It’s burger time…this Quinoa & White Bean Veggie Burger is hearty and delicious!
I haven’t done a veggie burger in almost a year. It was time to add a new one to the list and this Quinoa & White Bean Veggie Burger is as delicious as it gets. These patties are loaded with protein and fiber as well as other beneficial nutrients, and they are very filling.
As far as veggie burgers go this is fairly easy. I have to admit that I’m a pretty lazy cook and don’t like a lot of steps. I prefer to spend as little time as possible preparing a meal as well as cleaning it up. Fyi, you can make this recipe even simpler by using a pre-made flour instead of processing oats like I did.
The patties came out fantastic and held up great without falling apart, and they were not dry at all, nor were they mushy. The texture, taste and visual appeal all hit the mark.
Once layered with all the extra goodies this burger was supreme and the best veggie burger I’ve ever had – am I biased – maybe, but these were divine!
And, if you don’t feel like having it on a bun, by all means top your veggie burger on a bed of fresh leafy greens with a squeeze of lemon, some avocado, salt and pepper – so good just like that!
I loaded this beauty up with leafy greens, slice of heirloom tomato, sliced red onion, whole grain mustard, mashed avocado and a nice drizzle of sriracha. Lot’s of flavors going on and I loved it.
As the saying goes, “Eat like you mean it!“
How To Make Quinoa & White Bean Veggie Burgers
Gather your ingredients and dice, chop and shuck…
Mash your beans and mix it all together…
Tightly roll into a ball and form patties…
Then bake in the oven or cook on the stove top.
And finally, it’s love at first sight!
QUINOA & WHITE BEAN VEGGIE BURGER
Burger time is here and this was sublime! Also, if you don’t want it on a bun, try having your patty on a nice bed of fresh leafy lettuce with a squeeze of lemon, some avocado and salt & pepper!
- Prep Time: 10 min
- Cook Time: 40
- Total Time: 50 minutes
- Yield: Makes 4 jumbo patties 1x
- Category: Entree, Burger
- Cuisine: Vegan
Ingredients
- 1/2 cup quinoa (I used tri-color)
- 1 cup water
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- 3 teaspoons thyme, divided (oregano would be good too)
- 1/2 – 1 teaspoon smoked paprika
- 1/2 teaspoon ground chipotle pepper, optional
- 1 can (15 oz.) white beans (I used cannellini), drained and rinsed
- 1/2 cup corn, fresh or frozen (about 1/2 fresh corn off the cob)
- 1/2 cup red bell pepper, finely diced (about 1/2 bell pepper)
- 1/2 cup shallot, finely diced (about 1 medium) or red onion
- juice of one lemon
- 1/3 cup oat flour, or flour of choice
- 1 flax egg (1 Tbs flaxseed meal + 3 Tbs water), optional*
- mineral salt & cracked pepper, to taste
- coconut or olive oil, to grease
To Serve:
- tomato, sliced
- leafy greens
- avocado, sliced or mashed
- red onion, sliced
- whole grain or dijon mustard (hummus or vegan mayo is great too)
- sriracha or Sriracha Cashew Cream (use the sriracha cream in place of mustard)
- burger buns of choice
Instructions
Start by making your flax egg or ener-g egg replacer and set aside. If baking in the oven, turn oven to 375 degrees F. (It’s helpful to read instructions first before making the patties)
Quinoa: In a medium pot, bring water, quinoa, garlic powder and 1 teaspoon thyme to a boil. Cover, reduce heat and simmer for 15 minutes. Once done, remove cover and let set for 10 minutes.
Prep: While quinoa is cooking, prepare your corn, shallot and red pepper. Be sure to dice your onion and red pepper fairly fine, they should be about the same size as the corn kernels.
Mash: Next, mash your beans. I mashed about 3/4 of the beans leaving a quarter of the batch whole or somewhat whole.
Mix: Once quinoa is ready, add the quinoa to the beans along with the shallots, red pepper, corn, remaining 2 teaspoons thyme, smoked paprika and optional chipotle powder and lemon juice. Mix well. Add in the flour and egg replacer, mix well again. Season to taste with salt, pepper and more of the other spices. We all vary on how strong we like our spices…you can’t take out but you can always put in.
