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Betsylife » Recipes » Buffalo Quinoa Bites (vegetarian, air fryer)

Buffalo Quinoa Bites (vegetarian, air fryer)

January 13, 2020 By betsy 30 Comments

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Buffalo quinoa bites are a crowd pleasing snack even non vegetarians will love. Perfectly crispy, straight from the air fryer with a melty blue cheese center. 

White plate of buffalo quinoa bites and celery on a blue background next to a bowl of white dipping sauce

 

**This post was updated in 2020

I cannot adequately express in words the awesomeness that is these buffalo quinoa bites. When I first saw the recipe I was skeptical, but they turned out exactly as advertised.

The Hubs is a buffalo wing fanatic. It is not an exaggeration that he lives on pizza and wings ONLY when I go out of town.

Pizza for dinner one night. Leftover pizza for lunch the next day. Buffalo wings for dinner.

Repeat.

When I decided to make this recipe, I figured there was NO WAY I could sell him on a vegetarian quinoa version of his most favorite food. He did make his usual aw-shucks-no-meat face when I told him they were quinoa, but one or two bites later he was declaring his love for them.

**This post contains affiliate links***

Buffalo Quinoa Bites (vegetarian, air fryer)

16 quinoa bites on a foil lined sheet pan

Update: I have been making Tieghan’s recipe for years. It’s flawless and delicious. Finding such a well tested recipe online that we love and becomes part of our regular food rotation is such a great thing.

Lately I’ve been air frying a ton, and realized while making a batch of these for weekend snacks that they may just work in the air fryer. This led me to remember the goat cheese stuffed risotto balls I videoed for Chefs Catalog a while back and that’s when I knew that it was time for a quinoa bites upgrade. 

hand holding a patty of quinoa mix with blue cheese crumbles in the center

 

The only way to improve a crunchy snack in my opinion is to add cheese, and that’s just what I did. I stuffed the middle of each quinoa bite with a lump of blue cheese. No dipping sauce necessary (although still a delicious option).

A built in cooling blue cheese bite to counteract the spicy buffalo sauce.

The air fryer worked perfectly. I mean, I was stunned at how well they held their shape, how perfectly crispy the outside was, and how ooey gooey, melty the cheese inside became.

Total winner. 

I’ve been a bit wary of all these new small kitchen appliances that have been coming out of the woodwork lately, but I have to admit that I am HOOKED on air frying. It seems as though there is nothing it can’t do. Even The Hubs was asking me about how to use it the other day. If he started cooking for himself instead of just making frozen pizza I would be THRILLED!

Air fryer basket full of quinoa bites

 

Game day, light lunch, even just an afternoon nosh. Buffalo quinoa bites need to be your go-to snack food. If buffalo flavor is not your fave, you can definitely reimagine these healthy bites into other flavors. BBQ, lemon pepper, or even everything bagel seasoning are just a few ideas that pop into my head to begin with. Make them your own!

close up of melted blue cheese center of buffalo quinoa bite

If you give this recipe a try, I’d love to see it! Tag me @betsylife on Facebook or Instagram and I’ll share your creations!

Try these other great buffalo recipes

  • Healthy Buffalo Cauliflower 
  • Game day Buffalo Chicken Celery Appetizers 
  • Buffalo Chicken Meatball Sub Sandwich 

**this post contains affiliate links

4.84 from 6 votes
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Buffalo Quinoa Bites

Buffalo quinoa bites are a crowd pleasing snack even non vegetarians will love. Perfectly crispy, straight from the air fryer with a melty blue cheese center. 

Course Appetizer, Main Course, Snack
Cuisine American, vegetarian
Keyword buffalo quinoa, buffalo sauce, healthy snacks, vegetarian meals
Prep Time 15 minutes
Cook Time 15 minutes
Servings 16 bites
Calories 64 kcal
Author betsy

Ingredients

  • 2 cups cooked quinoa
  • 1 cup cannellini beans mashed
  • 3/4 cup panko bread crumbs
  • 1 large egg lightly beaten
  • 1/2 cup buffalo wing sauce divided
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • 1 teaspoon pepper
  • 2 oz. crumbled blue cheese

Instructions

  1. In a large bowl combine the quinoa, mashed cannellini beans, bread crumbs, egg, salt, pepper and 1/4 cup buffalo sauce.

  2. Mix well to moisten the ingredients and then form into 16 equal size balls. (I used a 2 tablespoon cookie scoop)

  3. Flatten each ball into a pancake shape in the palm of your hand. Place a pinch of blue cheese crumbles into the center, then fold the sides up to enclose the cheese in the center of the ball. Squeeze tightly to seal.

  4. Air fry balls in a single even layer at 375 degrees for 8 minutes. Rotate the balls and continue air frying for 8 more minutes until crispy.

  5. Toss quinoa bites into remaining buffalo wing sauce. Serve.

Recipe Notes

If you don't have an air fryer, cook according to Tieghan's instructions FOUND HERE

Nutrition Facts
Buffalo Quinoa Bites
Amount Per Serving (1 quinoa bite)
Calories 64 Calories from Fat 18
% Daily Value*
Fat 2g3%
Saturated Fat 1g5%
Cholesterol 13mg4%
Sodium 402mg17%
Potassium 58mg2%
Carbohydrates 9g3%
Fiber 1g4%
Sugar 1g1%
Protein 3g6%
Vitamin A 42IU1%
Calcium 36mg4%
Iron 1mg6%
* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.

Ps. I’ve got more recipes like this one available in my ebook! 

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Filed Under: Appetizers/Cocktails, Home Page, Meals For One, Recipes, Top Posts, Vegetarian/Health Food

Comments

  1. Teresa says

    June 13, 2013 at 1:02 pm

    O-M-G these look ah-mazing!!

