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Vegan millet kale quiches are perfect grab & go snacks or meals. They are high protein (7g each), easy to make, & scrumptious!
I am so excited to share this first recipe for this series of sweet and savory muffin tin recipes!
The inspiration comes from the ever-talented Heidi Swanson over at 101 cookbooks. She has a recipe for Kale Quinoa Bites that she crafted for a trip she took to Tokyo. It sparked my interest.
Beyond grains and kale baked in a muffin tin, my recipe is a dramatic departure. Most notably, I decided to skip the eggs altogether and try using a version of chickpea flour batter (from my egg-less mini quiches) in their place. Nutritional yeast takes the place of feta, delivering cheese-y goodness and extra protein, while sriracha + a wallop of garlic add major flavor. Yum!
Benefits of Millet
Rather than quinoa, I opted for one of my other favorite ancient grains, millet.
Millet might not get the same spotlight as quinoa or oats, but it absolutely deserves a place in your pantry. This tiny, budget-friendly grain is naturally gluten-free, easy to digest, and packed with good-for-you nutrients like fiber, magnesium, and antioxidants. It cooks up fluffy and mildly nutty, making it just as happy in cozy breakfast bowls as it is in savory pilafs or baked goods.
Recipe Benefits
- High protein (7 grams protein each)
- High fiber (4 grams fiber each)
- Vegan (egg-free, dairy-free)
- Oil-free
- Gluten-free
- Easy to make
- Perfectly portable (for lunches and quick snacks)
Ingredients
The exact amounts of each ingredient are indicated in the recipe card at the end of the post. Toggle between US Customary (volume) and Metric (weights) for preferred measurement option.
- uncooked millet
- kale (any variety such as curly kale, Lacinato kale, dinosaur kale or Tuscan kale)
- chickpea flour (also known as garbanzo bean flour, besan, or ceci flour)
- nutritional yeast
- dried Italian herbs, (or herbes de Provence)
- garlic powder
- salt (always optional/adjustable to your needs and tastes)
Step by Step Instructions
Note that the complete directions are also in the recipe card below.
- Cook the Millet: In a large saucepan, bring 3 cups water to a boil. Add the millet. Reduce heat to low and cook, uncovered, for about 25 minutes until water is absorbed and millet is flight and fluffy; fluff with fork.
- Add Kale to Pan: Remove saucepan from heat and immediately add the chopped kale to the saucepan of cooked millet. Stir the kale into the millet, cover, and let steam for 5 minutes (to soften kale).
- Preheat oven to 350F (180C). Line 12 cups of a standard-size muffin tin with silicone muffin liners (nonstick). If you are ok eating some oil, you can also grease or spray (with nonstick cooking spray) the muffin cups.
- While millet cooks, whisk the remaining 1 1/2 cups water, chickpea flour, nutritional yeast, dried herbs, garlic powder and salt in a large bowl until blended.
- Stir the kale-millet mixture into the chickpea batter until combined. Divide the mixture evenly among prepared cups, smoothing tops.
- Bake for 18 to 22 minutes until golden brown at edges and just set at center. Transfer to rack and cool at least 20 minutes. Remove from cups. Serve warm or cool completely.
Storage
Store the cooled quiches in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 3 days, or in the freezer for up to six months.
Variations
- Use Other Grains: Use any favorite cooked grain in place of the cooked millet. You will need 3.5 to 4 (lightly packed) cups of cooked grains. For example, quinoa, brown rice, or buckwheat groats.
- Vary the Seasonings: Replace the Italian herbs with the mix of dried herbs of your choice (e.g., dried basil, oregano, dill, tarragon). Alternative, season with any number of spices, such as smoked paprika, dried cumin, turmeric, onion powder, or curry powder.
- Vary the Vegetables: Replace the wilted kale with other (relatively finely) chopped cooked vegetables, such as broccoli, cauliflower, bell peppers, and onions.
Now round up your ingredients and make these asap.
Happy gnoshing!