Make patties: Now to divide and make your patties. I like to pat my mixture into the bowl a little and divide it with a knife into 4 sections, making a plus sign if you will. Take each section and pack it tightly into a ball in the palm of your hands. It should be about the size of your hand. Flatten with your palms and place on hard surface. Cup the edges with your palms and tighten them in a bit and flatten the top to the desired size. Mine were about 1/2 inch thick by 3 1/2 – 4 inches.
Cook one of two ways:
- In the oven at 375 degrees on a greased or parchment lined cookie sheet for 30 minutes, turning once after 15 minutes. I also added a sprinkle of himalayan salt to the top before baking.
OR
- In a large skillet, heat 1 tablespoon coconut oil or olive oil over medium to medium high heat. Cook patties about 4 – 5 minutes on each side.
I cooked both ways and had no preference. They both held up well and cooked great. (pic shows skillet cooked)
Serve on bun or bed of leafy greens with choice of toppings!
Makes 4 jumbo patties.
NOTES:
The patties can be made ahead of time and stored covered in the refrigerator for a couple days prior to cooking.
*I have a sneaky feeling that this can be made without the use of any egg replacer if you don’t have it available. I have it here for good measure until I try without (in the comments you will see that it has been done). If you decide not to use an egg replacer, when adding the flour, just try adding two – three tablespoons of water instead if needed…the amount may depend on the flour you’re using.
For mashed avocado, cut open avocado, remove seed and using a fork, mash the flesh right in the skin…it’s like a bowl. Spread on bun for a great creamy condiment!
I hope this makes you want to get in the kitchen and cook.
I encourage you to make these soon and often…Enjoy!
Erica says
I used this recipe as a base and the burgers came out fantastic! I used butterbeans and baked them at 200 degrees for 20 minutes to dry them out a bit made my quinoa with veggie stock, used fresh oregano and a little bit of chipotle chili powder and panko, diced onions and garlic and mashed it all together. I also used one egg to help bind the mixture together. My husband grilled them and they held up better than any other veggie burger I’ve made before. The only issue was they were slightly dry. Will definitely be making again!
★★★★
Raye Oldham says
I just made these as directed, minus the chia seeds because I didn’t have any. I baked mine & they held together very well. I had some extras and I’m wondering if anyone can tell me the best way to reheat them. I’m worried about a microwave changing the texture – would a toaster oven work & for how long? Would love your advice.
Maggie says
These tasted fantastic, but I had the issues that others have had with the patties not staying together. I followed the advice to roll/compact them tightly and still had this issue. If not for this problem I would have definitely rated this 5 stars. I made 6 patties and ate them on small whole wheat pitas with lettuce and tomato. They were so flavorful that no condiments were needed.
★★★★
Maroula says
Hi Julie,
Have you got any ideas on how to keeps these together…I’ve added 3 eggs and tones of flour but they are still falling apart.
I’ve noticed someone else had the same problem.
Thanks
Julie | The Simple Veganista says
Just be sure to pack them firmly into a ball, then flatten. I’ve had no problem with them falling apart when they are packed well, and that’s without eggs or extra flour. Hope that helps.
Rose says
I made these tonight and although not the best veggie burgers I’ve ever had I thought they were pretty good. I’m not sure how anyone could say that they were Bland. I actually made 7 fairly nice size veggie burgers and then another smaller one. I did end up using a little bit more beans because I had a smidge more that I needed to use up but somehow that doesn’t really account for the volume in my book. I didn’t have any fresh Peppers so I use peppadews, I actually use slightly less shallot because I was a little worried about the Raw going into it but it turned out okay. I was too lazy to grind my oats into flour and I had a half a packet of Trader Joe’s instant oatmeal leftover. I’ve used it in recipes before as a binder as it has a little bit of chia flax and amaranth in it and it worked quite well. I skipped the egg replacer and fried them in the pan and they’re staying together fairly well. Thanks for the recipe! So nice switch from the black bean burgers that I had been making.
