These 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.

I have been very into veggie burgers lately. Just about anytime we go out and I see a veggie burger on the menu… Well, in the words of Ariana Grande: “I see it. I like it. I want it. I got it.” <–– I somewhat dislike that I just used an Ariana Grande song in the opening paragraph but I am not backspacing here.

I enjoy a conventional meat burger every once in a while but I love a good veggie burger. There is just so much flavor that you can add into the mix. And more plants FTW.

In this particular veggie burger we’re using mainly black beans and quinoa as the base. Then you add some caramelized onions and garlic, loads of spices, and eggs to hold it all together.

This recipe is a take on what local restaurant calls the “Unburger” (hi, Lansing Brewing Company) – and most recently when I got it, Drew took a bite and said, “That’s pretty good.” And for the meat eater he is, that’s saying something.

Granted the burger was also topped with buttery mushrooms, sweet potato fries and a brioche bun… So yeah, of course it was good!

But my FMK version is just as delicious, easy to make at home and probably a little more nutritious.

Quinoa Black Bean Burger

Ingredients needed for this veggie burger

garlic & onion – cooking them down first adds more flavor
cooked quinoa – prep one or two days ahead if you want.
cooked black beans – I used canned
spices – cumin, paprika, chili and garlic powder
egg – holds things together

how to make veggie burgers with quinoa and black beans

Making Quinoa Black Bean Burgers

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.

First things first though: cook down the onions and the garlic together – this will add loads of flavor. One you’ve cooked those and allow them to cool before mixing in with the rest of the ingredients.

For shaping into patties, I used 1/3 cup measuring cup to scoop the mixture, then shaped it into about 1/2” thick. Make sure you keep the mixture packed and uniform so they cook evenly.

These quinoa black bean burgers are somewhat delicate, so be careful 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.

cooked quinoa black bean burgers in cast iron skillet

Notes regarding this veggie burger recipe

Replacing the eggs – I did not test this myself, but I *imagine* you could sub 2 TBSP 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), that may also work. I’ve actually never used that but I assume it would work for these veggie burgers as well.

Do I have to caramelize the onion? – YES because FLAVOR. I mean technically you can skip that part, but it adds more flavor and helps keep the texture in these quinoa black bean burgers more uniform. So just do it. It doesn’t add that much more time.

Prepping the quinoa – If you’re a meal prep person and prep quinoa for salads and other meals ahead of time, set aside 1 1/2 cups cooked quinoa for this recipe. If you’re making the quinoa at the same time you’re getting the other veggie burger ingredients around, you’ll need about 1/2 cup uncooked quinoa.

cheese melted on quinoa black bean burgers in pan

I still love a good slice of cheese on a veggie burger, too.

More Plant Based Meals to Love

quinoa black bean burgers on slate with sweet potato fries

Add massaged kale, avocado and sweet potato fries for a seriously satisfying plant-based meal.

If you make this recipe, be sure to leave a comment and review here on the blog! I love hearing from you. Xx Ashley