These flavorful black bean quinoa burgers are packed with plenty of protein and fiber to keep you feeling full and satisfied. These plant-based burgers are bursting with wholesome ingredients, bold spices, and a satisfying texture that will satisfy the most serious burger cravings.
I have a lot of vegetarian followers and they’re always asking me for hearty, vegetarian recipes. Some of my favorite vegetarian dishes are my falafel pita sandwiches, slow cooker jackfruit tacos, and spinach gnudi.
Now I'm excited to bring you these delicious and healthy black bean quinoa burgers. Made with simple ingredients and packed with flavor, these veggies burgers will have even the most devoted carnivores coming back for seconds!
I make these veggie burgers with nutrient-dense black beans, quinoa, and oats. They're infused with Southwest flavors from smoky chipotles, cumin, and cilantro, and studded with sweet corn for some texture.
Then I top them off with a cooling cilantro yogurt sauce. They're a far cry from many of the bland veggie burgers that you find at the grocery store.
So get ready to revolutionize your burger game and embrace a healthier, more satisfying alternative with these delicious and hearty plant-based black bean and quinoa burgers!
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Why You'll Love This Dish
- Delicious- packed with Southwest flavors from ingredients like chipotles in adobo, cumin, garlic, and cilantro
- Healthy- packed with incredibly nutritious foods like quinoa, black beans, and oats
- Vegetarian- these plant-based burgers are vegetarian and can easily be made vegan
- Gluten Free- these veggie burgers can be made gluten free by using certified gluten-free oats
- Satisfying- packed with plenty of protein and fiber to keep you full and satisfied
- Make-ahead- make a large batch of these burgers and store them in the freezer for months
Ingredients
Ingredient notes and substitutions. See recipe card at end of post for full ingredient list.
- Black beans- packed with protein and fiber along with several essential vitamins and minerals like B complex vitamins, potassium, magnesium and iron. They’re also loaded with antioxidants, which help prevent chronic diseases.
- Quinoa- a superfood! Quinoa has many unique qualities and health benefits. It has a very high protein content (about twice that of regular cereal grains). It's also a good source of dietary fiber and several vitamins and minerals including B complex vitamins, vitamin E, calcium, iron, phosphorus, and magnesium. Plus, it’s gluten-free.
- Oats- I use ground old fashioned oats to bind these veggie burgers together. Oats are whole grains that are loaded with fiber, vitamins, minerals and antioxidants. Oats are beneficial not only for digestive health, but also help control blood sugar levels and maintain a healthy blood pressure. They also help lower cholesterol and may reduce the risk of heart disease.
- Chipotles in adobo- these are canned, smoked jalapeño peppers that add a rich, smoky flavor to these burgers. If you can't find them at the grocery store, you can substitute chili powder.
Doctor's Tips
- Although quinoa is classified as a whole grain, it's actually a relative of swiss chard and beets, rather than a "true" grain. Quinoa has been cultivated for centuries and is an excellent plant-based source of protein. It's a great option for anyone trying to cut down their intake of refined, processed carbohydrates and increase their whole grains. For more, read my post about the health benefits of quinoa.
- Ground oats are very versatile. When you grind old fashioned oats in a food processor, they form crumbs that can be used to add fiber and bulk to dishes like meatloaf, meatballs and veggie burgers like these black bean quinoa burgers. It's more nutritious than using traditional breadcrumbs.
How To Make Black Bean Quinoa Burgers
See recipe card below for full recipe instructions.
- Step 1- Sauté onions and garlic. Add them to a bowl along with cooked quinoa, ground oats, black beans, tomato paste, egg, corn, cilantro, chipotles, cumin, and salt.
- Step 2- Form the mixture into 8 patties. Cover and refrigerate the patties for several hours to firm up.
- Step 3- Make the yogurt sauce by pureeing yogurt, chipotles, adobo sauce, cilantro, lime juice, and honey together in a mini food processor or bowl until smooth.
- Step 4- Cook the veggie burgers in the oven or in a skillet on the stove. Serve on buns with cilantro yogurt sauce and toppings of your choice.
Chef's Tips
- I mash some of the black beans in these veggie burgers and leave some of them whole because I like to have some texture rather than a mushy burger. Corn also adds texture.
- Be sure to refrigerate the patties before cooking them as this will help them hold their shape.
- You can bake these veggie burgers or cook them in a skillet with a little oil. Cooking them in a skillet with give them a crispier crust on the outside.
