These pan fried zesty vegetarian quinoa cakes are made with lemon and capers. They’re a great healthy side dish or even party appetizer.
Let’s ignore the fact that these little crispy quinoa cakes are pan-fried and focus on the fact that they’re made with a SUPERFOOD!
I mean that totally negates the pan-frying, right?
If you’ve ever had chicken piccata and loved it in all its salty, lemony glory, you will love these.
The secret?
Capers!
I get excited about these little balls. But this is coming from someone who could eat a whole jar of Spanish olives by herself.
It’s weird because I don’t crave salty things that often.
Potato chips? Ehh. Give me cake.
But capers are like a salty, earthy bite in all the best ways possible. I love how tiny they are compared to their flavor profile.
Good things come in small packages.
AND if you are a lover of all things quinoa you have to check out these quinoa pancakes too!
Vegetarian Quinoa Cakes Ingredient List
- cooked quinoa – follow the instructions on the packaging, but don’t forget to rinse the quinoa before cooking. If you don’t it will have a bitter taste and the flavor will be a bit nuttier.
- onion
- minced garlic
- freshly grated parmesan cheese
- capers
- lemon zest and juice – the zest really makes the bright flavor shine through
- spices – parsley, salt, pepper, cayenne pepper (this gives them a little kick, but if you don’t like spice you can leave it out)
- egg – this helps bind all the ingredients together
- flour – regular all-purpose flour or even sub a GF flour blend if preferred
- olive oil
How to Make Crispy Quinoa Patties
- In a large mixing bowl, combine all of the ingredients and mix until incorporated.
- Heat a couple tablespoons of oil in a large skillet.
- Form the quinoa mixture into patties using your hands. You’ll use about 1/4 cup of the mixture for each patty.
- Pan fry the quinoa cakes for 2 to 3 minutes on each side or until they are golden brown. Add more olive oil if needed between batches.
Serving Quinoa Cakes
While you can eat these patties like they are, they are great with a little dipping sauce.
Topped with a dollop of sour cream, lemon juice, and avocado dip, they’re perfect.
When I make these cheddar spinach quinoa cakes I serve those with a buffalo dip. You can use that dip here too but I prefer the tangy sour cream pairing with the zesty capers in the quinoa cakes.
You can definitely go lighter and pair these cakes with a salad, or go big with a flavorful side dish.
Storing
Keep cooked quinoa cakes in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 5 days.
To reheat, you can warm them back up in a skillet, which will help re-crisp them.
Or, you can also toss them in the air fryer for a few minutes, and get the same crispiness back.
Microwaving will also work, but they may remain soggy after refrigeration.
Can you freeze prepared quinoa?
Yes! Oddly enough, cooked quinoa actually stores really well and thaws fairly quickly.
It’s great to make an extra batch if you want to be a step ahead on meal prepping.
Is quinoa healthier than rice?
Quinoa is considered a superfood because of its fiber and protein content.
While a serving still has carbs, it’s a pseudo-grain that also contains all the essential amino acids to be a complete protein. Therefore, it’s often considered more nutritious.
More Vegetarian Recipes You’ll Love:
Zesty Quinoa Cakes
Ingredients
- 1 1/3 cups cooked quinoa
- 1/2 onion, finely chopped
- 1 clove of garlic, minced
- 1 egg
- 1/2 cup freshly grated parmesan cheese
- 1 tablespoon capers
- zest of 1 lemon
- 2 tablespoons parsley, chopped
- 2 tablespoons flour
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1/4 teaspoon pepper
- 1/8 teaspoon cayenne pepper, optional
- juice of 1/2 a lemon
- 3-4 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil, for frying
Instructions
- Combine all ingredients except olive oil in a large bowl and mix until fully combined.
- Heat a large skillet with 2 tablespoons of olive oil over medium heat.
- In quarter cup scoops, form the quinoa mixture into patties.
- Place patties in skillet and pan fry 2-3 minutes per side until golden brown, adding additional olive oil as needed.
- Serve with additional lemon or a dip made with sour cream, lemon juice and avocado if desired.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Gina Matsoukas is an AP syndicated writer. She is the founder, photographer and recipe developer of Running to the Kitchen — a food website focused on providing healthy, wholesome recipes using fresh and seasonal ingredients. Her work has been featured in numerous media outlets both digital and print, including MSN, Huffington post, Buzzfeed, Women’s Health and Food Network.
These were lovely. My girlfriend and housemates all loved them. The flavor and texture reminded me of tuna or fish cakes.
Thanks for the great recipe!
So glad you liked them! A lot of people said they reminded them of crab cakes which I didn’t even think of at the time, but they definitely do!
I took a stab at these this weekend and they far exceeded my expectations! Absolutely delicious. More capers!
https://washthedog.wordpress.com/2012/01/22/quinoa-cakes-w-fresh-lemon-capers/
Yay, so glad you liked them! I always forget about that little caper jar in the fridge. I need to remember to use them more often!
Made these tonight and they tasted fabulous!! I did not use any flour and although it was not easy to flip them it worked fine. (I did use a ring staight in the frying pan to make each patty instead of shaping them by hand) Also I used two egg whites instead of one egg. I served them with salmon cakes (salmon cubed finely, egg white, lemon zest, little rice flour, salt pepper) and steamed green beans. What a lovely meal. I will be making these again – thank you so much!
Sounds delicious, you had me at zesty.
As a vegetarian and gluten-free I’m always looking for creative main dishes, this is on the short list for dinner ideas. Any idea what I could substitute instead of the AP flour? I assume I need some sort of binder. Almond flour, Brown Rice flour with some Xantham Gum?
I think any gluten free flour would work. I’d probably try brown rice flour first. We’re only talking 2T so it shouldn’t make that big of a difference :) Let me know how they come out if you do make them that way.
I made these guys tonight-yum! This is going in the “dinner staples” recipe binder.
I used Brown Rice Flour instead of AP. They were tricky to work with but kept their form. I also used my 1/4 cup measuring cup to form a small patties, this seemed to help.
Next time I may try adding two eggs and see if they are easier to work with.
Glad the brown rice flour worked out and you liked them!
I just made this and all I have to say is…. it is delightful! Thank you for sharing.
So glad you liked them!
These look delicious Want to make these for sure
What variety of quinoa would work the best?
Thanks
I just used regular (white) quinoa but I think you could use any type you want.
just made these for lunch today. so delicious!
This sounds amazing! I love these kind of cakes, reminds me of my Mom, she used to make then, but not with Quinoa and she’d put sour cream over the top. I will give them a try!
My first attempt at quinoa cakes was not long after I took the vegan plunge, and they were just OK. This inspires me to revisit the procedure and make them better!!
I am so happy to have found your blog! I have a huge tupperware of quinoa sitting in the fridge! This is just what I needed thanks :)