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These Spinach Artichoke Bites turn your favorite hot, cheesy dip into a crispy finger food that’s healthy too because they are made with quinoa! Three kinds of cheese make them super tasty gluten free appetizers or an easy snack that’s even better when you dunk them in tomato sauce.
Cheesy Spinach Artichoke Bites – Made with Quinoa!
I like to be honest with all of you. My kids don’t like to eat quinoa unless I sneak it into Apple Cinnamon Quinoa Oatmeal Breakfast Bars. They also try to avoid spinach and artichokes. But once I got them eating Cheesy Quinoa with dinner and snacking on these Cheesy Veggie Quinoa Bites, I knew it might be time to try and get some dark, leafy greens past them.
Heck, if it takes turning their veggies into finger food, I’ll do whatever it takes. And it worked!
But you don’t just have to make these spinach artichoke bites just for the hidden vegetable factor. They make great party appetizers or game day snacks too!
You’ve got the usual suspects in classic spinach artichoke dip – spinach, artichoke hearts, and three kinds of cheese – all mixed up with cooked quinoa and an egg to stick it all together. It is baked into golden, crispy little bites perfect for dipping in tomato sauce and popping right in your mouth. Even the pickiest of eaters won’t be able to resist all the cheesy finger food fun.
Ingredients
Here is a quick overview of what you’ll need. All of the amounts are in the recipe card at the bottom of the post. But keep reading for tips and serving suggestions.
- Quinoa. Use leftovers or prepare a batch using one of these five ways to cook quinoa, then let it cool.
- Cheese. Three kinds make it so good – Monterey Jack, mozzarella, and parmesan.
- Canned artichoke hearts. Chopped and squeezed until dry.
- Frozen spinach. Thawed and squeezed until dry.
- Salt.
- Egg. If you have an egg allergy, some people have left this out. They don’t bind quite as well, but they are still yummy.
How to Make Quinoa Bites
Start by preheating your oven to 350°F and spraying a mini muffin tin well with nonstick cooking spray. A silicone pan is also a great option to make them easier to pop out. Now that the preparations are done, let’s get started.
Make the mixture. Make sure your spinach and artichoke hearts are squeezed really dry and chopped. Then toss them into a mixing bowl with the cooled quinoa, cheeses, salt, and egg. Mix everything together until thoroughly combined.
Bake the bites. Divide the mixture between cups of a mini muffin pan and press down firmly. Bake at 350°F for 20-25 minutes or until crisp and golden. Then let them cool a bit before loosening them with the tip of a butter knife and popping them out of the pan.
Tips for Success
Let it cool. You want to start with cooled quinoa. First, if it is hot it will melt the cheese and make a sticky mess before you can even get it into the pan. Second, when it cools, it dries out a bit, making the quinoa bites stick together better.
Dry it out. Make sure you’ve squeezed as much of the excess moisture out of both the thawed spinach and canned artichoke hearts as possible before you stir everything together. This will ensure everything sticks together.
Press it down. Once you’ve filled the muffin tins, make sure to press the mixture down really well.
Serving Ideas
These little spinach artichoke bites are the perfect finger food for dipping. Try some of these sauces:
- Marinara Sauce is the classic pairing, or try pesto or Vodka Sauce.
- Barbecue sauce is tasty too, especially Balsamic BBQ Sauce.
- A creamy dip like Healthy Caesar Dressing is a nice, cool contrast.
Besides appetizers, you can also serve them as a side dish for Prosciutto-Wrapped Chicken or with a Honey Balsamic Flat Iron Steak.
Things You’ll Need
- Paddle grater – I like to use these for shredding cheese.
- Mini muffin tin – be sure to spray it well with cooking spray, or even try one of these silicone muffin pans to pop them out easily.
- Cookie scoop – makes filling the muffin tin super easy.
Cheesy Spinach Artichoke Quinoa Bites
Ingredients
- 1 cup cooked quinoa, cooled
- 2 oz shredded Monterey Jack cheese (about 1/2 cup)
- 2 oz shredded mozzarella cheese (about 1/2 cup)
- 2 Tablespoons grated parmesan cheese
- 14 oz artichoke hearts, chopped and squeezed in a paper towel or kitchen towel until throughly dry
- 4 oz frozen spinach, thawed and squeezed in a paper towel or kitchen towel until throughly dry
- ½ teaspoon kosher salt
- 1 large egg
Instructions
- Preheat your oven to 350°F. Spray a mini muffin tin with cooking spray or oil.
- Add all of the ingredients to a bowl and mix until thoroughly combined.
- Divide the mixture evenly between the cups of the mini muffin tin, and press down to pack it in firmly.
- Bake for 20-25 minutes, or until golden brown and crispy. Let cool for a couple minutes before loosening from the pan with the tip of a butter knife.
Did you make this?
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I didn’t follow the recipe exactly, but it turned out really good and hoping our toddler likes these.
I had fresh spinach so I used about 1-1.5cups, through it in our little ninja food processor and tried to squeeze a little liquid out. I just use the cheese we had left in the fridge a little bit of mozzarella, a little cheddar, and most of it Mexican cheese blend, and had about a tbsp of parm. I also added two small garlic cloves, about a tsp of paprika, and oddly enough I added about 1tbsp of garlic hummus. Since I realize this had more liquid than the OG recipe I added an extra egg to help bind. They probably don’t quite stick together as well as the OG, but they don’t crumble either and they don’t even need a dip; which is great because once a dip is involved my toddler just wants to eat the dip and nothing else.
I made half the recipe as is and then added Italian sausage to other half. It was a hit with the carnivores too!
Ooops, yes, I see it now. Read it as 1 cup raw quinoa, cooked and then cooled …. My bad!
Please adjust the recipe so it is clear the quinoa is 1 cup cooked, not raw! I didn’t realise and things went downhill from there …!
I’m sorry about that, but the recipe does say “1 cup cooked quinoa, cooled”.
I don’t have a mini pan, would you suggest a cooking time if I used regular size muffin pan?
I haven’t done that but I’d say 25-30 minutes. The outsides will crisp up in about the same time, but you want them hot and fully stuck together on the inside.