These veggie-packed curried millet cakes make a fun, unexpected, and delicious vegetarian dinner! From The Complete Vegetarian Cookbook.
I don’t know about you, but I’ve spent a lot of time trying to get quinoa to stick together to form cohesive patties. With eggs, without eggs… I’ve made countless variations, some more successful than others, but now I have just one word: millet.
What is millet?
If you’ve never cooked millet before, you’re going to love it. One of my favorite grains, millet has a delicious nutty flavor and versatile texture. Depending on what water:grain ratio you use while cooking it, it can become a fluffy couscous-like grain or a creamy millet porridge. Like brown rice, it’s a naturally gluten-free grain, so even if you’re gluten-free, you can enjoy these yummy millet cakes!
After making them a few times, these little guys have become one of my favorite millet recipes. Luckily for me, millet is sticker than quinoa, so they bind together really easily. They’re packed with carrots, spinach, and fresh herbs and spiced with curry and garlic. This recipe is so flavorful and foolproof… as it should be since it comes from America’s Test Kitchen’s new book: The Complete Vegetarian Cookbook.
Millet Cake Recipe Variations
Because I knew this millet recipe was well-tested, I messed with it. I knew many of you would ask how to make the cakes vegan, so I tried them 2 ways. In half, I followed the recipe and used an egg and yogurt to bind the patties. In the other half, I used flaxseed and almond milk to veganize them. Guess what – both ways worked! The sticky millet was enough to bind the cakes together, with or without eggs, so it’s easy to make this recipe vegan and gluten-free.
I didn’t follow one other instruction: I baked my millet patties instead of pan frying them as was recommended. We loved them baked, so I can only imagine that pan frying them would make them extra tasty.
So back to the book – you’re going to want this one in your kitchen. Inside, you’ll find over 700 recipes, vegetable cooking tips, ingredient explanations, step-by-step chopping how-to’s, and more. It’s a great resource for vegetarians or anyone who just wants to incorporate more meatless meals into their lives. Many of the recipes are also vegan and gluten-free. Buy it here!
Looking for more millet recipes?
Try this tabbouleh, this millet salad, or this stuffed squash next!
Millet Cakes with Carrots & Spinach
- 1 cup millet, rinsed
- 2 cups water
- salt and pepper
- 3 teaspoons olive oil
- 1 shallot, minced
- 6 ounces (6 cups) baby spinach, chopped
- 2 carrots, peeled and shredded
- 2 garlic cloves, minced
- 2 teaspoons curry powder
- ¼ cup plain yogurt (vegan version: ¼ cup + 1 tablespoon almond milk)
- 1 large egg, lightly beaten (vegan version: ¼ cup ground flaxseed)
- 2 tablespoons minced cilantro
- any sauce or chutney you like - I topped mine with greek yogurt, mixed with salt, pepper, chile flakes and a squeeze of lime, or use this recipe and make a similar vegan version.
- Preheat the oven to 350°F and line a large baking sheet with parchment paper.
- Combine the millet, water, and ½ teaspoon salt in medium saucepan and bring to a simmer over medium heat. Reduce heat to low, cover, and simmer until grains are tender and liquid is absorbed, 15 to 20 minutes. Turn off the heat, let millet sit, covered, for 10 minutes; transfer to a large bowl.
- Heat 1 tablespoon oil in 12-inch nonstick skillet over medium heat until shimmering. Add the shallot and cook until softened, about 3 minutes. Stir in the spinach and carrots and cook until the spinach wilts, about 2 minutes. Stir in the garlic, curry powder, ½ teaspoon salt, and ¼ teaspoon pepper and cook until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Transfer the mixture to the bowl with millet.
- Add the yogurt, egg, (or flax + almond milk) and cilantro into the millet mixture and fold until well combined. Use a ⅓ cup measuring cup to scoop the mixture, then form into a ½-inch-thick cake, and place on prepared sheet. Repeat. Refrigerate cakes until chilled and firm, about 30 minutes. (15 minutes for the vegan version).
