Enjoy these tasty, crispy vegan quinoa patties for breakfast, as a snack or as a main meal. They are loaded with veggies and protein, redolent with garlic and savory herbs, and they come together in minutes.
You might also enjoy these recipes for vegan zucchini fritters, vegetable cutlets and vegan corn fritters.
Each time I make these crispy quinoa patties, it amazes me that I can pack so much deliciousness - and nutrition - into my belly after putting in so little work. And I only need to reach into the pantry for most of the ingredients.
There are potatoes - my favorite veggie and everyone else's - and zucchini in these patties, and quinoa, of course, which is delicious as well as healthy. Rice flour helps bind the ingredients together so you can make the patties really thin - that way they get really crispy and golden but remain creamy on the inside. You can make the patties thicker if that's how you like them.
I created this recipe many, many years ago and I've always enjoyed making these for family and friends. My son, Jay, loved them, and so will your kids. The patties are gluten-free, soy-free and nut-free. They make a delicious breakfast or snack, are wonderful in the lunch box, and you can cradle the patties in a burger bun or a wrap for a filling lunch.
Table of Contents
Ingredients
- Cooked quinoa. Cooking three-fourths of a cup of dried quinoa will yield the two cups of quinoa needed for this recipe. If you have leftover quinoa from another meal you can use it here.
- Onions. Use onions or scallions, finely chopped, to add great flavor.
- Fresh or dried herbs. I use dried herbs to keep the recipe pantry-friendly, but if you have fresh herbs use those by all means. My favorites in this recipe are oregano and thyme. Sage, rosemary and marjoram are fine substitutes.
- Garlic (garlic powder). I use either, interchangeably, but I prefer garlic powder because it disperses more evenly. I will have more on the quantities of each you can use in the recipe card below.
- Potatoes. A starchy potato, like russet, will help bind the patties better than less starchy varieties like yukon gold or red potatoes.
- Jalapeno pepper. I like the moderate heat of jalapeno in this recipe. Tweak the quantity depending on your tolerance for heat and if you are serving these patties to kids.
- Rice flour. This also helps bind the quinoa patties and keeps them gluten-free. You can substitute with chickpea flour or, if you don't care about making the patties gluten-free, use all-purpose flour.
How to make zucchini quinoa patties
More detailed instructions in recipe card below.
Place all ingredients in a bowl.
Mix until you have a mixture that holds together when formed into a ball. Pick up a two-inch ball of the mixture and form into a patty in your palm. I like to make these really thin, about three inches across, but you can make them smaller.
Evenly coat the bottom of a cast iron or non-stick skillet with oil over medium high heat. Place patties on the skillet.
Cook until the edges are golden brown and the patties have acquired golden-brown spots throughout. Flip and cook the other side. Serve the patties hot.
Serve
I love munching on these quinoa patties by themselves. You can serve with vegan mayo or mint chutney, or cradle the patty in a whole wheat burger bun for a satisfying meal.
Top tip
Chop the onions very fine and grate the potatoes and zucchini. If you have large pieces of veggies in the quinoa mixture the patties won't hold together.
Recipe FAQs
Yes, you can make them up to three days ahead, refrigerate, and reheat on a hot skillet or in the oven until warmed through and crispy again. You can also make the mixture for the patties and store it in the fridge for up to two days before making the patties.
You can sub the zucchini with any veggies that won't express too much water. Grated cauliflower or broccoli would be great. If needed, add a bit of water to hold the mixture together. If using leafy greens like spinach or kale, chop and add them to the mixture, then let it stand for a few minutes and mix again. This will give the leafies time to express their juices, which will help the mixture hold together.
Yes. To bake, coat the baking sheet with oil and place the patties an inch apart. Bake in a preheated 400 degrees Fahrenheit/205 degrees Celsius oven for 20 minutes. Flip and bake for another 10 minutes or until crispy.
Use chickpea flour or potato flour instead of rice flour.
Refrigerate the patties up to four days and reheat on a skillet or in the oven before serving. Mixture can be stored up to two days. For longer storage, flash-freeze the patties, then store in a freezer-safe bag or container for up to three months. Reheat before serving.
