Don’t disregard this post. Really, don’t! For all that is good and righteous about food, I promise you that I will not lead you astray with what you might consider crazy-people food (quinoa gets a bad rap in many conservative kitchens!). If it makes you feel better about sticking around, I assure you I’m not crazy (well…that’s probably debatable overall but when it comes to food, I’m not crazy, pinkie swear!). These adorable little quinoa patties are so remarkably delicious, even the worst skeptic can be convinced to try them (and most likely love them). Promise.
A beautiful, smart, witty reader, Melanie D., forwarded me the recipe and I was intrigued enough to try them almost immediately (ok, so I’ve never actually met Melanie in person but with a name like that, she’s gotta be pretty cool!). I made them for my four rowdy little boys, my sister and her two little boys, and my mom. With that many kids to please, I was expecting major groans and quite possibly gagging. But these little patties were gobbled up (smothered in ketchup and gobbled up but gobbled up nonetheless) without a shout of complaint. In between shoving bites of them into my mouth in order to even get a taste before they were all snatched, I managed to be completely amazed, especially when my 8-year old loudly exclaimed, “I definitely want these for my birthday dinner!” Huh, what? Who is this kid and how did he get here?
In the interest of full disclosure, I set out to try these simply in an effort to incorporate more quinoa (a super healthy food we love in this and this already) into our diet. The salads are great but I wanted something a bit heartier and more savory. I really didn’t even know if I would post these babies, but let me tell you, not only are these post-able but they are going into my “favorite file.” I’m never going to go exclusively meatless, but I could totally see myself setting one of these patties on a bun in the place of a burger and being totally satisfied (dude, who am I and how did I get here?). In the meantime, we’ll continue to enjoy them dipped in ketchup with lots of fresh fruits and veggies on the side!
One Year Ago: Pumpkin-Maple Hazelnut Bread
Two Years Ago: Classic Marinara Sauce
Three Years Ago: Blue Cheese and Cheddar Scalloped Potatoes
Note: I like to cook my quinoa in low-sodium chicken or vegetable broth. It adds more flavor. If you choose to cook the quinoa in water, you might need to add a bit more salt to compensate. Also, don't forget to rinse the quinoa before cooking - it makes a huge difference! Also, you can probably tell that this recipe is extremely adaptable. Quinoa works well with nearly any flavor, so feel free to change things around, up the spices, add onions, peppers, different kind(s) of cheese. Really, the sky's the limit here.
Ingredients
- 2 1/2 cups cooked quinoa, room temperature
- 4 large eggs, lightly beaten
- 3/4 teaspoon salt
- 1/4 teaspoon black pepper
- 1/4 cup chopped flat leaf parsley
- 1/2 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese
- 2 cloves garlic, finely minced
- 1 cup finely crushed saltine or Ritz crackers or bread crumbs, plus more if needed
- 1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
Directions
- Combine the quinoa, eggs, salt and pepper in a medium bowl. Stir in the parsley, cheese and garlic. Add the cracker or bread crumbs. Stir the mixture until combined. If the mixture seems overly wet, add a tablespoon or two more of cracker or bread crumbs. If it seems too dry, add a tablespoon or two of water or broth. Let it stand for about five minutes so the liquid can be somewhat absorbed. Take small handfuls of the mixture and form into little patties, about 1-inch thick, yielding about 11 or 12 patties.
- In a large, nonstick skillet, heat the tablespoon olive oil over medium heat until it is hot. Add a single layer of patties (about half of them if you are using a 12-inch skillet) and cook until the bottoms are well-browned, about 5-7 minutes, adjusting the heat as necessary to prevent burning (or increase heat if the patties aren't browning well). Flip the patties and cook about 5 minutes more until the second side is golden brown. Remove from the skillet and repeat with the remaining patties (adding a bit more olive oil, if needed). Serve warm or at room temperature.
Recipe Source: adapted from a recipe a reader, Melanie D. sent me, originally from Whole Living
Yum! I love quinoa, and I am always looking for more ways to serve it. These perfect, crunchy little patties remind me of potato cakes, only SO much healthier for you! This is a must try recipe for me. Thanks for sharing Melanie and Melanie!
