Quinoa and Greens Patties
Crisp, light, and with plenty of leafy greens, these quinoa patties are a weeknight favourite for us and have been for over a decade now. 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. Chard, beet tops, and just about any other hardy green can be used. Options are outlined in the ingredient substitution section below.
Try these as a light meal with some salad or roasted vegetables, or add to a grain bowl for a more filling meal. You can also increase the size to make a veggie burger. I often make more legume-based versions, like chickpea burgers or red lentil patties, but these make a good neutral patty and taste great with any variety of toppings.
I first shared this recipe in 2016. It’s been updated with improvements to the recipe instructions and slight improvements to the recipe, new photos, including step-by-step photos, and more helpful information.
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One reader, Sara, commented: “I was looking for a way to use up some chard and came across this recipe. I am so glad I did! These patties are SO GOOD. I didn’t have the ingredients for the spread, but excited to try that next time. Thank you so much!!“
Another reader, Anita, said: “I made these twice in 3 days. I’m glad you mentioned you had success with celery leaves as that is the only green I had available and it was great. The only other thing I changed was to use dill instead of parsley. I love a delicious recipe that is fast and healthy and you can make even when the fridge seems bare.“
Ingredients You’ll Need and Why
The primary ingredients are cooked quinoa, eggs, and some kind of flour. Changing any of these or trying to omit them will cause problems. Everything else can be altered to an extent – these are my notes from recipe testing, and you can find the full recipe card below with complete measurements and instructions.
- 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. Most store bought quinoa now comes pre-rinsed so you won’t usually need to do this.
- 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. Replace the eggs at your own risk!
- Greens: spinach, rucola (rocket/arugula), chard, kale, beet/turnip greens, even celery greens, are all good here. Use what you have. I personally find curly kale a bit too hard but cavolo nero works well.
- Herbs: switch up the parsley for your favourite herbs. Cilantro is the obvious substitute, and I like dill, but you can go for smaller-leaved herbs like oregano and thyme, too. See parsley substitutes.
- Lemon: if you don’t have a lemon on hand, you can omit the lemon zest and use about two teaspoons of white wine vinegar instead of lemon juice. Adjust this to taste and two tablespoons of water to make up the difference in added liquid.
- 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.
How to Make Quinoa Patties
This is an easy recipe, really, where everything is simply mixed in a bowl and then spoon the mixture into a hot frying pan to form patties. It’ll be too loose to shape before frying, and that’s normal – it holds together when cooked thanks to the eggs.
Step 1: add all of the ingredients to a large mixing bowl. The onion, greens, and herbs should all be finely chopped. Large pieces can cause the patties to fall apart when flipped.
Step 2: use a wooden spoon or spatula to mix very well, making sure no clumps of chickpea flour remain. There’s no risk of over-mixing here and the eggs and flour need to be fully incorporated for the patties to cook evenly.
Step 3: heat a large frying pan and coat the base with a thin layer of oil (this is important. Like any egg-based recipe, it will stick otherwise). Cook each patty for 2-3 minutes each side, and serve hot. These can be shaped slightly in the pan with a spoon before flipping.
Expert Tips for the Best Patties
- 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. The same goes for the onions.
- 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.
- Make sure the pan is hot: 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 a properly preheated frying pan.
- Try baking: 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.
More Recipes with Quinoa
- Moroccan Quinoa Carrot Salad – a personal favourite also for the colder months, this uses raw carrots with quinoa and other vegetables with Moroccan-inspired flavours
- Sweet Potato Bowls – with quinoa, chickpeas, and roasted sweet potatoes
- Chickpea Quinoa Salad – a flexible recipe for quinoa salad with a mustard vinaigrette
- Roasted Vegetable Salad – something we make all the time, this is a warm salad featuring pumpkin, apples, and roasted onion with a base of quinoa
If you make these Quinoa Patties or any other vegetarian dinner recipes on Occasionally Eggs, please take a moment to rate the recipe and leave a comment below. It’s such a help to others who want to try the recipe. For more OE, follow along on Instagram, Facebook, and Pinterest, purchase the Occasionally Eggs cookbook, or subscribe for new posts via email.
Quinoa Patties
Description
Ingredients
- 300 grams (2 cups) cooked quinoa room temperature or cold
- 50 grams (2 cups) hardy greens* finely chopped
- 10 grams (½ cup) parsley finely chopped (a large handful)
- 30 grams (¼ cup) chickpea flour
- 3 large eggs
- ½ medium onion finely chopped (~70 grams)
- 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 (2 cups) cooked quinoa, 50 grams (2 cups) hardy greens*, 10 grams (½ cup) parsley, 30 grams (¼ cup) chickpea flour, 3 large eggs, ½ medium onion, 2 cloves garlic, Zest of a lemon, Juice of a lemon, 2 tablespoons olive oil, ½ teaspoon sea salt, ½ teaspoon black pepper, ½ teaspoon dijon mustard, ¼ 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. I often serve with tahini garlic sauce.