KR Health says
I made this burger a dozen times and it is fabulous everytime. I’ve also made the SantaFe burger and it is just as yummy. Thanks for a great vegan website.
Joe C says
Love this recipe!
I made these at the weekend, and they were fabulous. All I did different was add a blob of Marmite to the garlic and herbs that the Quinoa was simmering in to add a bit of salty meatiness to the flavour the quinoa absorbed. My missus hates Marmite, so I revealed that hidden ingredient afterwards. I also had a pack of “Seasonal Chilis” so I finely chopped up an unidentified chili pepper. It smelled really sweet and fresh, but it packed some serious flavour, and delayed heat. Really good addition. I stacked mine in a burn topped with Guacamole instead of just Avocado, for a more tangy flavour and creaminess to counteract the heat from the burger.
I’m not vegan/veggie. Just looking to cut meat right down from my diet, and go from there. I’ve become obsessed with veggie burgers. They are much more versatile than meat burgers, really fun and rewarding to make, and you can put almost any ingredient you like in there. Endless possibilities, with none of the dripping grease or the lethargy that follows.
Thank you for this recipe. I enjoyed making it almost as much as I enjoyed eating it. I’ll try your Santa Fe Black Bean burger next, I reckon!
Serena says
I made these tonight. I always cook my quinoa and beans together in the rice cooker. Just tossed everything into a food processor afterwards to blend and the patties came out perfectly. I added some chia seeds and extra spices like tumeric and cumin. I fried half in a cast iron skillet and the rest in the air fryer. Thank you for the recipe. It was delicious.
Julie | The Simple Veganista says
Hi Lisa, I just added one in by the share buttons! I’ve changed the theme and haven’t gotten around to the print button. Thanks for the note, the print button is an important feature! Have a great day. Cheers :)
Jennifer says
I have made these many times because they are delicious. However, mine don’t stay together. I use the 3 t of water and 2 t of flaxseed meal. Can you recommend a good flaxseed meal that works well?
Thanks!
Maroula says
I’m currently making these and I’m having the same problem
★★★★★
Jennifer posillici says
Hi, just had to clarify something as I will be making these tomorrow! If we don’t use any egg at all, we should put 2-3 tablespoons of water instead of 1 cup of water?
Julie | The Simple Veganista says
The 1 cup of water is needed to cook the quinoa. As suggested in the notes, if needed you may like to add 2 – 3 tablespoon of water depending on what flour you’ve used. If your mixture seems very wet at first, do not add extra water. The flour will act as a binder which is why these will work without any egg substitutes, as long as there is enough moisture to help combine. Hope that helps! Enjoy :)
Janis says
These were a huge hit tonite with the family. We’ve been vegetarinas/vegans for over 30 years and these have just been votesd the favorite! Beleive me, we have tried our fare share of “veggie burgers” over the years.
I did add nutritional yeast and used a yellow onion insstead. I also subbed sage in for thyme. We will be making these again and often as you recommended! Thank you Julie!
Julie | The Simple Veganista says
So glad everyone loved these! I’m quite partial to them myself. The sage sounds great, I love it and will have to try that sometime. Cheers :)
The Vegan Junction says
It was nice to find a white bean veggie burger recipe. I think they have a great texture for it, and paired with quinoa and all the veggies – mmm. That’s one tasty meal. So, thank you!
Anonymous says
Thank you so much for this. Since I only had Borlotti beans I used those. Also carob gum works well, it's easier to find in German shops. Yummy!
Svava Egils says
Hi! I'm trying this recipe out this weekend, sounds so yummeh. Just wondering if it would be possible to use any other beans instead or would that alter it too much?
julie@thesimpleveganista says
I think any bean will work well, use your favorite or what you have on hand. Enjoy :)
Anonymous says
The only thing I replaced was the chipotle powder- I replaced it by chili powder :) Probably not a big difference lol! But it was delicious, as always. Vegan food is the future. Thank you for all your great recipes
Anonymous says
Delicious recipe! Since everything in the mixture is already cooked I've actually used it without frying or baking and spread it on wrap with hummus and spinach – quick little lunch :)
Anonymous says
Was it 1/2 cooked quinoa or 1/2 uncooked quinoa? I used 1/3 cooked quinoa and it was very dry, and stayed very close to the recipe.
