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Sweet and Sour Quinoa Balls

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These Sweet and Sour Quinoa Balls are great for packed lunches, as a snack or as part of the main meal.

Sweet and Sour oozes kid appeal and these Sweet and Sour Quinoa Balls are no different. Cooked in pineapple juice, vinegar, ginger, garlic, tomato paste and low sodium soy sauce (optional) the quinoa soaks up all the delicious flavours and truly tastes amazing!

sweet and sour quinoa balls. Perfect for a lunch box, finger food or as mart of a main meal. Great for kids and for baby-led weaning (blw)

I make a lot of different quinoa balls, like these tomato and basil balls, as I find them perfect to have in the fridge to snack on or to serve in a lunch box. This version has to be the boys’ favourite – they really don’t last long!

sweet and sour quinoa balls. Perfect for a lunch box, finger food or as part of a main meal. Great for kids and for baby-led weaning (blw)

 

If you are doing baby-led weaning then these are a perfect finger food. You can just leave out the soy sauce to reduce the sodium levels. I would also make sure to chop the pineapple finely so that there are no big chunks. Cooking them in a ball format saves a lot of mess! I used to hate trying to clean up tiny grains of quinoa when Rory was a baby!

sweet and sour quinoa balls. Perfect for a lunch box, finger food or as mart of a main meal. Great for kids and for baby-led weaning (blw)

You May Also Like

  • Tomato and Basil Quinoa Balls
  • Sweetcorn and Quinoa Fritters
  • Sweet and Sour Chicken

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sweet and sour quinoa balls. Perfect for a lunch box, finger food or as mart of a main meal. Great for kids and for baby-led weaning (blw)
3.8 from 5 votes

Sweet and Sour Quinoa Balls

Sweet and sour quinoa balls are perfect for a lunch box, finger food or as part of a main meal. Great for kids and for baby-led weaning (blw)
Prep Time: 10 minutes
Cook Time: 40 minutes
Total Time: 50 minutes
Serves:13 balls
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Ingredients

  • 1 tbsp oil
  • 1 red onion finely chopped
  • 2 garlic cloves finely chopped
  • 1 tsp finely chopped ginger
  • 2 tbsp white wine vinegar
  • 1 tbsp low sodium soy sauce* (optional)
  • 1 tbsp tomato paste
  • 1/2 cup pineapple juice
  • 1/2 cup water
  • 1/2 cup quinoa (rinsed)
  • 100 g (approx. 2 rings) pineapple chopped into small pieces **
  • 1 beaten egg

Instructions

  • Pre heat oven to 180c/ 350f / Gas 4.
  • Heat oil in pan over medium / high heat. Reduce heat and gently fry the onion until softened (approx. 5 mins). Add the garlic and ginger and fry for a further min. To the onions and garlic, add the vinegar, soy sauce, tomato paste, pineapple juice, water and quinoa then stir.
  • Bring to the boil, reduce the heat to low, cover and allow to simmer for 15 mins.
  • Turn the heat off and leave the quinoa to sit covered for a further 5 mins.
  • Stir in the chopped pineapple.
  • Allow to cool and then stir in the beaten egg.
  • Form approx.13 heaped tablespoon sized balls and place on a silicon mat / lined baking tray.
  • Cook in the oven for 20 mins or until golden.

Video

Recipe Notes

* If making for a baby then you can leave out the soy sauce to reduce the sodium level
** If making for a baby / young toddler then make sure to chop the pineapple finely to avoid choking.
Nutritional information is a ROUGH guide only, calculated using an online nutrition calculator.Ā 
Nutrition Facts
Sweet and Sour Quinoa Balls
Amount Per Serving
Calories 54 Calories from Fat 18
% Daily Value*
Fat 2g3%
Saturated Fat 1g5%
Cholesterol 13mg4%
Sodium 57mg2%
Potassium 87mg2%
Carbohydrates 8g3%
Fiber 1g4%
Sugar 2g2%
Protein 2g4%
Vitamin A 40IU1%
Vitamin C 5.6mg7%
Calcium 10mg1%
Iron 0.5mg3%
* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.
Course:Lunch / Main meal
Cuisine:Fusion
Keyword:Sweet and Sour Quinoa Balls
Did you make this recipe?Tag me on Instagram at @healthylittlefoodies or leave me a comment & rating below.

 

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20 Comments

  1. Kerry says

    Hi Amy, I’m gathering recipes at the moment and making a shopping list. I’ve read some of these comments and was wondering if the Australian measurements are slightly different to the rest of the world? I’ve lived in Perth, Denmark and New Zealand and have noticed that 1 cup is different in each part of the world. Would it make a difference if the recipe said xxx grams of water etc to stop the food from being too soggy?

    Reply

    • Amy says

      Hi Kerry, thanks so much for your feedback. Yes, I do think some of my early recipes don’t “translate” well depending on where you live. I now always include both gram options and cups but would recommend using grams (due to cup variations). I now need to go through all my old recipes and update!

      Reply

  2. Katie Jo says

    4 stars
    My 9 month old daughter LOVES these!!! They’re great for those nights when I make a dinner she can’t have or we’re running low on time. I have a soy allergy, so I substitute low sodium coconut aminos for the soy sauce. I followed the recipe exactly and before baking, the “dough” was a little crumbly, as expected per the comments I read. I thought about adding an extra egg and wish I had. I will make these again, but I will definitely add the additional egg to bind the other ingredients more.

    Reply