Black Bean Quinoa Burgers

Full of fantastic texture and nobbly with black beans, these hearty and flavourful black bean quinoa burgers made with simple ingredients satisfy serious veggie burger cravings with big taste. They’re obviously not meat, but they don’t need to be because they stand on their own merits.

Even my meat loving fellas around here love these black bean and quinoa burgers madly. Whether you serve the bean fritters on a super soft brioche bun or on a salad, they’re sure to make you come back for more.

The best part is that not only are they mercifully easy to whip together, but they’re also super budget-friendly and can be made gluten-free quite simply by using gluten free breadcrumbs. Otherwise, they’re naturally free of gluten!

Quinoa Black Bean Burger

These bean burgers are a nutritional powerhouse courtesy of quinoa and black beans. Quinoa is not only packed full of protein, but is also a great source of zinc, fiber, folate, and antioxidants. 

Black beans are chock full of plant-based protein and antioxidants, too, but they also pack a serious punch of calcium, magnesium, manganese, copper, potassium, vitamin B6, quercetin, and saponins. Beans truly are good for your heart!

Of course, all that wouldn’t amount to -ahem- a hill of beans if the black bean quinoa burgers didn’t taste good. Thankfully, they are GREAT!

Black Bean and Quinoa Burger

Let’s knock out this ingredient list. It might look lengthy, but it takes longer to gather the ingredients than pull these together, so don’t let that worry you.

1. Quinoa
2. Canned or Cooked Black Beans
3. Panko Bread Crumbs
4. Best Thing Tomatoes or Tomato Paste
5. Olive Oil
6. Onion
7. Cilantro or Parsley
8. Taco Seasoning
9. Burger Buns or Lettuce Leaves (optional for serving)

If you’re looking to make black bean quinoa burgers at super speed, you can buy packets of pre-cooked quinoa and canned beans to cut down on prep time. You can certainly cook your own dried beans and quinoa for this hearty veggie burger recipe, but be aware the shortcuts exist for your help!

I use regular, plain panko bread crumbs, but you can (as I mentioned before) sub in gluten-free bread crumbs if you prefer. Alternatively, if you don’t care whether your vegetarian black bean burgers stay vegetarian, you can sub in an equal quantity of crushed pork rinds. 

When it comes to the tomato paste portion of the programme, I’m team Best Thing Tomatoes ALL THE WAY. If you don’t have any on hand and have no desire to make them, an equal portion of tomato paste will do the job quite well. 

I always grate my onion for these burgers as opposed to mincing or dicing them for a couple of reasons. I like the way they disperse into the burger texturally when they’re grated. 

This also makes it easier for a couple of the folks in this house who object to the visible presence of onions. I think the burgers hold together better when the onion is grated, too.

I like to make this veggie burger recipe on busy nights, so I take another short-cut in the form of using taco seasoning. You can substitute a combination of chili powder, cumin, garlic powder, onion powder, black pepper, and chipotle chile pepper powder if you so desire.

Black Bean & Quinoa Burger

There isn’t a whole lot of equipment needed for this quinoa burger recipe, and what it does require, you’re likely to have on hand already. You do have some options, though, so let’s review.

1. Mixing Bowl
2. Measuring Cups and Spoons
3. Box Grater
4. Sturdy Spoon (and/or Potato Masher)
5. Frying Pan or Sheet Pan (plus parchment paper) or Air Fryer
6. Spatula
7. Plates

You can get by with using a sturdy spoon because you don’t need to mash the beans into oblivion; just break them up a bit. This is not a recipe requiring a food processor. 

That said, it’s a much easier and quicker process if you use a potato masher to squash everything together. You’re just looking to break it up until you can form patties with the mixture.

I like to cook these black bean burgers in a frying pan in a bit of oil for maximum crispy edges. But you can most certainly opt to lightly spritz them with oil and cook in an oven or an air fryer. The printable recipe contains instructions for all of the above!

If you have leftovers, you can store them in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 3 days. Reheat in a frying pan, air fryer, or hot oven!

Canned Bean Recipes

Canned beans are such a wonderful way to fast-track your dinner preparations. Filled with nutrients, budget-friendly, and easily customizable, beans should have a regular place on your dinner table!

Are you looking for more great canned bean recipes? Try out our 10 minute black bean tacos,  spicy baked beans, beans and greens, breakfast baked beans, Calico Bean Casserole, and 5 Ingredient Taco Soup, among others. 

​Do you desperately desire more black bean veggie burgers? I have you covered there, too, with Taco Black Bean Burgers, Roasted Sweet Potato Black Bean Burgers, and Pizza Black Bean Burgers. Viva los bean burgers!

