These crispy, vegan Quinoa Cakes (made with no eggs, flour or bread crumbs) are topped with a flavorful Tomato Chickpea Relish- a healthy flavorful, plant-based VEGAN dinner that is delicious and gluten-free! Make it ahead. Video.
What makes this Crispy Vegan Quinoa Cakes Recipe unique is that they have no eggs, no bread crumbs, no flour of any kind, no binder, or coating, or any other additions other than seasonings. Purely plant-based. I discovered these quite by accident many years ago, and since then they became a godsend at catering events with gluten-free/vegan folks.
This is an old recipe that I’ve updated with much clearer instructions. Getting the quinoa to bind can be a little tricky at first, but if you follow the directions exactly- you’ll have no problem!
how to make quinoa cakes | 50-second video
What I love about Quinoa Cakes
What I love about this recipe, besides how tasty, and healthy these are, and of course, the “no binder” is how wonderful these are made ahead, stored in the fridge, on the ready for midweek meals. A tasty meal that can be made ahead!
Ingredient Notes
Only use WHITE QUINOA. Tri-colored, red, or black quinoa will not work as well, and will be much more difficult and finicky.
Here is why: The white quinoa grains break down more easily when cooked, and it is this “breaking down” of the grain that acts as the binder or glue- the secret to making these into a patty or cake. Red and black quinoa grains do not break down as easily.
How to make Quinoa Cakes
STEP ONE:
Cook the white quinoa according to the recipe directions and be very precise with the measuring. Because we are adding a little more water than normal, this will take 25 minutes, rather than the typical 10-15 mins.
Cook quinoa until all the water is gone and visible steam holes appear. You want the quinoa dry, not watery.
STEP TWO
Then you are going to stir with a fork until the actual grains start breaking apart, about 1 minute.
This breaking apart will be visible to the eye. STIR FOR A FULL MINUTE!
Look closely at the broken grains here, you’ll see the white edges, actually break apart!
When the grains break, they become sticky like glue.
Hence, the secret to how these are able to bind.
Stir in some lemon zest and fresh herbs if you like.
Let this cool on the counter until cool enough to handle with your hands, 15-20 minutes.
STEP THREE
While the quinoa is still slightly warm, wet your hands, and form 4 balls roughly the size of a tennis ball.
With wet hands, flatten and smooth any cracked edges. They are really workable at this point.
Refrigerate 15 minutes to set, or overnight (or for several days).
You can do all this ahead for meal prep.
STEP FOUR: Then pan sear. You can pan-sear these with no coating at all, or feel free to dip in rice flour or GF panko for extra crispy. But I personally like to pan-sear them without any coating at all.
Just make sure to use a well-oiled pan or skillet – and a thin metal spatula -and do not fiddle with them. This is key! Let them develop a crispy crust before moving, which will help them naturally release from the pan.
I like to use a very thin, metal spatula ( more precise) to flip.
Can They be Baked?
Yes, Quinoa Cakes can also be baked. I toss these in our toaster oven right on the rack for a quick easy meal.
Or bake them in a 400F oven on a parchment-lined sheet pan, until warmed through, about 20 minutes.
Step Five: Make the Relish.
The fresh tomato chickpea relish with herbs and a simple balsamic vinaigrette complements the crispy vegan quinoa cakes well.
Optional: For heartier eaters feel free to add crumbled goat cheese– super tasty. Garnish with a balsamic glaze.
Hope you enjoy this as much as we do- a favorite around here!
xoxo
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Quinoa Cakes with Tomato Chickpea Relish
- Prep Time: 45
- Cook Time: 30
- Total Time: 1 hour 15 minutes
- Yield: 4 large cakes 1x
- Category: vegan main
- Method: stove top
- Cuisine: mediterranean
- Diet: Vegan
Description
Quinoa Cakes with Tomato Chickpea Relish- a delicious, healthy, flavorful plant-based vegan dinner that is gluten-free. Please watch the how-to video to see how to get the quinoa to “clump”.
