Quinoa Burger

Say goodbye to mushy, bland veggie burgers forever! This quinoa burger is tangy and spicy, with a delicious hearty texture and perfect crispy edges.

Quinoa burger

I’m not sure where to begin with this quinoa burger recipe. It has a wonderful meaty texture with lightly crisp edges, a spicy, tangy flavor, and a gorgeous red color. Plus, it’s totally vegan and gluten-free! What’s not to love?

I’m looking forward to making this quinoa burger for cookouts all summer long, and I hope you are too. On the off-chance that you have leftovers, pop them in the freezer! They reheat perfectly for quick weeknight dinners down the road.

Black bean quinoa burger

Quinoa Burger Recipe Ingredients

I set some strict veggie burger criteria for this recipe: no eggs, no cheese, no oats. I really wanted to make it vegan and gluten-free so that everyone could enjoy it, but I didn’t want to use oats instead of bread crumbs because they make for gummy burgers. If you haven’t figured it out by now, quinoa was my solution! It gives these patties a better texture and a little more protein. I stir some into the patty mixture and press more onto the outside of the patties to create a crispy coating.

Here’s what else is in them:

  • Black beans create the bulk of these burgers and help make them cohesive. Use canned, or cook your own.
  • Walnuts give the burgers a hearty bite and earthy flavor.
  • Shallot and garlic add sharp depth of flavor.
  • Balsamic vinegar and vegan Worcestershire sauce make them nice and tangy.
  • Cumin, cayenne, and coriander add complexity and a little heat.
  • Grated beet and tomato paste amp up the red color. The tomato paste also adds an intense savory flavor.
  • Flaxseed adds healthy omega-3 fats and ties it all together.

Find the complete recipe with measurements below.

Quinoa burger recipe

Quinoa Burger Serving Suggestions

I encourage you to slather the quinoa patties with chipotle mayo or this chipotle sauce (vegan option included!). Otherwise, anything goes. Load them up with tomatoes, lettuce, red onion or pickled red onion, dill pickles, mustard, mayo, and ketchup, or add pickled jalapeños for extra heat. No matter what toppings you choose, serving them on homemade hamburger buns will make them even better.

To round out the meal, serve your quinoa burger with sweet potato fries, air fryer French fries, or parsnip fries. They’re also fantastic with grilled veggies like zucchini, asparagus, or potatoes, corn on the cob, or a summer salad. Any of these salad recipes would be great:

For more salad ideas, check out this post!

Vegan Quinoa Burger

More Favorite Sandwich and Veggie Burger Recipes

If you love this black bean quinoa burger recipe, try one of these sandwiches or veggie burgers next:

Looking for more quinoa recipes? Find my favorites here.

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Quinoa Burger

rate this recipe:
5 from 22 votes
Prep Time: 20 minutes
Cook Time: 30 minutes
Total Time: 50 minutes
Serves 4
This vegan quinoa burger recipe is tangy, nicely spiced, and full of satisfying texture from walnuts and black beans. Even meat eaters will love it!

Ingredients

  • 1 tablespoon ground flax + 3 tablespoons water
  • 2 teaspoons extra-virgin olive oil
  • 1 medium shallot, chopped (1/3 cup)
  • 2 garlic cloves, chopped
  • 2 teaspoons ground cumin
  • 2 teaspoons ground coriander
  • Pinch of cayenne
  • 1 tablespoon vegan Worcestershire, or soy sauce or tamari
  • 1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar
  • 1 tablespoon tomato paste, or ketchup
  • 1 tablespoon grated beet, (optional, for color)
  • 1/4 cup walnuts
  • 1 cup

    cooked black beans

    , divided
  • 3/4 cup cooked red quinoa, divided
  • heaping 1/4 teaspoon sea salt and fresh black pepper
  • Hamburger Buns, Chipotle Mayo, or Chipotle Sauce, and desired fixings

Instructions

  • Preheat oven to 375 with a metal baking sheet inside.
  • In a small bowl, stir the flax & water together and set aside.
  • Heat the oil in a medium skillet. Add the shallot, garlic, and pinches of salt and pepper and cook for a few minutes until translucent. Add the cumin and coriander, stir, and cook for 30 seconds more.
  • Add the Worcestershire, balsamic, tomato paste, grated beet, walnuts and the first 1/2 cup black beans, and 1/2 teaspoon salt. Stir and cook for another few minutes and turn heat off.
  • Let cool slightly, then add the contents from the pan to the food processor. Add the flax egg and pulse until everything is combined but not pureed.
  • Transfer the mixture to a bowl and stir in the remaining 1/2 cup of black beans (smash them a little as you stir), and 1/2 cup of the quinoa. (You can taste & adjust seasonings at this point). Stir until this is all very cohesive then divide into 4 segments and roll into balls.
  • Place the 4 balls on a plate and sprinkle them with the remaining 1/4 cup quinoa. Gently roll them so the quinoa coats the outside of the balls, then press each in the palm of your hand to form patties. Place on parchment paper (on a plate) and chill for 20 minutes.
  • Transfer the parchment w/ your patties onto the pre-heated baking sheet. Drizzle a little olive oil on top and bake for about 15 minutes. Flip and bake for an additional 10-12 minutes until the outside is not mushy.
  • Let cool slightly and serve with desired fixings.

