These Protein Packed Broccoli Cheese Bites are packed with quinoa and chickpeas to give them even extra protein! They’re easy to make and healthy too! Toddler approved 🙂
Sometimes I cruise through the frozen food section and impulsively throw things into my cart that I think Eli would enjoy. Most of the time I feel like they don’t have much flavor and that I could make a much better version myself.
These Broccoli Cheese Bites would be one of those foods! Sometimes you don’t realize how easy homemade is until you give it a try!
These Protein Packed Broccoli Cheese Bites are my new favorite easy snack to make at home. You only need a few ingredients and they can easily be made vegan using vegan cheese instead of regular.
I call these Protein Packed because there’s four sources of protein in these bites: Cheese, Broccoli, Quinoa and Chickpeas. The quinoa and chickpeas also really help to hold everything together so you don’t even need eggs or breadcrumbs in this recipe.
These Protein Packed Broccoli Cheese Bites are really great to have around for healthy snacking! They’re freezer friendly and stay good in the refrigerator for up to 4 days. You can easily re-heat them in the oven, stovetop or microwave for a quick and easy snack or toddler lunch.
They’re also a great way to hide the veggies if you have picky kids! The quinoa and chickpea help to mask the green color from the broccoli and they have such a great cheesy flavor that goes perfectly with the broccoli. I hope you and your kids enjoy these as much as we do!
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Protein Packed Broccoli Cheese Bites
Prep Time: 15 mins- Cook Time: 25 mins
- Total Time: 40 minutes
- Yield: 30 1x
- Category: Side, Snack
- Cuisine: American
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Pin RecipeDescription
These Protein Packed Broccoli Cheese Bites are perfect for a quick and healthy snack! They’re freezer friendly so you can have them on hand all the time!
Ingredients
- 1 (15 ounce) can chickpeas, or 1 1/2 cups
- 1 1/2 cups cooked quinoa
- 1 1/2 cups chopped cooked broccoli
- 1 cup sharp cheddar cheese
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 1/2 teaspoons onion powder
- 1 1/2 teaspoons garlic powder
- 1/4 teaspoon black pepper
- Cooking spray or olive oil for baking
Instructions
- Pre-heat oven to 350 degrees F. Add all ingredients to a food processor and blend until completely combined and ingredients are broken down. Feel free to add more seasonings if you wish.
- Line a baking sheet with a non-stick baking mat or parchment paper. Spray with cooking spray and use a 1 tablespoon scoop to scoop the mixture onto the baking sheet.
- Use your hand to pat down the tops a little bit and either brush the tops with olive oil or spray with cooking spray.
- Bake broccoli cheese bites until golden brown on the top and bottom, 20-25 minutes. Remove from the oven and let cool on the baking sheet for 5-7 minutes before eating. They can be a little soft when warm because of the cheese but should firm up nicely once cooled a little bit.
- Enjoy with your favorite dipping sauce, if desired.
Notes
Broccoli cheddar bites can be refrigerated in an airtight container for 3-4 days and frozen in a freezer safe container for up to 3 months.
Hi Izzy. These sound wonderful! I wonder if you have any thoughts on making them without a food processor? Thanks!
Thank you! I think if you mashed everything really well it might hold together! I think the blending helps it all bind but you could probably also use a masher and if it doesn’t seem like it’s holding together super well maybe bake it in a muffin tin instead of trying to scoop it onto a baking sheet. I hope that helps!
Hi there! Wanted to ask you what you would recommend subbing for the cheese to make these guys vegan. My daughter has a dairy allergy and is the pickiest eater ever, so I would love to try them with her!
Hi! I’d either add a few tablespoons nutritional yeast, some dairy free cheese or just leave it out all together. The other ingredients should bind enough without the cheese 🙂
I used parmesan instead of cheddar cheese and they were delicious! Adding these into my rotation of easy go-to meals.
★★★★★
Awesome! I’m so glad you enjoyed them!
Would you recommend freezing before or after baking?
I would probably freeze before baking just so they don’t dry out.
I was wondering if this recipe would work with amaranth instead of quinoa.
I’ve never actually cooked with amaranth before but I would think it would work!
Hi! Do you drain the can of chickpeas before using? Or do you use the chickpea water as well? Thanks! 🙂 Excited to try these!
drain the chickpeas and just use the water! I hope you enjoy 🙂