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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My favorite meatless meal is Tempeh Reuben with baked sweet potato fries. Yumm Yumm!!!!
Looks delicious. Can’t wait to try it out. My favorite meatless meal is linguini with garlic oil, sundried tomatoes, and za’atar.
My favorite meatless meal is golden beet and feta pizza with arugula and spiced honey 🙂 I just found your website through Saveur. It looks great. I’ll be back!
i’m a sucker for bowls! throw loads of roasted veggies, some spices, a bit of preserved lemon (if i’m feeling saucy), and some quinoa, brown rice or millet and you’ve got yourself a meal. so easy, so filling and so delicious!
can’t wait to try these millet cakes!
As a newbie in the vegetarian scene one of my favorite meals is sweet potato quesadillas with fresh sage. Now my mouth is watering…
My favorite meatless meal is your “ricotta” stuffed shells! My (slightly) picky husband loves them even though he knows it’s not cheese in there, and when I take them to parties everyone asks me for the recipe.
And now I’m off to make some millet cakes 🙂
yay, I’m so glad! 🙂
Would love this recipe book!
My favorite lately is gf pizza crust topped with caramelized onions, butternut squash, feta and fresh greens once it’s baked.
My favorite vegetarian meal is Pasta with cream, onions and zucchini! Num!!
These look awesome (as does that cookbook)!! Can’t wait to try them tonight. I’m in agreement with a lot of others that it’s hard to pick just one favorite vegetarian dish, but I do love a good black bean burger.
My favorite meatless meal would have to be Marcella Hazan’s simple butter and tomato sauce over fresh pasta. My favorite meatless other meal is Molly Wizenberg’s arugula, bread, cherry and goat cheese salad.
My favorite vegetarian dish (this month!) is a baked dish with kale, pinto beans, sweet and spicy peppers, roasted veggies (cauliflower, carrots, sweet potatoes), charred romaine lettus, and topped with fage yogurt. Sweet and spicy and full of nutrients. YUM!
My favourite meatless meal is a comforting, cheesy pasta or gratin! Pumpkin alfredo with herbed goat cheese and rosemary is my soul food. <3
This is a tough one! My current favorite is probably a spinach and cheese enchilada I found on Two Peas and Their Pod. I change it up some and add black beans, reduce the cheese some, and make a few other tweaks to suit my family’s taste. I really like the looks of these millet cakes – so colorful! Maybe they will be my new fave : )
I made this tonight and my boyfriend (who claims to hate millet) loved it. I subbed the almond milk for soy yogurt in the vegan version you have written and baked it like you did. Turned out great!
His was topped with a zucchini relish and poached egg and my was topped with vegan soy yogurt mixed with lemon juice, salt, pepper, and chili flakes. Thanks for another great recipe!
FieldRoast grain sausage with roasted root vegetables and homemade chimichurri sauce
My husband and I are both vegetarians and we love making meals together. We enjoy creating homemade pizzas with whatever veggies are in our current CSA Box. Beet and Cheddar Pizza or Carmelized Fennel and Goat Cheese Pizza are 2 favorites at the moment.
can’t wait to get a copy of this book!
favorite vegetarian meal… sweet potato black bean tacos with guac
These look great! I am a fairly new vegetarian but have been experimenting a lot! My go-to during the week is black bean burgers, but my new favorite recipe is sweet potato nachos! I roast sweet potatoe wedges seasoned with salt and chili powder and then top with sliced bell peppers, black beans, scallion and a sprinkling of pepper jack then broil. I finish them off with avocado and salsa verde. So satisfying and delicious!!!
I’ve always had a weakness for Korean food. A favorite dish was Bi Bim Bap. Happily, I discovered that the veggie version is just as delish!
My favorite meal ( since all my meals are meatless) is polenta with roasted vegetables. Would love to add more meals from this to the mix!