Black Bean Quinoa Burgers

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These vegetarian black bean quinoa burgers are easy and quick to make, so they are perfect for a healthy and affordable weeknight meal. Your whole family will be impressed by how tasty and hearty the burgers are! The best part? They’re ready in under 30 minutes and can easily be made gluten-free and vegan, too!

If you are looking for a healthy and tasty way to mix up your weeknight meals, I’ve got a great recipe for you that’s sure to please even the pickiest eaters! 

These healthy black bean quinoa burgers are packed full of nutrients and fresh ingredients. And, even better, these burgers are super affordable if you’re looking to eat healthy on a budget. They can also easily be made vegan by substituting the egg for a flax egg.

👩🏽‍🍳 Why You’ll Love These Quinoa Black Bean Veggie Burgers

• Customizable: You can easily adapt this quinoa veggie burger recipe to your diet whether you need it to be low-carb, gluten-free, or vegan. 
• Easy: With just a handful of steps, this recipe comes together quickly and smoothly.
• Healthy: These healthy veggie burgers are packed with wholesome ingredients, and are full of plant-based protein as well as fiber. With a whole wheat bun you’ll get plenty of whole grains, too!
• Family-Friendly: This is a kid friendly veggie burger recipe, so the whole family can enjoy a wholesome lunch or dinner!

🥘 Ingredients

It only takes a few simple ingredients to make this black bean quinoa burger recipe. Top a sprouted whole wheat bun (or bun of choice) with quinoa black bean patties and toppings!

Burger Patty

• Red Onion: Roughly chop the medium red onions into even-sized pieces for this black bean and quinoa burger recipe! You can also use onion powder, but for best results stick with chopped onion.
• Garlic: While I prefer to use fresh garlic, you can use jarred minced garlic if you prefer. If you want more garlicky flavor, add in a few dashes of garlic powder.
• Black Beans: Be sure to rinse and drain the canned black beans before you use them. Divide them before you begin so that they are ready when they need to be added. 
• Cilantro: Fresh cilantro adds fresh flavor to the burgers.
• Parsley: Fresh parsley leaves add herbaceousness to the patties. 
• Egg (or flax egg): This is necessary to help bind the mixture together. For vegan black bean quinoa burgers, be sure to use the flax egg!
• Cooked Quinoa: Be sure to follow the package directions for how to cook the quinoa.
• Breadcrumbs: Whole wheat bread crumbs are another binder that holds the mixture together.
• Salt, Pepper, Red Pepper Flakes: A pinch of salt, fresh ground black pepper, and crushed red pepper flakes helps to balance the quinoa bean burger’s flavors and enhance the overall taste. Nobody wants bland veggie burgers!

Burger Toppings

• Tomato: Bright, juicy tomatoes complement these black bean quinoa veggie burgers.
• Red Onions: Sliced onions add crunchy texture and vibrant color.
• Baby Spinach: Add even more nutrients by using spinach leaves instead of iceberg lettuce.
• Ketchup: Add this classic topping to your quinoa and black bean burgers for a bit of sweetness.

🍲 Ingredient Substitutions

• ​Bun: You can use any type of burger bun you want! We used sprouted wheat buns, but you can use regular whole wheat or white burger buns. For an upgrade, try using a brioche bun instead of a typical hamburger bun. 
• Beans: If you don’t have black beans, canned pinto beans would also work.
• Flour: Instead of whole wheat flour, use almond flour, oat flour, or your preferred alternative flour.
• Cilantro: Instead of using cilantro, substitute Thai basil or add more parsley.

🔪 How To Make Black Bean Quinoa Burgers

Even if it is your first time making vegetarian black bean burgers, there is no need to worry! Here’s how to make this easy quinoa black bean burger recipe. For more detailed instructions and nutrition facts, see the recipe card below.

Prep The Aromatics: Heat a grill or grill pan over medium-low heat. Meanwhile, in a food processor, pulse onion and garlic until finely chopped.

Make Black Bean Mixture: Add a portion of the black beans, cilantro, parsley, egg, and red pepper flakes and pulse to combine.

Check The Texture: The mixture is ready when it looks like this:

Add Remaining Ingredients: Transfer the black bean mixture to a large bowl, and add the remaining can of black beans, quinoa, and bread crumbs. Season with salt and pepper to taste, and mix until a pasty mixture forms. (It should still be a bit chunky)

Form Black Bean Patties: Divide mixture into 6 portions and form patties.

Cook The Burgers: Place burger patties on a hot oiled grill (or in a frying pan) over medium heat and cook about 6 minutes a side or until heated through.

