Transform plain cooked quinoa into crispy quinoa, mixed with crunchy almonds and pumpkin seeds. A nutritious and deliciously unexpected way to add fiber and protein to a range of dishes, including salads, yogurt, oatmeal and more!
You’ll find several quinoa recipes on my site, mainly incorporated into lovely salads such as this arugula and goat cheese salad, beet and quinoa salad, and this harvest carrot salad. I find they transform boring greens into delicious main dish worthy salads.
But today’s recipe shows you how to make crispy quinoa to top on all sorts of foods and dishes. Toss them into a salad, top on yogurt, oatmeal or cottage cheese, or just eat as a tasty crunchy snack. You can skip the chopped almonds and pumpkin seeds to make a plain crispy quinoa. However, the addition of the nuts and seeds adds more texture, flavor and of course good-for-you fats and micronutrients.
Jump to:
- Why you’ll love crispy quinoa
- Ingredients for nutty crispy quinoa
- What is quinoa anyhow?
- How to make crispy quinoa
- Quinoa Nutrition Info
- Crispy quinoa recipe tips and modifications
- Want a FREE Protein Guide?
- Important note about bake time!
- Add crispy quinoa to these recipes!
- Crispy Quinoa Recipe
- Crispy Quinoa with Nuts and Seeds
Why you’ll love crispy quinoa
- Amazing texture and flavor that adds richness to any dish you top it on
- Quick and easy to make, just toss it and almost forget it while it bakes
- Makes great use of leftover plain quinoa. A batch of quinoa yields about 3 cups of finished cooked quinoa! This recipe for crispy quinoa helps prevent waste in a yummy & nutritious way.
- Adds 4 grams of protein, 2 grams of fiber to any dish you incorporate it in, with every serving!
- Nutritious powerhouse! The combo of nuts and seeds used in this quinoa crispy recipe provides essential vitamins and minerals such magnesium, potassium, iron zinc, and are rich in heart healthy Omega 3 fats such ALA.
Ingredients for nutty crispy quinoa
You only need a few pantry staples to throw this recipe together:
- 1 cup cooked quinoa. Feel free to use tri-color or plain quinoa, but I do recommend using cooked. Some recipes will use uncooked quinoa but I find it’s too hard to get a decent texture where the quinoa doesn’t remain so tough to the point of being able to break a tooth!
- 1 ounce plain almonds, roughly chopped. Feel free to toss in other nuts as well, or sub out almonds. I do love the hearty crunch of almonds though.
- .5 ounces raw unsalted pumpkin seeds. Pumpkin seeds are so fantastic for you and I include them in my daily diet because they have one of the highest fiber counts and a lower fat content than a lot of other nuts and seeds.
- 1.5 tablespoon olive oil. You will need to moisten the quinoa a bit so it doesn’t get dried out and bland. Feel free to use a flavor infused olive oil.
- Sea salt and cinnamon for just a touch of added flavor.
What is quinoa anyhow?
Quinoa is a nutritious, gluten-free, grain-free seed from a plant in the amaranth family, though it is classified as a grain. As a plant-based complete protein, quinoa contains 8 grams per cup, higher than other carbohydrates.
How to make crispy quinoa
Step 1
Spread out cooked quinoa on a rimed, parchment lined baking sheet. If you just cooked the quinoa, you will want to pat it with a paper towel to remove some moisture. If using leftovers, this step likely won’t be necessary.
Step 2
Add the nuts, seeds and toss with olive oil, cinnamon and sea salt till well combined.
Step 3
Spread out quinoa and seed mixture on the rimmed sheet pan, in a nice even layer.
Step 4
Bake at 375 degress f, for 20-25 minutes, making sure to toss and stir the quinoa mix a couple of times throughout the baking process, to ensure even toasting.
Let cool and begin enjoying! Toss on salads, top on oatmeal or just eat little bits as a snack! The nutty texture and warm rich flavor is fantastic and elevates any dish.
Quinoa Nutrition Info
Naturally gluten-free, quinoa is a great source of manganese, magnesium, folate, and vitamin B1. Quinoa is high in fiber and considered a prebiotic, which means it can contribute to gut health as well.
Crispy quinoa recipe tips and modifications
- Use a flavored olive oil, or even a spicy oil crisp to give this a more spicy and savory flavor profile.
- Finish the baked quinoa with your favorite finishing salt, lemon or orange zest, or even an interesting blend like za’atar.
- Adjust the nuts and seeds you use. Adding chia seeds would be a great option, as well a sunflower seeds and hazelnuts.
- The crispiness of the quinoa is up to you! I have tried it with a longer bake time and it got really uber crunchy, and a shorter baked time resulted in a almost chewier texture. Start test-tasting around 20 minutes and adjust bake time to your liking!
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Important note about bake time!
The crispiness of the quinoa is up to you! I have tried it with a longer bake time of 30 minutes and it got really uber crunchy, and a shorter bake time of 20 minutes resulted in a almost chewier texture. Start test-tasting around 20 minutes and adjust bake time to your liking! Bake time will also vary a bit based on your oven.
Add crispy quinoa to these recipes!
Crispy Quinoa Recipe
Crispy Quinoa with Nuts and Seeds
Equipment
Ingredients
- 1 cup Quinoa cooked
- 1 ounce Almonds unsalted, roughly chopped
- .5 ounce Pumpkin seeds unsalted
- 1.5 tablespoon Olive oil add 1 additional tablespoon if seems dry
- ½ teaspoon Sea salt
- ¼ teaspoon Ground cinnamon
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 375 degrees f.
- On a parchment lined baking sheet, spread out cooked quinoa and pat dry with paper towels if just recently cooked and still moist.1 cup Quinoa
- Chop almonds and add almonds and pumpkin seeds to quinoa. Drizzle with olive oil and add salt and cinnamon. Stir well till completely combined.1 ounce Almonds, .5 ounce Pumpkin seeds, 1.5 tablespoon Olive oil, ½ teaspoon Sea salt, ¼ teaspoon Ground cinnamon
- Bake in the oven for 20-25 minutes, stirring every 10 minutes so all edges get nice and toasty and crispy.
- When desired crunchiness is achieved, remove from the oven and allow to cool. Enjoy as a snack or top on salads, yogurt parfaits, oatmeal or over easy eggs.
