These easy vegan quinoa burgers are seriously the best veggie burgers ever. They're delicious, simple to make, and loaded with flavor & plant-based protein. They're a perfect option for meal prep, a quick weeknight dinner, meatless Mondays, or your next backyard cook out!
I feel like homemade veggie burgers get a bad rep because they notoriously fall apart. Luckily, these don't! These quinoa patties can be baked, pan-fried, air-fried, or even grilled.
These meat alternative patties are vegan, gluten-free, and loaded with flavor. Top them with your favorite toppings and condiments, like this homemade ketchup or guacamole and I guarantee that even meat-eaters will love 'em!
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Why you'll love this recipe
- It's quick and easy to make. This recipe takes less than 30 minutes to make, making it the perfect choice for a weeknight dinner or a backyard bbq. Plus, no food processor is needed, you just need one big bowl!
- Unlike other quinoa bean burgers, these are made without eggs or breadcrumbs.
- They're perfect for meal prep! They stay fresh in the fridge uncooked or cooked for up to 5 days, meaning you'll have lunch or dinner prepared every day of the work week! Even better, they're freezer-friendly if you don't get to eat all the patties within the week.
- They're healthy and totally allergy friendly! Aside from being loaded with protein, fiber, and antioxidant, these meatless burgers are entirely: plant based, vegetarian, vegan, gluten-free, nut-free, grain-free, soy-free, and made without eggs or breadcrumbs!
Ingredients
You only need 10 ingredients (most of them being spices) to make these veggie burgers. The ingredients are super basic and you likely already have most, if not all, of them in your pantry!
- Quinoa: the star of the show! You can use any kind of quinoa (red, white, or tricolor) for these and the quinoa can be prepped ahead of time. Packed with fiber, minerals and antioxidants, quinoa is a great plant-based substitute to use in vegan burgers, as it adds a great texture and assists in making these high in protein. Fun fact! Unlike other plant-based proteins, quinoa is a complete protein, meaning it contains all nine essential amino acids!
- Red Kidney Beans: create the bulk of these burgers while also contributing a high amount of plant-based protein and fiber. You can use canned beans or cook your own!
- Flax egg: typical burgers (veggie or meat) use eggs to bind everything together. Since these burgers are vegan, we'll be using flax eggs as our egg replacer and as our binder! Originally, this recipe was made without a flax egg and it works just fine, but it does fall apart more easily without them.
- Cornstarch: because these patties are made without breadcrumbs, we'll be using cornstarch. The cornstarch will help to hold the burgers together by absorbing any excess moisture from the beans and will help ensure that our burgers don't fall apart.
- Garlic: for added flavor! Plus, if you're a long time reader, when would I ever leave out garlic?
- Spices: we'll be using 5 different spices (cumin, chili powder, paprika, salt, and pepper) to make sure these burgers are loaded with flavor!
Substitutions & Variations
- Replace cornstarch with tapioca flour or potato starch.
- Use brown rice instead of quinoa. You may need to reduce the amount to ¼ cup dry rice due to it being a larger grain.
- Use a different bean! You can swap the kidney beans for either black beans, chickpeas, pinto beans, or white beans. Lentils would also be great in these patties.
- Turn these into spicy quinoa burgers by simply adding cayenne powder or chopped jalapeños into the patty.
- Bake these patties instead of pan frying them at 400F for 16-20 minutes, flipping halfway through. You can also air fry these patties at 375F for 8-10 minutes. These burgers can even be grilled(!!), check out the FAQ section below for more info.
- Make sliders instead of full-size patties! I usually make 4-5 large patties with this recipe, but you could totally get 6-8 sliders out of it if you wanted to do that instead.
- Make these vegan burgers without beans. Instead, chop up and sauté ½ cup of mushrooms in place of the kidney beans.
Instructions
These quinoa & kidney bean burgers are surprisingly easy and quick to make! You can make them one of two ways: either by mashing the ingredients together in one bowl using a fork or a potato masher (like you'll see in the images below) or using a food processor to combine the ingredients.
Cook the quinoa according to package instructions and allow to cool. Make the flax eggs and allow to set for at least 5 minutes.
Add kidney beans to a bowl and mash well with either the back of a fork or a potato masher. Next, add inn the other dry ingredients and stir to combine.
Stir in the flax eggs and mix until combined. Scoop ½ cup of the burger mixture and shape into 4 patties.
Heat oil in a large skillet over medium low heat. Add 1 to 2 patties at a time and pan-fry for 10 minutes, flipping halfway through. You can also bake, air-fry, or grill these (see the variation section and the FAQ section for instructions).
Serve your burgers immediately with your preferred toppings and a side of fries. Enjoy!
Topping Ideas
These quinoa & kidney bean burgers pair perfectly with the classic toppings! Anything goes! Here's a few of my favorites:
- Lettuce
- Tomato
- Avocado or guacamole
- Vegan cheese
- Dill pickles
- Red onions or pickled red onions
- Condiments/Sauce: I like to pair this burger with a tahini sauce but you can totally go with the classics like mayo, mustard, homemade ketchup, or BBQ sauce
- Bun or lettuce wrap
Serving Suggestions
To round out your meal, serve your quinoa burger with french fries, sweet potato fries, or parsnip fries. These are also perfect with corn on the cob, grilled or roasted veggies like zucchini, potatoes, or asparagus. You could also pair this veggie burger with one of these delicious summer salads like:
- Vegan Potato Salad
- Three Bean Salad
- Watermelon Cucumber Salad
- Blueberry Chickpea Salad
- Kale Caesar Salad
Expert Tips
- Drain and rinse the beans well. Canned beans are stored in a brine which can be quite salty, and leave behind a slight metallic taste. This also helps remove excess moisture to ensure the burgers are not soggy/mushy.
