Baked Quinoa Zucchini Bites

Why settle for chicken or meat bites when you can create delicious quinoa zucchini bites at home. 

I love these zucchini bites and often make them as tea-time snacks as they’re nutritious, healthy, and incredibly flavorful!

Plus, they are a perfect quick fix for our evening hunger pangs. 

This one-bite hors d ‘oeuvres are packed with the goodness of quinoa, zucchini, and baked in the oven until crisp.

Trust me; no one can resist these crispy bites. Even the biggest zucchini haters will drool at first sight. 

Once tried, they will never look at zucchini the same way – it’s so delicious!

WHAT MAKES UP Baked Quinoa Zucchini Bites?

Talking about real food ingredients, these bites are made up of –

» Quinoa – The health benefits of quinoa alone is the reason why these Baked Quinoa Zucchini Bites makes it to my list of protein-rich meals. Quinoa is the perfect food for anyone. It can be paired with literally anything, and best of all, its gluten-free, vegan, and extremely nutritious.

» Zucchini – One medium-sized zucchini peeled and grated up fine. 

» Oats Flour – Feel free to use breadcrumbs instead. 

» Flavor squad – onion powder and garlic powder. You can use finely chopped onions and garlic as well.

» Flaxegg – I have used flaxegg to bind these quinoa bites. It’s a combination of flax meal and water. The gelatinous texture of the flaxegg replaces the binding action of eggs. 

» Dill – it tastes fantastic in this recipe. I have used dried herb. Fresh will tastes equally good. 

» Sriracha – to spice up the quinoa bites. 

» Seasonings – salt and pepper, of course. 

» Oil – any neutral cooking oil will work. 

On the whole, these bite-sized appetizers are packed with protein-rich quinoa, nutrient-loaded zucchini, and heart-healthy oats flour. 

HOW TO MAKE BAKED QUINOA ZUCCHINI BITES?

Boil Quinoa – The base for this recipe is boiled Quinoa and grated zucchini. Start the recipe by boiling quinoa as per package instructions. When cooked, set aside to cool completely.

Prepare the zucchini – Peel and grate the zucchini in a bowl. Sprinkle the grated zucchini with salt. Let it rest for 5 minutes. Now, transfer grated zucchini to a clean muslin cloth and squeeze out all the moisture from the zucchini. 

It should measure 1 cup after squeezing out all of the water.

Form the quinoa bites – Transfer quinoa, grated zucchini, oats flour, and green onions to a mixing bowl.

Add rest of the ingredients to the quinoa mixture – sriracha, onion powder, garlic powder, dried dill, salt, and pepper.

Combine flax egg and mix it well until combined. Finish the combined quinoa bites dough with 1 tablespoon of oil.

Divide the mixture into equal parts, and shape into small patties.

Bake the quinoa zucchini bites – Arrange the patties on a greased baking tray. Brush each patty with oil. 

Transfer the bites into the hot oven to bake. Bake for 15 – 20 minutes. Flip and bake for another 10- minutes or until golden brown. To attain a darker color, broil these bites for 3-4 minutes.

Keep a watchful eye as they can get burn easily. Remove from oven and serve hot. 

Expert tips and Substitutes!

» Squeeze the zucchini well – It may be an extra step, but it is an essential step in making zucchini bites. You see, zucchini has very high water content, and if all that excess moisture is not removed from the vegetable, it will cause the zucchini bites to fall apart during cooking. 

» Need crispy bites than that gives you another reason to drain the zucchini completely. If moisture is left behind in the mixture, you will not get a crispy exterior. 

» We need a dry zucchini and quinoa mix, but even after draining the zucchini well, your mixture is too wet, feel free to add an extra tablespoon of oats flour to the mixture. 

» For maximum flavor, you can fry the quinoa zucchini bites. Make sure you do not overcrowd the pan while frying. Give these bites enough room to float around and cook. Therefore, cook in batches.

» The great thing about this recipe is that it’s easily customizable. Feel free to hide in your favorite veggies like grated carrots or finely chopped mushrooms for added flavor. 

» You can quickly scale the recipe up or down to feed a large crowd. 

Storing Leftover Zucchini Bites 

These quinoa zucchini bites will keep in the fridge for 3 – 4 days stored in an airtight container. 

Baked Quinoa zucchini bites are freezer-friendly!

These bites freeze fabulously. Shape the quinoa mixture like small bites or rolls and freeze individually on a baking tray. Once frozen, transfer it to a freezer bag and freeze again. They will stay good for 2 months in the freezer.

When ready to cook, defrost them on the day and pop them in the oven to bake as directed.

Need a dip; let’s talk about it?

These Baked Quinoa zucchini bites are a savory snack meant to be devoured just like that as it tastes great on its own, but if you like, you can pair it up with a vegan dip.

I have made a vegan mayo sriracha dip to go along with these bites.

For the dip, I have used my vegan mayonnaise recipe as a base. To give it a more spicy flavor, I have added 3 teaspoons of sriracha sauce. Beat the dip well to combine and serve.

These baked quinoa zucchini bites are a must-have for your next party if you are trying to sneak in greens and nutrition into your kid’s diet than these bites are a perfect choice. 

Let me know in the comments if you try this recipe. Feel free to contact me with any questions or inquiries, and I would be happy to answer them.

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