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 or red lentil patty, these do make a good neutral patty and taste great with any variety of toppings.
Ingredients
Ingredient Notes and Substitutions
- Quinoa: this can be any colour of quinoa, but be sure to rinse beforehand if it doesn’t say that it’s already been rinsed.
- Herbs: 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. See parsley substitutes.
- Chickpea flour: 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.
- Greens: spinach, rucola (rocket/arugula), chard, kale, beet/turnip greens, even celery greens, are all good here. Use what you have.
- Eggs: 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.
Step by Step
Step 1: 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.
Step 2: use a wooden spoon or spatula to mix very well, making sure no clumps of chickpea flour remain.
Step 3: heat a large frying pan and coat the base with a thin layer of oil (this is important. Like any eggy recipe, it will stick otherwise). Cook each patty for 2-3 minutes each side, and serve hot.
Recipe 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.
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). Use any dipping sauce you like – hummus and avocado aioli are 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.
How to Store
Storage: keep in a sealed container in the refrigerator for 2-3 days. The uncooked mixture can also be stored for one day.
Freezing: place cooled patties in an airtight container and freeze for up to three months. Thaw in the refrigerator and crisp them up again in a frying pan before serving.
Newsletter
Expert Tips
- Do a fine chop: 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.
- Cook the onions: 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.
- Press when cooking: this is what will give you that nice shape on the patties. After flipping, use the spatula to press on the patty to make sure the entire side has contact with the frying pan.
More Quinoa Recipes
Moroccan Quinoa Carrot Salad
Vegan Black Bean Quinoa Burgers
Chickpea Quinoa Salad
Moroccan Roasted Vegetable Salad
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Quinoa and Greens Patties
Ingredients
- 300 grams cooked quinoa room temperature or cold
- 50 grams hardy greens* finely chopped
- 10 grams parsley finely chopped, roughly large handful
- 30 grams chickpea 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.300 grams cooked quinoa, 50 grams hardy greens*, 10 grams parsley, 30 grams chickpea flour, 3 large eggs, 70 grams finely chopped onion, 2 cloves garlic, Zest of a lemon, Juice of a lemon, 2 tablespoons olive oil, 1/2 teaspoon sea salt, 1/2 teaspoon black pepper, 1/2 teaspoon dijon mustard, 1/4 teaspoon hot pepper flakes
- 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.2 tablespoons olive 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
* For American cup measurements, please click the pink link text above the ingredient list that says ‘American’.
Nutrition
Nutrition is provided as a courtesy and is an estimate. If this information is important to you, please have it verified independently.
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.
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Karen says
Wow- these are easy to assemble and are like a quick potato pancake, but so much easier to make. I used plain flour, and watercress for the greens.
Marianne Valentine says
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!
The Vegetarian Mama says
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.
Alexandra Daum says
Good to know lentils can be used for the quinoa!
RB says
These are quite peppery! For anyone who is sensitive to spicy food or has health concerns, I would suggest reducing the pepper.
Alexandra Daum says
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!
Heather says
These are delicious! Best eaten straight out of the pan or the oven when they’re nice and crispy. 🙂