Anonymous says
yummy!
I'll try it tomorrow for dinner!
do you think i could frezze it raw?
Rachel Page says
It looks delicious and I have all the ingredients in my pantry. Maybe I should actually make them now!
Anonymous says
Oops! read entire recipe now. ;) Thanks. This looks soooo good!!
Anonymous says
Should the quinoa be raw or already cooked?
cindy brannen says
Great flavor. Had to add more flour and some oatmeal to form patties since it was too wet. Crisped up nicely pan-fried.
Anonymous says
Nice recipe. And the burgers look so colorful and tasty when served too. I pretty much followed your ingredients, but used great northern beans and garbanzo flour. I reduced the shallot and added a small amount of celery, red onion and carrots I had already chopped for another dish. Then I served it with Chipotle Veganaise on whole wheat pita, lettuce and tomato. It was also good with Korean gochujang. Thanks for this.
Anonymous says
I was wondering if you have tried this with other beans,looked in pantry and I have every other bean on earth just not white.Thanks
julie@thesimpleveganista says
You can try other beans… the flavors will work fine with most beans! Enjoy…
prettypurplekao says
Hi, Amanda, I cooked the onions and peppers when I made these because I didn't think the onions and peppers would cook all the way in a quick skillet fry and don't particularly like the taste of raw onions and peppers. They were still extremely bland. I even added in some southwest seasoning after tasting them and it did little to help. I suppose it needs to be paired with some type of sauce like an aoli to be truly great, but I wouldn't waste my time, money or effort again. Thanks for the nutritional profile! I was honestly thinking these would be higher in protein considering they contain both quinoa and beans, and since I am looking for a higher protein burger, these are not for me anyway.
Anonymous says
I made a big batch and baked half and pan fried the other half. The pan fried ones were definitely way better than the baked ones. The baked ones went a little dry and crumbly, but the pan fried were delicious. Fantastic recipe – I also added mushrooms in mine as I needed to use them up, and they were perfect!
Natasha Page says
Do you think you could just roll these into balls to bake as a little quinoa ball to dip??
julie@thesimpleveganista says
Absolutely, I think that sounds like a fabulous idea! :)
Natasha Page says
Yay! Thanks! Will give it a go, thinking of fun things for my kids to dip haha.
Diane says
I tried these tonight and thought they were a little bland myself… Thinking I may try adding some nutritional yeast to add some depth to the flavor next time. I also thought the burger was way big! I only cooked one tonight and patties the rest and threw them in the freezer. After I ate I took them back out and broke the three left over patties and broke them down into four….. Looking forward to having the rest!
julie@thesimpleveganista says
Thanks for the nutritional info! You can most definitely cook your peppers and onions beforehand, it will soften them up at bit. For myself, I love the recipe as is for texture and ease…but that's just me. I think your suggestion will be helpful and maybe inspire others to think about it and give it try. This is why I love hearing others take on all the reicpes here…it can be really helpful! Cheers :)
Amanda says
Hi, I just made these and worked out the nutritional profile. I used 9g flaxseed, 83g quinoa, 70g red pepper, 86g corn, 40g onion, 240g (drained weight) cannellini, 20ml lemon juice and 38g oat flour. I divided the mixture into 6 patties. Each one came out at 24g carb,8,3 protein, 2,5 fat, 16.2 calcium, no cholesterol and 1.1mg iron. Calories 152.5 . Unfortunately, neither my husband nor I liked them much – we think perhaps they might be better if the peppers and onions were cooked beforehand. What do you think Julie?
