Mini Ham and Cheese Quinoa Cups are a poppable, protein-packed gluten free breakfast or snack recipe. Filling, flavorful, and a hit with both kids and adults!
I had this whole spiel ready about how real men do, in fact, eat quiche, as demonstrated by Ben who housed nearly a dozen Mini Ham and Cheese Quinoa Cups that resemble wee baby quiche for dinner last night, but then I remembered quiche has a crust and Mini Ham and Cheese Quinoa Cups do not, so in reality they’re more like mini frittatas and well, all was tragically lost.
These 2-bite delights combine whole eggs, egg whites, cooked quinoa, shredded zucchini, cheddar cheese, and diced ham in a perfectly poppable package that contains 3 grams of protein per mini cup, thanks to quinoa and lean ham in the mix. They’re low in calories too, at less than 50 calories a piece.
Did I mention they’re SO DANG CUTE?!
Watch How to Make Them!
Protein-Packed Quinoa Bites
Best of all, these protein-packed quinoa bites are super versatile. Try these other varieties!
Plus they can be eaten for breakfast, lunch, dinner, or a snack. Is there anything Mini Ham & Cheese Quinoa Cups can’t do?
This easy, gluten-free recipe takes no time at all. Simply combine the ingredients in a bowl.
Mix.
Then add cooked quinoa and mix again.
Liberally spray a mini muffin tin or mini muffin baking pan with nonstick spray, fill the cups up with the mixture, then bake for 20 minutes or until the cups are golden brown around the outside.
Pop them out once cool enough to handle then try not to squeal. These delicious mini quinoa cups are almost too cute to eat.
Almost!
Like I said, you could eat mini quinoa cups for breakfast, brunch, lunch, or dinner — hot or cold. They’re even freezer-friendly. Enjoy, enjoy!
More Protein-Packed Breakfast Recipes
- Gluten Free Breakfast Bombs
- Mini Egg Bites
- High Protein Overnight Oats
- Gluten Free Breakfast Casserole
- Make-Ahead Breakfast Bowls
Equipment
Ingredients
- 2 cups cooked quinoa, ~about 3/4 cup uncooked
- 2 large eggs
- 2 egg whites
- 1 cup shredded zucchini
- 1 cup shredded sharp cheddar cheese
- 1/2 cup diced ham
- 1/4 cup loosely packed parsley, chopped
- 2 Tablespoons grated parmesan cheese
- 2 green onions, chopped
- salt and pepper
Directions
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Combine all ingredients in a large bowl then mix to combine. Liberally spray a mini muffin tin with nonstick spray then scoop the quinoa mixture to the top of each cup. Bake for 15-20 minutes, or until the edges of the cups are golden brown. Let cool for 5 minutes before removing from the muffin tin and transferring to a cooling rack to cool.
Notes
- For regular-sized muffin tins: bake for 25-30 minutes (Note: I have not tested full-sized muffins myself, although several readers have left comments saying this works!)
- To freeze: place baked cups on a baking sheet then freeze until solid and transfer to a freezer bag. Microwave for 20-40 seconds depending on how many you're reheating.
Nutrition
Nutritional values are estimates only. Please read our full nutrition information disclaimer.
There were amazing! I have to watch my sodium so I used low sodium bacon instead of ham. Great energy booster to start your day. Thank you
So glad to hear you could tweak the recipe to fit your needs, Yvonne – thanks for your feedback and recipe review!
would these still hold together fine without the cheese? I am dairy and and gluten free.
Hi Kara! It’s possible, because of the eggs, but I haven’t tested without cheese so I can’t say for sure!
I have been making these regularly for about the last 6 months. Awesome recipe!
I’m so glad to hear it, Karen! Thanks for letting me know! :)
I just wondered if you knew calorie count and do these freeze well?
Hi Sherri! I don’t have the calorie count but they free very well!
My daughter made these last night. Delicious! She thought they were easy to throw together, too
I’m so glad to hear it, Dawn!
I keep going back to this recipe over and over again and I always make a tad too little. Both, my boyfriend and my son can’t get enough of these. When I do not have ham, I just use some weiners.
I’m so glad everyone loves them, Llana – thanks so much for your feedback!
Can anyone tell me about how long they’re good for once frozen? Thanks in advanced.
I somehow missed the zucchini while I was buying ingredients so instead I mixed in some broccoli and spinach. Because of this, my mixture was a bit dry so I also added in an additional egg. This recipe is super forgiving and so easy to customize! I love them and will definitely make these part of my normal rotation.
So glad you loved them and was able to make the recipe work, Savannah!
Mini Ham and Cheese Quinoa Cups, the best recipe for children and they love it. Its tasty and healthy in one time. Thanks For This Post.
Made this with turkey sausage and LOVED it! My partner doesn’t compliment food liberally, and even he expressed how great it was! Easiest five star decision ever!
These are absolutely DELICIOUS. I made them for my husbands grab-and-go breakfasts this week and he had eaten two before i could package them away for the following morning! Will def be making these again. I used a regular sized muffin tin and followed the time instructions and they cooked perfectly.
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I enjoyed this recipe SO MUCH! I made the regular muffin size and baked them in one of those silicone muffin pans. They slipped out real easy. This is one of my go to recipes for free able breakfasts! I’m planning to make them for a brunch tomorrow too. Thanks so much for the great recipes you post!