- 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
Nutrition
Nutrition is provided as a courtesy and is an estimate. If this information is important to you, please have it verified independently.
I made these twice in 3days. I’m glad you mentioned you had success with celery leaves as that is the only green I had available and it was great. The only other thing I changed was to use dill instead of parsley. I love a delicious recipe that is fast and healthy and you can make even when the fridge seems bare.
I was looking for a way to use up some chard and came across this recipe. I am so glad I did! These patties are SO GOOD. I didn’t have the ingredients for the spread, but excited to try that next time. Thank you so much!!
Baked them @400 for 25 minutes and they were delicious. Thank you so much for this AMAZING recipe.
Yummy! We enjoyed this meal so much we’re glad there are leftovers.
I always have too many eggs from my chickens and too much Swiss chard from the garden. Great recipe to utilize both! 🎉
I tried to make these but it was a disaster – the patties just wouldn’t form, they would come apart before I could get them in the pan. Maybe I added too much chard? Or should have cut it into really small ribbons? I even tried adding more quinoa, flour, & an extra egg to get them to bind, to no avail. Too bad because they look so good!
Hi Agata, so sorry the recipe didn’t turn out for you. The batter is pretty loose until cooking, and then the eggs hold the patties together in the pan. If it’s too loose, you can drop spoonfuls into a hot pan and they’ll still cook up well. In future, if you want to try again, I’d recommend chopping the chard more finely and trying the spoon method.
do you use the swiss chard stems as well? or just the leaves?
Whatever you like! I use both if the leaves aren’t huge, and strip the stems if they’re oversized.
do the greens and onions need to be cooked beforehand?
Nope! You can give them a quick sauté beforehand if you prefer, though.
Can you use all purpose flour instead of dark buckwheat flour?
I haven’t tried it, but I don’t see why not. You may need to reduce the amount a little bit.
These look amazing! I am always looking for ways to use up Swiss chard and this one totally works! The pictures look beautiful too!
Has anyone tried freezing these?
I would love to know that as well!
Bahaha I love your comments! I'm so happy you guys loved them and I can't believe you went so far back in the archives and made those seedy buns!
a solid veggie burger, homemade, is like the dodo bird. near impossible to find.
UNTIL THIS.
omg. omg omg.
this is my new favorite meal. that avo dip is nutty good. speaking of, i swapped in half almond butter when i realized i had less tahini than i thought. prolly cuz i doubled the recipe which was a solid idea because there's lots of patties for leftovers. and the boyfriend eats a ton so now the avo dip won't disappear immediately.
tonight i made your 'seedy buns' (swapped in chia/flaxseed on top cuz that's what i had on hand) to go with the veggie patty (above) leftovers.
so excited. you have a big fan hear. love love love your blog. gamechanger.
Thx for the tomatoes idea. Making this tonight!
So happy to hear that, Harriet! Thanks for sharing <3
Made these on the weekend. They are very yummy – thanks for the recipe. 🙂
Oh no, I can't believe I hadn't caught that over a year later! It should say a half teaspoon, and I've updated the ingredients list now to reflect that. Thank you for letting me know and I hope you enjoy the recipe!
Hi, I'm really excited to try these burgers I just have one quick question…
In the method for the dip you mention maple syrup but it isn't listed in the ingredients, how much would you recommend? Thanks so much for your time and all your recipes x x x x x x
Hi there! I always bring granola bars that won't crumble (usually my chewy granola bars in some variation) and I like to bring falafel and salads that can handle sitting for a day or two, like the potato salad or a quinoa or pasta salad. I usually bring nuts as an easy snack, oats and fruit to cook for breakfast, and hard fruits like apples, nut butter, crackers, hummus, and always watermelon! My boyfriend likes to pack one or two little bags of frozen fruit as ice packs and then tops our oatmeal with it too. I usually pack a denser muffin and also plenty of water just in case it's not potable at the site. Happy camping this summer!
Hi Erica, I haven't had any success making this recipe vegan – if I had, I would have posted a version without eggs already. I have heard from other writers that aquafaba can be used instead of eggs in recipes like this but I haven't tried it. If you do, please let me know!
what can i use to substitute the egg?