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.
YUM, making them tonight for this weeks breakfasts. Do you think if I made a double batch that I could freeze some? I’m not too familiar with quinoa and how well it freezes.
These should freeze just fine! Will just need to pop the cups in the microwave for a few minutes on defrost, then a minute on high heat to warm!
Silly question but can anyone clarify wether you use two eggs AND two egg whites, or just two eggs? Thanks!
It’s two whole eggs AND two whole egg whites – so you’ll need 4 eggs total, and will discard 2 egg yolks. :)
Can you use egg beaters or egg substitute?
I’m sure you could!
I made these last week with the intention of having them in the fridge for a quick go to breakfast. Well..they didn’t last through the day and my boyfriend was the biggest fan. I’d never used quinoa before. Today I made two batches. I added chopped mushrooms, onions, spinach and grated yellow squash because that was what I had. Sad to say, we are almost through two batches in one day…so much for breakfast for the week :-/. These are awesome and the possibilities are endless. Thank you
These are SO good!! I made them last night for dinner and loved them so much, I had to blog about them. ;) I left out the green onion and forgot to get fresh parsley, so I subbed with a little dried parsley and they were still amazing. Thanks for the great recipe! :)
I made these and they are yummy! I can’t wait to make them again. I cooked them in my toaster oven (too hot in CA last weekend) so I had to add an additional 15 minutes to the cooking time.
Kristin,
Thanks for the awesome idea. You are smoking hot by the way!
I made this using your recipe and absolutely love them. I made a 2nd batch and froze them. Before work I make a salad and add one (or two) to my lunch bag. Delish!
I made these on Friday and they are delicious. Everyone in my family loved them. I will make them again for sure, probably often. I love fool proof recipes. I forgot to buy zuccini so I used mushrooms instead, and I used 3 eggs, more quinoa… you get the picture. They turned out fabulous anyway!! Thank you for sharing this wonderful recipe :o)
So I had never cooked with quinoa and I went out and bought some to make these! What a fantastic, easy, classy idea. So this negates the health factor of these a little bit, but I made mine by putting half a wonton wrapper in each of the mini muffin cups and it was soooo good!
Mmmmm these are delicious! I made a batch this morning almost exactly like yours, with just a couple of minor changes – I added some regular onion (just because I love onion) and I used feta cheese instead of Parmesan (again, I can’t get enough feta!). It took longer to prepare than I thought it would, but was definitely worth it. It was my first time cooking with quinoa and it won’t be the last. Thanks for the recipe! :D
That looks delicious!!! I can’t wait to try it. On the weekend I think :) Thank you!
Do you think these would freeze well?
I just made the quinoa cups. Has anyone put them in the freezer?
I just found these on Pinterest and can’t wait to make them! My little boy is allergic to eggs so I’m going to try making them with soft tofu.