Broccoli Cheddar Quinoa Bites

Looking for a new way to try out quinoa? These broccoli cheddar quinoa bites are a cute and healthy snack, appetizer or side dish that the whole family will love! They’re super kid-friendly and make a great recipe for lunch boxes, toddler snacks and baby-led weaning! {Gluten-free & vegetarian}

Why Make this Recipe

Kid & Husband-Friendly  – How many of you have tried giving your kid (or husband, for that matter) just straight-up quinoa? No flavouring…just plain ol’ quinoa? I served it to my husband and toddler as a side one time, and without saying anything, they made it clear that it wasn’t their favourite thing in the world. Then I gave them one of these quinoa cups and they couldn’t keep their hands off of them. They both probably had about five of them for lunch. It’s all about how you serve it up, my friends!

Perfectly portioned –  Since they’re made in a muffin tin, these broccoli cheddar bites are already portioned out which makes them super convenient and portable. They make a great option for those school lunches or an after school snack! If you’re looking for other mini muffin recipes, check out these Mini Blueberry Banana Muffins or Mini Turkey Apple Meatloaf Muffins!

Quick & Easy – Quinoa cooks up in less than 15 minutes, so it really takes no time at all to whip together. You can even cook up the quinoa in advance and make the cups at a later time so that all you have to do is assemble the ingredients required for the broccoli quinoa bites.

Nutrient-dense – Quinoa is one of the only “grains” (it’s actually technically a seed, but many people lump it together in the whole-grain category since it’s consumed like a grain) that’s considered to be a complete protein because it contains all nine essential amino acids. It contains 8 grams of protein and 5 grams of fibre per one cup serving.

A one cup serving also provides 20% of our daily iron requirement and is especially beneficial when paired with the vitamin C-rich broccoli since that can help enhance the iron absorption. Just make sure you rinse or soak the quinoa well before cooking to help reduce the phytates found in the quinoa which can bind to the iron and reduce it’s absorption. Read more about the benefits of quinoa here.

Ingredient Notes

Quinoa – be sure to rinse the quinoa before cooking to reduce the bitter taste. Cook up a batch of it in advance to cut down on prep time! I like to cook it in some reduced sodium broth to add some extra flavour.

Broccoli – adding broccoli to these cups is such a fun way to incorporate veggies! You can use fresh or frozen broccoli for this recipe. I used the equivalent of about one small crown. Just be sure to chop it up finely.

Cheese – I used old sharp cheddar to incorporate more flavour into these cups, but feel free to sub in your favourite type of cheddar cheese! You can use one with a lower milk fat percentage or full fat — totally up to you!

Step by Step Instructions

Step 1: Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Spray muffin tin with cooking spray or use a silicone muffin tin.
Step 2: In a large bowl, mix the cooked quinoa, broccoli florets and cheese together.
Step 3: In a smaller bowl, beat the eggs, and add the garlic, onion powder and paprika (and salt, if using). Mix to combine.
Step 4: Add the egg mixture to the quinoa mixture and mix until incorporated.
Step 5: Divide mixture evenly among the mini muffin cups, pressing down with a spatula to pack down. Bake for 15 minutes. Let them cool for several minutes before removing from muffin tin to allow the quinoa to set.

Recipe Tips:

• Make up a batch of quinoa ahead of time to minimize prep time. Cook the quinoa in reduced sodium vegetable or chicken broth to incorporate more flavour into the quinoa.
• I recommend cutting the broccoli pieces for these quinoa muffins into really small pieces so that one piece doesn’t take over the whole cup. Instead, you get a more equal distribution of mini broccoli bits. Also, by chopping the broccoli into fine pieces, it also helps the quinoa cheese mixture bind together better.
• I find it’s best to use more of the broccoli florets rather than too much of the stem. If you do incorporate the stem, make sure that you chop it finely so that there aren’t large chunks of stem throughout the cups.
• I chose to leave out the salt when doing baby-led weaning, but if making these for older children or adults, you might want to add some in to incorporate a bit of extra flavour.
• If using a regular mini muffin tin, spray or grease it well to prevent the quinoa cups from sticking to the pan. Better yet, try using a silicone mini muffin tin to avoid the tough clean up!
• I also recommend pressing the quinoa mixture down firmly into the the muffin tin cups to help them bind together while baking. I like to use a mini spatula for this purpose. And here’s a quick tip! Run it under some water before pressing down on each cup to prevent the mixture from sticking to the spatula.
• Let the cups cool for at least 10 minutes in the muffin tin to allow them to set before removing so that they don’t fall apart. Use the tip of a knife to help nudge them out of the pan.

Recipe FAQs

How to cook quinoa

Quinoa cooks just like rice, but quicker! Start by rinsing the quinoa using a fine wire mesh strainer. Add one cup of quinoa to a small saucepan with two cups of water or use broth for more flavour. Bring to a boil. Cover and turn the stove down to low and allow to lightly simmer for 12-15 minutes or until the quinoa is fluffy and has absorbed all of the water. Allow it to cool before incorporating it into the quinoa bites.

Expert tip: One cup of dry quinoa makes about three cups cooked, which is the amount you’ll need for this recipe.

Can I use frozen broccoli?

Yes, just be sure to defrost or steam the broccoli first before chopping it up and incorporating it into the quinoa mixture.

Can I make this recipe in a regular-sized muffin tin?

You sure can! If you don’t want to fuss around and pack the mixture into mini cups, you can also use a regular-sized muffin tin. The mixture will make about 20-24 regular sized muffin cups.

You’ll just need to increase the cooking time slightly and bake for 20 minutes instead of 15 minutes at 350 degrees F if using the larger muffin tin.

How to store

You can store these quinoa cups in the fridge in an air-tight container for up to four days. Past that, I would recommend freezing them, which brings me to my next point…

Can you freeze these cups?

Yes, you can freeze them for up to three months! When freezing, separate the quinoa cups with parchment paper to prevent them from sticking together if you’re stacking them and place them in a freezer-safe ziploc bag or container.

This is the method I’ve been using for my family and it’s been SO convenient to pop a few of these cups out of the freezer!

How to reheat

Place the mini cups back in the muffin tin and warm them in the oven at 350 degrees F for 10 minutes or until heated through.

Or you can also pop them in the microwave to warm them up.

Serving suggestions

You can eat these cups warm, cold or at room temperature, but I prefer warming them up a bit so that the cheese gets all melty and gooey. Nothing beats gooey cheese!

We also like to serve them with a drizzle of hot sauce or serve them along with a dip!

More similar recipes

• Sweet Potato Quinoa Cakes
• Spinach Zucchini Frittata Fingers
• Healthy Cauliflower Tots
• Mini Salmon Dill Cakes
• Healthy Mini Carrot Zucchini Muffins
• Sweet Potato Lentil Tater Tots

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This recipe was originally posted in July 2018 and was updated in September 2020 to include better recipe tips and photos.

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