Vegetarian Quinoa Black Bean Burgers are an awesome way to get more plants into your diet. Loads of flavor, great texture and delicious on a bun, salad, or even in a wrap. Gluten free patties, vegan friendly.
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Love black beans? Be sure to make Sweet Potato Black Bean Tacos, Vegetarian Breakfast Burritos and Black Bean Enchiladas.
Why You’ll Love This Recipe
- Perfectly plant based, with the option to make it a vegan burger recipe!
- A few secret tricks to keep the burgers from falling apart.
- Make ahead recipe and burger patties store in the fridge and freezer!
- More plant protein FOR THE WIN!
Recipe Ingredients
This homemade veggie burger is delicious, and super easy to make at home. All it takes a handful of simple ingredients, most of which you probably already have on hand. We will need:
- oil – you can use either avocado oil or olive oil. We need a bit of oil to sauté the aromatics, then either oil or cooking spray once you are ready to cook the burgers.
- onion + garlic – caramelized onions and garlic adds more flavor.
- canned black beans – I used canned beans for an even quicker veggie burger recipe. Make sure to drain and rinse before mashing. White beans are a great sub.
- cooked quinoa – either prep it the day you are making the burgers, or use some extra quinoa you have already cooked and stored in the fridge.
- flour – the flour binds it all and soaks up excess moisture. Use all purpose flour, white whole wheat flour or gluten free flour.
- spices – chili powder, cumin, coriander, paprika and salt enhance and intensify the flavor in these burgers! A dash of hot sauce never hurt either.
- egg – one egg binds the ingredients and helps hold them together. If you want to make these vegan, make a flax egg by combining 2 Tablespoons flax meal with 1/3 cup water. Allow to sit for 10 minutes before mixing.
Find the full detailed instructions with measurements in the recipe card below, at the end of this post.
How to Make
You don’t need any fancy equipment or small appliance to make these veggie burgers. You just need a fork to be able to mash the ingredients together – or if you have a potato masher as shown in the photos, that is about as fancy as it gets. Here’s how to do it:
Sauté Aromatics
First things first though, cook down the onions and the garlic together in a large skillet over medium high heat with the oil – this will add loads of flavor. One you’ve cooked those, allow them to cool before mixing in with the rest of the ingredients.
Combine Black Beans and Quinoa
While the onions and garlic are cooling, add drained/rinsed black beans to large bowl and mash with fork or potato masher until a pasty mixture forms.
Add cooked quinoa, cooled onion-garlic mixture, flour, spices, salt and egg.
Stir or mash until well combined and place mixture in fridge to chill for 30 minutes (or up to overnight) – this will help the burger patties hold together better while cooking.
Shape Veggie Burgers
Form patties using a 1/3 cup measuring cup to scoop the mixture, then shape into about 1/2” thick. Make sure you keep the mixture packed and uniform so they cook evenly.
Cook Black Bean Patties
In large skillet over medium heat, spray with oil if using cast iron pan (or oil for a nonstick pan), then place burger patties in pan without crowding.
Cook for 4 minutes on each side, or until golden brown. Transfer cooked patties to a sheet pan and allow to cool slightly for 5 minutes to help set the patties a little more.
TIP: These quinoa black bean burgers are somewhat delicate, so just be gentle when flipping. You want to make sure they’re cooked and a little crisped on the outside before flipping – I like to use a cast iron pan for cooking these.
Black Bean Burger Toppings
The toppings are really up to you. But for some inspiration, some of my favorite toppings include:
- lettuce, red onion, tomato, avocado – classic and delicious!
- vegan mayo – Primal Kitchen and Chosen Foods make vegan mayo, or I highly recommend making this chipotle aioli.
- buns – buy certified vegan ones if you’d like, gluten-free buns, whole wheat buns, brioche bun, etc.
- cheese – there are so many plant based cheese slices options out there now if you’re looking to keep this recipe dairy-free. Miyokos brand, Follow Your Heart and Field Roast all make vegan cheese slices. If you can do cheese/dairy, pick your favorite slice or try something different – this Smoked Cream Cheese sounds so fun and would add delicious flavor.