- Drizzle the cakes with olive oil and bake 25-30 minutes or until the edges are crispy and cakes are cooked through.
Recipe is from America’s Test Kitchen’s new book: The Complete Vegetarian Cookbook, and is re-printed with permission.
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im with you on quinoa…i have tried to do several things with it but it does not hold very well. i have to get millet and try these out soon.
The best meatless meal that I have ever had is a Philly cheesesteak, made with seitan, at a restaurant that I go to in Toronto. I do actually eat meat, and that is the closest a vegetarian alternative has ever gotten to tasting like the real thing. So good! If we’re talking homemade though, I love vegetable curries with rice (including your recipe for “aloo gobi-ish” 🙂
I decided to take a 22 day vegan challenge so I am so glad you were able to make these vegan. They look delicious! My favorite meatless meal at the moment is one I made from Yotam Ottolenghi’s cookbook Plenty – Soba noodles with mango and eggplant. Seemed like an odd pairing at first but it is so tangy and tasty!
Favorite meatless meal – mushroom curry or channa masala.
My go-to meatless meal is roasted sweet potatoes stuffed to the brim with white beans and kale. I also LOVE your roasted cauliflower and pasta recipe…it has kept me sane (and full) this winter 🙂
Sautee some turnip or mustard greens with garlic and red pepper flake, then add in a can of black beans. Cover to let the greens wilt some more and serve over brown rice. ATK also had a lentil and rice recipe (https://www.americastestkitchen.com/recipes/8035-rice-and-lentils-with-crispy-onions-mujaddara) that was very good!
This looks great, I have yet to try any type of non-meat patty but this is on my list.
My favorite meatless meal is three bean chili because I can get my family to eat it. I had to change the name from veggie chili to bean chili to get them to try. If I am just cooking for myself I make veggie hash with an egg on top, a great use for leftover vegetables.
So hard to choose–a hearty kale salad, butternut squash curry, any kind of bowl. These millet cakes look fantastic!
Vegetarian lasagna!
YOMS.
These look so delicious! I love sweet potato based veggie burgers, tacos, etc., but have been on the lookout for a way to use up a bag of millet I just bought, so this timing is perfect!
I’ve been trying to incorporate more meatless meals into my diet; this cookbook looks amazing!
I’ve really been loving a recipe for red lentil dahl; I make it once a week!!
I love Eggplant Lasagna.
My favourite meatless meal roasted Hubbard squash, roasted with lime olive oil, tossed with pasta, pine nuts and Parmesan cheese.
What a yummy version! I’m trying this out. I love spinach!
My favorite meatless meal would have to be mac and cheese…or anything with cheese, really. 😉
-Kelsey
http://www.alittlerosemaryandtime.com
favorite meatless meal? i eat almost exclusively that way so it is hard to pick! i’d have to say my favorite, lazy, meatless meal is a baked sweet potato with tasty toppings. most recently it has been a mix of crispy quinoa, beans, and kale spiced like tacos. it benefits from a scoop of yogurt or crumbled goat cheese. favorite new topping: a handful of crunched up tortilla chips for texture.
Great idea!! I’m going to try this!
I love homemade veggie burgers packed with fresh spices and veggies, but I also love “stick-to-your-bones” kinds of meals like chills, stews and other sloppy concoctions that can be served alongside spaghetti squash or roasted sweet potato.
Jeanine; these look wonderful! I just had a quick question concerning ingredients: carrots are in both your directions and the post, but I can’t seem to find them in the ingredient list.
Thanks so much!
just fixed that, thanks for pointing it out!
Can i use the egg and almond milk together as a binding agent?
I don’t like coriander nor curry. What can I substitute them with?
Can I use half onion in case I have no shallots?
Can I use cashew milk instead of almond milk?
Yes, you can use 1/3 cup minced onion in place of the shallot (probably less than half of an onion), and you can use cashew milk instead of almond milk. You can skip the spices and cilantro, or add a spice that you do like – cumin would be good, and parsley can go in place of the cilantro. Hope that helps!
My favorite meatless meal is a quinoa veggie burger. Can’t wait to try these millet cakes!