There are some foods that show up a lot in vegetarian cooking (hello, tofu!), and quinoa is definitely one of them. Although many people think that quinoa is a grain, it's actually a seed that's more closely related to beets and spinach than it is to wheat and other cereals. The reason it's so popular in vegetarian recipes probably has something to do with the fact that quinoa is high in protein. It also contains healthy amounts of fiber, magnesium, and iron. What's not to love, right?!
I like cooking quinoa in vegetable broth to give it a little boost of flavor. The Kitchn has a helpful article about how to cook quinoa without having it end up sad and soggy, which is a good place to start if you've never cooked with it before. And once you've mastered that, here are 40 vegetarian quinoa recipes for you to try:
Broccoli Quinoa Quesadillas
Pizza Quinoa Stuffed Portabella Mushrooms
Peanutty Quinoa Bowls
Sriracha Quinoa Bites Leaf and Grain
Quinoa with Acorn Squash and Pomegranate A Thought for Food
Black Bean Quinoa Veggie Burgers Prevention RD
Nutty Quinoa, Spinach and Cranberry Salad Aggie's Kitchen
Quinoa Apple Breakfast Bites Lisa's Dinnertime Dish
Quinoa Coconut Walnut Crunch Jeanette's Healthy Living
Pesto Quinoa White Bean Cakes with Roasted Tomatoes
Quinoa-Stuffed Acorn Squash Rings
Chipotle Black Bean Quinoa Burgers with Sweet Corn Relish
Quinoa with Roasted Brussels Sprouts and Pomegranate Dressing Girl Makes Food
Sweet Potato, Black Bean and Quinoa Cakes Grab a Plate
Quinoa Baked Zucchini Chips with Sriracha Dipping Sauce Cooking Quinoa
Cheesy Zucchini Quinoa Running to the Kitchen
Acorn Squash Stuffed with Pumpkin Seed Cherry Quinoa Pilaf The Spicy RD
Twice Baked Butternut Squash with Quinoa & Gorgonzola Williams Kitchen
Protein Quinoa Muffins with Fresh Apricot, Walnut and Dates Inspired Edibles
Stuffed Pattypan Squash with Quinoa and Fresh Corn
Curried Red Lentil Quinoa Bowls with Cilantro-Mint Chutney
Bok Choi & King Oyster Mushroom Quinoa Sunday Morning Banana Pancakes
Curried Quinoa Mango Salad The Fig Tree
Quinoa Pizza Balls Diet, Dessert and Dogs
Salted Quinoa Chocolate Bark with Pistachios Cooking Quinoa
Greek Style Quinoa Patties With Tzatziki Sauce The Iron You
One Pot Kale and Quinoa Pilaf Food52
Spinach-Feta Quinoa Cakes Panini Happy
Loaded Veggie Quinoa Sliders Simple Awesome Cooking
Apple Cinnamon & Quinoa Muffin Top Cookies
Crispy Quinoa Cakes with Roasted Red Pepper Cashew Cream
Edamame Quinoa Salad Cooking Quinoa
Pineapple & Cashew Quinoa Curry Bowl The Fig Tree
Quinoa and Black Lentil Salad with Mixed Salad Greens Jeanette's Healthy Living
Quinoa Fajita Burritos The Garden Grazer
Quinoa, Zucchini & Sun-Dried Tomato Frittata The Iron You
Pizza Quinoa Casserole Food Doodles
Cheese and Vegetable Quinoa Bites The Curvy Carrot
Quinoa-Stuffed Poblano Peppers with Chipotle Sauce Once Upon a Cutting Board
Kristina says
quinoa is absolutely one of my favorite ingredients to work with - I make a large pot of it every week.
some of these I have seen before, but I see new recipes that look so good - off to explore!
HilLesha @To the Motherhood says
That is a great round-up! 🙂
Kare @ Kitchen Treaty says
Confession: whenever I read the word "quinoa," my brain still registers it as "kwin-oh-ah." I'm not proud!
Love the stuff, and now I know where to look the next time I'm after a little "kwin-oh-ah" inspiration.
Kiersten says
Stupid vegetarian foods with their hard to pronounce names!