I’m in love with quinoa patties! They’re so much more delicious than they look!
I’ll definitely give them a try!!!!
I definitively will try these. I have an unopened bag of quinoa and if your 8 year old loves it, that´s really a good sign! That comment should be framed
Disregard this post?!? Are you kidding! It looks amazing! Always looking for a way to slip a meatless meal in to the routine! Thanks!!!
PS can anyone suggest a website where I can find a conversion from cups to grams????? I’ve found different weights!!!!!!!
I have never heard of Quinoa, so I’m learning something new this morning. Do regular grocery stores carry it? Would some chives be good in this? What a testimonial if your little 8-year-old loves them — that’s a pretty good indication they are pretty fantastic!
I just tried quinoa for the first time, but in a casserole with egg,shredded zucchini, cheese and ham. It was delicious! I will be sure to try this.
I am quite surprised the way you presented these; quinoa is amazing, why would you be apologetic rather than positive sharing this? They sound delicious::thank you for sharing the recipe.
I would truly love to see more dishes like this on your site–I love your recipes, but my family is definitely more along the quinoa spectrum than the meat-lovers. Please keep the whole foods and meatless options coming!
What is the ratio of dry quinoa and broth that you use to get 2 1/2 cups of cooked quinoa?
Rather than “crazy people” I believe you could have said “health-foodies”.
Oh, I love this! I’ve been wanting to figure out a way to introduce Baguette to quinoa, and this seems like something she’d find interesting.
I’m definitely putting these on my “to try” list. I have some quinoa in the cabinet.
I hereby make the following vow: thanks to bloggers such as yourself I realize how important it is to vary one’s ingredients and broaden one’s culinary horizons with such things as quinoa, mung beans, and wheat berries; I WILL cook them 1/2 of the time minimum from now on.
OMG, Melanie – these look fabulous. My kids are picky and almost unwilling to try anything new no matter how much I try. But I’m going to give these a whirl. I’m with you – the more quinoa we can get into their diets the better we’ll be. (And they won’t eat the salads). Thank you!!
For those that have taken offense at my perspective on this post, let me assure you that the term “crazy” was used in a loving, endearing way. I apologize for apparently being politically incorrect in my reference to crazy people food but I didn’t mean it in a derogatory way. I have often been called crazy myself for eliminating processed foods and eating healthier, and to be honest, I take pride in being crazy that way. I have millions of readers; each are on a different place on the food spectrum, ranging from ultra-healthy to extremely processed. My point of this post was to convince those who have never tried quinoa or who really do think of it as “crazy-people food” that it isn’t crazy at all. For all of you who already love quinoa, well, to be honest, I didn’t tailor this post for you because I figured you would already be enticed by the recipe. Enjoy the recipe, either way!
Lindsay – the ration is 1:2 (so 1 cup of quinoa to 2 cups water). Keep in mind that one cup of dry quinoa will yield about 3 cups cooked.
AHOP – yes, most grocery stores carry it although you can get more bang for your buck buying it from a place like Trader Joe’s or Whole Foods, if you have one close. I’ve found that Costco carries large bags of it, too. And yes, chives would be delicious in these patties.
I can’t wait to make these! I’m wondering if these would be good to pack in the kids lunch boxes. Have you tried eating them cold?
Whitney – I prefer these warm but I suppose you could test them out on your kids cold and if they like them, it would be a great lunch solution!
These look yummy! I hope you and the family are doing well.
Still never tried quinoa and I think I need to soon! These look so delish!
I have seen several different versions of quinoa patty recipes over the past few months but have yet to try them. I don’t know what is holding me back though; I love quinoa and we try to eat at least one meat free meal a week so these would be perfect for our meatless meal!
Quinoa and faro are my favorite grains and have been for years. Quinoa (in lieu of rice) is a great everyday food, while faro (or even wheatberry) is great for special salads. I’d never thought of using them this way, like a substitute for potato pancakes. What a great idea!
