Ecological immigration may produce significant impacts on the traditional edible plants resources and knowledge for using them by the local communities. In this study, semi-structure interviews, voucher specimen collection and identification, and Jaccard index quantitative analysis were deployed for surveying the utilization of traditional edible plants and their related knowledge in the ecological immigrant villages and their traceable villages in Hongsipu District of Ningxia Autonomous Region. The results showed that: (1) 106 traditional edible plants were found in the six survey villages, including 17 species in eight families for traditional food crops, 44 species in 16 families for traditional cultivated fruits and vegetables, and 45 species of wild edible plants belonging to 22 families. The traditional edible plants in the immigrant villages are decreasing if compared to those of the traceabile villages. (2) The immigrants to Hongsipu from different sources of forest area, loess hilly area and semi-arid desertification area, are different in their knowledge in traditionally using the edible plants. The smaller the difference between the immigrants' immigration location and the traceable ecological environment, the higher the retention of traditional edible plant knowledge. (3) Traditional edible plants retained by immigrants in three different types of areas are closely related to traditional food culture. Traditional culture plays an important role in promoting the conservation of farmer germplasm resources. In this study, the similarities and differences in the resources of traditional edible plants in different villages is deeply discussed, the quantitative research of traditional edible plants is explored, and suggestions for the protection and inheritance of traditional edible plant knowledge of ecological immigrants are presented. Thus, the research results can provide a reference being valuable for regional biodiversity management and sustainable development.