These vegetarian Broccoli Quinoa Cakes can be made in 30 minutes flat & are a delicious healthy meal that your whole family will love! Video. See 20+ Fresh Yummy Broccoli Recipes or our 20 Best Quinoa Recipes!
Do not try to save the world or do anything grandiose. Instead, create a clearing in the dense forest of your life and wait there patiently, until the song that is your life falls into your own cupped hands and you recognize and greet it. Only then, will you know how to give yourself to this world so worthy of rescue.
Martha Postlewaite
Here’s an easy healthy recipe for Broccoli Cakes that are made with simple ingredients you probably have on hand. It’s a quick and healthy nutritious meal that really satisfies! Filling yet light, I love these best served with a generous side of salad or simple sauteed greens.
If you would like to add a flavorful sauce, the possibilities are endless here and I’ll list a variety of options in the recipe notes. Here I’ve served them with this Vegan Cilantro Crema that I had from leftover tacos.
Also, I intentionally left the seasonings pretty basic here, to make them easy and accessible—and I know you will find ways to jazz these up to your liking!
Why You’ll Love This
- Easy, 30-minute recipe. Made in 30 minutes flat for quick lunches or dinners.
- Healthy and vegetarian. Quinoa is an energizing superfood and broccoli is full of vitamins, minerals, and antioxidants!
- So versatile! Jazz these up with your favorite spices, and serve with greens, as a burger, in a wrap, or on top of a bowl.
- Family friendly! A freezer-friendly meal with veggies that kids will love.
Ingredients
- Broccoli: Fresh broccoli florets are preferred, however you could use frozen broccoli if it’s all you have.
- Quinoa: 1/2 cup uncooked quinoa or 1 1/2 cups cooked quinoa.
- Scallion and fresh herbs: Basil, dill, Italian parsley, or cilantro. Use what you have!
- Egg: Essential for binding the cakes together.
- Garlic: Use a garlic clove or 1/2 teaspoon granulated garlic.
- Almond flour: Or sub breadcrumbs (use gluten-free if needed).
- Grated cheese: Cheddar cheese, jack, mozzarella, or vegan cheese (you could add parmesan cheese in addition to any of these).
- Spices: This recipe just calls for salt and pepper, but feel free to jazz the cakes up however you like with spices like onion or garlic powder or chili flakes.
- Oil: For searing. Use olive oil or whatever you prefer.
How to Make Broccoli Quinoa Cakes
Step 1: Cook quinoa. Bring rinsed quinoa and 1 cup water to boil in a small pot. Cover and lower heat to simmer 10-12 minutes until tender and water is gone. Turn off heat and cool 5 minutes, covered.
Step 2: Steam broccoli. While quinoa cooks, steam broccoli until fork tender, being careful not to overcook. Drain, cool, and pat dry.
Step 3: Combine and pulse. Place broccoli, scallions, herbs, cooked quinoa, egg, salt, pepper, garlic, and cheese into a food processor and pulse repeatedly until finely ground. Pulse in the almond flour.
Step 4: Form patties. The mixture should slightly sticky and easily form a patty. If it seems too wet, add a tablespoon almond flour at a time until manageable. With damp hands, form 4 large patties, pressing them together.
Tip: You shouldn’t need to coat these in flour or breadcrumbs, but if they feel very wet then feel free too. Use gluten-free breadcrumbs if needed.
Step 5: Sear. Heat oil in a cast iron skillet or frying pan over medium heat. Carefully place broccoli fritters in the skillet, lowering heat to medium-low or low. Resist the temptation to fiddle with them! As they form a golden crust, they will naturally release from the pan. Flip after about 5 minutes.
Pan-sear the other side until slightly puffed in the center (indicating the egg is cooked through), lowering heat more if need be.
Tip: You can also finish cooking these through in 350F oven after pan-searing if they are getting too dark on the stovetop.
Step 6: Serve. Serve with a slaw, side salad, or sauteed greens. Top with a flavorful sauce if you like!
How to Serve Broccoli Quinoa Cakes
Serve with a side dish of greens or a salad with sauce drizzled on top, or serve for breakfast with Greek yogurt or sour cream.
- Simple Sautéed Greens
- Lemony Kale Slaw
- Mediterranean Swiss Chard Salad
- Vegan Cilantro Crema
- Chipotle Mayo
- Tzatziki
- Authentic Zhoug Sauce Recipe with Yogurt
- Avocado Cilantro Sauce
Storage & Reheating
These Broccoli Quinoa Cakes are perfect for making ahead of time to refrigerate or freeze for later when you need a quick meal!
Store in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 5 days. You can store in the freezer for up to 3 months.
To reheat, place on a baking sheet and bake in the oven at 375F for about 6-8 minutes until warm. You can also place them in the toaster oven.
FAQs
When steaming the broccoli, be careful not to overcook and make sure to pat dry thoroughly. This ensures that the cakes stick together! The quinoa should be dry and not watery as well.
You can substitute 1 1/2 cups cooked short-grain brown rice for the quinoa in this recipe.
Health Benefits of Broccoli Quinoa Cakes
Creating delicious vegetarian dishes like Broccoli Quinoa Cakes is not just about pleasing the palate, but it’s also about nourishing the body with essential nutrients. Broccoli and quinoa, the main ingredients of these cakes, bring a powerhouse of benefits to your table.
- Broccoli: Packed with vitamin C and K, contains good amount of folate, potassium, and iron, and is high in fiber to aid digestion and maintain low blood sugar. Antioxidants, like sulforaphane, can help reduce oxidative stress and lower the risk of chronic disease.
- Quinoa: Contains all nine essential amino acids, making it a complete protein that builds and repairs tissues. Rich in fiber for digestive health, with a low glycemic index, having less impact on blood sugar levels. Quinoa is also high in magnesium, phosphorus, manganese, and folate.
