Gluten Free No-Bake Quinoa Almond Protein Cookies

Nice Stack!!

Holy healthy cookies, Batman Robin anyone who cares to listen, these are awesome! I bet the creators of that original “Batman and Robin” show never dreamt that line would be reused so much; and for this long, but it just works so well.


I have seen, created, and tried so many microwave cake recipes; I decided to experiment with more microwave madness using quinoa as the test subject. This was actually pretty easy and should be a great time saver for future work lunch meals!

Cooked with a little crunch left


Just add rinsed quinoa and liquid (water, broth, coconut milk, etc.) to a microwavable bowl at a 1:1 ratio, cover, and microwave 3 – 5 minutes. Stir quinoa and place back in the microwave to cook another 3 – 5 minutes. Watch for bubbling over the sides; if this happens, pause (don’t open the door) to let settle, and then restart pausing as needed until finished. The quinoa should look translucent just as it does when cooked with other methods.


I used a 1/2 cup quinoa with 1/2 cup water and microwaved for 3 minutes, stirred, and then another 3 minutes. The quinoa still had a bit of crunch to it, which I like, but it could’ve been cooked longer. I didn’t have a need for cooked quinoa since I already made our meals for the week, so I immediately thought…cookies!

The fork lines really add character...don't you think?

But did I feel like baking? No way; we’re trying to not use the A/C in our house, and it’s hot enough as it is. This recipe had to be no-bake, healthy, and preferably easy. Lara Bars came to mind and my decision was made; but my recipe would be better. I swear, that’s a completely unbiased statement!


Do you want to try these? Grab a food processor and gather the following:

No-Bake Quinoa Almond Protein Cookies/Balls/Bars

1/2 cup dry quinoa – cooked in microwave or on stove
2 scoops (1/4 cup) protein powder – I used vanilla whey protein powder sweetened with stevia
10 dried apricots
1 to 1.5 ounces dry roasted almonds – I only used a handful, but more could be used
1/8th tsp salt
Sweetener to taste - I used 1 packet nunaturals stevia and 6 drops liquid vanilla stevia

Process until well combined and roll into balls or press into small brownie pan to make into bars. I pressed the balls with a fork to make cookies, but they taste the same (freakin’ awesome) either way. These will firm up once left in the fridge.

This could be a new version of Tic-Tac-Toe with "balls" and "O's"

Try swapping ingredients for a whole new cookie. Instead of dried apricots, try raisins, dates, papaya, or blueberries; swap the almonds for pistachios, walnuts, peanuts, or pecans. So many variations, I can’t wait to try a new one.

Have you ever microwave-cooked something that’s usually not nuked? Let me know what you have tried or want to try; I might try myself and post about it!