All I can say is thank goodness I banked a few recipe posts earlier this summer because my inspiration has been pretty dismal during this kitchen reno. Combine that with the dreaded 3rd tri “preggo brain”, and my recipe mojo just isn’t flowing like it normally does. Then there was that disaster of a crock pot recipe I made on the weekend for Eric’s birthday. The pot is still soaking in the laundry tub because when you mess up a slow cooker recipe, you pay the price. I might have to chisel it out. Thankfully, I’ve been sitting on this recipe gem since June. I don’t know how I waited that long to share it because it’s a great one! When I first made these crispy quinoa cakes they disappeared at a record pace. I think I recall eating 5 of them straight from the pan. [Then I made you wait for the recipe for 2 1/2 months! Pure evil.] The next two batches were also quickly enjoyed and made easy meals for us without much fuss. We served them as part of a weekend brunch with home fries and avocado toast, for lunch on top of a salad, and for dinner tossed into a wrap or served with roasted veggies. Oh, and I also love them for a snack, straight from the fridge (yes, cold!) slathered in hummus. So unbelievably satisfying.
For those of you who can’t tolerate beans you will be happy to know these veggie cakes don’t have a bean in sight. In fact, I think this might be the only bean-free veggie patty on my entire blog! The quinoa provides a complete protein source and gives them a wonderful chewy texture at the same time. The oven bakes them up golden and crispy – no frying required. I also made the recipe gluten-free, soy-free, and nut-free so almost anyone can enjoy these delightful crispy cakes. Whether it’s breakfast, lunch, snack time, or dinner, they make a great addition to any meal. Just don’t be surprised if your favourite way to enjoy them is straight from the baking sheet…
Crispy Quinoa Cakes
Yield
1 dozen cakes
Prep time
Cook time
Total time
Crispy quinoa cakes packed with vegetables like kale, sweet potato, sun-dried tomatoes, and more! Enjoy these as part of breakfast, lunch, or dinner. They are great with roasted home fries and avocado toast, on top of a salad, in a wrap, or enjoyed all of their own. It's important to make sure the vegetables are finely chopped for this recipe. If the pieces are too large, the patties won't stick together as well. Recipe inspired by Vegetarian Times .
Ingredients
- 1 1/2 cups cooked quinoa
- 2 tablespoons ground flax + 6 tablespoons water
- 1 cup destemmed and finely chopped kale
- 1/2 cup rolled oats, ground into a flour (use certified gluten-free if necessary)
- 1/2 cup finely grated sweet potato
- 1/4 cup finely chopped oil-packed sun-dried tomatoes
- 1/4 cup sunflower seeds
- 1/4 cup fresh basil leaves, finely chopped
- 2 tablespoons finely diced onion
- 1 clove garlic, minced
- 1 tablespoon runny tahini paste
- 1 1/2 teaspoons dried oregano
- 1 1/2 teaspoons red or white wine vinegar
- 1/2 teaspoon fine grain sea salt, or to taste
- 3 tablespoons gluten-free all-purpose flour (I used King Arthur) or regular all-purpose flour
- red pepper flakes, to taste
Directions
- Preheat oven to 400°F. Line a large baking sheet with parchment paper.
- Mix the ground flax and water in a small bowl and set aside for 5 minutes or so to thicken.
- Combine all ingredients together in a large bowl, including the flax mixture and the 1.5 cups cooked quinoa. Stir well until the mixture comes together. Don't forget the flour because it helps bind the patties.
- Shape mixture into 1/4-cup patties with wet hands. Pack tightly so they hold together better. Place on baking sheet.
- Bake for 15 minutes, then carefully flip cakes, and bake for another 8-10 minutes until golden and firm.
- Cool for 5 minutes on the sheet and then enjoy!
- Store leftovers in a container in the fridge for up to 5-6 days. To reheat, preheat a skillet over medium heat, add a bit of oil, and cook patties for about 3 minutes per side, or until heated through.
Tip:
Tips: 1) To cook quinoa, rinse 1 cup uncooked quinoa in a fine mesh strainer. Place quinoa in a medium pot and cover with 1 1/2 cups water. Bring to a low boil, reduce heat to medium-low, and then cover with a tight fitting lid. Simmer covered for 14-17 minutes until most of the water is absorbed and the quinoa is light and fluffy. Remove from heat, fluff with a fork, and then place lid back on to steam for another 4-5 minutes. Note that this makes almost 3 cups of cooked quinoa and you only need 1 1/2 cups for this recipe, so you will have leftover quinoa (which is never a bad thing if you ask me!).