On the dinner menu for tonight – perfect to try with all the kids and the hubby out of town. Jackson’s comment sold me!! Birthday dinner-requests HAVE to taste good!!
Things sound great. I’ve been making “cheesy quinoa bites” the past few weeks from some recipes I found online and tailored to how I liked them. We made them in mini muffin tins. My kids gobbled them up too. It’s a snack everyone can really enjoy. Thanks for sharing this – it will be fun to try a different variation.
My brother-in-law makes quinoa burgers and makes a special sauce to go on them. DELICIOUS! I will be making these this week. PS I know just what you mean about people thinking you are crazy for eliminating processed foods. A lot of people think I am too anal. But I feel good about my decisions.
We had these for lunch. I had cooked the quinoa in chicken stock with some granulated garlic and parsley added to the water. Didn’t have parmesan so I used Asiago cheese and some whole wheat bread crumbs from some artisan bread I had baked this morning…so they were more damp than dry. Also added some sausage seasoning….but, with the previously added salt, it was too much salt. Nevertheless, my husband ate three of them! Yay! Thanks for this recipe.
I just tried this for lunch for my almost two year old and myself. She is super picky, but I told her they were quinoa nuggets, like chicken nuggets… well she ate and loved it. Thanks for a healthy child friendly recipe… I really don’t know what I’d cook if I hadn’t discovered your site years ago!
I thought your crazy comment was hilarious- like all of your posts. Which is 50% of why I come back (the other 50% is the food!
I can always count on you for a good laugh. I can’t wait to try these- we are always looking for a meat-free night entree. We love meat, but everything in moderation. I have fussy eaters too, so can’t wait to try this. Thanks!
P.S. Hope you are warming up this week and out of the hotel soon! We are in a suburb on the north side of Minneapolis/St. Paul and it’s getting mighty chilly here at night!
Yumyumyum!!!! I’m eating right now!
Oh man. I LOVE quinoa and cannot wait to make these!
I totally love that you take the time to respond to your reader’s questions and comments when possible. And, judging by the amount of comments in just this one post alone, you must have a large following. So many blog owners (small and large) never respond at all and I just wanted you to know this reader appreciates it. It’s nice to see the interaction.
@ Sarah – Brrrrr…. stay warm there in Minneapolis. I’m in Charlotte and we’re having our first cool snap today. A brisk 44 degrees right now and loving it.
Quinoa is sold at Winco Foods in bulk for cheap if you live in any of the West Coast states that have Winco.
These look delicious! I was introduced to the awesomeness that is quinoa just last year, and I’ve been itching to try using it more!
Thank you for this recipe. I bought a bag of quinoa recently, but hadn’t gotten over the hump to actually cook it and try it. Your recipe inspired me to try it tonight. We both really liked it. I see much more quinoa in our future! Thanks for blogging!
I made these tonight for dinner. They were great!
I wasn’t offended by the crazy comment–just wanted to say how excited I was to see the recipe!
As a side note, I am so impressed that you continue to blog (so frequently) such a great variety of recipes. My own blogs have greatly suffered with each additional child, and I think it’s fabulous that you are still going strong with your fifth baby, AND blogging from a hotel room! Hope you find a great house soon!
I would love to try this for my daughter but she is allergic to eggs. Can you recommend a substitute for the eggs? I would love to try this recipe.
Wow! I made these TONIGHT and they were great! Thanks so much for this recipe. I was out of ketchup so I whipped up my homemade tarter sauce recipe — oh my! Yummy with these patties. Thanks again … and blessings on finding a house soon.
Oh my goodness! So cool! I just hopped on to you site and saw this
I am so glad you tried them AND loved them! It’s funny because my 7 year old son wants these cold in his lunch…they are that kind of good! Oh, and beautiful, sweet, witty compliment…I am pretty sure that just goes for all Melanie’s 
Thank you again!!
Mel,
Almost deleted this before reading…glad I didn’t…they sound wonderful and I will make them this week.
