Quinoa Oats and Lentil Dosa

Vegan, gluten-free, and just so delicious Quinoa Dosa! 

This recipe is a healthy alternative to regular Dosa made with Quinoa, Oats, and different types of Lentils. It is a Perfect, Crispy, and Healthy Dosa recipe for all those who do not have much time for fermenting the batter.

This is my go-to recipe when I am craving South Indian food. I am very glad to share with you all this unique and creative Quinoa Dosa recipe. 🙂

Jump to:

• What is Quinoa?
• Quinoa Dosa
• Why you will make this recipe?
• Ingredients required
• Step by step process
• Notes, pro-tips, and Quick FAQs
• More South Indian Recipes
• Quinoa Lentil Oats Dosa

Before talking about the recipe, let's briefly understand Quinoa.

What is Quinoa?

Quinoa Pronounced as Keen-wah. It is a staple food for the people of Columbia.

It is considered to be Superfood because of its high protein content, high in iron, magnesium, high in fiber, much higher than most grains.

Quinoa is gluten-free and perfect for people with gluten intolerance.

It has a low Glycemic Index, which helps in controlling blood sugar.

Quinoa is versatile and can absorb any flavor when cooked.

We love quinoa and try to incorporate it in many different ways like in pulao, Salad, Khichdi, Idli, Dhokla, Chili, and many other recipes.

We also love making Instant Oats Dosa with quinoa and our today’s recipe is all about that. 🙂

Quinoa Dosa

Everyone in our family loves South Indian food.

Dosa with sambar and chutney is an all-time favorite comfort meal for our family. They are healthy, gluten-free, and just so delicious.

Traditional dosa batter is made with rice and urad dal and has to be fermented for 10 hours, which means you have to start preparation at least a day in advance.

Plus the problem is, in winter this process can take even longer to ferment the batter.

So, I tried this newer Instant version to convert regular Dosa into much healthier Quinoa lentil Dosa and got a very good success, everyone in my family loves this equally as the regular Dosa.

Why you will make this recipe?

• This instant version of dosa is quick, simple, and turnes out super crispy.
• Its not just healthy, gluten-free, and crispy but is easy to make immediately after grinding the batter without fermenting. (Yayyy..)
• It makes a hearty meal and is perfect for busy lifestyles.
• This Indian Quinoa Dosa recipe is perfect for Breakfast. But you can enjoy it any time of the day, for lunch or dinner.
• The batter can be stored fro couple of days in the fridge and couple of months in freezer. How cool is that!

Ingredients required

Here are the ingredients I have used for this quinoa dosa:

• Quinoa – I used white quinoa, however you can use another variety of quinoa as well. The dosa color will be different depending on the quinoa you use.
• Rolled oats – to give a texture and body to dosa. You can use any variety of oats, Instant oats, old-fashioned or steel-cut. You can make this quinoa dosa without oats too.
• Lentils - I have used 3 types of lentils Urad dal, chana dal, and masoor dal. These lentils give the right amount of crunch to the dosa and add many health benefits to this dish. You can skip one of the dal or replace it with the same amount of other available dal. You can also use other lentils like toor dal or split moong dal to the batter.
• Methi Seeds – I also add methi seeds in this instant dosa recipe, which also adds crispiness.
• Aromatics and spices - On top of the above ingredients, I have added green chili, ginger, curry leaves, and salt in making the batter. All these ingredients give a nice taste and aroma. Skip green chili if making for little kids.
• Ghee or oil - To cook the dosa you will need a little bit of ghee or oil (for vegan).

Step by step process

Wash quinoa 3 to 4 times with water very well. Drain all the water and keep it aside. (image 1 and 2)

Now take all the lentils and methi seeds in a bowl and wash them 2 to 3 times with water. (image 3 to 7)

Tips - 1. Make sure to wash quinoa very well to get rid of excess bitterness. 2. You can wash quinoa and lentils together too.

Take a big bowl, add washed quinoa, lentils, oats, and 3 cups of water. (image 8 and 9)

Cover the bowl and let them soak for about 4 hours or overnight. (Image 10)

Drain all the water from soaked quinoa, oats and lentil. (image 11 and 12)

Take all the soaked ingredients along with green chili, ginger, curry leaves, and salt into a blender. (image 13 and 14)

Grind it very well using little cold water at a time (You will need around 2 cups of water). Make it into normal dosa batter consistency. (image 15 and 16)

Tip - If you want paper thin dosa, add 1 more cup of cold water. The consistency of the batter should not be too thick or runny, it should be free-flowing without any lumps.

Let it rest for 1 hour. However, if you have less time, it is okay to use the batter right away. I have tried it and it works perfectly fine!

Heat a well-seasoned cast-iron pan or nonstick griddle on medium heat. (image 17)

Once the pan is heated, pour one big ladle full of batter at the center and immediately start spreading it in a circular motion into a thin dosa. (image 18)

Tip – You can go clockwise or anti-clockwise and try to spread it as thin as possible.

Apply oil or ghee all over the dosa.

Tip – You can sprinkle some cheese or garlic chutney or any topping which you like at this time.

Cook it until golden brown from the bottom. (image 19)

Using a flat spatula start removing the dosa from the outer edges, then gently fold the dosa. (image 20)

Serve immediately Coconut chutney or Onion chutney and sambar. Make all the dosa similar way.

Notes, pro-tips, and Quick FAQs

• Make sure to wash quinoa at least 3 to 4 times to get rid of an excess bitter taste.
• Be careful while adding water as too much water can make the batter watery.
• Use fridge cold water while grinding the batter.
• The consistency of the batter should not be too thick or too thin. Pouring and can easily spread.
• Well, a seasoned cast iron pan is best for making dosa but you can also use a non-stick pan.
• The cast-iron pan MUST BE well-seasoned, if not you will end up with sticky dosa.
• The temperature of the stove should be on low heat when you are pouring and spreading the batter. Once you are done spreading the batter, increase the heat to medium and cook the dosa until the dosa starts to turn golden from the bottom.
• Between each dosa, always smear the oil onto the pan using a paper towel. This will season the pan perfectly and it will keep the girdle ready for a perfect dosa.
• You can use the half-cut onion to spread the oil to season the tawa. It also cools down the tawa.
• Typically, you only need to cook the dosa on one side, but if you spread the dosa thick, then flip it over like chilla to cook the other side.
• Always drizzle oil or ghee around the edges of the dosa as well as at the center to get the perfect color all over.

More South Indian Recipes

• Medu vada
• Instant Dosa
• Rava Dosa
• Ven Pongal Khara Pongal
• Raw Mango Rice

Warm Regards,

Dhwani.