Cheesy Quinoa Bites Recipe

These cheesy quinoa bites make a great healthy snack for kids, make-ahead freezer meal, and the perfect healthy lunchbox food with lots of protein.

A new year always brings new resolutions. And I do have new resolutions, but this would be the same resolution I’ve had pretty much every year that I can remember – get healthier.

• Drink more water.
• Eat more fruits and vegetables.
• Eat less junk food.
• Exercise more.

You know, the normal resolution-y type stuff.

Hopefully, this is the year that sticks.  It has to stick through January because I’m in a group of ladies trying to lose 10 pounds by February 4th.

Even if it doesn’t stick all year, a month of healthier eating/exercising is better than nothing, right? 

So far this year, I’ve exercised every day (*cough* ignore that the grand total is only two days)! That’s a success rate of 100%!

I’m all over this exercise stuff.

But eating is the other half of the equation.

Oh, I have a hard time eating the right foods. I love my processed, refined, fried foods with creamy white sauces. It’s true.

My very popular response to the question, “What would you like for dinner?” is “All the french fries.”

I’m not planning on giving up all of my favorite foods. I need some fried potatoes in my life. But I am planning to try to monitor my portion sizes and add more healthy foods to my repertoire….Enter Cheesy Quinoa Bites.

Cheesy Quinoa Bites

I was trying to find a way to take a healthier food and make it taste less healthy and I think I’ve succeeded! This is like a mash-up of vegetable quinoa and a tater tot. Without the taters, of course.

I love that they’re bite-sized and I love it even more that they keep me full, thanks to the superfood that is quinoa (pronounced keen-wah, if you didn’t know!).

These babies are amazing. Quinoa is filling and packed with protein, so I felt completely satisfied by these.

I calculated the calories of all of the ingredients on My Fitness Pal and assuming their entries are correct, there are only 130 calories in 4 bites! I may have eaten 8 for dinner because they still fell under my calorie count! Score!

And if you decide to pass on the food processor and grate your carrots by hand, then you’ve added an arm workout! 😉

I used Kraft’s Light Honey Dijon salad dressing as our dipping sauce, but ranch or even sour cream would probably taste great!

Make Ahead Freezer Meal

These cheesy quinoa bites make a great make-ahead freezer meal, too! Make a batch (or two or three!) and freeze them for a quick meal later.

I prefer to cook them first, cool them, and then keep them in a freezer bag. Then, just take out however many you need for lunch or dinner. I think they taste better if you thaw them overnight in the refrigerator before reheating in the microwave, but they can be microwaved from frozen, too.

*Update on Prep Instructions

When I first made these, I always used mini muffin tins, but now I prefer to use a cookie scoop to scoop the mixture onto a silicone-lined baking sheet.

The baking directions and oven temperature stay the same, but then you never have to worry about them sticking!

Quinoa Bites FAQs

Still have more questions? Check out the Quinoa Bites FAQs page for more answers to the most commonly asked questions.

Looking for more quinoa bite recipes?

Pizza Quinoa Bites

Barbecue Chicken Quinoa Bites

Buffalo Chicken Quinoa Bites

Southwestern Quinoa Bites

Tomato Basil Quinoa Bites

Chicken Bacon Ranch Quinoa Bites

Ham & Cheese Quinoa Bites