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Mains

Quinoa and Greens Patties

March 1, 2021 by Alexandra Daum
These vegetarian quinoa patties are loaded with wintery greens like chard, spinach, or kale. Gluten free, dairy free, and very easy, these are a great quick dinner option.
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A stack of four quinoa patties on baking paper.

Crisp, light, and with plenty of greens, these quinoa patties are a weeknight favourite for us. They come together quickly and make good use of leftover cooked quinoa, great if you’re a fan of bowl food or batch cooking.

Since the recipe is flexible in terms of herbs and greens, I do make it just about year round. Right now I have some spinach recovering from a frost – it died back and is re-growing – so it’s been featured here, alongside overwintered parsley.

Try these as a light meal with some salad or roasted veg, or add to a grain bowl for a more filling meal. You can also increase the size to make a veggie burger. Though I usually prefer more legume-based versions, like a chickpea burger, these do make a good neutral patty and taste great with any variety of toppings.

Finished patties on parchment paper.

Scroll to the bottom of the post or click “skip to recipe” above to see the recipe card with full ingredient measurements and instructions.

Ingredients

Quinoa and greens patties ingredients.

Method

Add the quinoa, greens, parsley, chickpea flour, eggs, onion, garlic, lemon zest and juice, olive oil, salt, pepper, mustard, and pepper flakes to a large mixing bowl.

Use a wooden spoon or spatula to mix very well, making sure no clumps of chickpea flour remain.

  • Ingredients in a large bowl before mixing.
  • Patty mixture after mixing in a large bowl.

Heat a large frying pan over medium heat. Once the pan is hot, coat the base with a thin layer of oil (this is important. Like any eggy recipe, it will stick otherwise).

Scoop portions of the quinoa mixture into the frying pan, about 2 tablespoons for each patty. It will be loose, but the eggs will hold it together once it starts to cook. Use a spoon to shape the patties into rounder shapes if desired (before flipping).

Cook for 2-3 minutes on the first side, until golden brown, before flipping. Press down lightly with the spatula after turning. Cook the second side again for 2-3 minutes, until golden. Repeat until all of the mixture has been cooked.

Quinoa patties on a baking sheet with lemons, parsley, and avocado.

Tips and Notes

It’ll seem like the patties aren’t going to hold together enough to fry, but they will! The batter is loose but keep in mind that it includes eggs, so they will come together nicely in the frying pan.

On that note, make sure you chop the greens very finely, because large pieces will cause some difficulty. I always remove the stems but it’s not necessary if you like them.

If you don’t like raw onion, or it gives you heartburn, you can sauté the onion and garlic for 3-4 minutes before adding to the patty mixture. I like the texture and flavour of the almost-raw onion – and not having an extra step – but the option is there.

The original recipe included an avocado tahini dip, but since updating I’m just using avocado as is (there was a massive tahini recall recently, and we can’t get it right now). I don’t often use avocados but we can get from from the Mediterranean now, so I’ve been ordering bulk boxes more recently. Use any dipping sauce you like – hummus is nice.

Some readers have noted that they’ve baked the quinoa patties with good success, so it can be done! Frying will give you a better texture, though. Be sure to use enough oil to prevent sticking, especially if using a cast iron pan.

A stack of four quinoa patties on baking paper.

Substitutions

Any kind of wheat flour can be used in place of chickpea flour. I most often use whole grain rye, sometimes spelt – and if you want to keep it gluten-free, use buckwheat flour. I haven’t tested with other GF flours like rice.

Spinach, rucola, chard, kale, beet/turnip greens, even celery greens, are all good here. Use what you have.

Switch up the parsley for your favourite herbs. Cilantro is the obvious sub, but you can go for smaller-leaved herbs like oregano and thyme, too.

I’ve heard from readers that they’ve had success using aquafaba to make these vegan, but I have never made a version of these without eggs that I found good enough to share. Egg is what holds the patties together.

More Quinoa Recipes

Moroccan Quinoa Carrot Salad
Vegan Black Bean Quinoa Burgers
Chickpea Quinoa Salad
Moroccan Roasted Vegetable Salad
Quinoa Enchilada Bake with Black Beans (sub vegan cheese if needed)

Quinoa patties on a baking sheet with lemons, parsley, and avocado.