2) To make oat flour, add the oats into a high speed blender and blend on the highest speed until a fine flour forms. You can also use store-bought oat flour if desired.
Nutrition Information
(click to expand)
K so just so everyone knows, I put these in my dehydrator on highest setting for about an hour and they are soooooooo tasty! I’ve also made these and cooked them in the oven, but I think the flavours are fresher when dehydrated :)
Also, I’ve used chia eggs before and couldn’t tell the difference. My boyfriend’s most favourite recipe (and that’s saying alot as he’s on quite the restricted diet)
Thanks so much for this recipe!!!!! it is one of my go to’s fo sho!
These look awesome! I’m wondering if you know approximately how many calories are in a serving? I’m putting a meal plan together for my parents and want to include these for breakfast but I think they’ll be wary without knowing the calorie count. Thanks!
How about someone actually leave a comment for AFTER they made the recipe, to let us know how they turned out! Not one single review! Nothing but:….They look great….Gonna try them…..They look great…..
I made these yesterday for my husband and I and there is one left today! They were so good we kept picking away at them all day. Made just as directed and will make them again-soon.
Made these last night and they turned out fantastic! I used a Quinoa & Bulgar blend for the grain and substituted the oil-packed sundered tomatoes with roasted red peppers.
Reheated the leftovers tonight and they were equally delicious the following evening!
Thank you for a great patty which is delicious and very filling :)
mine kind of fell apart and didn’t stick together well. Im not sure what I did wrong.Is there something I could add next time to keep them together better?
Thanks and love your blog and book! Can’t wait for the next one :)
I should add, I ate my with the Buddha bowl sauce too but added avocado nd it was insanely amazing!
Just made hese. They hold together nicely and are very tasty. Thank you
Raw or cooked sweet potato???
Hi! If I can’t use sun-dried tomatoes, what do you recommend? (Cannot personally eat onions, garlic, or cooked tonatoes.)
I was wondering if these taste good cold? I want a cold finger food for a summer lunch function and am new to this site so having a little trouble finding them.
Wanted to make this tonight but I don’t have kale on hand. Would fresh parsley work instead?
This sounds delish! I don’t have sundried tomatoes or pumpkin seeds though, can you suggest any substitutes? I do have fresh tomatoes!
Would sun dried tomatoes not packed in oil be ok if I soak them? Can’t wait to make these!
I REALLY despise sun dried tomatoes! Will it affect the consistency if I leave them out or do you have a substitute? Thanks
I have made this 2 times, very flavorful. I actually added your sauce from the morrocan burger, the cilantro tahini lime sauce. Perfect, so delicious and very filling. The patties last me the entire work week! I put it in a sandwich or topped on a fresh salad.
I just made these and I used chai seeds with water instead of flax. They were yummy!!! I also had my husband eat one with homemade marinara sauce. He really liked it.
All good until I realised it says 1 1/2 cups of COOKED quinoa :(
This recipe is the best. So surprisingly tasty and almost kind of cheesy! These saved me after having my second kid. I made a bunch of these and froze them when I was 40 weeks pregnant and they kept us well fed for awhile.
I LOVED IT. I made the cakes tonight, I just wanted to try them and I had them for dinner. Approved!
These were tasty and held together much better than I thought they would. I substituted a combo of brown rice flour and almond meal for the oat flour (because I had these on hand and didn’t feel like washing the food processor), substituted walnuts for sunflower seeds (again, because that’s what I had), used probably twice the recommended amount of kale (who knows how much kale will end up one cup after chopping, right?), and left out the sun-dried tomatoes (didn’t have any) and it was great. This is a great “base” recipe that could be tweaked in infinite ways and probably turn out really good in innumerable well-considered iterations. Thanks!!
I just made these with millet (instead of quinoa). Absolutely delicious, and they held together so well. Thanks for the recipe!
Glad you enjoyed it, Jennifer!
I made these today and I love them. Hard. I used spinach instead of kale and I pulsed everything in my food processor, then I mixed the flour in by hand. Mine took a little longer to bake, possibly because I didn’t drain the oil from the tomatoes? Not sure. So delicious!
Do the sunflower seeds need to be raw, or are roasted ok?
I’ve made these quinoa cakes several times; they are excellent. Beets are a good substitute for the sweet potato if you happen to be out (as I was today). Pairs well with a green salad and tahini dressing. Thanks for the recipe.
