Free amino acids (FAA) in honey and bee tissue are sensitive indicators of colony nutrition, yet they have not been examined in Apis cerana indica fed regionally available protein supplements. Twenty-one colonies, standardised to four frames, were allocated in a completely randomised design to six plant-protein patties (T₁–T₆) or a 50% sucrose control (T₇) and fed weekly for 120 days (1 January–30 April 2026) at Gangavathi, in the Northern Dry Zone of Karnataka, India. Total FAA of stored honey (Cd-ninhydrin method; mg leucine equivalents 100 g⁻¹) and of worker bees (ninhydrin, pH 5.2; µg leucine equivalents g⁻¹ fresh weight) was determined at Days 0, 30, 60, 90 and 120 and analysed by two-way ANOVA (treatment × time) with Tukey’s HSD. Treatment, time and their interaction were highly significant for both matrices (P ≤ 0.001). The chickpea flour + wheat germ diet (T₆) gave the highest mean honey FAA (62.15 mg LE 100 g⁻¹; 1.85 times the control), which rose 2.35-fold from baseline to 87.73 mg LE 100 g⁻¹ by Day 120, and the highest worker FAA (17,427 µg LE g⁻¹; 1.82-fold increase over baseline by Day 120). Defatted soybean-based diets (T₁, T₂) ranked next. All supplements raised mean honey FAA above the control, whereas the maize + pea diet (T₅) did not raise worker FAA. Across the seven treatment means, FAA of both matrices was strongly correlated with diet consumption and with six colony growth parameters (r = +0.923 to +0.977). Total FAA therefore tracked supplement quality and colony performance, and may serve as a rapid biochemical indicator of colony nutritional status. The chickpea–wheat germ formulation is recommended for pre-summer supplementation of A. cerana indica in semi-arid Karnataka.