Quinoa Black Bean Burgers

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.

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!

Love black beans? Be sure to make Sweet Potato Black Bean Tacos, Vegetarian Breakfast Burritos and Black Bean Enchiladas.

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 recipe 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.

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.

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

Print