Or you may steam the florets (pre-cooked) & add them later along with the peas.
- Spices: Turmeric powder, Coriander powder & the secret ingredient is Garam Masala Powder! It sure does make a huge difference & makes the Quinoa Khichdi with vegetables one of its kind. Make this recipe with & without garam masala powder & you’ll know the difference instantly 😉
- For Tempering: Whole cumin seeds, bay leaf, dry whole red chili. I skipped the dry chili.
- Cooking Fat: Ghee is what I used & also garnished the khichdi with generous amount of clarified butter or ghee. Do just that if you are a ghee lover just like me or else choose your favorite oil to cook the recipe.
- Garnish Choices: Chopped cilantro also known as coriander leaves & a drizzle of lemon juice (I used none!)
Love Khichdi? Try this delicious Instant Pot Dalia Khichdi:
6 Tips to make the best Instant Pot Quinoa Khichdi
- Water quantity: This is super important! If you want soft khichdi that is more on the wet side add 3 cups water for every 1 cup Quinoa + moong dal. This quantity is of course taking into account the vegetables quantity too. I added about 2 cups total vegetables in today’s recipe. Or add 2.5 cups water if you like less thin Khichdi.
- Rinse the Quinoa: You must rinse the white quinoa very well. This will help to rinse out the Saponin from the Quinoa. And you’ll not have a bitter tasting quinoa anymore!
- Toast the Quinoa if you can: For extra flavors toast the white quinoa. I love lightly toasting a large batch of quinoa and than store it in an air tight container. Lightly toasting boosts the nutty flavor of quinoa manifold.
- Never ever skip the Garam Masala powder: This is that one MAGIC ingredient that’ll make the Vegetable quinoa khichdi lip-smacking good. Cook without it & you’ll know the difference.
- Cook in Ghee: For the best flavor punch cook in ghee. It matters & a lot!
- Soft but not mushy Khichdi: 4 mins high pressure mode in IP, NPR for 3 mins than QPR. Otherwise 3 mins High pressure in IP, NPR for 2 min than QPR.
Pro Tip: Instant Pot Abbreviations used in this post – IP = Instant Pot, QPR = Quick Pressure Release, NPR = Natural Pressure Release.
How long can you store Quinoa Moong Dal Khichdi?
You can store Quinoa moong dal khichdi for 3 days in the fridge in an air tight container.
It’s freezable too. Store it in portion sized freezer safe bags in the freezer for 1 month.
While reheating the veggies might become a little soft but that doesn’t make it any less tasty 😉
What to serve with Quinoa Khichdi?
Quinoa Khichdi is a wholesome meal by itself. And you can garnish it with a generous amount of ghee (clarified butter).
You can also serve it with papad & any Indian pickle of your choice.
Do not miss these easy Quinoa Recipes:
How to make Quinoa Khichdi in Instant Pot? Step by Step
Steps in words below pictures
How to make Instant Pot Quinoa Khichdi
- Temper the ghee
Set the IP to SAUTE at NORMAL. Add ghee when it’s moderately hot add whole cumin seeds + bayleaf. Allow them to sizzle for a few seconds.
- Saute Onion
Next, throw in the onion & saute until little soft. You may add salt at this point to quicken the process.
- Add the Veggies
Throw in the chopped beans + carrots. Saute for 1 min & add the tomatoes. Saute for 1 min.
- Mix in the ginger
Add the grated ginger & mix in well. If you want to add chopped green chilies, you may add them now.
- Add the spices
Throw in the turmeric, coriander powder & the garam masala powder. Mix well & saute for about a minute or until fragrant. If you want to add red chili powder you may add now.
- Add the rinsed Quinoa+moong dal
Mix well with the veggies & the spices.
- Add water
Mix well. Adding warm or hot water helps in quick pressure build up in the Instant Pot.
- Pressure cook in the Instant Pot
Press the CANCEL button. Than, press the PRESSURE COOK button & set it to HIGH for 4 mins. After 4 mins do NPR for 4 mins than release the rest of the pressure & open the lid of the Instant pot. Serve hot.
Instant Pot Quinoa Khichdi
Ingredients
- 1/2 cup white quinoa
- 1/2 cup split yellow moong dal (or yellow split mung beans)
- 1/2 cup chopped white onion
- 1/2 cup diced green beans (about 1/2″ each piece)
- 1/2 cup diced carrots (about 1/2″ each piece)
- 1/2 cup Green Peas (use frozen or fresh)
- 1/2 cup chopped tomatoes
- 1 tsp grated or minced ginger
- 1/2 tsp Garam Masala Powder (heaped)
- 1/2 tsp Coriander Powder
- 1/4 tsp Turmeric Powder
- 2 tbsp Ghee (or clarified butter)
- 1/2 tsp Whole Cumin Seeds
- 1 bay leaf (whole)
- Salt (to taste)
- 2.5-3 cups Water (3 cups for thin khichdi)
Instructions
How to cook Quinoa Khichdi in Instant Pot?