 

This post is sponsored by Sir Kensington’s

119 comments

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  1. isabella
    03.07.2014

    i LOVE your photographs! such an inspiration.

  2. Kristin from blog.kristinfleming.com
    03.06.2014

    Looks delicious! I might have to try this.

  3. I once tried to use a lot of leftover veggie pulp from juicing to make veggie burgers and it was awful so I abandoned the idea of making veggie burgers completely. However, yours look amazing and don’t sound too challenging, which I definitely appreciate! Plus, I absolutely love to drink beet juice, but I always wonder what to do with the leftover (dry) pulp. I think a tablespoon could find their way into these burgers! So glad you shared this recipe with us 🙂

    • jeanine
      03.07.2014

      the dry pulp would be perfect here :). A little beet really goes a long way…

  4. Oh My Goodness – how I love that Sir Kensington brand of ketchup! I had it for the first time this summer in NYC visiting my daughter at school and fell hard! And guess what was in my Christmas stocking this year . . . the ketchup. I was thrilled! I had no idea they made other goodies too! Thanks for letting me know. How exciting!

    And, of course, this burger looks seriously good! You do everything so well!

    • jeanine
      03.07.2014

      Ha – you sound just like me – I would be thrilled to get this ketchup in my Christmas stocking! 🙂

  5. Oh man so many things to love about this post! Those bottles are soooo cute! I can never get my veggie burgers to stick together without eggs so I am sooooo excited to try these! PS Who doesn’t like Ketchup?!?!?! C’mon Jack! 😉

    • jeanine
      03.07.2014

      Ha, thanks! I always seem to talk about things he doesn’t like here (I’m not sure why :))

  6. Ahh these look so lovely. I’ve never had a quinoa burger – I think this may have to be my first!

  7. Ileana from alittlesaffron.com
    03.06.2014

    Oh MAN. I had a beet-walnut burger years ago at Deschutes Brewery in Portland and it is the best veggie burger I’ve ever had. It was so good we went there twice during our trip out west. So you can understand why your recipe is shooting to the top of my to-cook list!

    • jeanine
      03.06.2014

      Ha, well I hope this one lives up! 🙂

    • Lindsey from macsuzie.com
      04.17.2014

      Deschutes has a new one now that is equally amazing if you ever make it back – quinoa and cashew with a ton of fixings! I don’t quite live close enough to indulge as much as I would want, so I definitely plan on trying this recipe 🙂

      • Ileana from alittlesaffron.com
        04.22.2014

        No way! I will have to try it next time I’m in Oregon (hopefully sooner rather than later). Thanks for the tip. 🙂

  8. Maria from twopeasandtheirpod.com
    03.06.2014

    My kind of burger!

  9. Emma from coconutandberries.com
    03.06.2014

    I’ve been thinking recently about making veggie burgers but they’re surprisingly hard to get right.
    I love the look of these, especially with those yummy sauces.

    • jeanine
      03.06.2014

      thanks Emma, I’ve been working on it for awhile! Hard to make them cohesive but not dry…

  10. Sara from itsmylittlethings.blogspot.com
    03.06.2014

    Ok to be honest, this looks like the best tasting quinoa burger ever !! *drools* But i am quite lazy so i’d rather someone cook it for me or eat it at some restaurant. I wish i could just grab the burger from the picture and pull it out from my screen 🙁 yummers. Thank you for making me hungry hehe. AMAZING pictures btw.

    http://www.itsmylittlethings.blogspot.com

    • jeanine
      03.06.2014

      ha, me too (there aren’t many veggie burger recipes on this blog!)… but they’re really pretty easy and totally worth it 🙂

  11. dana from minimalistbaker.com
    03.05.2014

    So great! Will have to check these out. Sensational photos and styling! Also, gotta try that burger recipe!!

  12. Yum! I haven’t experimented enough with veggie burgers. Yours look superbly delicious! So beautiful, too!

A food blog with fresh, zesty recipes.
Photograph of Jeanine Donofrio and Jack Mathews in their kitchen

Hello, we're Jeanine and Jack.

We love to eat, travel, cook, and eat some more! We create & photograph vegetarian recipes from our home in Chicago, while our shiba pups eat the kale stems that fall on the kitchen floor.