When brought together in a tasty cake form, broccoli and quinoa offer a balanced meal with complex carbohydrates, protein, and essential nutrients, keeping you satiated and energized! Pair with even more vegetables with a side salad!
Let us know what you think of these Broccoli Cakes. I’ve made several batches this week and all have quickly disappeared. Always a good sign. 😉
Have a lovely weekend.
More recipes you may like!
Broccoli Quinoa Cakes! |30-sec video
Broccoli Cakes
- Prep Time: 20
- Cook Time: 10
- Total Time: 30 minutes
- Yield: 4 patties
- Category: main, vegetarain
- Method: stove top
- Cuisine: American
- Diet: Vegetarian
Description
These vegetarian Broccoli Quinoa Cakes can be made in 30 minutes & are a delicious healthy meal that your whole family will love!
Ingredients
- 1/2 cup uncooked quinoa (or sub 1 1/2 cups cooked quinoa)
- 4–5 cups fresh broccoli florets (8 ounces)
- 1 scallion, diced
- 1/4 cup chopped herbs- basil, dill, Italian parsley, or cilantro (use what you have)
- 1 egg
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1/4 teaspoon pepper
- 1 garlic clove, finely minced (or 1/2 teaspoon granulated garlic)
- 1/4 cup almond flour (or use bread crumbs), more as needed
- 1/2 cup grated cheese (cheddar, jack, mozzarella or vegan cheese)
- 2-3 tablespoons oil for searing.
Instructions
- Cook Quinoa: Rinse quinoa in a fine-mesh strainer. Drain. Bring quinoa and 1 cup water to boil in a very small pot, cover, lower heat to low and simmer 10-12 minutes until tender and all the water is gone. Turn off heat, let stand 5 minutes covered.
- Steam broccoli: While cooking the quinoa, steam the broccoli until tender, being careful not to overcook. Drain well, let cool, and pat dry. (It is imperative that broccoli is not overcooked and is patted dry in order for cakes to stick together.)
- Combine and Pulse: Place broccoli, scallions, herbs, cooked quinoa, egg, salt, pepper, garlic, and cheese into a food processor and pulse repeatedly until finely ground. Pulse in the almond flour, mixing in well. The mixture should easily mound on a spoon and just be slightly sticky, easily forming a patty. If the mixture seems very wet, continue adding almond flour a tablespoon at a time until manageable. With damp hands, Form 4 large patties, pressing them together. You shouldn’t need to coat these in flour or breadcrumbs- but if they feel very wet, feel free to.
- Sear: Heat oil in a skillet over medium heat. Carefully place patties in the skillet, lowering heat to medium-low or low — resisting the temptation to move or fiddle with them. As they form the deep golden crust, they will naturally release themselves from the pan, and not stick- making flipping so much easier. (I like to use a thin metal spatula here. Rubber spatulas have thicker edges, much harder to get under delicate things.) Flip when golden and releasing, about 5 minutes. Pan-sear the other side until slightly puffed in the center (indicating the egg is cooked through) lowering heat more if need be. You can also finish cooking these through in 350F oven after pan-searing if they are getting too dark on the stovetop.
- SERVE: At this point, you could refrigerate if making ahead, and reheat down the road. Or keep in a warm oven until serving. Serve with a slaw, side salad or sauteed greens. Top with a flavorful sauce if you like (see options in notes).
Notes
Feel free to sub 1 1/2 cups cooked short-grain brown rice for the quinoa.
Making sure the steamed broccoli is as dry as possible (pat it dry) will allow you to use less flour or bread crumbs. The first time I made this, I did not pat dry the broccoli, and it needed 1/2 cup almond flour. The second time, I patted the broccoli dry, and only needed 1/4 cup flour, if that.
Make sure the quinoa is dry and not watery.
Pick a sauce to serve these!
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 Broccoli Cake
- Calories: 255
- Sugar: 2.6 g
- Sodium: 743.5 mg
- Fat: 11 g
- Saturated Fat: 1.5 g
- Carbohydrates: 23.5 g
- Fiber: 5.1 g
- Protein: 13.2 g
- Cholesterol: 43.5 mg
Better than one would expect. I’ve had this on my pinterest board for years. Came across it and saw I had most of the ingredients. It was pretty flavorful. I paired with chipotle mayo. I wish I toned down the salt bc it was a bit too salty. I also didn’t have a food processor, so I did a thorough chop with my knife and it worked just fine!
Thanks and I am happy you gave them a go! Were the cakes too salty for you or the Chipotle mayo?
Can these be frozen?
Yes, these should freeze just fine! I would wrap individually.
This was a rare miss for me for the Feasting at Home recipes. The flavor was okay but the texture was a bit off, too soft, and I craved a bit more of a crispy exterior.
Sorry to hear this Heather- they are a little tricky getting the texture right. They should ideally crisp up beautifully in the pan when you sear them. Not sure what went wrong for you … but sorry about that.
So tasty! We doubled it and didn’t need any almond flour. Baked 6 large patties on a tray lined w parchment paper at 425 for 20 mins and flipped and baked for another 10 mins. Already had the oven on and was feeling lazy about watching the stove top. Delicious light brown crust. Topped with avocado slices. Will definitely make again! Thank you!
Oh perfect! Really appreciate the review Kate!
Love all your recipes. I follow the instructions and come out really good. Thank you so much . Top with Tzatziki sauce yummy.
Great to hear Monique!
I’d love to make this for a visiting vegan — but the egg. Could I bind with something else?
A few readers have made this work but we’ve tried and haven’t had success. How about trying our vegan quinoa cakes with tomato relish?
Thank you for your suggestion: I’ll look it up
🙂
Another winner Sylvia!
Thanks Carol!