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)
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!!