This Easy Grillable Quinoa Black Bean Veggie Burger recipe contains simple, nutritious plant-based ingredients and is perfectly spiced for ideal flavor. Simply mash and stir everything together without ever getting out your food processor. The patties are sturdy and get super crispy on the outside when grilled. You can also cook them on the stovetop. Either way, they are ready in a flash and mega delicious.
Easy Grillable Veggie Burger
This easy Grillable Veggie Burger truly amazes me. They somehow look, feel and taste so close to the real deal, and yet they are mostly just a mixture of canned black beans and quinoa. Oat flour helps it stay sturdy and maple syrup provides a slight, naturally sweet flavor to balance out the dried spices that are recommended. This truly is a pantry-friendly recipe since all you need are the canned black beans, quinoa, oats, maple syrup and dried spices. It can be prepped in less than five minutes if you meal prep your quinoa ahead of time.
I love the flavor the grill offers to these veggie burgers. It makes them feel more authentic for those who are used to eating meat-based burgers. They are beyond satisfying when they are sandwiched between burger buns (or "lettuce buns") and layered with your favorite burger condiments and fresh toppings like avocado, red onion, tomato and lettuce. I also love them on their own with a grilled vegetable grain bowl and either jalapeno chimichurri sauce or this easy creamy tahini sauce.
All About Quinoa
Quinoa is one of my favorite pantry staples. It's light and absorbs flavor wonderfully and adds great texture to these veggie burgers. I love that's it's so easy to prepare and offers such amazing health benefits: it is loaded with fiber (one serving has over five grams) and is considered a complete source of protein with all eight essential amino acids. This makes it a great source of plant-based protein for vegans. In fact, it has more protein than any other grain. Quinoa is a good source of folate, magnesium, iron, phosphorus and many phytochemicals. It also offers important minerals such as calcium, potassium, copper and zinc.
In this recipe I'm using Ancient Harvest organic white quinoa. I love their organic, non-GMO white quinoa. It is pre-washed and rinsed which makes this recipe that much more streamlined. You can cook it on the stovetop or in a pressure cooker. I prefer the pressure cooker method because it is completely hands off. Both methods produce perfectly fluffy quinoa that is not soggy or burnt. I typically make a batch once a week (2 cups uncooked = 6 cups cooked) so that I can use it in recipes throughout the week.
All About Black Beans
Black beans are considered a legume and part of both the protein and vegetable group. They provide plant-based protein, dietary fiber and important nutrients such as iron and zinc. I love their texture when mashed and they absorb flavor well.
Serving the Veggie Burger
Serve on a lettuce bun or grilled whole wheat burger bun with my homemade honey mustard sauce, ketchup, lettuce, tomato and red onions. I also love to add sliced avocado and grilled red onions to my burgers. Serve with grilled veggies, grilled sweet potato fries, my favorite potato salad, pasta salad and/or coleslaw. Follow it up with my no-churn easy vegan vanilla ice cream (made in your blender).
Looking for more quinoa recipes?
These are my most popular vegan and gluten-free recipes with quinoa:
Mango-Avocado Quinoa Salad with Toasted Pepitas
Roasted Veggies & Crispy Chickpeas over Quinoa with Garlic Maple Tahini Drizzle
Roasted Beet Noodles Over Quinoa with Parsley Pesto
Quick & Easy One-Pot Curried Quinoa & Chickpeas
Crispy Quinoa and Avocado Salad with Strawberry Vinaigrette
One-Pot Sweet & Spiced Quinoa Lentil Salad
Berry-Cherry Quinoa Salad with Candied Walnuts and Balsamic-Shallot Vinaigrette
PrintEasy Grillable Quinoa Black Bean Veggie Burger
- Total Time: 48 minute
- Yield: 4 1x
- Diet: Vegan
Description
These Easy Grillable Quinoa Black Bean Veggie Burgers contain simple, nutritious plant-based ingredients and are perfectly spiced for ideal flavor. Simply mash and stir everything together without ever getting out your food processor. The patties are sturdy and get super crispy on the outside when grilled. You can also cook them on the stovetop. Either way, they are ready in a flash and mega delicious.
Note: Since these are veggie burgers, you are cooking them to both warm them through but also introduce flavor. Either method (stovetop or grill) works, but they produce a different texture and flavor.
Ingredients
- 1 (15 ounce) can black beans, drained, rinsed, patted dry
- 1 cup packed cooked Ancient Harvest quinoa (cook the quinoa via this stovetop method or this Instant Pot method)
- ⅓ cup certified gluten-free old fashioned rolled oats, blended into a fine oat flour in your blender*
- 1 tablespoon pure maple syrup
- 1 teaspoon fine salt
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1 teaspoon onion powder
- 1 teaspoon paprika
- ½ teaspoon ground black pepper
- 1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil for grilling
Instructions
- Add black beans to a medium-sized mixing bowl and mash well using a potato masher or fork. Mash until no whole beans remain.
- Add quinoa, oats, maple syrup and spices to the bowl. Stir well with a spoon to combine. The mixture will appear dry at first, but if you use the back of your spoon to mash the black beans into the drier ingredients, it will start to come together. Mix until no dry ingredient remain visible/separate.
- Divide the mixture into four even portions. Form each portion into burger patties (about 3 inch diameter with 1 inch thickness).
- If cooking on the stovetop, heat a 12-inch cast iron skillet over medium heat and add 1-2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil. Once the oil is shimmering, add the patties and cook on each side for 5 minutes until golden brown. Remove from skillet and enjoy immediately or allow to fully cool before storing in an airtight container in your refrigerator.
- If cooking on the grill, preheat the grill to 375 degrees (medium heat). Lightly brush both side of all four patties with extra virgin olive oil. Once the grill reaches medium heat, add burgers directly to the griddle. Close the grill and cook for 10 minutes per side until grill marks can be seen and the outside is slightly charred. Remove from grill and enjoy immediately or allow to fully cool before storing in an airtight container in your refrigerator.
Notes
*measure out ⅓ cup of the old fashioned oats and blend on high speed for 30-60 seconds in a dry blender until a fine oat flour forms. The final oat flour will measure smaller than the original ⅓ cup of oats.
- Prep Time: 5
- Cook Time: 10-20
- Category: Entree
- Method: Stovetop or Grill
Keywords: Easy Grillable Quinoa Black Bean Veggie Burger
This post is sponsored by Ancient Harvest. All opinions are my own.
Allie Lanier says
What type of bun did you use for this veggie burger?! It looks delicious and I can't wait to make it!
Elaine Gordon says
Thank you so much, Allie! It is a Dave's Killer Bread bun. I bought it at Costco but they also sell at Whole Foods and Sprouts I believe.
Jodi says
Loved these!!! Can't wait to make again!!!
Elaine Gordon says
Thank you so much for letting me know! So happy to hear you loved them! We make them a couple times every month because they are so easy and healthy!
Cressie DeRose says
I liked putting mustard on these for a nice contrast in flavor.
Elaine Gordon says
Love it! I'm a huge mustard fan myself. Have you tried my easy 3-Ingredient Homemade Vegan Honey Mustard Sauce? It is a must and pairs well with this burger as well! https://www.eatingbyelaine.com/three-ingredient-vegan-homemade-honey-mustard-sauce/