Thanks for sharing the substitute info! I’m so glad you enjoy the recipe.
Do these taste good cold leftover for lunches, for example?
They do, Sarah! I love them straight from the fridge as a snack or quick lunch option.
Unfortunately, our family didn’t love this recipe. I thought it was just okay. I followed the recipe as directed but won’t be making it again.
I made these today with some substitutions and they were really good! Kids and hubby liked them too. I used shredded carrot in place of sweet potato (only cause I didn’t have sweet potato on hand). When I cooked the quinoa I added dried onion flakes, garlic powder, frozen kale, dried basil, and dried green onion to the pot. For flour I used gluten free oat flour. Lemon juice in place of vinegar. And pumpkin seeds (ground) in place of sun flower seeds. They turned out really tasty! Will definitely be a staple around here!
Thanks so much for sharing those great subs, Carolyn!! :) I’m so glad they turned out so well.
These were awesome! I didn’t have kale so I used shredded broccoli instead. I also used olives instead of sun dried tomatoes and added some hot Calabrese peppers. My mixture was a bit wet when I was forming the rounds so I was a bit worried how they would turn out after baking, but they came out quite nice. Crispy outside, and a firm but moist inside.
So glad those swaps worked out for you, Jason! Sounds like they’d add a great twist on the flavour, too.
i think i’m incapable of fully following a recipe, but i really liked what i ended up making! i think i added about a half cup extra kale (overzealously dumped half of the chopped kale in the bowl before measuring), i used fresh rosemary instead of basil and butternut squash instead of sweet potato because that’s what i had available at home, used a bit of fresh tomato and stir fry oil instead of oil-packed sundried tomatoes, used whole oats instead of ground, added an extra clove of garlic, & after tasting, would have added a little more tahini paste, salt, and added a bit of cayenne or jalapeno. but i was really impressed at how well it all worked out and stuck together despite the random substitutions. i ate two tonight on a bun with some homemade honey mustard and froze the rest; excited to try the patties next time with some different sides or sauces next time.
i found this recipe on pinterest and am excited to look at what else you have to offer. thanks!
I love hearing how my readers have added their own creativity to my recipes, Leah! Thanks so much for sharing, and I’m glad the cakes were enjoyed!!
My wife is not a huge fan of quinoa, and she loved this recipe. 5 stars for this one!
So happy it won her over, Lisa!
I’d like to make this but can I sub the oats ground into flour? Maybe with whole wheat? I’m allergic to oats. Thank you!
I’d like to clarify that I’m not gluten intolerant. I’m allergic to oats and I’ve found they’re popular in veggie patties and bars. Is there a grain I can sub with? Thank you!
Hi Monica, I haven’t tried this recipe with anything else, so I’m not totally sure! But another type of flour might work—if I remember right, a couple readers have had success with corn flour (I’d suggest skimming back over past comments to see if anyone has reported back on other subs, too). Whatever you try swapping, you may want to add a bit at a time until the mixture is the right consistency for shaping into patties. If you decide to experiment, please report back and let us know how it goes!
I omitted oats and used flours I had at home – 2 spoons of millet flour, 1 spoon of corn polenta (uncooked) and 1 spoon of almond flour. You can taste the millet and corn while they are still warm, but once they have cooled a little bit they are perfect. :)
It looks wonderful but very labor-intensive. From start to finish four hours, including homemade tsaziki sauce will see if it is well received at the Super Bowl party today. Thanks for your recipe.
Helllooooo Angela! These veggie burgers look awesome! Although I am wanting to cook them for a sweet potato and pumpkin free crowd and I was wondering if you had any substitute ideas? I read someone in the comments used beets instead, although admittedly I find the flavour a little overpowering. Is the sweet potato used for binding or filling or..?
Thanks for your help and amazing recipes! :-))
Hey there Oliviah, Thanks for your question! I know a number of people have used shredded/grated carrots instead of sweet potato, and really enjoyed the results. So I think that may be a good substitution to try! If you experiment, please let me know how you find the swap works out for you.
These were delicious! I doubled the recipe for a family gathering and everyone loved it.
I will be making these again soon!
Mmmmmmmm! looks so good! we are making this tonight for dinner!! Check out our blog! lots of good plant based recipes!!!