Also, wish you wouldn’t have pandered to those who called you out because of your use of the terms, “crazy” etc. This is your blog and you need to post what you feel. These people think they are better than everyone because they think eating quinoa is “just so normal how could it be called crazy?” Well, I am sure they are smart enough to know that it IS something new that most of our society is just starting to try. I feel like they should realized this and keep their thoughts to themselves and enjoy the post for what it is. Now I will get off my soapbox.
I’m making this tonight, I’m always looking for more ways to use quinoa!
So do you think I could use panko in place of the crackers? Would I need to add more salt? I’m making these for dinner tonight! Thanks Mel.
Amber – Panko should work just fine…but I’d start with 3/4 cup since panko has a different texture than normal bread crumbs. The salt should be fine. If you are worried, add another 1/4 teaspoon or sprinkle a touch of salt over the cooked patties. Hope you like them!
Made these tonight and they were delicious! Thanks for the recipe.
Remarkably, as someone who only rarely uses quinoa, I happened to have just over two cups of the stuff leftover in the fridge. These were quick and easy to assemble, and my 11 month-old AND two year-old devoured them! Absolutely delicious. THANKS!
I made these last night and they were delicious! These will go into our regular rotation and I can’t wait to make them with different variations. Thanks! Another winner!
Great recipe!! Made these last night and we all loved them, including the 5 and 7 y.o. I even noticed belatedly that I only had 3 eggs so used 1/4 cup unsweetened applesauce in place of that last egg and they were superb. (To the commenter, Sai, you might try applesauce (1 cup for 4 eggs) or a combo of applesauce and an egg replacer like . My littlest went the food allergy route and we used that for a time with fairly good success. Good luck!)
Anyway this recipe is second only to the pumpkin scones with white chips as tops! And yes, I’ve already baked 2 batches of those scones this fall! Mmmmmm…
. Thanks for all the effort you put into the blog. It would take me a staff of 10 to keep it running! Ha.
I cooked some up when I made the gluten free switch and didn’t know how well they’d go over with the crew. I loved them, especially with some Greek cucumber sauce.
Delicious! I used mozzarella as I had no parmesan. The very picky kids loved them, and thus I love you. I am hoping you can supply some other veggie burger recipes.
Delicious!!! I liked them best with a nice fresh slice of tomato. I felt like the meal was lacking…what would be some good dishes to go with these?
Melanie, the first time I tried quinoa was in a hospital cafeteria of all places. They had stuffed a green pepper with quinoa, melted cheese and marinara sauce. It was so good I’ve craved it ever since. Would you please come up with a recipe for this? Everything you make tastes so good! Pretty please?
These are so yummy! I added thyme and mozzerella, and used Japanese bread crumbs (panko) instead. My meat loving husband LOVED these. Thanks for another awesome recipe!
These were nothing short of amazing. I have had my eye on them since spying the original recipe several months ago, but I hadn’t decided whether or not to make them until seeing you post this recipe. After trying lots of your recipes (and loving them), I knew if you liked them they were probably pretty good. I was totally blown away. The texture was awesome, the flavor was divine, they were simple to make and were great plain, or on a bun like a regular hamburger (ketchup + mustard + pickles). Thanks for the recipe, it’s definitely a keeper!
Rachel – I served these with fresh fruit, vegetables and cottage cheese. Sounds simple, but it worked! They would be great with some type of bread, also.
How do you think these would hold up with a bit of marinara sauce and melted cheese on tiop? Like a quinoa parmesan? Do you think they would crumble and mush up?
Rebecca, these are pretty sturdy. I think they would hold up just fine.
I really enjoyed these. From now on, whenever I make quinoa I will make sure to prepare enough so I can make these these babies, too. I added some chopped pickled jalapeno peppers to mine and they were excellent. Another great recipe……thanks!
Simply put, I’m in heaven! My belly is full, my boys are happy, and my brain is all abuzz with the possibilities that this simple recipe holds! Can we say BACON in breakfast version? Of course, there go the health benefits! Since I made far too much quinoa for the recipe, I’ll be experimenting!
You did it again! Thanks, Mel!
I made a broccoli cheese version of these for my family the other night! They turned out amazing! Even my little guys tried them which is to say a lot! Thanks Mel!