Prep The Buns: Toast hamburger buns on a grill until golden brown. Place a burger on the bottom of each bun. 

Add Toppings & Serve: Top with baby spinach (or lettuce), tomato, onions, and ketchup. Cover the burgers with the top of the bun and serve with regular fries or parmesan truffle fries!

💭 Expert Tips

• Don’t over-process your ingredients. You want the mixture to be chunky, not a full puree, otherwise, it will be mushy on the inside after you cook it.
• Use alternate tools. If you don’t have a food processor or blender, you can use a potato masher or a fork!
• Grease the pan. You can use olive oil cooking spray for the grill pan if you need an easy way to grease it before cooking the burgers.
• Make the burgers meaty. One tip to make your burger even chunkier and meaty is to partially dry out the black beans in the oven before adding them to the burger mixture. I got this tip from Serious Eats. All you have to do is spread the rinsed/drained canned black beans onto a prepared baking sheet lined with parchment paper for 15 minutes in the oven before adding them to the mixture.

📖 Variations

​Put your own spin on this hearty veggie burger recipe with your own favorite ways, or try one of these!

• Lettuce Wraps: Use lettuce wraps as a handy way to hold the black bean burger with quinoa while also eliminating some carbs.
• Vegetables: Incorporate sauteed mushrooms to add more nutrients and a wonderful meaty texture. Try red bell pepper, sun-dried tomatoes, or jalapeño peppers for a pop of color and a little crunch. Making sweet potato black bean quinoa burgers is the ultimate move for the fall and winter season! Who doesn’t love sweet potatoes?!
• Heat: To add a spicy kick to these homemade veggie burgers, incorporate chili powder, cayenne pepper, or jalapeño peppers.
• Worcestershire: Impart umami by adding a few dashes of Worcestershire when mixing. 
• Adobo Sauce: For a more complex flavor profile in the bean and quinoa burgers, add a little bit of adobo sauce to the mixture.

🍽 Serving Suggestions

When topping these quinoa cowboy veggie burgers, I stayed classic and used tomatoes, red onions, and baby spinach and finished them off with some ketchup. You can add your own favorite toppings or try some of these: 

• Feta Cheese
• Homemade Vegan Cheese Curds
• Homemade Healthy Guacamole
• BBQ Sauce
• Honey Mustard BBQ Sauce
• Chipotle Mayo
• Vegan Sriracha Mayo
• Tangy Yogurt Sauce
• Caramelized Onions
• Pepper Jack Cheese
• Arugula

Then, on the side, you can serve side dishes like: 

• Salads: Some salads that work well with this veggie burger are keto Greek salad, roasted pumpkin salad, and potato salad without eggs. 
• Starches: You can serve these with fries or fried potatoes and onions, air fryer smashed potatoes, sweet potato fries, or even vegan Mexican rice. 
• Veggies: I love to serve mushroom fritters or miso mushrooms. Another couple of options are air fryer jicama fries and vegetable au gratin.
• Other Sides: One of our favorites is deviled eggs without mayo, but you can also try making my Caribbean style stewed red beans or loaded veggie nachos.

🙌 Dietary Adaptations

• Gluten-Free And Low-Carb Option: For gluten free veggie patties, replace the breadcrumbs with oat flour or gluten-free breadcrumbs. You can look for gluten free vegan burger buns or use lettuce wraps instead. This will make the burgers low-carb, too.
• Vegan Option: To make vegan quinoa burgers, use the flax egg versus regular egg. It’s also important to check your bread to make sure it’s vegan, as many buns have egg, dairy, or honey.

🫙 Storage Directions

Here is how to store and keep this black bean quinoa burgers recipe:

• To Refrigerate: Store these homemade black bean burgers in the refrigerator for 4-6 days in an airtight container.
• To Freeze: These budget-friendly burgers freeze really well. The patties can be frozen before or after cooking; just stack them with parchment paper, separating each. Then, store them in a ziplock bag.
• To Reheat If Frozen Before Cooking: Thaw them in the fridge and then cook burger as per the recipe below.
• To Reheat If Frozen After Cooking: Thaw in the fridge or on the countertop and warm them up on a skillet just to re-crisp the outside.

❓Recipe FAQs

🍔 More Vegetarian Burger Recipes!

• Falafel Style Lentil Burgers
• Hemp Burgers
• Southwestern Pinto Bean Burgers
• High Protein Veggie Burgers
• Chipotle Black Bean Burgers

📋 Recipe Card