You might hear “quinoa” and be immediately be transported back to around 2009, where you couldn’t avoid the grain anywhere, and you keep hearing the word “superfood.” (For the record, I think all food is super). Those days are gone, but we still love quinoa. It’s versatile, filling, and an excellent grain to have in your repertoire. From savory quinoa salads and stews to sweet applications (like quinoa cookies and cakes!), we’re sharing 17 quinoa recipes that are anything but boring.
1. One-Pot Kale & Quinoa Pilaf
I would normally run away from any recipe that calls for both kale and quinoa, but this one is actually delicious (promise). If you’re looking for a way to up your intake of greens and grains, it doesn’t get better than this salad.
2. Quinoa Salad With Hazelnuts, Apple, & Dried Cranberries
Serve this for your next fall harvest party (because that’s obviously a thing, right?) and then have the leftovers for lunch the next day. Shhh: Don’t tell your guests, but we like it better on day two anyway!
3. One-Pot Corn, Tomato & Quinoa Pilaf
If this salad doesn’t say summer, I don’t know what does. It calls for fresh corn kernels and cherry tomatoes, both of which are at their best when the weather is warm.
4. White Bean & Quinoa Burgers With Sumac Yogurt
Your new favorite veggie burgers!
5. Apple Cider Chicken With Butternut Squash & Quinoa Salad
Did you stock up on too much apple cider at the orchard? Been there, done that. Fortunately, this chicken and quinoa recipe uses a lot of it in both the apple cider glaze and the salad vinaigrette.
6. Dark Chocolate Ganache Tart With Rosemary-Quinoa Crust
The secret to this extra-crunchy crust is uncooked black quinoa, which is blended in a food processor until it breaks down into almost flour (there will still be some crumbs and that’s a good thing).
7. Autumn Chili Bowl With Roasted Sweet Potatoes & Quinoa
As soon as I turn the calendar to September, this quinoa bowl is exactly what I’ll be digging into, day in and day out.
8. Quinoa Almond Tuiles
Tuile cookies are notoriously difficult to make, so the idea of making them potentially more finicky by changing the recipe and adding quinoa scared the living daylights out of me. However, Susan Spungen insists that there’s no need to fear—“These lacy cookies are quite easy and quick to make, despite their impressive appearance.”
9. Quinoa & Mango Salad With Lemony-Ginger Dressing
This gorgeous salad is inspired by Trader Joe’s mango-black bean salsa. You can make it even more appealing come summertime by grilling the onions and mango, and adding corn on the cob.
10. Baked Quinoa-Pork Meatballs
“Instead of breadcrumbs, these meatballs call in cooked quinoa.” Did you do a double-take because I did? I am as obsessed with these meatballs as I am with Emma Laperruque’s recipe brilliance.
11. Toasted Almond & Coconut Quinoa Porridge
Switch up your usual bowl of overnight oats for this cozy, creamy quinoa that’s studded with slivered almonds and pitted dates.
12. Quinoa Cookies With Coconut & Chocolate Chunks
Not only do our readers consider this dessert their favorite quinoa cookie, thanks to its chewy texture and earthy flavor—it’s their favorite quinoa recipe of all time.
13. Guacamole Quinoa
Bet you never imagined that this grain was not only a good source of energy, but also a delicious twist on guacamole. Mash together the makings of guacamole (avocado, tomatoes, garlic, jalapeño peppers, and cilantro) and cooked quinoa for a salad, dip, or both!
14. Paula Shoyer’s Chocolate Quinoa Cake
Flourless chocolate cakes are delicious, but their texture stands alone. While fudgy and decadent, they don’t exactly produce a traditional slice of chocolate cake…at least until now. When run through a food processor, cooked quinoa turns into a superfine crumb that gives this gluten-free beauty the body we’ve been craving.
15. Quinoa–Red Lentil Risotto With Asparagus & Peas
Don’t tell your Italian grandmother, but you actually can make delicious risotto with a combination of red lentils and quinoa.
16. Strawberry and Quinoa Salad with Tarragon, Soft Goat’s Cheese & Poached Egg
Jammy soft-boiled egg, tangy goat cheese, zesty orange, and juice strawberries come together for the quinoa salad of the summer.
17. One-Pot Red Curry Quinoa With Coconut & Greens
For years, I gave quinoa an unfair rap for being bland and uninspiring. Recipes like this one, which features a fragrant mix of red curry paste and coconut water, make it so much more interesting. “The quinoa will be infused with bold, bright flavor and stained a beautiful red from the curry paste, and by using coconut water versus coconut milk, it’ll be light and fluffy,” explains recipe developer EmilyC.
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