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.
These were amazing!!!! I’m always looking for new and tasty ways to cook with quinoa and this was just simply delish!!!
SO CUTE!!! I love it and can’t wait to try to do it! thanks for your sharing…
These look great. Wonderingmif eliminate meat should add somethng else? I think they would be fine meatless. Also if wanted to make a bunch and freeze to have another time, would they freeze and reheat well?
Hey Cheryl! Yep, these freeze and reheat in the microwave just fine!
I made these for a party this weekend and they were fantastic! Thank you for sharing!
Hi! Just to let you know that your receipe is one of my favorite now, I just love it! I don’t eat ham so I put a carrot instead and it’s perfect!
Thank you from France (Paris)
These are so good for snacking on the go! I did slightly change them up and used prosciutto instead of ham, low fat milk to replace one of the whole eggs, and chopped spinach, so yummy! Pretty versatile, I’m passing this one around!
These are fantastic!! My 1 1/2 year old loved them. I did them with ham, cheese and broccoli. Thanks for posting all of these amazing recipes!!
We made these this morning, for a late New Year’s Day breakfast. We all thought they were delicious! I used regular onions, since we didn’t have any green onions and used broccoli instead of zucchini. I just sautéed the broccoli and onions for about 5 minutes, and then added them to the mixture. My older daughter thought they were adorable!
YUM! These were super simple to make and super tasty! I made them in regular size muffin tins and just cooked them a bit longer. They turned out great. I will be freezing the leftovers for quick grab n go breakfast or snacks. Thanks for sharing a recipe with quinoa…I like quinoa, but am never sure what to do with it!
These were amazing– the perfect gateway drug to get people to try quinoa.
Thanks for the recipe Kristin!
(and now I own a mini muffin pan, yay!)
I made these up-sized to normal muffin tins and they are so delicious!!
Hi Iowa girl – these look amazing and I cant wait to make them but I have a question about the recipe. In your list of ingredients you say 2 eggs and then 2 egg whites – does this mean two whole eggs (whites and yolks) and then an additional 2 egg whites?
Exactly!
THANKS SO MUCH! I cant wait to make these!
I Was looking for a zuchinni recipe because I have a bunch of them from the garden. Just made these and they were DELICIOUS!! Right as I was taking them out of the oven my husband devoured half of them and that is saying something for what a picky eater he is! Thank you for the recipe! :)