    Reply
  2. Nicole says

    June 13, 2013 at 1:48 pm

    YUM! I am so going to try to make a vegan version of these. chicken wings were the hardest thing for me to give up when I stopped eating meat.

    Reply
  3. Mary Papoulias-Platis says

    June 15, 2013 at 3:21 pm

    These are going out first on my BBQ days! They can also be served with a great salad, as an option for chicken.

    Reply
  4. Jenni says

    June 16, 2013 at 11:59 pm

    That looks amazing. I am a HUGE fan of buffalo chicken bites, but my husband doesn’t like the bones or the chicken part of that mix. This would be a great compromise!

    Reply
  5. Tonya says

    September 19, 2013 at 7:31 pm

    I love when recipes turn out the way their suppose to. (: Pinning this and will try it myself soon. Thanks!

    Reply
  6. Melissa says

    September 19, 2013 at 8:00 pm

    YUM! These look so good and I’m a big buffalo chicken fan so this is a must try. 🙂

    Reply
  7. Galit Breen says

    September 20, 2013 at 8:19 am

    Oh my, these sound absolutely amazing and the perfect blend of my husband and my favorite ingredients! (Can you guess who loves what? :))

    Reply
  8. Amy says

    October 5, 2014 at 11:14 am

    I made it tonight for dinner for me and my hubby and it was such a hit!! Thank you for such a wonderful WW recipe.

    Reply
  9. donna says

    December 28, 2014 at 2:52 pm

    MADE THESE YESTERDAY FOR MY VEGETARIAN DAUGHTER, SHE LOVED THEM, AND SO DID HER FIANCE AND HER FATHER. I THOUGHT THEY WERE GOOD, BUT NOT A BIG FAN OF QUINOA. SHE ACTUALLY TOOK THE LEFTOVER ONES HOME, SO I KNOW SHE LIKED THEM!!!!!!!! THANKS FOR THE RECIPE!!

    Reply
  10. Hilary says

    January 30, 2015 at 11:32 pm

    I cannot pull up the recipe

    Reply
  11. Esther says

    March 12, 2015 at 7:47 am

    Hello Betsy 🙂

    i just wanted to ask, if you have to “pre-cook” the quinoa or just put them together like it is, with all the ingredients?

    greetings from germany

    Reply
    • betsy says

      March 12, 2015 at 9:24 am

      yes, the quinoa should be cooked first

      Reply
      • Tina says

        January 30, 2016 at 2:53 pm

        Can u make a big batch then freeze them for later?

        Reply
  12. Sarah Vaughan says

    April 8, 2015 at 6:37 pm

    I just made these and they were packed full of flavour. I will be making these again. First time quinoa user and love this ingredient!

    Reply
  13. Mario & Michelle says

    April 24, 2015 at 3:06 am

    You’re great, Betsy! It look very attractive and appetizing, wishing I had at least one if front of me now…but would prefer 10 🙂

    Reply
  14. Gloria says

    September 12, 2015 at 2:02 pm

    i am going to definitely. Try your Quinoa Buffalo Bites tonight. Quinoa and cannellini beans are two of my favorite foods. Can’t wait!!
    Gloria

    Reply
  15. Laina says

    January 17, 2016 at 9:59 pm

    These look so delicious. Thanks for posting them. You said you baked them and I was wondering at what temperature and for how long???

    Thanks!

    Reply
    • betsy says

      January 19, 2016 at 3:22 pm

      click through the link to view the complete recipe

      Reply
  16. Tara says

    July 23, 2016 at 12:03 pm

    I can’t find the recipe but would really like to make them. Looked on your website after being unsuccessful on Pinterest where I found them in the first place. Please let me know how I can find the recipe. My mouth is already watering…

    Reply
  17. Nancy says

    October 16, 2016 at 6:47 pm

    How would you bake them?

    Reply
  18. JKD says

    December 29, 2016 at 2:18 pm

    The link goes to a recipe for a salad. Not this appetizer.

    Reply
    • betsy says

      December 29, 2016 at 3:10 pm

      Right. If you read the recipe, she makes the bites then puts them on a salad. I skip the salad part but the bites recipe is the same.

      Reply
  19. David says

    August 9, 2017 at 12:28 pm

    I just purchased your cook book expecting to get the recipe for Quinoa buffalo bites,,,not there. neither is it on your website

    Reply
    • betsy says

      August 9, 2017 at 1:26 pm

      Hi David! As I mention in the post, this is Teighan’s recipe so I link directly to her site. Head over and check it out on Half Baked Harvest. Thanks!

      Reply
  20. Eric says

    May 30, 2018 at 7:07 pm

    Just a quick comment, the title of the recipe says “egg-free” but the recipe that is linked requires one large egg. Looks delicious otherwise!

    Reply
    • betsy says

      May 30, 2018 at 8:18 pm

      Thanks for the heads up! A flax egg will work great too

      Reply
  21. Leslee Storey says

    October 22, 2018 at 10:21 am

    Would love to have your quinoa buffalo bites recipe, please email it to me, and any other recipes you have , thank you

    Reply
    • betsy says

      October 22, 2018 at 1:29 pm

      The recipe is available via link within the body of the post. Hope you enjoy!

      Reply
  22. AC says

    July 17, 2019 at 5:54 pm

    I know I’m super late to the party but I just made these and they were delicious! I didn’t have the beans so I just used tricolor quinoa, regular breadcrumbs, an egg, roasted garlic powder, salt, and the hot sauce. Perfection. My husband who is not a vegetarian couldn’t stop raving about them. So satisfying. Thanks for the recipe!

    Reply
    • betsy says

      July 18, 2019 at 2:58 pm

      I love hearing this! A family favorite over here too

      Reply

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