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Quinoa and Greens Patties

Name: Quinoa and Greens Patties
Prep time: 10 min
Cook time: 15 min
Total time: 25 min
Yield: 18
Cuisine: American
Ingredients: 300 grams (2 cups) cooked quinoa; 50 grams (2 cups) greens, finely chopped; A large handful (about 10g / 1/2 cup) parsley, finely chopped; 30 grams (1/4 cup) chickpea flour flour; 3 large eggs; 1/2 a medium onion, finely chopped (about 70g); 2 cloves garlic, minced; Zest of a lemon; Juice of a lemon (~3 tablespoons); 2 tablespoons olive oil, plus more for cooking; 1/2 teaspoon sea salt; 1/2 teaspoon black pepper; 1/2 teaspoon dijon mustard; 1/4 teaspoon hot pepper flakes (optional)

March 1, 2021

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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.

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.

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Ingredients
Method
Tips and Notes
Substitutions
Quinoa and Greens Patties

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

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.

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)

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Yield: About 18 Patties