Best Quinoa Patties (Vegan & Gluten-Free)
Best quinoa patties without eggs or breadcrumbs. No cheese included! A simple recipe for crispy quinoa cakes that are vegan, vegetarian, gluten-free, super healthy, and incredibly flavorful.
Meet the tastiest and easiest way to eat your veggies: Eggless Quinoa Patties!
You can enjoy these gluten-free patties as a quick appetizer, high-protein snack, and side, or a filling lunch or dinner alongside a fresh salad or creamy dip. So versatile and so good!
They’re kid-friendly, easy to make ahead for meal prep, and freeze well, too!
If you are looking for ways to use leftover quinoa keep reading because I’m sure you are going to love this quinoa patties recipe.
What is Quinoa Pattie?
Quinoa pattie is a meat-free pattie made from nutrient-dense ingredients like quinoa, fresh veggies, nutritional yeast, and GF chickpea flour. It provides you with lots of fiber and essential nutrients that are actually good for you. It could be a great addition to your clean healthy eating plan. Also, it’s a perfect filling for burgers or pita bread.
Simple High-Protein Quinoa Patties
Did you know quinoa is one of the best sources of protein, especially if you are following a meatless diet? These wholesome tiny grains are rich in COMPLETE plant protein and are surprisingly nutritious.
I admit I love my chocolate quinoa bowl I eat for breakfast but I didn’t realize quinoa can taste so good in a savory recipe like the one I’m going to share with you today.
Protein-packed snacks can be a wonderful option when hunger hits but you don’t have time to prepare a meal. These meatless quinoa veggie patties are an easy way to consume a significant amount of protein in a deliciously appetizing way. These are one of the best satisfying savory snacks you could imagine.
Mmm, getting protein on a clean eating diet has never been so yummy!
Ingredients for Quinoa Veggie Patties
You’ll need a few accessible and inexpensive staples to create these golden patties made without meat and eggs. Here are the ingredients:
- Cooked quinoa
- Green onions (scallions)
- Green garlic
- Carrots
- Chickpea flour
- Nutritional yeast
- Spices: kala namak salt (for a unique eggy flavor if you like, if not use regular sea salt), ground cumin, turmeric powder, red pepper flakes
- Water
- Oil for frying
As always, you can find the full recipe with a list of ingredients with measurements in a printable recipe card at the end of this post.
Time needed: 50 minutes.
How to make quinoa patties without eggs?
- Cook quinoa
First, in a fine mesh strainer rinse well quinoa under cold running water. Drain well. Combine 1 cup of quinoa with 2 cups of water in a small saucepan. Bring it to boil over medium-high heat, then reduce the heat to achieve a gentle simmer. Cook for 10-15 minutes or until quinoa has absorbed all the liquid. Remove from the stovetop, cover it with a lid and let it steam for 5 minutes. Set aside and let it cool.
If you’re using pre-cooked quinoa skip this step.
- Prepare “chickpea egg”
Next, mix 1/3 cup water with 1/3 cup chickpea flour until you get a thick texture without clumps.
- Finely chop your veggies and make the mixture
In the meantime, chop scallions and green garlic finely (as thin as possible for the best texture). Also, finely shred your carrots.
In a big bowl, mix cooled quinoa, “chickpea egg”, vegetables, nutritional yeast, and spices.
Use your hands to mix everything together well. Check the saltiness level and add more salt to taste, if needed.
- Form patties and fry
Using a 1/4 cup measure form little patties with your hands and flatten them sightly.
Heat a non-stick frying pan, lightly greased with sunflower oil, (I used 4 tbsp) over medium to high heat.
Once hot, fry your quinoa patties for 3-4 minutes, flip and cook for 3-4 minutes more, or until the patties are golden brown on both sides.
- Serve and enjoy
Serve immediately while still warm or cold paired with a vibrant pasta salad, vegan tuna salad, or dip them in vegan mayo, creamy avocado dip, or homemade hummus.
Store any leftovers refrigerated in an airtight container for up to 3-4 days or freeze in a freezer-friendly container for up to 2 months. If frozen, thaw before reheating.
Vegan Quinoa Patties – FAQ
Chickpea flour mixed with water will act as a perfect binder for this recipe for gluten-free quinoa patties. It wonderfully replaces an egg and emulates its binding quality to maintain the structure of our protein patties.
One veggie pattie is packed with nutrition and contains only 86 calories. It can be a healthy addition to your diet, don’t you think?
Sure, if you have any leftovers you can freeze your patties in freezer-friendly containers or bags for up to 2 months. Thaw before reheating using an oven or microwave.
Yes, pre-cooked quinoa can be found in many grocery stores but it depends on the country you live in. Buying ready-to-eat quinoa is convenient if you have a busy schedule and want to save some time. Alternatively, you can easily cook your own in just 15 minutes. Follow the steps explained above or in the recipe card at the end of this post.