- Press the SAUTE button in the IP & set it to NORMAL.
- Add ghee & when it’s moderately hot throw in the whole cumin seeds + the bay leaf. Allow them to sizzle for a few seconds.
- Now, add the onions & saute for 1 min.
- Add the carrots, green beans & peas (if using fresh green peas). Saute for about 1 minute. Add the tomatoes & mix in.
- Next, add the ginger & mix in. Add the spices too & saute until fragrant. It should take you another minute or so.
- Now, add the rinsed quinoa + moong dal. Mix well with the rest of the ingredients.
- Pour water. Press the CANCEL button in the IP. Close the lid of the IP & set the valve to sealing position.
- Next, press the PRESSURE COOK button & set it to HIGH for 4 mins.
- After 4 mins when the IP begins to beep DO NOT do a QPR (Quick pressure release) instead wait for NPR (natural pressure release) for 2-3 mins. Than, release the rest of the pressure & open the lid carefully.
- Serve the Quinoa moong dal khichdi hot. Garnish with generous amount of ghee & chopped cilantro. Enjoy!
How to cook Quinoa Moong Dal Khichdi in a Pressure Cooker?
- Follow the same recipe. Instead of using an Instant Pot use a regular pressure cooker.
- Do the sauteing & mixing over medium heat.
- After adding water to the pot close the lid of the pressure cooker & cook the vegetable quinoa khichdi over medium heat for 2 whistles.
- After 2 whistles immediately turn off the heat & do a quick pressure release.
- Serve hot garnished with ghee & chopped cilantro. Enjoy!
How to make Quinoa Khichdi for weight loss in a pot on the stove top?
- The recipe remains the same. Instead of using an Instant pot use a deep bottomed pan with a cover or a kadai.
- Do the sauteing & mixing of the veggies & spices over medium heat.
- Next after adding water to the pot. Cover it with the lid & cook over medium low heat for about 15 mins. Do check in between.
- When done serve hot with lots of ghee & chopped cilantro. Enjoy!
Video
Notes
- Instant Pot Abbreviations used in this post – IP = Instant Pot, QPR = Quick pressure release, NPR = Natural pressure release.
- VEGAN Quinoa Khichdi : Omit the ghee.
- Fresh Peas = Add with the rest of the veggies.
- Frozen Pease = Add once the Quinoa Khichdi is cooked. Just mix in the frozen thawed peas with the Khichdi. Frozen peas are pre-cooked.
- If you love spicy khichdi do add chopped green chilies. You can add them along with the grated ginger. If adding chili powder add it along with the other spices.
- Use fresh dal always & choose organic whenever possible. Old dal will take longer to cook.
- Rinse the white quinoa very well under running tap water. You’ll not end up with bitter tasting quinoa in the khichdi.
- I used 50:50 Quinoa : Moong Dal ratio but you may also use 1:2 (quinoa:dal) if you prefer more dal flavor in your khichdi.
- 3 cups liquid will yeild slightly thin Khichdi whereas, 2.5 cups liquid will yeild a consistency towards the thicker side.
- Cooking in ghee is not mandatory. But, ghee sure does boost the taste quotient manifold! But, the choice is yours. You may choose any kind of fat to cook – like mustard oil, olive oil, avocado oil, canola oil, vegetable oil, butter.
- In this recipe of Instant Pot quinoa khichdi the veggies become soft & do not have any crunch to them. If you prefer a little bite in your veggies than do steam them before & add them to the khichdi after it’s all done. In that case you may use the veggies stock instead of water to cook the khichdi. And also use just 2.5 cups of the stock to cook the quinoa khichdi.
- Instant Pot Used = 6 quart IP DUO
- Measuring cup used, 1 cup = 240 ml, 1 teaspoon = 5 ml.
Nutrition
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Oh, I think I have had way too many not-in-the-mood-to-cook days lately so appreciate recipes like this 🙂
Oh yes, you bet Julia, we all pass through that phase 😀 These kinda one-pot meals that take no time at all are such big rescuers. Thanks for stopping by 🙂
I love using my IP to make delicious and healthy meals in a hurry what a yummy recipe! I can’t get enough quinoa right now, so will be trying this for sure!
Thanks Carrie 🙂 Try this one-pot Quinoa Khichdi in your Instant Pot, it’s easy, quick, healthy & very economical fix for dinner anytime!
This sounds SO GOOD! I cannot wait to make this! Thanks for your recipe. The photos just about have me drooling.
Thanks a bunch Mary 🙂 I am just so glad that you loved the recipe & the photos 😉 Come back again for a quick browse, I’m sure you’ll find something to cook for your family.
I really loved how flavorful this is! Can’t wait to make it again!
Thanks much Toni for trying out the recipe 🙂 This Instant Pot Quinoa Khichdi makes a fabulous one-pot meal anytime.
I love such meal options any day for my lunch. Easy, quick and healthy too.
Thanks Veena 🙂 We love Khichdi too, a one-pot easy filling meal.