Related Recipes
- Flourless Apple Millet Muffins
- Carrot Cake Millet Breakfast Bars {Low Fodmap}
- Millet Apricot Energy Bars (no-cook, 5 ingredients)
- Toasted Millet Banana Muffins
- Curried Millet with Raw Apple Relish
Vegan Millet Kale Quiches
Equipment
- 1 standard size muffin tin (12-count)
Ingredients
- 4 1/2 cups water, divided use
- 1 cup uncooked millet
- 4 cups chopped kale, lightly packed
- 1 cup chickpea flour
- 1/3 cup nutritional yeast
- 1 tablespoon dried Italian herbs, (or herbes de Provence)
- 2 1/2 teaspoons garlic powder
- 3/4 teaspoon salt, adjustable/ optional to your tastes and needs
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350F (180C). Line 12 cups of a standard-size muffin tin with silicone muffin liners (nonstick). If you are ok eating some oil, you can also grease or spray (with nonstick cooking spray) the muffin cups.
- While millet cooks, whisk the remaining 1 1/2 cups water, chickpea flour, nutritional yeast, dried herbs, garlic powder and salt in a large bowl until blended.
- Stir the kale-millet mixture into the chickpea batter until combined. Divide the mixture evenly among prepared cups, smoothing tops.
- Bake for 18 to 22 minutes until golden brown at edges and just set at center. Transfer to rack and cool at least 20 minutes. Remove from cups. Serve warm or cool completely.
Notes
Nutrition
I just started getting into millet and I’ve been vegan for 15 years. I found your website and you’ve got a lot of millet recipes. These were AMAZING. I subbed Chipotle hot sauce (a few teaspoons, added a couple dashes of cumin, and an extra tablespoon of nooch. While they were still warm I spread them with Miyokos oat butter! DELISH! Thanks so much for this fab recipe, I’ve already shared it with several friends.
Hi Mary! So glad we both love millet, and that these little quiches turned out so well! Yay! I love the sound of your flavor additions (I am a sucker for chipotle or smoked paprika in just about everything). Thank you so much for sharing with your fiends, other than means a lot 🙂
Hi Camila, I’m no longer eating rice or oats and will miss your wonder sandwich bread that I made every week. I can eat millet though, but not chickpeas. Anything I can substitute? Thanks
Hi Susie! I think I have a solution for you. Instead of using chickpea flour for the quiches, use the batter for my pumpkin seed (pepita) scramble. Bake as directed 🙂
Hi Camila,
Your recipes are wonderful and quite simple! Thank you.
Can I ask how can I replace the nutritional
Yeast- maybe apple cider instead?
And what about sriracha- can I use
Paprikra instead?
Please let me know
Karen
Hi Karen! Yes, you can add some thing other than the nutritional yeast. The yeast adds flavor and some extra protein, but it is not necessary for the recipe to work. You can add any of the options you list above, according to what you like and prefer. All the best.
Greetings Camilla! Could you please explain what millet being one of the only grains that is alkalizing to the body means exactly or give a link on your site for further info. You are so wise and I dearly love your recipes and you. Thank you so much for everything you do. Take care…
Sorry about that, Laura! I am sure it did seem like an out of the blue comment if you are not familiar with alkaline and acid-producing foods. Here is a brief explanation.
A growing body of research strongly suggests that balanced body chemistry is very important for maintaining optimal health. When we digest food, the results of the digestion can be acid-forming, neutral or alkaline; keeping your body chemistry balanced thus requires paying attention to the amount of alkaline and acid foods we eat.
The natural ratio of alkaline to acid in the body is 4 to 1 (80% alkaline, 20% acid). The body has large alkaline reserves (to neutralize acid-producing foods), but the modern diet skews VERY acidic. This can have all varieties of negative effects on health, as well as healing (from disease and injury). So it is a very good idea to consume more alkaline foods (to offset the effects of acid-forming foods and leave a safe margin of alkalinity).
Now, to the millet! Most grains are acid-producing. The exceptions are millet and buckwheat, both of which are alkaline (yay!).
If you google “alkaline acid food chart” you can find scores printable charts of alkaline and acid foods. I am always for taking direction to eat MORE of certain foods as way of easing away from less beneficial options. So much delicious food that is also good for great health!
These were super yummy! Even my son ate them in his lunch. I think there might be a typo, though. Water is listed in the ingredients but not in the directions. I added the 3/4 cups water to the ingredients in step 3, and it worked out for me.
Thanks so much Jessica–and thanks for letting me know about the typo, just fixed it! 🙂