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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?
Leave a rating below and tag @cupcakesandkalechips on Instagram and hashtag it #cupcakesandkalechips
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.
Is it truly 4 oz of spinach? Four only? Not more? Thanks!
Yes, that’s all you need.
Made for our weekly distancing cocktail hour. Was a huge hit. I had some sauteed onions & peppers that I added as well as garlic salt. Not one leftover.
Yummy, love the additions!
Ate the whole pan myself! Simple and delicious recipe. Thank you. 🙂
Just made these bites and I love them!! I work 12 hour shifts and am always looking for new things I can prep/make/freeze ahead of time for lunches and snacks at work. Thanks for this awesome addition to my recipe book! 🙂
Can these be made ahead, frozen and reheated?
Absolutely, Sheryl. Just be sure to wrap them when they’re cool. I suggest wrapping them in a layer of plastic wrap with a layer of aluminum foil around that. Put them into the fridge to thaw the night before you want to reheat them and you should be good to go!
Is it one cup quinoa before or after cooking it?
No, it is one cup after cookiing.
Hello
I was wondering if you think I could bake the whole content in a square or rectangular dish to then cut them into small pieces. If so, what size of dish would you recommend and would you keep the oven temperature the same? Thank you ahead of time for any input you may have
And happy winter holidays
Chantal
I’m sorry, I have not tried that. I’d think it would work, but you’d lose the crispy edges so I’m not sure the piddle pieces would hold together too well.
Hi. I can’t wait to try these! I am making them for my greeting card making club. Thank you so much for the idea!!!
Love the recipe! Added a few seasonings and just a small amount to not over power. SO. FREAKING. GOOD!!!
Thank you for this !!
I’m so glad to hear that you love the quinoa bites, Lauren. They’re pretty addictive, aren’t they? 😉
Made these for dinner tonight. Yummy! I changed the recipe just a little. I added 1/4 red bell pepper, 2 green onions, 1 very small clove of garlic and didn’t add any salt. With all the cheese I felt there would be enough salt in the recipe. I also used fresh spinach. That was what I had on hand. I warmed some marinara sauce but after one I switched to cocktail sauce and salsa to see which we liked the best. My thought is it depends on how I feel at any different time. Next time I may also try guacamole. This was our dinner with a side salad. Thank you for the recipe.
Brenda, your substitutions and additions to the quinoa bites recipe sound amazing! I’m so glad that you enjoyed the recipe. Thank you for your comment and recipe rating!
Do you think these would still be good reheated? I want to make them for an office potluck, but I would need to make them the day before. Thanks!
Yes, I actually like them a little extra crispy!
so sorry, I just commented on the other cheesy bites when I really made this one.. please see that comment, thanks
Haha! No worries. Thank you for your comment and feedback on the muffins.
These deserve 5 *. I added some scallions to them the second time I made them. they are so good. I cant imagine them getting only 2*. This is a keeper, love them.
I am so happy to hear that you like the quinoa bites, Shirley! Thank you for your 5 star review 🙂
By chance do you have any nutritional info on these? Thanks
Hi Mabel,
I suggest using the nutritional calculator on myfitnesspal.com to get nutritional information for recipes. I entered this one for you. You can see the results here: http://www.myfitnesspal.com/recipe/view/163833154670333
What dipping sauce did u make to go with it?
Gabby, I served the quinoa bites with a simple spaghetti/marinara sauce.
Not near as good as they look ????
Sorry you didn’t like them. Do you have any specific feedback?
Hello! Can I use fresh spinach for this recipe, or is it important to use thawed frozen? I already have fresh spinach on hand, but I’m wondering if there is something unique about the texture of frozen that makes it better for this. Thanks!!
Hi Andrea! I used frozen spinach because I wanted to be able to remove the excess moisture so they would hold together, and to ensure no uncooked bits of spinach (which my kids don’t like). If you wilt fresh spinach and squeeze out the moisture it might work, but I haven’t tried it.
I love all the quinoa recipes I’ve been seeing lately! It’s one of my favorites and so versatile! (P.S. Sorry you got hit with negativity – your blog is beautiful, and I love what I’ve seen!) Thanks so much for linking up with us at Funtastic Friday!
Thanks so much for your sweet comment, Liz!
We make quinoa quite often, but I’ve never made them into bites. These sound yummy! Thanks for linking up with Merry Monday last week.
Any recipe with spinach has my vote. This looks amazing. Going to pin it under Appetizers.
The ads are obnoxious & cover content. They move as the screen does. I just wanted to see the recipe to see what ingredients and I had to go through a crud load of pictures (same one again & again of the recipe Cooked) and ads, ads, & more ads! Ugh! Won’t come back to your site. You annoying.
I am sorry you feel that way. My ad program aligns with many others in the industry. And if you don’t like photos, then you probably shouldn’t look for recips on food blogs because many of us do like to take and display photos.
Hi! I love these little bites. I had leftover quinoa and these were SO GOOD! I’m taking them to a party later. What is the best way to reheat them without them getting soggy or drying out? Oven? Air Fryer? Thx so much for this recipe!!