Recipe card
Vegan Quinoa Patties
Ingredients
- 1 medium zucchini (grated on the medium holes of a box grater)
- 2 cups cooked quinoa (from ¾ cup dried quinoa)
- ½ cup rice flour
- 1 medium onion (very finely minced. Or use four scallions, green and white parts finely chopped)
- 2 teaspoons dried oregano
- 1 teaspoon dried thyme
- 2 teaspoon garlic powder (of four to five garlic cloves, finely minced or crushed with a garlic press)
- 1 jalapeno pepper (or any green pepper, finely minced. Use less and deseed for less heat.)
- 1 medium russet potato (boiled and peeled, then mashed or grated.)
- Salt and ground black pepper to taste
- 2 tablespoons oil (use avocado oil or any neutral oil)
Instructions
- Squeeze out as much water from the grated zucchini as you can, then place the zucchini in a large bowl. Reserve the liquid from the zucchini because we will need some of it later. You should have just under one cup of zucchini after the water has been squeezed out.
- Add the remaining ingredients, except the oil, to the bowl with the zucchini. Mix until you have a mixture that holds together. You can add back some of the water you squeezed out of the zucchini if needed - I added back about half.
- Pull out a two-inch ball of the mixture and form it into a patty in the palm of your hand. You can make these as thick or thin as you like. I like to make the patty really thin, about three inches across, so it gets very, very crispy.
- Coat the bottom of a large cast iron skillet or non-stick skillet with oil. Place the patties on the skillet without overcrowding, and pan-fry in batches until the bottom of each patty is golden brown and crispy, about 4-5 minutes. Flip and cook the other side. Serve hot.
Nutrition Information
To print recipe card without images, uncheck "instruction images" after clicking the "print recipe" button.
First published on Aug. 9, 2017. Updated and re-published on Jan. 7, 2025.
Angela Robledo Gart says
Delicious!! I baked them and have made them every week for three weeks. Thank you!!
Julie says
Would millet work in this? My daughter cooked a big batch of it (recipe-reading mistake…) and I am now looking for ways to use it.
Vaishali says
It should work! Let me know if you try.
Kat Fitzgerald says
Thank you. I think about you and your son Jay often and I hold a special place in my heart for your family.
Vaishali says
That's so lovely to hear. Thank you, Kat. ❤️
Janet says
This sounds delicious! AMA wondering can I cook the patties in an air-fryer rather than fry them in a pan?
Thank you!
Vaishali says
Hi Janet, absolutely. I would try a temperature of 400 F/205 C, for 7-8 minutes on either side? Tweak according to the crispness you desire.
Janet says
Thanks for getting back to me so quickly!
Andrea Connolly says
Really delicious! Thank you for this recipe.
Vaishali says
Awesome!
rebekah says
I have pre grated zucchini in my freezer from an abundance from my garden. do you have an estimate of how many cups per zucchini in this recipe? I freeze my zucchini in 1 cup portions.
Vaishali says
Just under a cup after squeezing out the water.
Karen says
Can these be frozen? Can you suggest other recipes that can be frozen? Thanks
Kristina Lynn says
These were absolutely delicious! I definitely bookmarked! Thank you for your recipes!! 🙂
Vaishali says
So happy you loved them.
Rachel says
Do the quinoa burgers have to be pan fried? Can they be baked in the oven after being oil sprayed?
Vaishali says
Yes, absolutely!
Lesley Riley says
What can I substitute for the rice flour? I don't have any, but have everything else on on hand and want to make these ASAP.
I am just about 2 months vegan and am thrilled with all of your recipes.
Vaishali says
Hi Lesley, use chickpea flour, same amount - should work well with this, although the flavor will be a little different.
chantal says
Hello,
My fondest memories of food is my grandmother's "coconut date cake". That's how she used to call it, although I discovered not so long ago that its real name is "Queen Elizabeth cake". And basically I loved everything my grandma baked. She's the one who showed me how to mix a cake, as my own mother would not let me enter the kitchen (I think it was her kingdom, that's how it used to be in the 60s LOL)...
Anyway, I'm new to your blog and I love your recipes. I'm planning to try a few this weekend. I also sent the link to my daughters who love Indian food and every food with spices and veggies in it!
Thank you.