Brooke says
Have your tried these burgers on a grill? I am going to a BBQ this weekend and would love to bring these with me.
julie@thesimpleveganista says
No, i havn't but would imagine they would be great grilled. Would love to know how it goes if you try it!
katieoh says
These are great! I made a few adjustments for a curried version. Grated in some fresh tumeric when I sauteed the onion (didn't have shallots), corn and (added) a grated carrot. Ground tumeric, coriander, fresh ginger and cilantro. Oat flour (actually more like oats I whizzed up in the food processor) and no egg. They were perfect! Will be using again, there are so many variations!
julie@thesimpleveganista says
I've been wanting to do a curry burger! I bet it was good here with all your other additions. So glad you were able to adapt the recipe and hope you enjoy it often…in many variations! Cheers :)
becca says
Fantastic recipe! Easy and fun to make and, above all, THEY STICK TOGETHER. I used a little extra flax just in case (about 2T + 4T H2O) and mine turned out great. Thanks for this as well as your other recipes!
samnow says
I made an extremely similar burger last night that had no egg replacer and fell apart a little while baking. I would highly recommend using the egg replacer. I know I will next time!
Anonymous says
i just tried making these tonight and they were soo good! we didn't use the egg replacer and it came out fine. they were super moist and flavorful – i think the lemon juice was a great call.
Cedric Mills says
Perfect recipe! They came out great!!!
julie@thesimpleveganista says
Awesome!! :)
Sunfood Junkies says
I made these last night for my husband and he loved them! We just had them with a salad on the side and they were great. Thank you!
julie@thesimpleveganista says
Perfect! I love it with just a salad too! Cheers :)
Amanda @ All Day Active says
These look delicious! I am definitely going to be trying them out during Lent this year. I am sharing your recipe on my blog tomorrow for my meatless recipe round up. Thanks so much for sharing!! :)
julie@thesimpleveganista says
I know you will love this recipe! Thank you so much for sharing it with your readers. Cheers :)
Anonymous says
Delicious. I overcooked mine a bit, but still super tasty. I think the lemon really adds something.
Roxanne says
Do you think we could freeze these patties once cooked? :) It looks super yummy!!
Amy J says
I wonder this also.
julie@thesimpleveganista says
I haven't tried freezing them yet. If either of you give it a try I would love to know too! They would probably be ok but again after thawing and reheating but I just can't say for sure.
Jen says
I made this last week, delicious! It will definitely become one of our regular meals. Thank you.
Anonymous says
I don't have Oat Flour and I have Celiac. Can I use All purpose Gluten Free flour? I have that in my pantry. I guess I'll have to use a GF bun or maybe no bun?
julie@thesimpleveganista says
As it says in the recipe, use flour of choice. You don't need a bun, cut it up and top it on a bed of leafy greens. Hope you enjoy them :)
Anonymous says
They didn't really work for me! They completely fell apart in the first try but after adding some more flour they held together, I have no idea what I did wrong, anyways they tasted okay,
julie@thesimpleveganista says
Sorry they didn't hold together for you but glad they tasted good! I'm not sure either what happened…maybe next time they'll work out better.
Two Girls and a Diet says
Can you say yum?!? I'm definitely trying this one! Thanks…also reblogged it :)
Cheers, Monika
Linda M. Jose says
For those wanting to use coconut flour, I substituted about 2 tbsp and used the chia substitute for the flax egg. The burgers held up well.
julie@thesimpleveganista says
Thank you Linda for sharing! I'll have to try that myself next time!
Tomasa Espera says
julie, this was awesome. the only thing i missed from your pictures was the tri color quinoa that I just can't get here. thanks for the post!
julie@thesimpleveganista says
Thank you so much! And your welcome. :)
Laurel Siloy says
This recipe is seriously off the charts delicious. My only beef is that it is so good I could eat two! And I doubled the recipe because I am always a hungry vegan. Gorilla eats greens so I eat like gorilla!
I omitted the egg substitute and used rice flour because it was the first one I grabbed. I do not like paprika so omitted. This one is a keeper for sure.
julie@thesimpleveganista says
Awesome! So glad you loved these. I agree, I could eat two too! :)
Anonymous says
would I be able to freeze a batch of cooked burgers?
julie@thesimpleveganista says
I haven't tried freezing them yet but would venture to say that they should freeze well. Just be sure to let them thaw before cooking.
