Melty, cheesy, savory homemade quinoa pizza bites are such a crowd pleasing easy appetizer or healthy snack recipe!
Why you’ll love these quinoa pizza bites
- Pretty much a guaranteed hit at any game day or brunch party, holiday event, or casual weeknight family dinner. Your next pizza night will never be the same.
- Tastes like cheese pizza in the form of a nutritious, protein packed bite.
- Quick to prepare using basic ingredients, and very easily adaptable to egg free, dairy free, sugar free, low carb, gluten free, oil free, and vegan diets.
- The bites are easily portable, meaning they are a great vegetarian option for potlucks or sports tailgating. (Think, football playoffs, Super Bowl, or March Madness.) Or serve them as a low calorie snack after work or school.
- Their soft, chewy texture delights guests of all ages, and parents appreciate the fiber, iron, and Vitamin C in each quinoa ball. Leftovers? Highly doubtful!
Also try these nutritious Sweet Potato Brownies
Step by step recipe video
Quinoa pizza bite ingredients
The recipe calls for just eight ingredients: quinoa, cooked beans, tomato paste, dried basil, sweetener, salt, garlic, and onion powder.
Quinoa – This can be red, black, or white quinoa, or a combination. Raw quinoa contains a bitter natural coating called saponin, so it is important to always rinse quinoa before cooking.
These bites remind me of a healthier, oil free and baked version of arancini, but I have never tried substituting rice or another grain. If you try it before I do, be sure to report back.
Beans – Use either cooked or canned beans. I like pinto beans or white beans here. While garbanzo beans (chickpeas) technically work, the quinoa balls will be a bit more gritty.
Tomato paste – For best concentrated taste and texture, do not substitute tomato puree or sauce or ketchup for the paste.
Spices – Minced garlic, onion powder, dried basil, and a pinch of salt give these healthy savory snack balls their bold pizza flavor.
Sweetener – Just a teaspoon of your favorite sweetener balances the acidity of the tomatoes. Feel free to use unrefined sugar, brown sugar, stevia, honey or pure maple syrup.
Optional cheese – The recipe is completely delicious whether or not you choose to stuff it with cheese. I’ve found that string cheese works best, and Daiya vegan mozzarella sticks work well for a dairy free option.
While the oven is hot, bake Buffalo Cauliflower Wings
How to make the healthy snack bites
- Begin by rinsing the quinoa in a fine mesh strainer to remove saponins.
- In a small saucepan, bring the water, quinoa, and 1/8 teaspoon of the salt to a boil.
- Once boiling, cover and lower to a simmer for about fifteen minutes, or until water is absorbed and the grains are light and fluffy.
- Preheat the oven to 350° Fahrenheit or 176° Celsius.
- Drain and rinse the beans, then mash well in a large mixing bowl, using a fork.
- Add the cooked quinoa, tomato paste, spices, remaining salt, and sweetener to the mashed beans. Stir evenly incorporate all ingredients.
- Use clean hands to roll the dough into balls similar in size to meatballs. Place on a nonstick or parchment lined baking sheet, leaving space between the balls.
- If desired, break off a small piece of string cheese and press it into the middle of each quinoa pizza bite before cooking.
- Place the pan on the center rack of the oven, and bake for twenty five minutes or until fully cooked and slightly crispy on the outside.
- Enjoy hot or cold. Once cooled, refrigerate any leftovers in a covered container for up to five days. Or freeze for up to two moths and reheat before serving.
Leftover quinoa? Make Breakfast Quinoa or Broccoli Cheddar Quinoa Bites
I recently made them for a baby shower this past month.
Can confirm, the recipe is a big hit with both vegans and non vegans, alike.
The recipe was inspired by these Vegan Meatballs.
Quinoa Pizza Bites
Ingredients
- 1/3 cup raw quinoa (50g)
- 3/4 cup water (180g)
- 1 cup canned or cooked pinto beans (240g)
- 1/2 cup tomato paste (120g)
- 1 tsp sweetener of choice (5g)
- 1/2 tsp onion powder
- 1/2 tsp minced garlic
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 2 tsp dried basil (optional)
- 3 sticks string cheese or vegan mozzarella (optional)
Instructions
- 1. To make the quinoa pizza bites, first rinse quinoa in a fine mesh strainer to remove saponins.
