These Cajun Spiced Black Bean Quinoa Burgers are a healthy vegan burger loaded with plant-based protein! 7 ingredients! So easy to make and can be enjoyed with all of your fave toppings! No added oil + nut-free option + Glutenfree option Jump to Recipe
Fire up the grill- it’s bbq and burger season and I have something for you that might save summer. Smoky, spicy black beans, and quinoa burger patties that are everything a veggie burger should be. We are talking moist and tender on the inside and crispy on the outside and no, that will not fall apart!
The secret to getting these black bean veggie burgers to stick together and stay solid is a combination of almond flour and all-purpose flour. You might have seen burger recipes using flax eggs ( like in these chickpea burgers), aquafaba or other binding agents. The binder depends on the beans used and other ingredients. Chickpeas for eg are dryer beans and benefit from the flax egg.
Cajun Spiced Black Bean Quinoa Burgers Vegan
Ingredients
- 15 oz (425.24 g) black beans drained
- 3/4 cup (138.75 g) cooked quinoa
- 1/3 cup (37.33 g) almond flour Or coarsely crushed walnuts, or use coarsely ground sunflower seeds for nuttree
- 1 tablespoon Cajun seasoning
- 1 tablespoon barbecue sauce
- 1/2 teaspoon of salt
- zest of a lime
- 1/4 cup (31.25 g) of flour of choice (4 tbsp) (all purpose, or a mix of 2 of oat/rice/chickpea for Glutenfree)
Instructions
- In a bowl, mash half of the black beans really well. Add the rest of the ingredients except flour and mix in. Mash and mix. (You can also add 2 tbsp finely chopped onion and half a green chili minced here for variation.) Add 3 tbsp flour and mix in. Chill for 15-20 minutes.
- If the mixture is still wet add another tablespoon of flour and mix in. Taste and adjust salt and flavor. Shape into patties and pan fry for 4-6 mins per side over medium heat. (For additional crisp and less sticking , lightly dust the patties in flour before pan frying). Bake: place on parchment lined baking sheet and bake at 425 deg c(220 c) for 20 mins.
- Serve in a bowl or on lettuce leaves or make a burger with greens, tomato slices, onion and barbecue sauce or Vegan ranch sauce and pickled jalapeño.Store: in the refrigerator for upto 4 days. Freeze for upto a month. Reheat on the skillet or bake.
Notes
- Homemade burger patties are not the same as store-bought ones, which contain a lot of additives to make them that sturdy.These quinoa burger patties are softer and get sturdy on cooking
- Note that canned beans can be inconsistent in texture. Some are super dry and starchy, so if that's the case you might not need to add any additional flour.
- You may freeze the patties in a freezer-proof container for 1 month.
- Instead of Cajun seasoning, you can simply blend each 1/2 tsp of smoked paprika, salt, garlic powder, black pepper, onion powder, dried oregano, and 1/4 tsp each of cayenne and thyme.
- If you’re cutting back on carbs, wrap up that burger patty in a large piece of crisp butter lettuce, top it with smashed avocado, and a drizzle of sriracha sauce
Nutrition
Ingredients for making black bean quinoa burger patties:
- black beans – a super healthy option to use in a vegan burger patty. They’re loaded with a ton of fiber, potassium, vitamin B6 and protein.
- cooked quinoa – you can use leftover quinoa. It does not have to be fresh. If anything, they hold together better when the quinoa is day old.
- almond flour, or coarsely crushed walnuts, or use coarsely ground sunflower seeds for a nut-free burger patty.
- Cajun seasoning + barbecue sauce lend these a bold bbq flavor that will make your tastebuds go “badaboom”.
- I like to add the zest of one lime for some zing. It’s a must!
- flour is the major binding ingredient in these easy burger patties. Use all-purpose or gluten-free. It’s important to give the patty batter a good 15 minutes to chill so that the flour gets hydrated and binds all ingredients together.
Tips and Substitutions:
- If you’re cutting back on carbs, wrap up that burger patty in a large piece of crisp butter lettuce, top it with smashed avocado, and a drizzle of sriracha sauce.
- Homemade burger patties are not the same as store-bought ones, which contain a lot of additives to make them sturdy. These quinoa burger patties are softer and get sturdy on cooking.
- Note that canned beans can be inconsistent in texture. Some are super drier, so if that’s the case you might not need to add any additional flour. If you cook your beans from dried at home, they might also be a bit more starchy than canned. Especially if you cooked them in advance.
- You may freeze the burger patties in a freezer-proof container for 1 month.
- Instead of store-bought Cajun seasoning, you can simply blend 1/2 tsp each of smoked paprika, salt, garlic powder, black pepper, onion powder, dried oregano, and 1/4 tsp each of cayenne and thyme.