- Press and form the patties tightly to ensure they don't fall apart! If the mixture is feeling too dry, add a tablespoon of soy sauce. If it's too wet, add 1 tablespoon of cornstarch at a time until it's easily moldable.
- Use your hands or the back of a fork to mash the beans and mix the ingredients together. This makes it so the beans are not completely mashed/smoothed out like they would be if you used a potato masher or food processor. You still want some bite in your patty!
Storage Tips
Refrigerator: Store the cooked burgers in an airtight container for up to 5 days. Reheat them in the microwave, oven, or air fryer and reheat until warmed through. You can also enjoy these patties chilled over top a salad.
Freezer: These quinoa bean burgers are freezer-friendly! You can freeze them when they patties are either uncooked or cooked. Allow the cooked burgers to cool completely first then freeze them in airtight containers or freezer friendly bags for up to 3 months. If frozen when uncooked, allow them to thaw at room temperature before cooking as instructed. If frozen when cooked, pop them into the microwave, oven, or air fryer and reheat until warmed through. Should you store the patties in the same container, place wax or parchment paper between each patty to keep them from sticking together.
Room temperature: I do not recommend storing these burgers at room temperature for an extended period of time.
FAQ
Yes! If you want to grill these quinoa bean burgers, I highly recommend making sure your grill is clean and well-greased. Also, I recommend freezing the formed, uncooked patties for at least 30 minutes prior to grilling. Both of these tips will ensure the patties don't stick to the grill and fall apart. Prepare your grill for medium-high cooking at 450F. Grill the patties for 4-5 minutes per side. You can also cook them on a grill pan over medium heat.
Yes, these are truly perfect for meal prep! There's two easy options for prepping these ahead of time:
Full assembly: Make and store the formed meatless burger patties in an airtight container, separating them with a piece of wax or parchment paper. Refrigerate for up to 3 days. When you’re ready to cook, follow the instructions in the recipe card below.
Partial prep: Cook the quinoa ahead of time, storing it in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 5 days. When you're ready to make the burgers, skip step #1 while following the rest of the instructions.
There's 3 key components to this bean burger recipe that ensures the patties don't fall apart: the beans, the cornstarch, and the egg replacer.
For this recipe specifically, make sure you're mashing the beans a bit as it'll release some of their moisture and act as a binder. The egg replacer (in this case flax egg) acts as the main binder to hold all the ingredients together. Lastly, don't skip on the cornstarch! It's a dry ingredient that will also hold the patties together.
Yes!! These quinoa bean burgers are incredibly healthy and nutritious as they're packed with plant-based ingredients, plant-based protein, fiber, antioxidants and minerals, and essential amino acids!
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📖 Recipe
Vegan Quinoa Burgers
Equipment
Ingredients
- ½ cup (90 g) dry quinoa
- 1 can (14 oz) red kidney beans drained & rinsed
- 2 tablespoons cornstarch
- 3 cloves (10 g) garlic minced
- 1 teaspoon cumin
- ½ teaspoon paprika
- ½ teaspoon onion powder
- ¼ teaspoon chili powder
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ¼ teaspoon black pepper
- 2 flax eggs 2 tablespoons flax seed meal + 6 tablespoons water
- 2 tablespoons (30 mL) avocado oil or whichever oil you prefer
- 4 hamburger buns
Serving Suggestions
- Lettuce
- Red Onion
- Tomatoes
- Vegan Cheese
- Avocado
- French Fries
- BBQ or Tahini Sauce
Instructions
- Cook the quinoa according to package instructions.½ cup dry quinoa
- Prepare your flax eggs by whisking together the flax seed meal and water. Let it set for at least 5 minutes.2 flax eggs
- To a large bowl, add the red kidney beans and mash with the back of a fork or a potato masher.1 can red kidney beans
- Add cooked quinoa, cornstarch, garlic, and all of the spices and mix until combined.2 tablespoons cornstarch, 3 cloves garlic, 1 teaspoon cumin, ½ teaspoon paprika, ½ teaspoon onion powder, ¼ teaspoon chili powder, ½ teaspoon salt, ¼ teaspoon black pepper
- Add in the flax eggs and mix until fully combined. It should not be too wet that you can't mold or too dry that it's falling apart.2 flax eggs
- Scoop ½ cup of the burger mixture at a time and shape into a round patty. Repeat until all of the mixture has been used - it should result in 4 patties.
- Heat oil in a large skillet over medium low heat. Add 1 to 2 patties at a time and pan-fry for 10-12 minutes, flipping halfway through. Repeat until all burgers are cooked.2 tablespoons avocado oil
- Serve your burgers immediately on a bun with your preferred toppings and a side of fries or on top of a salad. Enjoy!
Bianca
These are soo flavorful! I used 2 small real eggs and they came out perfectly!
Pinch of Parsley
So glad to hear these worked well with eggs, thanks so much Bianca!
Lauren
So easy and quick to make and soo satisfying.
Paige
So simple and delicious! I substituted the cornstarch with cassava flour to make it gluten-free. I can't wait to make these again!
Pinch of Parsley
Thank you so much Paige!! So glad you loved these!