Vaishali says
Hi Chantal, your grandma's coconut date cake sounds amazing. Thanks for sharing your memories. And thanks for your kind words about the blog-- I hope you'll try out some recipes.
Joan says
What a lovely post. My fondest memories of food revolve around my late father's antipasto that he would make every Christmas. It was a magnificent creation that would take him hours to put together, rolling cold cuts and cutting up cheeses and pickles and then garnishing everything with roasted peppers and several types of olives. By the time we finished digging into that, we hardly had any room for my mother's lasagna which took her a full two days to make what with the homemade sauce and the hundreds of tiny meatballs.
Vaishali says
Joan, as the daughter of a father who also loved to spend time in the kitchen doing things just so, that story made me smile. 🙂 Thanks for sharing your memories. Your mom's lasagna sounds like a treat. If you ever make a vegan version, I'd love to hear about it.
Carmen says
Vaishali, thanks for your recipe. Btw, I'm an ardent Mumbai lover living here in the USA. Can I supplement the rice flour with Namaste GF Flour?
Vaishali says
Hi Carmen, the GF flour should work. Sorry for the late reply, and hope you tried it anyway.
Alia Soufan says
Hello! I only have all purpose flour - would that work?
Vaishali says
Yes, that's fine!
BlogAdda says
Congratulations! Your blog post was featured in the Collectives on Feb 18, 2016 at Blogadda.
Please find it here:
Kris in Oregon says
Vaishali - Thank you for your moving post and this great recipe. I'm very excited to have found your site! I'm a mom in Oregon and wonder if my daughter will ever remember my labors in the kitchen with love . . Oh! I'm also going to eat a pomegranate today because of your mom's inspiration. Warm thanks again -
Vaishali says
🙂 Kris, that is so lovely-- hope you enjoyed the pomegranate. 🙂 Sending lots of love and good thoughts your way.
Deborah V says
They are delicious. Just finished making them. Thank you for this delicious healthy recipe.
Vaishali Honawar says
Deborah, so glad you tried them!
Meg @ Noming thru Life says
Mmm... you had me at garlicky 😉 And I love a good quinoa patty/cake any way.
Lavanya says
What a beautiful post Vaishali! I've been looking for quinoa patty recipes- so I'm glad to have found this today!! I recently made a black bean and quinoa burger which was much loved (mostly by me- I ate most of them before they made it to anybody else's plate..:)). I am definitely bookmarking this one.
I love getting glimpses of Jay's reaction to the food you make. One of my dreams has been of my kids' saying, when they are older " Oh that wonderful kale sabji that Amma used to make"..But I am starting to give up up on that dream lol - my (toddler) son mostly wants to eat pasta (even though it is brown rice or whole wheat pasta..but still.), so I try to use pureed veggies in the sauces. He does love raw carrots and steamed/sautéed peas (touch wood!), so maybe there is hope :D.
I am not sure if this is my first time commenting. I usually compose mental comments when I read your posts- but I am not sure if I actually end up posting them. So I thought I'd delurk this time and tell you how much I enjoy your posts!..:)
Vaishali Honawar says
Hi Lavanya, quinoa is great burger stuff! I add it to burgers too, all the time, and it always makes me feel a little health-goddessy. 🙂
LOL on the kale subzi, but you never know, right? I crave the chapatis my mom used to make, and I couldn't have cared less for them as a kid when she was making them for me.
Thanks for your kind words-- and for your comment. Happy you decided to delurk. 🙂
SS says
Is there any alternative to using potato?
Vaishali Honawar says
Sweet potato would work. Would taste a little different of course.
Whole Plant Fueled Adventure says
Those look absolutely delicious! I like that there's some potato in them too. 😉
Vaishali Honawar says
The potato does make them extra special! 🙂
Mia says
What can be used instead of potato!
Nupur says
Lovely post, Vaishali! Food memories are so powerful indeed. These days okra is in season, and pan-fried okra (dredged in besan) always reminds me of my late grandma who made talleli bhendi with varan bhaat. The simplest and most sublime meal, to me.
Vaishali Honawar says
What a lovely memory of your grandma, Nupur. I am grateful to her for that amazing Dalimbay Bhat recipe from your blog that we all love in our home.