Simple Vegan Quinoa Fried Rice

Simple Vegan Quinoa Fried Rice recipe is the healthy and easy alternative to the take-out classic, featuring flavorful vegetables and protein-packed quinoa! Delicious vegan dinner ready in 15 minutes!

This recipe was developed and written by Kevin from the Economical Chef, who is a new guest blogger on my blog! Kevin delivers healthy, simple and economical recipes. You can subscribe to Economical Chef to get the free weekly meal plan, which includes 15 meals for as low as $50! It’s always nice to know how to save a few pennies, isn’t it? Check his delicious vegan quinoa fried rice recipe below!

How to Make Simple Vegan Quinoa Fried Rice

Simple Quinoa Fried Rice is one of my go-to stir fry dishes –  it’s super easy to make and is a perfect healthy, weeknight meal. Stir frying during the week is one of my favorite things to do, and by “stir fry” I usually mean throwing a bunch leftovers in a pan with some rice to transform old food into a whole new meal. Beats the microwave 10 times out of 10.

This recipe is special though because I use fresh vegetables, and the holy trinity of stir fry – soy sauce, sesame oil and rice wine vinegar – to create a unique twist on a take-out classic.

Quick note, if you have any of these ingredients already cooked and leftover, you can use them, just add them later in the stir frying process to heat them up. Obviously, you don’t need to “cook” them because they have already been cooked.

Health Benefits of Vegan Quinoa Fried Rice

This Simple Quinoa Fried Rice is not only delicious and easy to make, but its packed with healthy ingredients:

• • Quinoa – quinoa is full of protein. Honestly, it’s probably one of the healthiest grains out there. You can learn a lot more about this little grain that packs a nutritious punch here.
  • Carrots – carrots are one of my favorite snack foods. There crunchy and a bit sweet, and they are famous for being full of beta-carotene, which is linked to improving skin health and eye sight.
  • Broccoli – broccoli is another nutritious vegetable full of vitamins, and is also thought to reduce inflammation. Get the full run down of broccoli benefits here.

• Garlic – adding garlic to a dish is my favorite way to add flavor. It’s so easy and for some reason I love chopping garlic, there is something satisfying about it. Garlic also is low calories and full of vitamins, and is even thought to help fight the common cold (and vampires)!
• Red pepper flake ­­– red pepper brings the heat to this dish thanks to the capsaicin it contains. Capsaicin brings the heat but is also linked to be a pain reliever!
• Sesame oil – sesame oil has a crazy amount of health claims surrounding it, including cancer-fighting benefits. I suggest you go ahead and learn more about the amazing health benefits of sesame!
• Soy sauce – soy sauce has some antioxidant claims, but it is also very high in salt. I recommend opting for the low sodium version to help keep the salt content of this dish manageable.
• Rice wine vinegar – rice wine vinegar brings a nice balance of flavor to this dish, and is probably best known for its ability to aid digestive health.

Those are some top line facts, but I suggest you do your own research to see what food and ingredients are right for you. The bottom line is that this is an extremely healthy dish! Every ingredient is bringing something healthy to the table!

Saving Money with Vegan Quinoa Fried Rice

Let’s get economical with this Simple Quinoa Fried Rice:

• 1/2 cup quinoa (makes 2 cups cooked) – $0.90
• 2 large carrots – $0.50
• 1 head of broccoli – $0.75
• 1 clove garlic – $0.10
• 1 tsp red pepper flake – $0.06
• 2 tsp sesame oil – $0.23
• 5 tbsp soy sauce – $0.22
• 2 tsp rice wine vinegar – $0.08

The grand total is $4.24, or just about $2.12 per serving if you are feeding two hungry souls. A pretty solid bargain for a weeknight meal packed with healthy vegetables and big flavor!

Print

4.67 from 12 votes

Simple Vegan Quinoa Fried Rice

Simple Vegan Quinoa Fried Rice recipe is the healthy and easy alternative to the take-out classic, featuring flavorful vegetables and protein-packed quinoa! Delicious vegan dinner ready in 15 minutes!

Course Main Course

Cuisine Asian

Prep Time 5 minutes minutes

Cook Time 15 minutes minutes

Total Time 20 minutes minutes

Servings 2 servings

Calories 396kcal

Author Elena Szeliga

Cook ModePrevent your screen from going dark

Ingredients

• ▢ 1/2 cup quinoa (makes 2 cups cooked)
• ▢ 1 tablespoon olive oil (or peanut oil if you have it)
• ▢ 2 large carrots
• ▢ 1 small head broccoli
• ▢ 1 clove garlic
• ▢ 1 teaspoon red pepper flakes
• ▢ 1 1/2 tablespoons soy sauce
• ▢ 2 teaspoons rice wine vinegar
• ▢ 2 teaspoons sesame oil
• ▢ chopped green onion and/or basil to garnish optional
• ▢ your favorite hot sauce to serve

Instructions

• Start with cooking your quinoa, following the instructions on the bag.
• Prep your carrots, broccoli and garlic while the quinoa is cooking. Cut the carrots into thin medallions so that they cook quickly and evenly, about 1 cm each. Next, chop your broccoli into bite size florets. Last, finely chop your garlic.
• When your ingredients are prepped and your quinoa is almost done (5 minutes left), add your olive oil over medium-high heat to a large wok (or pan). Add the carrots first and cook for 2-3 minutes. Then add your broccoli and garlic and cook for another 2-3 minutes.
• Strain your quinoa and add it to the wok along with the red pepper flake, soy sauce, and rice wine vinegar. Sauté everything for another couple of minutes.
• Lastly, add your sesame oil to create that rich, nutty flavor and cook for another minute.

Notes

Note: green onion and/or basil also go great in this dish!

Nutrition

Calories: 396kcal | Carbohydrates: 55g | Protein: 17g | Fat: 15g | Saturated Fat: 2g | Sodium: 916mg | Potassium: 1443mg | Fiber: 13g | Sugar: 8g | Vitamin A: 12380IU | Vitamin C: 275.2mg | Calcium: 183mg | Iron: 4.8mg

Tried this recipe?Follow @happykitchen.rocks on Instagram and show me the recipes you are making from my blog using the hashtag #happykitchenrocks!

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• Easy Vegan Tacos

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