If you opt in to cook your own quinoa, you can store it in the refrigerator, in an airtight container for 4-5 days.
Why you’ll love these quinoa cakes? They’re:
- Made with minimal ingredients
- Egg-free
- Easy to customize
- A wonderful alternative for traditional burger patties
- Budget-friendly
- An excellent make-ahead snack for any occasion
- Irresistibly tasty!
What to serve with quinoa patties?
- Creamy vegan ranch dressing
- Mediterranean parsley avocado dipping sauce
- Refreshing butter lettuce salad
- Flavorful oven-roasted broccoli
- Weight-loss carrot parsnip soup
- Vibrant roasted red pepper hummus
- Fish-free tuna salad
- Spicy roasted baby potatoes
- Low-calorie potato soup
- Cozy green peas stew
More Vegan Patties Recipes
Best Quinoa Patties (Vegan & Gluten-Free)
Equipment
- 1 Small saucepan
- 1 Wooden spoon
- 1 Non-stick frying pan
- 1 Wooden cutting board
- 1 Knife
- 1 Mixing bowls
- 1 Spatula
Ingredients
For cooking quinoa
- 1 cup uncooked (dry) quinoa or 3 cups cooked, if using pre-cooked quinoa
- 2 cups water
For "chickpea egg"
- 1/3 cup chickpea flour (garbanzo bean flour)
- 1/3 cup water
Other ingredient for the batter
- 2 green onions (scallions) finely sliced, about 3/4 cup
- 1 green garlic thinly sliced, about 3 tbsp
- 2 carrots finely shredded, about 1 cup + 1/4 cup
- 2 tbsp nutritional yeast
- 1 tsp black salt (kala namak) I used it to give our patties that unique eggy flavor but you can use regular sea salt, too. Adjust it to your taste.
- 1/2 tsp red pepper flakes
- 1/2 tsp cumin powder
- 1/4 tsp ground black pepper
- 1/4 tsp turmeric powder
- 3-4 tbsp sunflowder oil for frying
Instructions
- First, in a fine mesh strainer rinse well quinoa under cold running water. Drain well. Combine 1 cup of quinoa with 2 cups of water in a small saucepan. Bring it to boil over medium-high heat, then reduce the heat to achieve a gentle simmer. Cook for 10-15 minutes or until quinoa has absorbed all the liquid. Remove from the stovetop, cover it with a lid and let it steam for 5 minutes. Set aside and let it cool.If you're using pre-cooked quinoa skip this step.
- Next, mix 1/3 cup water with 1/3 cup chickpea flour until you get a thick texture without clumps.
- In the meantime, chop scallions and green garlic finely (as thin as possible for the best texture). Also, finely shred your carrots. In a big bowl, mix cooled quinoa, "chickpea egg", vegetables, nutritional yeast, and spices. Use your hands to mix everything together well. Check the saltiness level and add more salt to taste, if needed.
- Using a 1/4 cup measure form little patties with your hands and flatten them sightly. Heat a non-stick frying pan, lightly greased with sunflower oil, (I used 4 tbsp) over medium to high heat. Once hot, fry your quinoa patties for 3-4 minutes, flip and cook for 3-4 minutes more, or until the patties are golden brown on both sides.
- Serve immediately while still warm or cold paired with a vibrant pasta salad, vegan tuna salad, or dip them in vegan mayo, creamy avocado dip, and homemade hummus. Store any leftovers refrigerated in an airtight container for up to 3-4 days or freeze in a freezer-friendly container for up to 2 months. If frozen, thaw before reheating
Notes
- Try to make the patties about the same size for even cooking.
- You can substitute green onion and garlic with regular yellow or red onion and 1-2 small garlic cloves. Instead of carrots, you can add finely grated parsnips, celery, or zucchini. Add a handful of finely chopped parsley for a brighter flavor if you like.
- The smaller you chop/grate your veggies the better your patties will hold together.
- Don’t overcrowd the skillet, if you add too many patties to it the oil temperature will decrease. Slower frying means more oil absorption, hence greasy, not crispy quinoa fritters.
Nutrition
Did you try these gluten-free quinoa patties? If yes, please rate it, leave a comment below, and share your photo on Instagram with the tag @go_eatgreen and hashtag it #go_eatgreen. I would love to hear about your experience and your comments just make my day!
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Love, Marinela💚
These quinoa Patties are incredible ! My whole family loved these. They are easy to make and turn out to be so filling and tasty.
Surprisingly delicious! Even my kids ate them! I really enjoyed the flavor and the texture, and I’m not a huge quinoa fan.
tasty and hearty pattie!! perfect to had to salads and rice bowsl
Yum! They pair perfectly with salads and rice bowls, they’re so versatile. I’m glad you like them, Nancy, thank you for this lovely review!