Ingredients
Units
Scale
Quinoa Cakes ( use white quinoa – tri-colored, or other colored quinoa will not bind)
- 2 cups water
- 1 cup rinsed, white quinoa (rinse and drain!!! DON’T SKIP)
- 2 teaspoons olive oil
- 1 tsp cumin
- 1 teaspoon granulated garlic powder
- 1/2 tsp kosher salt
- 1/2 teaspoon herbs de Provence ( or Italian dried herbs)
- ——
- zest from one small lemon (optional)
- 1/4 cup chopped Italian parsley (optional)
Fresh Tomato Chickpea Relish
- 2 cups cherry or grape tomatoes, sliced in half
- 1 cup cucumber, diced
- 1/4 cup fresh basil ( or flat-leaf parsley, dill, or mint, or a combo!) chopped
- 1/4 cup chopped scallions (or finely sliced red onion)
- 1 1/2 cup cooked chickpeas ( 1 can, drained and rinsed)
- 3 Tbs olive oil
- 3 Tbs balsamic vinegar
- 1/4 tsp salt… more to taste
- 1 small minced garlic clove (optional)
Optional Garnishes: Crumbled Goat Cheese, balsamic glaze
Instructions
- Read directions and watch the video before starting- this recipe can be tricky.
- In a medium pot, over high heat, add water, rinsed white quinoa, salt, garlic powder, cumin, dried herbs, olive oil, and stir. Bring to a boil. Cover, lower heat to low, and simmer gently for 20 minutes. Set timer.
- While the quinoa is cooking make the Tomato Chickpea Relish, stirring all ingredients together in a medium bowl.
- Check quinoa– making sure all the water is gone. If not, continue cooking covered, 5 more minutes, and until steam holes appear (this usually takes me a total of 25 minutes) and quinoa has soaked up all the water and looks fairly dry.) It is important that quinoa is dry-ish and not watery. Be patient here, all stoves are different.
- While it’s still warm, stir the quinoa vigorously with a fork, for a one whole minute, until you begin to see the individual grains break apart. This is imperative, to getting the quinoa to bind. Eventually, after a full minute of stirring, the grains will break apart and begin to clump. You can visually see this. Remove from stove, let cool down in the pot to where it’s cool enough to handle with your hands, about 15 minutes. Stir in the lemon zest and fresh parsley if you like.
- Using wet hands, shape into 4 balls, the size of a tennis ball. Place on a plate or sheet pan. Using wet hands press into a 1 – 1 1/2 inch thick cake (about 3-4 inches wide), smoothing any cracks on the edges, making them nice and tidy. Wet hands is key.
- Refrigerate 15 minutes to set. As the quinoa cakes cool they will become even more sturdy. (These will keep 3-4 days if made ahead, just lightly oil them, cover, and store in the fridge.)
- Gently Pan-sear the Quinoa Cakes in a well-oiled skillet (using a thin metal spatula to flip) over medium heat. You can pan-sear them without any coating, or for an extra crispy crust, dredge in rice flour or GF Panko. I often do these without any coating at all. Just be sure to not fiddle with them- letting them develop a good crust before flipping. As then develop the crust, they will naturally release themselves from the pan. I like to use a thin metal spatula to flip (more precise).
- You can also bake these in a toaster oven ( right on the rack) or in a 400F oven ( on a parchment-lined pan) until warmed through, about 20 minutes, but the crust for a skillet gives these the BEST texture.
- Divide among plates and top with the fresh tomato chickpea relish. Spoon any remaining dressing over top and around the cakes.
- Garnish with OPTIONAL crumbled goat cheese if you like or a balsamic glaze.
Enjoy!
Notes
USE WHITE QUINOA. Other colors will not work.
Can be made ahead, will keep up to 4 days in the fridge.
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 cake with 1 cup relish
- Calories: 388
- Sugar: 4.9 g
- Sodium: 560.1 mg
- Fat: 17.6 g
- Saturated Fat: 2.4 g
- Carbohydrates: 48.2 g
- Fiber: 9 g
- Protein: 12.3 g
- Cholesterol: 0 mg
My meat loving family asked for SECONDS of these patties. I made my patties thinner so this recipe made 9 thin patties – more crunch! The salsa is amazing. I prefer white kidney beans to chick peas so I used them. My man says this salsa would make anything taste good. Bravo!
Oh wow! great ideas thanks for sharing!
Love this recipe — do you have any tips for freezing? I am a single person, so wanted to preserve them if possible. Let me know, thank you!!
I would pan-fry, let cool and wrap individually before freezing. I haven’t tried freezing, so just guessing here.
Amazing! Will definitely be making these often.
Great to hear!
Just delicious!
the salad goes perfectly with the quinoa cake .
Thanks- happy you liked it!
How long to you pan fry them on each side?
