These crunchy chocolate quinoa crisps come together in minutes with just a handful of ingredients - one of the easiest no-bake treats you'll ever make.
Chocolate Quinoa Crisps Recipe Snapshot
What are they?: Puffed quinoa coated in dark chocolate and formed into bite-sized treats.
Texture: Crunchy, crispy, and light.
Why THIS recipe: This version toasts the puffed quinoa first to make sure it is extra crunchy. It also has a 'lazy temper' method for melting the chocolate so it sets firm.
I first tried these on a flight and became slightly obsessed with recreating them at home. Every recipe I found made a tasty treat, but none of them had the satisfying crunch I was looking for. After a little experimenting, I discovered that toasting the puffed quinoa first is the secret to recreating that light, crispy texture.
Now I make them all the time as a little desk snack (hey, I'm looking at pictures of dessert all day!). My toddler is a big fan too, and she has no idea I'm using them to sneak a little extra protein and fiber into her.
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Reader Review:
Great copycat recipe of the undercover brand crisps that I'm currently obsessed with. I love how these are easy to make and cost effective. They're also great to eat straight out of the freezer without being too hard. The crisp and salt to sweet ratio of these are just perfect.
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ - Taylor
Ingredients
This recipe requires just 3 simple ingredients - be sure to read this section closely, as the texture of the quinoa is super important for making the crisps extra crunchy.
- Quinoa - This must be puffed quinoa, meaning it has been heated under high pressure until it puffs, kind of like popcorn. This process is not easy to do at home with raw quinoa, so I recommend buying online or at the grocery store.
- Chocolate - A good-quality dark chocolate goes beautifully with the toasted quinoa, but you can use whatever kind you like. Just make sure not to use candy bars and chocolate chips, as they are designed not to melt properly.
- Sea Salt - It's optional, but so worth it! Flakes of sea salt bring out the flavour of the dark chocolate and add a nice bit of contrast.
See the recipe card for quantities in both cups and grams.
How to Make Quinoa Chocolate Crisps
This recipe uses my lazy tempering method, which is an easy way to temper chocolate without a thermometer. It helps the chocolate set with a shiny finish and stay firm at room temperature.
Toast the Quinoa
Puffed quinoa is often a little chewy after being packaged and stored, so I have added a step to toast it, making it lovely and crisp. If your puffed quinoa is already perfectly crispy, you can skip this step.
Place the puffed quinoa in a dry frying pan and toast for a few minutes, just until they dry out and start to get crunchy. This step is optional, but it ensures that your quinoa crisps are extra crunchy and not chewy.
Melt the Chocolate
Chop up the chocolate finely and place ⅔ of it in a plastic bowl. Microwave it in 30-second bursts, giving it a good stir in between, until the chocolate is completely melted.
Place the remaining third of the chocolate into the bowl and stir it in vigorously with a spoon until melted. This works best if your chocolate is finely chopped, but if you are left with any unmelted lumps, you can just remove them, leaving you with a smooth consistency.
Mix Together
Pour the toasted quinoa into the melted chocolate, and sprinkle in the sea salt. Mix everything together until the quinoa is completely coated in the delicious chocolate.
Form Crisps
Scoop out teaspoon-sized dollops of the chocolate quinoa mixture and place them onto a baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Use the back of the spoon to press them down into flat disks.
Chill Until Set
Chill the quinoa crisps until they are totally set - this will take around 30 minutes in the fridge or 15 minutes in the freezer.
Take It Up A Notch
These are so good as they are, but I've been munching them so much I needed to switch it up a bit. Here are some of the different ways I have made them:
- Extra Crunch - Add in some chopped nuts - I like using pistachios or pecans.
- Chocolate Orange - Grate orange zest into the chocolate to create chocolate orange quinoa crisps.
- Chocolate Quinoa Bark - Spread your mixture out into one big flat even layer on a lined baking sheet, then once chilled, break it into bite-sized pieces of delicious chocolate bark. It's the easiest homemade chocolate bar!
Storage
Store your dark chocolate quinoa crisps in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 3 weeks. Don't leave them uncovered as any humidity can make them go soft.
FAQ
If you have a question about this recipe that isn't answered here, please write it in the comment section, and I will get back to you as soon as I can.
The chocolate is smooth and rich with just the right amount of sweetness, perfectly balanced by the toasty, slightly nutty flavour of the puffed quinoa and the sprinkles of sea salt.
As a dessert blogger, I'm not an expert in this - but I can tell you that quinoa is packed with protein and fibre.
For this recipe, I would recommend buying pre-puffed quinoa. It requires heating under high pressure, which is difficult to do with at-home equipment, so for the sake of this being a minimal-effort dessert, I would avoid trying to do it yourself.
Show Me Your Bakes!
If you tried this recipe, I'd love to know how it turned out in the comments!
Want to share a photo? You can send me a pic or tag @bonni_bakery on Instagram - I love seeing all your creations.
More Chocolate Treats
Are you a chocoholic like me? Try these tasty treats:
Chocolate Quinoa Crisps Recipe
Ingredients
- 140 g (2 cups) Puffed Quinoa
- 200 g (7 oz) Dark Chocolate finely chopped
- ½ teaspoon Sea Salt
Equipment
Instructions
- Put the puffed quinoa in a dry frying pan over medium heat, stirring frequently for a few minutes until it is dried out and crispy. Do not let it burn.140 g (2 cups) Puffed Quinoa
- Chop the chocolate finely and place ⅔ of it in a plastic bowl. Microwave in 30-second bursts, stirring well in between, until it is totally melted.200 g (7 oz) Dark Chocolate
- Add the remaining third of the chocolate to the bowl and stir it in vigorously with a spoon until melted. If you are left with any unmelted lumps, you can just remove them.
- Pour the toasted quinoa into the melted chocolate along with the sea salt and mix everything together until completely coated.½ tsp Sea Salt
- Scoop out teaspoon-sized dollops of the mixture and place onto a baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Use the back of the spoon to press them down into flat disks.
- Chill until set - about 30 minutes.
Bailey says
Not able to find puffed Quinoa. Tried toasting/roasting regular Quinoa on the stove top but it didn’t work. The texture was like bird seed in the cookie.
Katya says
Hi. You mentioned that they can be stored, but I can’t find for how long. Would you please clarify this for us. These crisps are such a great idea for my children to make.
Thank you
Jules Grasekamp says
Thank you for noticing this Katya! The ingredients are both shelf stable so the quinoa crisps last quite a long time. For ultimate freshness though I'd eat them within 3 weeks. I have added this into the recipe post now - thank you for pointing it out 🙂
Jules
Deborah N says
Super easy. I used znatural brand puffed quinoa and Baker's baking chocolate bar. So addictive, so delicious.
Vicotr says
I was wondering how to puff the quinoa because I only have regular quinoa
Taylor says
I thought for sure they wouldn't hold their shape when I was assembling them but once they set they are perfect and turn out just right. I used znatural brand puffed quinoa and guittard dark chocolate chips. Great copycat recipe of the undercover brand crisps that I'm currently obsessed with. I love how these are easy to make and cost effective. They're also great to eat straight out of the freezer without being too hard. The crisp and salt to sweet ratio of these are just perfect. Next I'm going to try replacing the puffed quinoa with brown rice crisps. 10/10 (:
Chris says
These turned out perfect! I love how crunchy my quinoa was. It reminded me of a chocolate bar I had as a kid that had something similar inside of it. This is probably my new favorite late night snack! Yay quinoa!