I highly recommend serving today’s healthy veggie burgers with a side of melting sweet potatoes​ or crispy baked sweet potato fries.

Black Bean Quinoa Burgers

Add all of the ingredients to a large mixing bowl and smash together with a potato masher or sturdy spoon just until the mixture holds together when squeezed. Form 8 to 10 patties and place them on a plate.

To Cook in a Frying Pan (preferred method):

Position a frying pan over medium heat to medium high heat and swirl in about ¼ cup of olive oil. When it is shimmery, gently ease the black bean patties into the pan. 

Let them fry, undisturbed, for 3 minutes on the first side, or until the bottoms of the burgers are crispy and deeply browned. Gently turn over and fry for 3 minutes on the second side. 

To Bake in the Oven:

Preheat the oven to 350F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. 

Brush or spritz both sides of the patties with olive oil and arrange them on the prepared baking sheet in a single layer with ample space between them. Bake for 20 to 25 minutes, flipping the burgers over halfway through cooking.

To Cook in the Air Fryer:

Preheat the air fryer to 375ºF. 

Brush or spritz both sides of the patties with olive oil and arrange them in the air fryer basket in a single layer with ample space between them. You may need to do more than one batch.

Cook for 3 to 4 minutes before flipping the burgers over gently. Air fry for an additional 3 to 4 minutes.

To Serve and Store:

Serve on buns or on lettuce leaves with your choice of condiments. Store leftovers in the refrigerator in an airtight container for up to 3 days.

Black Bean Quinoa Burgers

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Rebecca Lindamood

Prep Time 15 minutes mins

Cook Time 10 minutes mins

Cook ModePrevent your screen from going dark

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Full of fantastic texture and nobbly with black beans, these hearty and flavourful quinoa black bean burgers satisfy serious veggie burger cravings. They’re obviously not meat, but they don’t need to be because they stand on their own merits. Even my meat loving fellas around here love these black bean and quinoa burgers madly. Whether you serve the black bean fritters on buns or on a salad, they’re sure to make you come back for more.

Equipment

• mixing bowl
• Measuring Cups and Spoons
• box grater
• Sturdy Spoon (and/or Potato Masher)
• Frying Pan or Sheet Pan (plus parchment paper) or Air Fryer
• spatula
• Plates

Ingredients

  

1x2x3x

• 1 cup cooked quinoa
• 2 cans or 4 cups black beans, drained and rinsed
• 1 cup panko bread crumbs
• ¼ cup best thing tomatoes or tomato paste
• ⅓ cup water
• ¼ cup olive oil plus extra for cooking
• ½ onion grated
• ½ cup chopped cilantro or parsley
• 3 tablespoons taco seasoning

Optional for serving:

• Buns or lettuce leaves

Instructions

 

• Add all of the ingredients to a large mixing bowl and smash together with a potato masher or sturdy spoon just until the mixture holds together when squeezed. Form 8 to 10 patties and place them on a plate.

To Cook in a Frying Pan (preferred method):

• Position a frying pan over medium high heat and swirl in about ¼ cup of olive oil. When it is shimmery, gently ease the black bean patties into the pan.
• Let them fry, undisturbed, for 3 minutes on the first side, or until the bottoms of the burgers are crispy and deeply browned. Gently turn over and fry for 3 minutes on the second side.

To Bake in the Oven:

• Preheat the oven to 350F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
• Brush or spritz both sides of the patties with olive oil and arrange them on the prepared baking sheet in a single layer with ample space between them. Bake for 20 to 25 minutes, flipping the burgers over halfway through cooking.

To Cook in the Air Fryer:

• Preheat the air fryer to 375ºF.
• Brush or spritz both sides of the patties with olive oil and arrange them in the air fryer basket in a single layer with ample space between them. You may need to do more than one batch.
• Cook for 3 to 4 minutes before flipping the burgers over gently. Air fry for an additional 3 to 4 minutes.

To Serve and Store:

• Serve on buns or on lettuce leaves with your choice of condiments. Store leftovers in the refrigerator in an airtight container for up to 3 days.

Notes

Please note that nutritional information is for the black bean burgers only. It does not take into account toppings or buns or lettuce wraps.

Nutrition

Calories: 131kcalCarbohydrates: 13gProtein: 3gFat: 8gSaturated Fat: 1gPolyunsaturated Fat: 1gMonounsaturated Fat: 5gSodium: 198mgPotassium: 154mgFiber: 2gSugar: 2gVitamin A: 282IUVitamin C: 3mgCalcium: 23mgIron: 1mg

Nutritional information is an estimate and provided to you as a courtesy. You should calculate the nutritional information with the actual ingredients used in your recipe using your preferred nutrition calculator.

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