- To make this recipe vegan, use non-dairy yogurt and agave nectar in the sauce. Also, you can use a flax egg in the patty to replace the egg. See notes in recipe card for instructions.
- To make this recipe gluten free, use certified gluten-free oats.
- These burgers freeze well. Make a whole batch, wrap them in plastic wrap or aluminum foil, and store them in the freezer for up to 3 months.
How To Serve These Quinoa Veggie Burgers
My favorite way to serve these black bean quinoa burgers is on hamburger buns with toppings like avocado and tomato slices, baby greens, and my cooling cilantro yogurt sauce.
These veggie burger patties are also perfect to incorporate into other dishes like my protein-packed vegetarian burrito bowls. You can also use them in pita sandwiches or to top salads.
Serve these black bean quinoa burgers with my air fryer baked sweet potatoes, butternut squash or diced potatoes on the side.
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Recipe
Black Bean & Quinoa Veggie Burgers
Equipment
Ingredients
Patties:
- ½ cup quinoa
- 1 teaspoon olive oil
- 1 small red onion, chopped (about 1 cup)
- 3 cloves garlic, minced
- 2 cans black beans (15.5 oz each), drained and rinsed
- 2 tablespoons tomato paste
- 1 large egg or flax egg (to keep this recipe vegan)*
- ⅔ cup cooked corn
- ¼ cup chopped cilantro
- 1 tablespoon minced chipotles in adobo
- 1 ½ teaspoons ground cumin
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1 cup old fashioned oats, ground into crumbs (can use certified gluten-free oats)
Cilantro Yogurt Sauce:
- 1 cup reduced fat or nonfat Greek yogurt (or non-dairy yogurt to keep this recipe vegan)
- 2 teaspoons minced chipotles in adobo + 1 teaspoon adobo sauce from the can
- 2 tablespoons chopped cilantro
- 2 teaspoons lime juice
- 1 teaspoon honey (or agave to keep this recipe vegan)
Other:
- 8 multigrain hamburger rolls lightly toasted
- Avocado slices, tomatoes and cilantro leaves for topping (optional)
Instructions
- Place the quinoa in a small saucepan along with 1 cup of water. Bring the water to a boil then reduce heat to medium low and cover the pan. Cook 10-15 minutes until the water is absorbed and quinoa is cooked. Remove from heat.
- Heat the oil in a small sauté pan over medium heat and add the onion and garlic. Sauté until onions are softened, 5-6 minutes. Place the mixture in a large bowl. Add approximately 1½ cans of black beans to the bowl and using a potato masher or fork, mash all of the ingredients together until a pasty mixture forms.
- Stir in the remaining beans along with the tomato paste, egg, corn, cilantro, chipotles, cumin and salt. Stir in the cooked quinoa and ground oats until evenly distributed.
- Form the mixture into 8 equal patties, compacting them well with your hands as you form them. Place the patties on a baking sheet, cover them with plastic wrap and refrigerate for a few hours or overnight.
- To make the cilantro yogurt sauce, puree the yogurt, chipotles, adobo sauce, cilantro, lime juice, and honey together in a mini food processor until smooth.
- When ready to eat, preheat the oven to 400°F. Spray a baking sheet with olive oil spray and place the patties on the sheet. Cook 10-12 minutes until the patties are golden brown and crispy, then carefully flip the over and cook another 10 minutes. Alternatively, you can pan fry the patties in a skillet with a little olive oil.
- Serve the patties on the buns with the cilantro yogurt sauce and toppings of your choice.
Theresa says
Hello and thank you for this recipe. I assume the nutrient breakout is for 1 (of the 8) burgers. I don't have a scale to weigh grams.
Also, does the 13 g of protein include the whole wheat bun. I think it does, but it's unusual to add in items that aren't in the recipe to the protein count without specifying. Or maybe you did and I missed it.
Thanks.
Dr. Sonali Ruder says
Hi Theresa! The nutritional information is for 1 patty plus the sauce. It does not include the bun since there are such a wide range of buns available. I’ve edited the recipe card to make this more clear. Thank you for your comment- I hope you try the dish!
Lisa says
I came back here to make this delicious veggie burger and the recipe is no longer showing. It says it was updated on February 23rd. Was it deleted by accident?
Dr. Sonali Ruder says
Thanks for bringing this to my attention, Lisa! Yes, part of the post was somehow deleted but now it's all fixed. I'm so happy you enjoy the recipe!