- 2. Bring the water, quinoa, and 1/8 tsp of the salt to a boil in a small saucepan.
- 3. As soon as it begins to boil, cover the pot and lower to a simmer for 15 minutes or until water is absorbed and quinoa is fluffy.
- 4. Preheat the oven to 350° Fahrenheit (176° Celsius).
- 5. Drain and rinse the beans. In a large mixing bowl, mash beans well with a fork, then stir in the cooked quinoa, tomato paste, spices, remaining salt, and sweetener until evenly mixed.
- 6. Roll the dough into balls. If desired, break off a small piece of cheese and press into the center of each quinoa ball.
- 7. Place on a nonstick or parchment lined baking sheet, and bake on the center rack of the oven for 20 minutes or until slightly crispy on the outside.
- 8. Enjoy these savory healthy snacks hot or cold. Store leftovers covered in the refrigerator for up to five days, or freeze for longer storage.
Video
Notes
More healthy meatless recipes
I substituted garbanzo beans for the pinto beans. This is an amazing dish. My husband and I were thinking of variations we could put in here. This was delicious!!!! I love it.
hi! I want to try these this week but I have a problem with pinto beans 😀 so I was wondering if i could use smthing instead of them 🙂
I just made these for my toddler twin boys and they were a hit! I wasn’t sure if I should drain the beans so I did…would they be better not rinsed? Also I used Daiya shreds and just mixed them in with everything, worked great! Thanks!!
Drained is good.
Lord have mercy, these sound soooo good. I’m going to make these very soon. I appreciate these recipes.
i made these with kidney beans because it were the only beans i had at hand and they turned out pretty good. will surely do them again
I made these last night. Fantastic! Loved them. I used black beans as that’s what I had on hand. I also added a bit of parmesan cheese in the bean/quinoa mixture. I’ll definitely be making them again. Thanks Katie …. love all your recipes!
Making these right now!!!
Do you think these could be made a day or two ahead and refrigerated before baking? Or maybe freeze before baking? I want to make them ahead to bring to a get-together this weekend but I’m not sure how they’ll hold up if made in advance.
Whoa. I just put these in the oven and they were MESSY! Super sticky and definitely not in perfect little balls. But I hope that they come out solid… if they don’t, no big deal, because I’ve been licking my fingers and eating fresh mozz this whole time and I can’t complain. I’d eat it with a spoon.
I apologize if someone already asked (or I just missed it in the post): what brand of tomato paste do you use? Do you have a favorite canned tomato brand?
Thanks!
Muir Glen is good, or Whole Foods brand.
I think next time I try them I’ll toss an egg in there. Very tasty though!
I just made these and OMG, they are soooooo good! I used garbanzo beans instead of pinto beans and these little babies tasted amazing! I got 14 out of mine! Thank you for sharing this recipe Katie!
Thanks for saying this. I’ve made them twice with pinto beans and love them, but I just saw the recipe on facebook and want to make them again, but I only have garbanzo beans right now. I’m going to try it!
I have been on a CCK bender lately! I just can’t stop making these recipes, and I have yet to be disappointed. This one came out INCREDIBLE–I can’t stop eating them! Instead of straight pinto beans, I used canned fat-free refried beans and scaled back the salt a bit and it worked great and saved me a bit of elbow grease. As I am not fully vegan (YET!) I also added some grated parmesan to the mix, which made it even more pizza-y and scrumptious. I bet nutritional yeast would work well too. I also added some red pepper flakes and hot smoked paprika for a bit of kick, and stuffed the balls with low-fat swiss and cheddar cheeses. I will definitely be making these again and again!
Very delicious and so easy to prepare!
These look sooooooo good! But I have just one question, would a tomato free sauce work okay in replace of the paste? My boyfriend is allergic to tomatoes (and plenty of other things may I add).
Speaking of which, I’d love to see you tackle a “nomato” sauce alternative if you could! Your food is always super tasty.
You can always experiment! Be sure to report back if you do!
Question: as anyone tried this using marinara or pizza sauce instead of the paste? Too watery??