Quinoa Cakes

Okay, this is a super duper easy recipe that is customizable in many ways and a great way to use up leftovers.  It’s gluten-free, too!

Quinoa cakes.

Are you ready for a basic 2 ingredient recipe? Cooked quinoa and an egg.  How easy is that?

If you don’t have cooked quinoa already made, just boil 2 cups of water and add 1 cup of quinoa.  Cook on medium heat until the liquid is absorbed.  Voila!

Here were my sweet potato quinoa cakes:

  • 1-1/2 cups of cooked, cooled quinoa
  • 1 egg
  • 4 oz of cooked sweet potato, mashed.

Preheat the oven to 450.

You want the quinoa cooled, as you don’t want to cook the egg.  In a bowl, mix together the egg, quinoa and sweet potato:

This is the ‘batter’

Line a baking sheet with either parchment paper or a silicone mat.  Divide the batter into 4 equal portions and form into a patty.  Place on the baking sheet.  These are wet, so you can mush them in place a bit.

I sprayed the tops with cooking spray thinking I was going to flip them, but I didn’t.

Cook for 15 minutes or so.  The patties will firm up and hold their shape.  Let cool for several minutes before removing from the mat so that you don’t break off the bottom.

This is a very neutral-tasting cake.  I made it this way because John likes his sweet potato anything sweet, and I usually go savory.  He dipped his in maple syrup.

I spread mine with a bit of jam:

Each cake as made above comes out to about 125 calories.

Here is the fun part – leave out the sweet potato and add whatever you want to these!

– Mix in chopped spinach and feta cheese.

– Cook up some diced peppers and onions and add that to the batter.

– Using the sweet potato, add cinnamon, a bit of brown sugar, and some chopped pecans.  This would be a good pancake substitute for breakfast.

– Dice up some cooked ham and shredded cheese.

See how endless the possibilities are with this?

A couple things to note – precook any other ingredient that you add, as they only cook for a short time.

You could also try pan frying these if you want a real crispy crust on them.

What would you put in the quinoa cakes?

20 thoughts on “Quinoa Cakes

  1. Tish

    Okay, I’m making these tomorrow! I’m going to make mine with PUMPKIN (and cinnamon–I’m with your John on this one) and cook them on the stovetop grill for a little crispiness on the outside. Thanks so much for this idea.
    A couple biking questions: Are you still biking? Do you put your bikes away for the winter?
    .-= Tish´s last blog ..Paradigm Shift =-.

    1. Lori Post author

      Still biking some as weather permits. We have trainers on order so we can bring the bikes in next month.

      I can’t wait to hear how the pumpkin cakes come out!

  2. Pubsgal

    Those look super tasty! I’ve gone savory with quinoa, but not sweet yet. The diced spinach and feta cheese would no doubt be good. Maybe Italian style, with diced spinach and diced sundried tomato with shredded romano cheese or crumbled Italian sausage?
    .-= Pubsgal´s last blog ..Thanks Quick Update =-.

  3. Cilla

    Yummy. And so clever. I love recipes that are so easy customisable according to mood 🙂 I’d add some cumin, paprika, chilli, black beans, peppers and corn and serve with a fresh salsa.
    .-= Cilla´s last blog ..Long Weekend Highlights =-.

  4. debby

    VERY clever, Lori! Have to admit my mind runs to sweet. Kind of the same ingredients as custard oats, huh? Apples, walnuts, cinnamon, and raisins!

    Love the idea of egg foo yung too.
    .-= debby´s last blog ..Physical =-.

  5. Ishmael

    Now I know what to do with the leftover quinoa we end up with every night! Fantastic. I’d probably try your cheese ones first, and maybe with some of Cilla’s sides. A cheese/quinoa cake with salsa and maybe some black beans would make a great “tex-mex” dinner.
    .-= Ishmael´s last blog ..My Fellow Animals! =-.

  6. Ave

    Thank you, Lori! The quinoa cakes look delicious and the recipe sounds easy, guess I won’t mess it up.
    I’m gonna add pumpkin in the quinoa cakes and serve with green pea soup.

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