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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.
**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)
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.
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!
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!
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 from 10 votes
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.
CourseAppetizer, Main Course, Snack
CuisineAmerican, vegetarian
Keywordbuffalo quinoa, buffalo sauce, healthy snacks, vegetarian meals
Prep Time 15 minutes
Cook Time 15 minutes
Ingredients
- 2cupscooked quinoa
- 1cupcannellini beans mashed
- 3/4cuppanko bread crumbs
- 1large egg lightly beaten
- 1/2cupbuffalo wing saucedivided
- 1/2teaspoonsalt
- 1teaspoonpepper
- 2oz.crumbled blue cheese
Instructions
In a large bowl combine the quinoa, mashed cannellini beans, bread crumbs, egg, salt, pepper and 1/4 cup buffalo sauce.
Mix well to moisten the ingredients and then form into 16 equal size balls. (I used a 2 tablespoon cookie scoop)
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.
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.
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 64Calories 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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