Kañihua (Chenopodium pallidicaule Aellen, Chenopodiaceae) is a native plant from the highlands of Peru and Bolivia that is characterized by its high nutritional value. It is considered a species of great genetic diversity and in this study we evaluated the nutritional characteristics, fatty acids profile, antioxidant compounds and antioxidant activities of three kañihua ecotypes from Peru named “Chilliwa” (light grey seeds), “Planta púrpura” (light orange seeds) and “Red kañiwa Condorsaya” (red seeds). These ecotypes of kañiwa were characterized by their high content of carbohydrates (65.5-68%), proteins (14.7-15.5%) and fat (7.6-8.5%). In relation to fatty acids, linoleic acid was determined as the major component (45.8-49.6%), followed by oleic acid; while linolenic acid was found in smaller proportion (5.7 – 6.8%). The content of total phenolics and total flavonoids were found between 1.4 – 1.9 mg-eq gallic acid/g and 1.5-2.0 mg-eq catechin/g, respectively. Betalains content was found between 2.3 and 42.0 mg/100 g. Antioxidant activities, measured as the concentration of sample extract (EC50) that decreases by 50% the initial DPPH radical concentration, ranged from 1.3 to 4.2 mg extract/mL. The kañihua ecotypes “Chilliwa” (light grey seeds), “Planta púrpura” (light orange seeds) and “Red kañiwa Condorsaya” (red seeds) are important sources of protein and polyunsaturated fatty acids. "Red Cañihua" and "Purple Plant" ecotypes also showed a high content of betacyanins and betaxanthines and good antioxidant activity, which supports the use of these Andean grains as functional foods.