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Copyright © 2025 Foodies Only
6 Min
15/01/2026
If you are also new to the world of quinoa and a little unsure about what to do with the extra or leftover quinoa, this article has got you covered! Beyond Indian quinoa recipes, we’ll uncover its health benefits—and why your kitchen isn’t complete without it! From salads, soup and biryani, dive deeper to know more.
Quinoa is the most trending word in kitchens today. It is believed to have all nine amino acids that are required for the body. This trending hero might have lured you into the cart, but let’s be honest—new ingredients often trip us up on how much to use. It is either less or more. While you can add more when you have fallen short on the quantity, the extra food often sits in the fridge waiting for you to use it. And it becomes difficult to think of new recipes with the leftover ingredient without messing up the texture and flavour.
This article will look at five ways through which you can repurpose your leftover quinoa in Indian ways, which can be used for breakfast, snacks and even for dinner! From salads, soups, to biryanis, learn how to creatively use leftover quinoa in simple Indian ways.
Leftover quinoa is better to make tikkis than fresh one, since it is in a better state to hold the shape and not turn mushy. To make this tikki, you have to mix quinoa with grated vegetables like carrot, cabbage, or beetroot. Add the regular spices to the mixture and bind it well with the help of besan or mashed potato. You can choose to shallow fry or bake it as per your preference. These tikkis have the perfect crunch on the exterior and a rich mixture inside that makes these tikkis perfect as evening snacks with chai! These tikkis work brilliantly when you want to meal prep; you can just make a batch and store the extra in the fridge and make tikkis out of it whenever required!
Quinoa lentil soup is loaded with vegetables, lentils and quinoa. In Indian kitchens, lentils are often consumed with roti or rice, but when you add vegetables and quinoa to it, it can become a hearty soup, along with being healthy. It is gluten-free, rich in fibre and dairy-free. To make this soup, you need to mix vegetables, quinoa, and lentils in a bowl and let them boil till they reach a soup-like consistency. Add regular spices that would give the soup a better flavour. This soup can be a perfect dinner that is light, nutritious, and does not take long to make. Make sure you set aside quinoa for some time after taking it out of the fridge and adding it to the pan, to adjust the temperature.
Quinoa salad is again a very nutritious recipe that has all the good properties of quinoa and the nutrition and fibre from vegetables. This can be made in less than 20 minutes and can act as a perfect lunch or dinner option. To make this salad, boil beans and quinoa and add them to a bowl along with other vegetables like tomato, onions, lettuce, carrots or any of your other favourite veggies. Mix them all together with olive oil, lemon, vinegar, garlic and cilantro. Leftover quinoa works best for this as it is not mushy, and the grains are well separated, making them perfect for a bowl of salad.
Quinoa is a perfect substitute for rice, and its neutral flavour ensures all the flavour from spices and vegetables is mixed well in the pulao. To make this, add spices, vegetables to a pan, saute them well before adding quinoa to it. You can add fried onions, nuts, and raisins to give it a pulao feel. As compared to rice pulao, quinoa pulao is healthier as it offers more fibre and protein as compared to normal rice. This pulao also requires half the time to cook. This is also a perfect dish which can be packed well for tiffins, office lunches and even for potlucks. You can pair this with raita or cucumber salad to make this a wholesome meal.
Quinoa is healthier as compared to other grains, as it has all nine amino acids. It is also high in protein and fibre. Quinoa is gluten-free and has a low glycemic index, making it a safer option for people with diabetes. One of the best advantages of consuming leftover quinoa is that it can sprout, which is considered higher in antioxidants than fresh one.