I am always trying find ways to incorporate quinoa in my meals…thanks, for the recipe.
Tonight I added caramelized onions and sautéed, chopped portabello mushrooms…mmm!
Thank you for this wonderful recipe! I made it the original way, and my husband loved it. Tonight I left out the parsley, and instead I put in 1/4 cup diced red pepper, 1/2 cup pumpkin puree, and two chopped green onions. I served them with baked butternut squash. WOW!!
Made these tonight and they were delicious- a hit all around! I ended up adding some caramelized onions and baked them in a mini-muffin pan at 350* for about 20-25 minutes because I was short on time. I can see myself making these again and again and adding all sorts of tasty ingredients – thanks for another winner!!
Hey crazy lady–could you please quit offending all of the crazies out there? As someone who is totally NOT crazy (haha!) these are fabulous!
I made these last night and they were delicious! I did use Italian Panko instead of the crackers and used the full cup. I completely forgot to cook the Quinoa in chicken broth so I just used water but I felt the patties still had a lot of flavor with the fresh parsley, garlic and seasoning from the Panko. Earlier in the day I also made a Sriracha Ketchup and we dipped the patties in that – they paired well together! Thanks for sharing another quinoa recipe – I had only ever used it in vegetarian chilli before so it was nice to find another good recipe to use it in. I served mine with a salad and some roasted asparagus.
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I went to the health food store and bought the quinoa on Saturday, just to make this recipe, and I cooked it and rinsed it very, very well. I keep bread crumbs in a jar all the time, made from my homemade bread, so that part was easy, and I added all the listed ingredients, nibbling a bit on a little of the beautiful parm (love). I made the patties, and added them to the skillet, and they browned beautifully. I was pumped. Couldn’t wait to taste them! Then I did, and Oh! OH! I was disappointed. I had added a little exta garlic, but they are a little flat for me. Hubs liked them but he slathered them with ketchup, and who can taste anything drowning in ketchup? I will maybe try again, but I’ll add some (or a lot) chopped opinion and some shredded carrot and shredded zucchini. And I think instead of chicken broth for cooking the quinoa, I’ll use that new Knorr vegetable stock that comes in little tubs because it is very, very flavorful. (Try cooking spaetzle in it some time – delish!) Possiblities exist here, but I want just a little more – oomph. A bit more complexity of flavor. So I might even add some chipotle Tabasco and really make life interesting. Thanks for the basics, though!
Er, that’s chopped onion, not opinion, LOL! (Embarrassed)
Wow, these hit all 5 of what I look for in a recipe: Tasty, Kid-Friendly, healthy, Easy, cheap to make! Thank you for noting that you use the chicken broth instead of water to make the quinoa, it does add some flavor. Hurray for another fantastic recipe, thanks!
Yum!!! I’ve made these twice in the last 2 weeks. The second time I made them twice as big and used them as hamburger patties. They worked great! Thanks for a wonderful vegetarian recipe!
These have become a family favorite at our house:) We LOVE Quinoa bites:) I hope you are enjoying the north:)
these are sooooo good!! i love reading through your recipes and i am so glad i decided to make these. I made them twice in one week, and my husband loved them as well. Thank you!!
If my quinoa says that it is pre-washed, do I still need to wash it?
Mallory, probably not, but it doesn’t hurt to give it an extra rinse if you want.
These were SOooo good! I substituted gluten free bread and crackers so my GF hubby could eat too. I didnt have any parsley so left that out and added a littlbit of some dried herbs. I also made some homemade olive hummus in case they were a little bland for us but no, they were delicious all on their own. Crispy, flavorful and healthy…what more could you ask for?! Oh and I also used red quinoa as that was what I had.
Yum! These look good.
Quinoa is a staple in my house – I mix it with rice. In fact, my kids call rice quinoa. I cook it with rice in the rice cooker. It cooks in the same time, and uses the same amount of grain to water. I do 1/2 c. rice, 1/2 c. quinoa, and 2 c. water. I usually use white rice, but my friend uses it with brown rice in the rice cooker and it says it works great.