Megan @ Monroe Makeshift says
I love quinoa! Sadly I discovered that it's not a good idea to eat it after having a tooth removed... I was rinsing out little seeds for days! Haha! I'll be holding onto this page for later though 😉
Kiersten says
Oh no! I remember that from when I had my wisdom teeth out too. I couldn't wait for those holes to close up because that was NAS-TY. :/
Patricia says
Yum! I love quinoa and happy to see this great roundup. Thanks so much for including mine! (Grab a Plate)
Kiersten says
You're welcome! 🙂
Maryann says
We use it a lot instead of rice. Great protein.
Alissa N says
These all look incredible!! And thank you so much for the link!!
I was so excited about the mention that I sent it to Hubby, who instantly requested I make the Broccoli Quinoa Quesadillas, so that's what we'll be having for dinner!! Can't wait to try them!! 🙂
Kiersten says
You're welcome! And yay for making the quesadillas! 😀
Becca @ Amuse Your Bouche says
You do the best summary posts, I love that they're all veggie too 🙂 quinoa is seriously expensive here but maybe some of these will convince me to splash out and try it...
Caitlin says
i love quinoa! what a great roundup with lots of new things for me to try!
Kaitlin @ The Garden Grazer says
What an awesome list, and thanks so much for the mention! I'm actually making the Quinoa Fajita Burritos tonight for dinner! 🙂
Kiersten says
You're welcome--they look delicious! 🙂
Kristen says
This is so helpful! I've been trying to eat quinoa for its health benefits, but I struggle with ideas on how to incorporate it into recipes. Thanks for this!
Katie says
So many great recipes to cook, so little time. Great round-up Kiersten. Nicely balanced and oh so pretty with all of the lovely photography added in. Thanks for curating it:)
Meg @ Beard and Bonnet says
Whoa, what a list! Thanks for including my Ginger Quinoa Granola, I am bookmarking this and going to cook my way through this list of quinoa recipes. YUM!
Kiersten says
Thank you for the amazing recipe! 😀
Liz @ A Nut in a Nutshell says
You're the encyclopedia of life's nutrition for me.
PS. You need to email me with your news!
Jennifer The Quirky Momma says
The quinoa-stuffed acorn squash rings are my absolute favorites! I could eat those until I burst!
Dara says
Love these recipes, quinoa is such a versitile ingredient.
Jessica says
THANK YOU for posting such an extensive list of wonderful quinoa recipes. I love quinoa but find myself making it the same way over and over. This will help me so much. Thanks!!
Kiersten says
Yeah, I get into the same rut sometimes. Not just with quinoa, with just about everything! 🙂
Ricki says
Such a fantastic roundup of quinoa recipes! I adore quinoa and can't wait to try a bunch of new recipes with it. Thanks so much for including my Quinoa Pizza Balls as well! 🙂
Kiersten says
You're welcome--they look delicious! 🙂
Heidi @ Food Doodles says
Awesome roundup, as usual! Great job! I need to check a lot of these out 🙂 Thanks for including my pizza quinoa! I've actually been meaning to do an updated version of that soon - yum!
Kiersten says
I love that recipe so much! 🙂
Tony B (SimpleAwesomeCooking) says
Hi Kiersten - Thanks a bunch for including my sliders in your roundup. Honored to have made the cut!
Kiersten says
You're welcome--I can't wait to try them! 🙂
Kelly @ Texas Type A Mom says
I really want to love quinoa but my husband hasn't been a fan so far. Hopefully some of these might help change his mind!
Yasmeen @ Wandering Spice says
This is such a helpful post, thank you! I love quinoa and so does my husband, but we are in a bit of a rut at the moment. Such great ideas here from some wonderful bloggers.
At the moment I have my eye on Cheesy Zucchini Quinoa, since our zucchini plants are producing at lightning speed!
Kiersten says
I've made that Cheesy Zucchini Quinoa recipe, so I can attest to the fact that it is delicious. 🙂 Too much zucchini is always a good problem to have!
a farmer in the dell says
I LOVE quinoa and thanks for introducing me to a whole bunch of awesome blogs! Great recipes!
Courtney Jones says
Awe, thank you so much for including two of my recipes! 🙂 You are the best! I love this round-up. I'm obsessed with quinoa - and now I have a huge list of new quinoa recipes to try. And lots of new blogs to check out too!
Kiersten says
That curried quinoa salad is sooooo good!
ashley - baker by nature says
I have the same measuring cups - twins!
Kiersten says
I had them on my wish list forever and then I was at Anthro one day and saw them in the clearance section--obviously I had to snatch them right up. 🙂