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    You Are Here: Home → Appetizers

    Buffalo Quinoa Bites

    April 23, 2019 | Updated July 24, 2020 by Ryan 1 Comment

    919 shares
    Jump to Recipe Print Recipe

    This post may contain affiliate links. Please read my disclosure.

    If you're craving some buffalo sauce for an appetizer but want to be on the healthier side, these buffalo quinoa bites that are loaded with quinoa, cannellini beans, cheese and bread crumbs are perfect.

    close-up of buffalo quinoa bites on white plate

    Who doesn't love appetizers? A lot of times when Lauren and I go out to dinner, we end up ordering appetizers or a few small plates to share so we can try different things. The problem is, lots of times appetizers aren't the best for you. Well at least the appetizers I like aren't the best. That was until I cam across some buffalo quinoa bites from Half Baked Harvest.

    I always have a huge bag of quinoa to use when we make make-ahead salads for lunch but I never thought to use it to make a crispy ball that is dipped in buffalo sauce. Silly me honestly, as I've used it for veggie burgers which in a way is the same thing.

    Now if you're looking around at different quinoa bite recipes, most just have you pan-fry them. Again though, the point of these quinoa bites is eating something that tastes great but is also healthy. So I decided to bake them and they're just as crispy as if you pan-fried them and fewer calories to boot. So if you're looking for a healthy appetizer that's easy to put together, give these a try.

    Jump to:
    • Recipe Ingredients
    • Step-by-Step Instructions
    • Do I Have to Use Cannellini Beans?
    • Are these Quinoa Bites Gluten-Free?
    • Can I Use Store-Bought Buffalo Sauce?
    • Pro Tips/Recipe Notes
    • Similar Recipes
    • Buffalo Quinoa Bites
    buffalo quinoa bites in white plate with blue cheese dressing in bowl

    Recipe Ingredients

    • Unsalted butter
    • Olive oil
    • Hot sauce
    • Quinoa
    • Cannellini beans
    • Panko bread crumbs
    • Sharp cheddar cheese
    • Egg
    • Spices - salt, garlic powder, black pepper
    • Ranch or blue cheese dressing

    Step-by-Step Instructions

    1. Make buffalo sauce by combining melted butter, olive oil and hot sauce in medium bowl, whisking to combine.
    2. Preheat the oven to 425°F. In a large bowl, combine the quinoa, beans, bread crumbs, cheese, egg, salt, pepper and 4 tablespoon of the buffalo sauce.
    3. Use and ice cream scoop or spoon to scoop out 1-2 tablespoon of the quinoa mixture to form into balls. Place on parchment-lined baking sheet.
    4. Bake in oven for 30 minutes or until golden brown on top. Gently toss the quinoa bites in the buffalo sauce and serve with some blue cheese or ranch dressing.

    Do I Have to Use Cannellini Beans?

    No but I'd try to stick to a white bean as it's a similar profile so navy beans, great northern beans, butter beans and garbanzo beans make for a good substitute.

    Are these Quinoa Bites Gluten-Free?

    While the quinoa is gluten-free, the bread crumbs aren't. However most grocery stores sell gluten-free bread crumbs these days.

    Can I Use Store-Bought Buffalo Sauce?

    Yes! If your already have some store-bought buffalo sauce, by all means just use that instead of making your own.

    Pro Tips/Recipe Notes

    • You control the spice level of the buffalo sauce based off how much butter/oil you mix with the hot sauce. If you want it hotter, use less butter/oil and if you want it cooler use more.
    • You can replace the cannellini beans with any other white bean if you don't have them on hand.
    • Use an ice cream scoop to get consistently sized buffalo quinoa bites.
    • After baking the quinoa bites, be careful with tossing them in the buffalo sauce or you will break them up.
    overhead shot of buffalo quinoa bites on white plate

    Similar Recipes

    • Buffalo Chicken Spaghetti Squash
    • Buffalo Chicken Pizza
    • Buffalo Falafel
    • Buffalo Chicken Quinoa Salad

    If you’ve tried these buffalo quinoa bites or any other recipe on Chisel & Fork, please let me know how it turned out in the comments below! You can also follow me on Facebook, Instagram, Pinterest and YouTube to see more tasty meals and anything else I'm up to.

    overhead shot of buffalo quinoa bites on white plate
    Print Recipe
    5 from 4 votes

    Buffalo Quinoa Bites

    Loaded with quinoa, cannellini beans, cheese, bread crumbs and buffalo sauce, these quinoa bites are the perfect vegetarian appetizer.
    Prep Time15 mins
    Cook Time30 mins
    Total Time40 mins
    Course: Appetizer
    Cuisine: American
    Servings: 18 bites
    Calories: 111kcal
    Author: Ryan Beck

    Ingredients

    Buffalo Sauce

    • ¼ cup unsalted butter, melted
    • ¼ cup olive oil
    • ½ cup hot sauce

    Quinoa Bites

    • 2 cups cooked quinoa (⅔ cup uncooked)
    • 1 (15 oz can) cannellini beans, rinsed, drained and mashed
    • ½ cup panko bread crumbs
    • ½ cup sharp cheddar cheese, shredded
    • 1 egg, beaten
    • ½ teaspoon salt
    • ½ teaspoon garlic powder
    • ½ teaspoon pepper
    • ranch or blue cheese dressing

    Instructions

    Buffalo Sauce

    • Combine the melted butter, olive oil and hot sauce in a medium bowl and whisk to combine. Set aside.

    Quinoa Bites

    • Preheat oven to 425°F. In a large bowl, combine the quinoa, cannellini beans, panko bread crumbs, cheese, egg, salt, pepper and 4 tablespoon of buffalo sauce.
    • Scoop out 1 tablespoon worth and form into small balls and place on parchment paper on baking sheet. It should make about 18.
    • Put in oven and bake for 30 minutes. You want them to be crisp and golden brown. Remove from oven. Very gently, toss with buffalo sauce until coated or just dip individually to keep them from breaking.
    • Serve with some ranch or blue cheese dressing.

    Notes

    • You control the spice level of the buffalo sauce based off how much butter/oil you mix with the hot sauce. If you want it hotter, use less butter/oil and if you want it cooler use more.
    • You can replace the cannellini beans with any other white bean if you don't have them on hand.
    • Use an ice cream scoop to get consistently sized quinoa bites.
    • After baking the quinoa bites, be careful with tossing them in the buffalo sauce or you will break them up.

    Nutrition

    Serving: 1bite | Calories: 111kcal | Carbohydrates: 9g | Protein: 3g | Fat: 7g | Saturated Fat: 3g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 3g | Trans Fat: 0g | Cholesterol: 20mg | Sodium: 417mg | Potassium: 55mg | Fiber: 2g | Sugar: 0g | Vitamin A: 250IU | Vitamin C: 0mg | Calcium: 40mg | Iron: 1.1mg
    Did You Try This Recipe?I love seeing what you make so mention @ChiselandFork or tag #chiselandfork on Instagram and please give a star rating below!
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    Comments

    1. Chris says

      April 23, 2019 at 6:22 pm

      5 stars
      Love this idea!

      Reply

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