How to make quinoa black bean burgers:
In a bowl, mash half of the black beans really well.
Add the rest of the ingredients except for the flour and mix in. Add 3 tbsp flour and mix in. Chill the batter for 15 minutes.
If the mixture is still wet after chilling add another tablespoon of flour and mix in.
Shape into burger patties and pan-fry them for 4-6 mins per side or, for oil-free, bake at 425 F for 20 mins.
Ways to serve these quinoa burger patties:
Serve these in a lettuce wraps or as a burger bowl topping for a healthy summer dinner or make a classic burger with greens, tomato slices, onion, and barbecue sauce. Also delicious – ranch sauce and pickled jalapeños. These would also taste amazing in homemade pita bread.
More delicious vegan burger topping ideas:
- Hummus
- Baba Ganoush
- vegan tzatziki
- fresh dill, parsley, and cilantro
- tahini dill sauce
- chimichurri
- pickled red onions, beets or radishes
- fresh baby spinach
- homemade guacamole,
- salsa or pico de gallo
- fresh mangos or peaches
- veganaise
- sliced cucumber
- bean, lentil, broccoli or alfalfa sprouts
- grilled pineapple
- sautéed mushrooms
MORE VEGAN BURGER RECIPES FROM THE BLOG:
- Vegan Portobello Mushroom Burger
- Grillable Veggie Burger
- Vegan Falafel Burger
- Peanut Curry White Bean Burger
- Zaatar Spiced Chickpea Burger
Fantastic recipe! I used blue cornmeal instead of the almond flour and made them a little more spicy. Fried in grape seed oil, they were crispy on the outside and soft on the inside.. I made extra patties and froze some. This will be a family favorite.
oh! sounds exotic
Delicious … in the future i’d double cajun and eliminate the flour. Mine was moist enough it didnt need it. Also i mashed the beans with all the ingredients to combine . Turned out great! Might try some liquid smoke or cumin or paprika in the future
spicy!
Amazing as usual!
I used a tip from Serious Eats and baked the rinsed black beans at 350 for 5-10 minutes, until skin starts to split. Really helps with flavor and texture. I used the almond flour but think walnuts would be better for texture. Also thinking of adding a little shredded zucchini or mushrooms since bean burgers tend to be so dry…
Hey! So I made this recipe once but I am confused about the part with the flour. It says to use 1/3 cup in the ingredients but then in the instructions it says to use 3 tablespoons. Where does the 1/3 cup go and when? Can you clarify this please? It seems like the patties should have held together better. They weren’t wet, if anything they ended up dry. Thank you!
That’s 1/3 cup almond flour. Regular flour is a quarter cup or 4 tablespoons. You start with 3 tablespoons and add more if needed. I’m not sure what flour you did or did not add and that might have affected the consistency of the burgers
Okay. I was using almond flour. I didn’t know that it was a “start with this but you might not need it all” type of thing. Thank you!
These sound lovely! Can they be cooked on the grill?
These are not very sturdy for the grill. Add a quarter cup of oats to help them makes sturdy. Or try my grilable veggie burger veganricha.com/?s=grillable
My husband doesn’t like barbecue sauce so I was going to leave it out. Does leaving the sauce out affect the consistency of the patties, and if so, is there a substitute I should use to help hold it together? Or is the sauce mainly for taste? Thank you.
It does add moisture. You can use tomato paste
Jennifer you might try using salsa instead of barbeque sauce. My hubby puts that stuff on everything!
Wow this was very good. Definitely a keeper in the burger rotation. So much flavor. Everything I make from you is 10 stars plus. Thank you for sharing
Awesome!!
Made these today. They are so easy and delicious! Chopped them up for kids with the dipping sauces
Awesome!
I continue to look for a good burger recipe. This one looks nice and I like the lime zest touch. I can almost taste that! Several questions:
1-if using beans I’ve cooked myself, what would be the amount?
2-would adding a flax egg help burgers to be firmer?
3- At the step to pan fry, must oil be used in the pan? If yes, and I don’t want any oil, wouldn’t the flax egg idea enhance firmness during the baking process?
4- Could the recipe could be doubled or tripled without any issues?
5- Finally, would you bake first, then freeze, or freeze the patties before cooking?
Thanks Richa. I’m a longtime follower of your work. ♥️
1. 1.5 cups
2. No
3. No you just need a good non stick skillet or bake them instead for 20-25 mins
4. Should be easily doubled. Moisture content of quinoa varies and that means you will need variable amount of flour
5. I usually freeze unbaked
Sounds great—I’ve not made yet, it doesn’t say to drain the beans, I assume they’re drained though from your photo? Thx
Yes drain them. I’ll update it.