Thanks for all the inspo Angela
Thanks so much Angela for this recipe which is so versatile…definitely a keeper. I think you could change it up with whatever you have in the fridge and not go wrong! I almost made a special trip to the shops to get some sweet potato but decided not to…so used a small potato (for the starch) and half a carrot (for the sweetness) instead which worked well. I didn’t use the white flour and substituted with a little Besan (chickpea flour) – the patties held together perfectly. We just enjoyed them beside a salad… and some homemade vegan avocado lime mayo to dip them into. Delicious.
I made these for Fathers Day breakfast. I substituted grated carrot as I did not have sweet potatoes. I added some diced red peppers and chives for color. My husband enjoyed them. I will definitively make these again.
I’m so glad he enjoyed them! Thanks for sharing those successful swaps, too :)
Hi :-)
I am wondering how many serves I can get from this ?
Hey Bryony, The recipe should yield around 12 quinoa cakes. How many cakes make up an individual serving can really depend on how you’re eating them/what you’re eating them with — and, of course, how hungry you are! We’ve made them accompanied by fries and avocado toast, served them on a salad, tossed them into wraps, slathered them in hummus…the possibilities are endless.
Cooked these for the fam with a simple salad, none of us are vegan but one veggo and two boys who love meat but they were a big hit ? very pleased with the turn out!!
Hi,
These sound great and I can’t wait to make! I was just wondering if there is a substitute for the red/ white vinegar?
Thank you!
This looks amazing! Is there any possible substitute for for red/ white vinegar?
Thank you!
Hey Lisa, I think fresh lemon juice would be a nice swap, although I haven’t tried it out myself. :)
I am looking for plant based recipes for my mom to reheat which freeze well and I found this one. Two quick questions: what is the diameter of your veggie patties-thinking of using a mold to help shape them such as a biscuit cutter or English muffin ring-don’t want to make them too thin or thick? Do you have any other suggestions for your most popular plant based recipes which freeze well and are easy to reheat? Thanks for the inspiration!
Hey there, I’m not positive, but the approximate diametre is probably 2.5 inches or so? Have you seen my blog post on freezer-friendly meal ideas? I would suggest checking that out (and the comments for helpful tips too!) http://ohsheglows.com/2014/07/30/21-vegan-freezer-friendly-mealsnack-recipes-my-tips-for-freezing/
I hope this helps!
What kind of sauce would you suggest to go with these?
Thanks
Hey Sunita, I really love them with my Lemon-Tahini Dressing or even simply dipped in hummus or BBQ sauce
Hi Angela!
I don’t have any sweet pototoes in. Can I replace them with grated carrot or a grated carrot and grated potato mix or another vegetable? what are your thoughts?-
Hey Laurie, I haven’t tried the sub but I can’t see why that wouldn’t work! They are similar texture wise. please let me know if you try it out :)
holy moly. this turned out SO well. this is one off my new favorite recipes along with your red lentil, kale, and tomato soup.
I’m so glad it was a hit! Thank you for letting me know :)
This has been on my list to try for far too long. Finally made and wanted to let you know how much we loved it. So nice to have a change from most veggie patties that use beans. Really loved the flavor combinations. I heated up some leftovers in the toaster oven at work and everyone wanted to know what smelled so good! Thank you!
Hey Karen, I’m so glad you enjoyed these so much. I agree they are such a fun change. :) Thanks for letting me know!
Hi Angela,
I’m cooking for a crowd of 29, a few of whom are vegan. Can I prep these the day before and then cook them after storing in the fridge for 24h? Or would you recommend just mixing all the ingredients and forming them right before cooking?
Same question for your Bread-Free Stuffing Balls.
Thanks!!
Hi Will, You can definitely mix and shape the bread-free stuffing balls in advance for 12-24 hours (just tightly wrap up in the fridge to avoid drying out), but I’m not positive about these quinoa cakes are they are a bit drier due to the quinoa. If you try anything I’d love to hear how it goes!
Um, these are awesome. So easy to make and they reheat great in a toaster oven, too (haven’t tried panfrying as recommended). There are a few comments about the time estimate being off, but I think the time estimate is accurate because it’s for the recipe ingredient list as written – already prepped. The single ingredient amounts to chop are so small, it really takes no time to do that pre-prep work. And I feel like I’m breaking a fundamental vegan law if I don’t have cooked quinoa in the fridge, so it’s always a good idea to batch cook it. They are a tad messy to shape, but using a greased 1/4-cup measuring cup and then slightly flattening them and shaping them into patties worked well, as did wet hands as suggested. And they hold together really well.