Serving Suggestions
Black bean quinoa burgers are a hit any night of the week! Whether you want a classic veggie burger or a way to think outside of the bun, some of my favorite ways to serve include:
- Burger Night: Add massaged kale, avocado and sweet potato fries for a seriously satisfying plant-based meal.
- Salad Topper: Keep it whole or crumble it over a giant bed of greens for a light lunch or dinner.
- Wraps / Lettuce Wraps: Stuff a burger patty into your favorite flour tortillas, gluten free tortillas or go for a lettuce wrap for an even lighter meal.
How to Make Ahead, Store & Freeze
This black bean burger recipe can be prepped or cooked ahead of time, then stored in the fridge or freezer. Here are my best storage tips:
- Make Ahead: Prepare the vegetarian black bean burger recipe, but do not shape. Store, covered with plastic wrap, in the fridge for up to 4 days.
- Fridge: Mix, shape and cook the black bean burgers as directed. Store in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 5 days.
- Freeze: For longer storage, place the quinoa burgers in a freezer-safe container with small squares of parchment between each to prevent sticking. Freeze for up to 3 months. Thaw overnight in the fridge.
Recipe Tips
Make it Vegan – I did not test this myself, but I *imagine* you could sub 2 tablespoons flaxseed meal with 1/3 cup water and use that as the egg replacer. Or if you have something like an “egg replacer ” (i.e. “JUST Egg” brand), that may also work. Let me know if you try!
Caramelize the Onions – Because, FLAVOR. It not only adds more flavor but helps keep the texture in these quinoa black bean burgers more uniform.
Meal Prep Quinoa – If you’re a meal prep person and prep quinoa for salads and other meals ahead of time, set aside 1/2 cup cooked quinoa for this recipe.
Using a Food Processor – You don’t have to use a food processor but if you were going to, you could pulse down the onions, garlic, black beans and egg together. Then remove S-blade and fold in quinoa and flour until the patty mixture is fully combined.
More Plant Based Meals You’ll Love:
If you make this Quinoa Black Bean Burgers recipe, be sure to leave a comment and star rating on the blog! I love hearing from you, and it helps others learn more about the recipe too. Xx Ashley
Quinoa Black Bean Burgers
Ingredients
- 1-2 tablespoons oil, avocado, olive or coconut
- 1/2 cup diced onions
- 1/2 tablespoon minced garlic
- 14 ounce can black beans, low sodium, drained and rinsed
- 1/2 cup cooked quinoa
- 1/4 cup whole grain flour, gluten free, all-purpose, or whole wheat white
- 3/4 teaspoon chili powder
- 1/2 teaspoon cumin
- 1/4 teaspoon coriander
- 1/4 teaspoon paprika
- 1/2 teaspoon salt, plus more to taste
- 1 large egg
Instructions
- Sauté aromatics: In large skillet over medium high heat add oil, diced onions and minced garlic to hot pan. Cook onions and garlic until fragrant, stirring occasionally for 4-5 minutes. Transfer to heat-safe bowl and place in fridge to cool.
- Combine burger mixture: Meanwhile add drained/rinsed black beans to large bowl and mash with fork or potato masher. Add cooked quinoa, cooled onion-garlic mixture, flour, spices, salt and egg. Stir or mash until well combined and place mixture in fridge to chill for 30 minutes (up to overnight) – this will help the burger patties hold together better while cooking.
- Shape: Using a 1/3 cup measuring cup, scoop burger mixture and shape with hands. You should get about 5 burger patties.
- Cook burgers: In large skillet over medium heat, spray with oil if using cast iron pan, then place burger patties in pan without crowding. Cook for about 4 minutes on each side or until golden. Transfer cooked patties to tray and allow to cool slightly for 5 minutes before assembling buns. This will also help set the burgers a little more.
- Assemble: Assemble burgers with favorite toppings, buns or even as a salad topper.
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