LibertadVelarde says
I don't have beans, I'm going to try it with red lentils instead.
julie@thesimpleveganista says
Would love to know how it turns out for you!
julie@thesimpleveganista says
Yes, I had a feeling the egg is not necessary. There is a nice combination of flour and moisture to hold every just fine. Thank you so much for stopping to share that with us! ♥
Vicki Bensinger says
I've been trying to find the recipe for Whole Foods Veggie Burger and this recipe is very close to the ingredients on the package with other additional items. This will be a great starting point for me to work from. Thanks for sharing this.
julie@thesimpleveganista says
So glad you found this recipe to try to recreate your old favorite. I'm sure you'll come with what your looking for. Cheers :)
Lauren (@poweredbyPB) says
Just made these and they are awesome! I subbed chia egg for the flax egg and left out the corn. They held together really well and I ended up with about 8 smaller size pattys.
julie@thesimpleveganista says
A chia egg is perfect! Smaller patties are great, these were pretty humungous but they sure fit the bun perfectly! I would love some little ones on top of a bed of lettuce. I love veggie patties on salads. Thanks for stopping to share Lauren. :)
Allie @ The Nutritional Epiphany says
Oh. My. Lord. I have been absolutely obsessed with the concept of vegetarian burgers lately so I order them at every restaurant to get some inspiration. It looks like the beans mostly hold this recipe together? Oh and I LOVE all of the fresh veggies you mixed in to the "patty".
One cool thing that I had a couple of weeks ago (that I had never heard of) is that they used cashew powder in a red lentil veggie burger that I order. Cashew powder! Maybe you'd be interested in looking into that!
julie@thesimpleveganista says
Cashew powder is very interesting! Cashews are amazing and so versatile. I'll look into that.
I would say the quinoa and the flour hold this together. I had no problem with them at all, they held together great!
Thank you for the fyi about the cashew powder. Cheers :)
Monique @Ambitious Kitchen says
Looks fantastic!
julie@thesimpleveganista says
Thank you so much Monique! I was just drooling over some of your fantastic recipes yesterday. :)
Tami@NutmegNotebook says
This looks so good! Quinoa is so versatile and filling.
julie@thesimpleveganista says
Thank you! Quinoa is the best. :)
Anonymous says
I cannot get quinua where I live overseas. Do you know if I could sub anything else for it?
julie@thesimpleveganista says
I would suggest trying millet in place of the quinoa. Would love to know how it turns out!
Sally M says
This recipe looks yummy. I need more taste bud stimulation so I can see myself adding chopped jalapeno, too. I can't wait to try these.
julie@thesimpleveganista says
And so it will be…sounds delicious! :)
Melissa says
Oh yum! I just hopped on over here from Pinterest. :-) I'm not a corn eater – what would you recommend as a substitute?
julie@thesimpleveganista says
Try finely diced carrot or zucchini in place of the corn. Will taste great!
Audrey says
I just didn't make a substitution and left out the corn. Still worked out great!
Danny Sandoval says
I am not vegan so instead of the egg replacer can I use for this recipe one egg? thanks!
julie@thesimpleveganista says
Yes, one egg will work. Enjoy :)
julie@thesimpleveganista says
I had a comment on my facebook post from someone who used an egg and the mixture was a little too wet so they added more flour. work out well and they loved the flavor of the patty. I really think that you can make this without any egg or egg replacer making this even easier and better. I have noted this in the recipe. Cheers!
Laurel says
Also just a sidenote, the veganized egg options are sometimes fabulous because there is less clean up! LOL. Just a lazy foodie … any excuse not to have extra clean up is good by me!
julie@thesimpleveganista says
Yes, I agree Laurel….less mess, less cleanup…still delicious food! Win, Win. :)
Erin says
This burger looks amazing! I love all of the ingredients and how colourful it looks. Definitely going to make me some of these!