These are so delicious! I’ve made them twice now, and this last time I made some fococcia bread and made delicious little sandwiches. Mmmm, I am still thinking about them! Thank you for sharing!
Wow- these are amazing! I was looking for something to make with my leftover quinoa and I’m so glad I stumbled across this recipe. I predict I’ll be making these frequently in the future!
Hmmm…do you think these could be made with Panko?
Trying these tonight! Do you think the patties would be okay if frozen?
Thanks for the recipe! We’re a mostly vegetarian household that generally doesn’t use TVP or tofu. These were a great solution for my dinner crunch!
How many does this serve? One patty per person? Three? Just trying to decide if I need to double this recipe to feed six people. Thanks!
Maureen – it makes 11-12 patties (like the recipe states) but how many that serves really depends on children vs. adults and appetites and also what you serve with it. If you are serving 6 adults, I’d double the recipe. If you are serving children, one batch would probably suffice.
Ahhh, I finally got my hands on some quinoa (help with the pronunciation– the hubby and I disagree on that
) I, like you, live in a small town and can’t always find what i’m looking for when it comes to food…. I’ve been trying to find some ever since you posted these… months ago. Today was the big day, I cooked up a big batch of quinoa– in chicken broth — in my rice cooker — PERFECT cooking method for me, it came out just how I hoped it would. Then onto making these. I made them small ( just a little larger than a chicken nugget 
) Then proceeded to feed them to my 6 year old and his little friends that I’ve been tending… let me note here that the said 6 year old is for sure one of the pickiest kids I know– and he’s my 6th child.. He ate 3 dipped in bbq sauce and LOVED them, as did the other kids who dipped in ranch and ketchup… He asked me if they were chicken and I said, they are patties — you tell me if they taste like chicken :-0 I think he thought they did, he ate them and wow!!! I loved them too… this ones a keeper, and I love that I still have more quinoa recipes to try with the extra I cooked… next the black bean and mango salad. THANKS !!
This was my first time eating quinoa. Wow. It definitely won’t be my last! I cooked the quinoa in chicken broth in my rice cooker; it turned out perfect. My 9 month old (who eats everything) was in quinoa heaven
My two year old (who eats NOTHING except pancakes and your sweet and sour chicken- go figure) asked if they were chicken nuggets. I said, “they look like it don’t they.” and she proceeded to eat 1.5 of them — a straight up miracle. Thanks for the great recipe!
I thought I would chime in to add to the praise for these guys…quinoa is a regular part of our diet, but these were seriously loved around here! I wasn’t so sure as I was putting them in the pan (the texture of my mix was odd??), but my 2 girls had polished off their first helpings before I even finished getting all of the dishes on the table. I served them with cucumber yogurt dip, and our family of 4 went through 10 patties in one sitting.
Best part, though, is that I just snatched up the last 2 and popped them in the oven with marinara and cheese on top, and I’m currently enjoying some really fantastic quinoa parmesan for lunch! So good. I’m planning to make a double batch to freeze so I can pull them out for quick meals…these are worth your time. They also kind of reminded me a little of falafel, so I might make some with mint and feta mixed in for a pita meal. I’ll report back if they work! Thanks, Mel!
yum made these last night and they were a big hit! thank you! do you think you could bake these? youre the best!
Hi Hillary – I haven’t tried baking them but many other quinoa recipes (like this) are baked so it should probably work if you play around with temp and time a bit.
Sally – yes, I think so!
I tried these over a year ago and was blown away. After making them a couple of times I felt confident enough to make them without the recipe. Big mistake. I finally came back to the blog and fixed them exactly according to the recipe. Guess what!? They are as delicious as a remembered them. I now know to follow the recipe then add whatever I want. I just polished off a dozen of them. They are sooooooo good! I have a dozen left over for tomorrow. Yay for me!
Um. Awesome. My pickiest-kids-in-the-universe kids ate them. My mouth dropped open. We loved them. And I told my husband I will be making these forever more.
Thank you for providing a recipe that provided us with a peaceful, happy mealtime.