Until they get golden brown. 😉
These were so yummy over a fresh salad! I got them to stick together when forming the patty but they still fell apart a bit while cooking. They taste the same (delicious) regardless of the shape and it helped them get more crispy, anyway! I added nutritional yeast and some other yummy seasonings. I am about to make more for the week!
These were delicious and very easy to make!
These were amazing! I’ll definitely keep them on hand! I am always short on time so I cooked the quinoa in my instant pot. I reduced the water to 1 1/2 cups and cooked on high for 2 minutes. After I stirred the quinoa and forced it into cakes, I cooked them in the air fryer for 20 minutes at 350.
Love it!
These are amazing! I make them over and over and they are great to keep on hand for a quick lunch – as long as the tomato mixture hasn’t run out. But, I’m sure there are other toppings to be used. Love them!
I made these using tri-colored quinoa and they actually turned out perfect! I think the key is to really whip the quinoa with a fork as you suggested. The more you whip the stickier it gets! I also skipped the oil in both the quinoa and the relish as I’m trying to reduce oil in my diet, and everything still came out amazing! Thanks for the awesome recipe! Will definitely make again!
Oh awesome Anna! Great to hear! Do you know what brand you used?
Turned out great!!!!
I made this recipe and they broke apart…What did I do wrong? I did all of what it called for.
Oh shoot! Sometimes it is just the kind of quinoa or variable cooking temps (all stoves are different). Also You really have to stir until you see those grains break apart – then it is like glue! Sometimes if the quinoa cooks “too hot”, some of the water evaporates and doesn’t get into the grain, making them harder to break apart. That has happened to me. At that point I’ll add like a tablespoon of hot water and keep stirring, until they break. Not sure if this makes sense?
Thank you so much! We used Organic Quinoa so that could have been the problem, who knows. Thanks again!
Can be tricky, Sorry. Once you get it though, it works like magic!
Dish looks good, gonna give a try. Also, I liked your pan – what make is that? Thanks
It’s a vintage make with no markings?
Oh it was amazing!! Added extra chilli powder and added few finely chopped green chillies Thank you for this wonderful recipe. My family loved it.
Glad you enjoyed these Rashmi!
Delicious, a neighbor sent me this recipe and I tried it today.
So tasty and not really complicated at all.
We added some BBQ corn on the cob and avocado to the relish.
Thanks so much
Thanks Brian- Glad you liked it!
UK fans here! Absolutely delicious. Added curry powder and grated cheese. Stunning. One important tip as mentioned in the recipe. Don’t jig them about in the pan. Leave them be, they will come loose when cooked on one side then gently flip. Loved them
Thanks so much Gary!
I couldn’t find white quinoa at the store. Is that equivalent to whole grain quinoa?
I’m not sure? White quinoa is whole grain- it works the best.
Love these cakes!
I used an ice cream scoop, worked great and made a perfect size quinoa cake.
THanks so much- glad you liked it!
So, so good! Just made these for dinner, dipped them in a bit of cornflour before frying and they came out crispy and delicious. The salad is also really yummy, will definitely make this again! 🙂
Glad you liked it Katie!
I tried to make the cakes with couscous because i didn’t have any quinoa at home and it worked perfectly fine! They were soo good! Thanks
Wow! Really? Did you use a binder? incredible!
The first time I made these they fell apart. But this time, I watched the video and figured out what I did wrong- and they turned out absolutely perfect! Today I used white quinoa, let them cook longer, and stirred much longer until they clumped like GLUE! Magic. Thanks for such and awesome recipe.
Please do not try this at home.
Oh dear. Sorry about that. These are a little tricky but once you get the hang of it- truly very easy. There is a new video in the post that shows more clearly how this works. BE sure to use WHITE QUINOA, and follow directions precisely. I promise, the recipe does work. I used it in catering for years and years.
I’ve been using many of your recipes lately and they’ve all been amazing! I’d like to try this, but I only have tri-colored quinoa. Do you think mixing an egg in for binder and baking in the oven would work?
Hey Emily I think using an egg would be the only way to get the tri-colored to stick together. I haven’t tried baking these, so not sure about that. Let me know how it goes.
Worked great! I added two eggs to bind it and pan fried them. Can’t wait to try this with the white quinoa. Thanks!
Love it. I’m sure to use this frequently. Thank you.
It was delicious, but the cakes did NOT stay together, even a little bit. Ended up just having crispy quinoa with the tomato topping. Still delicious!