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Quinoa and Greens Patties

Prep Time 10 minutes
Cook Time 15 minutes
Total Time 25 minutes
4.62 from 31 votes

Ingredients

Metric – American
  • 300 grams cooked quinoa
  • 50 grams greens, finely chopped
  • 10 grams finely chopped parsley roughly large handful
  • 30 grams chickpea flour flour
  • 3 large eggs
  • 70 grams finely chopped onion half a medium onion
  • 2 cloves garlic minced
  • Zest of a lemon
  • Juice of a lemon ~3 tablespoons
  • 2 tablespoons olive oil plus more for cooking
  • ½ teaspoon sea salt
  • ½ teaspoon black pepper
  • ½ teaspoon dijon mustard
  • ¼ teaspoon hot pepper flakes optional

Instructions

  • Add the quinoa, greens, parsley, chickpea flour, eggs, onion, garlic, lemon zest and juice, olive oil, salt, pepper, mustard, and pepper flakes to a large mixing bowl.
  • Use a wooden spoon or spatula to mix very well, making sure no clumps of chickpea flour remain.
  • Heat a large frying pan over medium heat. Once the pan is hot, coat the base with a thin layer of oil.
  • Scoop portions of the quinoa mixture into the frying pan, about 2 tablespoons for each patty. It will be loose, but the eggs will hold it together. Use a spoon to shape the patties into rounder shapes if desired (before flipping).
  • Cook for 2-3 minutes on the first side, until golden brown, before flipping. Press down lightly with the spatula after turning. Cook the second side again for 2-3 minutes, until golden. Repeat until all of the mixture has been cooked.
  • Keep the patties in a warm oven before serving if you’d like, and serve with avocado or any dips and sauces you like.
  • These will keep for a couple of days in the refrigerator in an airtight container, and freeze well. They are excellent both hot and cold.

Notes

• Spinach, rucola, chard, kale, and any other hardy greens you can find will work well here.

Nutrition

Serving: 1g Calories: 86kcal Carbohydrates: 12g Protein: 3g Fat: 3g Saturated Fat: 1g Polyunsaturated Fat: 2g Cholesterol: 31mg Sodium: 116mg Fiber: 1g Sugar: 1g
© Alexandra Daum
Course: Mains
Cuisine: American
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A stack of four patties.
The original featured picture for the post. I was using a point-and-shoot camera for this, and did all of the background blur in photoshop!

This recipe was first posted in August 2016. It has been updated with new photos and improvements to the text and recipe as of February 2021.

More Mains:

Pasta with mushroom sauce on two plates with drinks.Vegan Mushroom Stroganoff
Three rice-stuffed pumpkins on plates.Vegetarian Stuffed Pumpkins
Plates with pieces of puff pastry pie on them.Roasted Vegetable Pie with Puff Pastry
Bowls of pumpkin curry with naan and small pumpkins around.Chickpea Pumpkin Curry

Previous Post: « Life, February
Next Post: Chickpea Noodle Soup with Parsley and Lemon »

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Comments

  1. Marianne Valentine says

    March 3, 2022 at 10:15 pm

    I recently had eggs Benedict at a restaurant with quinoa patties in place of English muffins – it was delicious! These look like an ideal recipe to replicate that dish. Thanks for posting!

    Reply
  2. The Vegetarian Mama says

    July 12, 2021 at 5:26 pm

    Great recipe. I was out of quinoa so substituted cooked lentils instead. Easy recipe to switch out any veggies, spices, etc. based on what you’re harvesting from your garden, or need to use up out of the fridge.

    Reply
    • Alexandra Daum says

      July 13, 2021 at 5:59 am

      Good to know lentils can be used for the quinoa!

      Reply
  3. RB says

    March 2, 2021 at 1:02 am

    These are quite peppery! For anyone who is sensitive to spicy food or has health concerns, I would suggest reducing the pepper.

    Reply
    • Alexandra Daum says

      March 2, 2021 at 7:42 am

      Hi there – I would recommend always altering the spice levels to your preference. I find these to be very mild, even with the hot pepper flakes, and increase them when I am cooking for myself. Just depends on personal tastes!

      Reply
  4. Heather says

    January 1, 2021 at 10:11 pm

    5 stars
    These are delicious! Best eaten straight out of the pan or the oven when they’re nice and crispy. 🙂

    Reply
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