Pop-able bites of crispy goodness, these Quinoa Tots are a fun, kid friendly way to serve up the popular super food. A great source of complete protein plus they're vegan and gluten free.
These Crispy Quinoa Tots are dippable, fun to eat and perfect for small hands. Plus they're healthy! Quinoa contains all the amino acids needed to make it a complete protein. It is also a good source of iron, fiber, and magnesium. Serve them with your kiddo's favorite veggie side dish for a complete meal they're sure to love.
These tots pair well with these cheesy potato wedges or this roasted broccoli with cheese sauce.
ingredients
6 simple ingredients are all you need to make a batch of these delicious quinoa tots.
- quinoa
- water
- nutritional yeast
- garlic powder
- onion powder
- salt and pepper
See recipe card for quantities.
instructions
These quinoa tots are simple to make. Start by cooking the quinoa as described below to form a dough and then roll into desired size and bake until crispy.
Wash quinoa in a fine mesh strainer to remove bitterness. Combine water, quinoa and remaining ingredients in a sauce pan. Bring to a boil then reduce heat to a simmer and cover. Cook for 30 minutes or until all water has been absorbed.
Remove from heat and immediately begin to stir with a large wooden spoon. The mixture should form a sticky dough as pictured above.
Take a small amount of mixture and roll and shape with hands to form tots. This mixture is very sticky so have a dish of water to dip fingers to keep dough from sticking to hands.
Place tots on baking sheet and bake oat 450 degrees for about 25 minutes or until browned and crispy outside. Serve with your favorite dipping sauce.
Hint: Keep a small bowl of water to moisten fingers as needed to prevent sticking to hands while rolling the quinoa.
substitutions
- Nutritional yeast - use shredded vegan cheese or omit entirely. Increase other spices to compensate for flavor.
variations
- Spicy - add chili pepper flakes while cooking the quinoa for a little heat
- Flavor - add any spices or herbs you like to change up the flavor of the tots.
- Vegetables - add vegetables such as broccoli or shredded carrots to the quinoa as it cooks.
See these Broccoli Quinoa Sticks on my site!
equipment
There's no special equipment needed to make these quinoa tots.
storage
Store leftovers in the fridge for 3-4 days. To reheat warm in oven for 5-10 minutes at 400 degrees.
These tots freeze well. Cook the quinoa as instructed and roll to form tots. Place the tots on a baking sheet that will fit in your freezer. Freeze for 1-2 hours until firm and transfer to a freezer safe container or storage bag. Freeze for up to a month.
Top tip
Double or even triple the recipe and store in the freezer so you always have tots ready to go. Perfect for parties or a simple, nutritious weeknight meal.
If you try this recipe, let me know how it turns out! Leave a comment below or snap a pic and tag it @weelittlevegans on Instagram so I’ll be sure to see it!
Recipe
Quinoa Tots
Ingredients
- 1 cup quinoa
- 2 ½ cup water
- 2 tablespoon nutritional yeast
- ½ teaspoon onion powder
- ½ teaspoon garlic powder
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ¼ tsp pepper
Instructions
- Wash quinoa in a fine mesh strainer to remove any bitterness caused by the saponin coating that protects the seeds as the grow.
- Combine quinoa, water, nutritional yeast, onion powder, garlic powder, salt and pepper in a medium saucepan. Bring to a boil, cover and reduce heat to a simmer.
- Continue to simmer quinoa for 30 minutes without lifting the lid. All water should be absorbed.
- Remove from heat and stir using a large wooden spoon. Mixture should become sticky and form a dough.
- Allow to cool for 5-10 minutes until safe to handle.
- Preheat oven to 450 degrees and lightly oil a baking sheet.
- Take a small amount of mixture and roll and shape with hands to form tots. This mixture is very sticky so I find it helpful to have a dish of water to dip fingers into to keep dough from sticking to hands.
- Place tots on baking sheet and bake for about 25 minutes or until browned and crispy outside. Serve with your favorite dipping sauce.
Lauren says
I tried these today for my 3 y/o and he loved them! Only thing I did different was not roll them up by hand. I put the mixture into a ziploc bag and cut the corner off so that the quinoa mix would come out around the size of a tater tot. I squeezed long logs and then cut them every inch or so so that they were the size of tater tots. It was my first time and they came out pretty great. I just made sure to be gentle when cutting them, they didn't really get squashed while cutting and they didn't stick. I made sure to do it on top of parchment paper since you said the mix was so sticky and it worked great as a nonstick surface. Any "corners" from cutting I just patted down with the tip of the knife I used to cut them with. I also baked them on parchment paper. Thanks for the recipe!
Melissa says
That sounds like a great idea! I'll have to try it that way. Thank you for the feedback, I'm so glad you enjoy the recipe!