Easy Grillable Veggie Burgers
These Vegan Quinoa & Black Bean Burgers with Strawberry BBQ Sauce will transform the way you see veggie burgers. This plant-based meal is loaded with sweet and smoky flavor that you won’t be able to get enough of!
Estimated reading time: 8 minutes
If you’re someone who doesn’t love veggie burgers, I’m about to change that for good. These are I-would-eat-this-first-at-any-barbecue kind of veggie burgers. That’s how good we’re talking.
Now, I understand why you might be hesitant about veggie burgers. Before these black bean and quinoa burgers came along, I too was searching for the perfect veggie burger that just hit all the right notes. But, take my advice and skip the years of skepticism – because these burgers are SO delicious.
This recipe is completely vegan, and the best part is, the burger don’t even need any cheese because of this flavorful Roasted Strawberry BBQ Sauce and Homemade BBQ Sauce. (One word: Ah-mazing!)
Now, enough chit-chat. Get on to making these!
Why I Love These Homemade Veggie Burgers
There are so many reasons to love these veggie burgers! They’re tender, juicy, and smoky like meat burgers are, and you can add on all of the same toppings that you usually do. But that’s just the start:
- Veggie burgers are protein-packed: Black beans are rich in this nutrient! There’s no need to default to meat for your protein fix when you’ve got a can of these delicious beans in the pantry.
- They’re a super quick dinner: 30 minutes. That’s all the time you’ll need! 20 minutes for prep, and 10 minutes for cooking. After that, it’s all about enjoying good food!
- No fancy equipment needed: As long as you’ve got a pan and a stovetop, you’re good to go. A grill will work too, especially if it’s summertime – choose whatever works best for you.
Notes on the Ingredients
So, how does this veggie burger recipe become reality? Obviously you’ll need quinoa and some black beans, but there are some other things to round up too:
- Olive Oil: Any cooking oil will work. Canola or avocado oil, for example, are fine too.
- Onion: Diced. Any kind of onion works here
- Bell Pepper: You’ll need a red bell pepper, also diced.
- Seasoning: Garlic (minced), red pepper flakes, ground black pepper, and sea salt.
- Black Beans: Rinsed and drained. I prefer using canned black beans, but you can make them from scratch.
- Quinoa: This recipe requires cooked quinoa.
- Roasted Strawberry Barbecue Sauce: You can use this recipe or my newest homemade bbq sauce!
- Gluten Free Flour: I use Bob’s Red Mill Gluten Free 1:1 Baking Flour. You can also use regular flour.
How to Make Quinoa & Black Bean Burgers
Like I mentioned above, these veggie burgers won’t take you more than 30 minutes to form and plate.
First you’ll sauté the vegetables and blend the black beans and quinoa into a burger-ready mixture.
Then, you’ll shape them, cook them until they’re perfectly crispy, and enjoy! Here’s the more in-depth scoop on the situation:
Sauté the Veggies: Heat the first tablespoon of olive oil in a pan over medium high heat until hot, and sauté the onions, red bell peppers, garlic until cooked down, about 3 minutes. Season with salt and pepper slightly to taste. Allow the vegetables to cool a bit.
Blend the Burger Mixture Together: In a food processor, add the black beans, cooked quinoa, sautéed vegetables, red pepper flakes, gluten free flour, ground black pepper and sea salt. Pulse until combined – you want it all completely incorporated, until it’s one cohesive mixture and the black beans are nice and mashed in.
Form the Burgers: On a cookie sheet lined with parchment paper, form the mixture into burgers. I like to use my ½ cup measurement to pack them in, then form them in my hands into shape. They can make 4 large burgers this way.
Cook the Burgers: In a pan over medium high heat, heat about 2 tablespoons olive oil. Add the burgers to it, being careful not to overcrowd the pan. Once the burgers sizzle, lower to a medium heat and cook about 6 minutes on each side, until crispy and cooked through.
Tips for Success
Looking for some tips on how to make the best veggie burgers? You’re in the right place! Here are a few things that I do to make this dinnertime prep work easier:
- Refrigerate the burger meat. If you refrigerate the patties for about 10 minutes before cooking, they’ll be sure to stay together. Semi-solid patties cook best because as the exterior gets crispy, the juices get sealed on the inside.
- Spray your hands with oil. Oil up your hands to minimize the burger mix sticking to your hands. This also helps you get that perfect patty shape.
- Rinse and drain those beans. Rinsing them removes extra salt from the can, and ensures that you’re working with fresh beans. Drain them to get rid of excess moisture before starting.
- Use a measuring cup when forming the patties. This will ensure that all of your burgers are relatively the same size, and it gets you a circular shape to start with.
Topping Ideas
You know how there are dessert/ice cream bars? Now is your opportunity to make your own burger topping bar. The choices are endless, and building a burger is almost as fun as building a sundae!
- The Basics: Onion, pickles, tomato slices, lettuce, avocado, vegan cheese, relish, pickled onions, etc. You know the drill!
- Barbecue Sauce: Use regular, smoky barbecue sauce, or the strawberry sauce that I linked above!
- Other Condiments: What is a burger without ketchup and mustard? You can’t forget the essentials.
Serving Suggestions
Wondering what to serve with your tasty black bean burger? Again, there are a bunch of options. Pick your favorite! Anything from fries to a light salad will do.
- With Burger Buns: You can use a standard burger bun from the store, or try out a healthy lettuce wrap!
- Sweet Potato Fries: Fries and burgers are like peanut butter and jelly – they just go together! These sweet potato fries are the perfect complement to you healthy black bean burger.
- Salad: Keep it simple! This kale salad is one of my favorite sides to make on really any night, because it’s so darn easy.
- Corn: This is a must if you’ve got the grill up and running – buttery corn on the cob (like this Grilled Mexican Street Corn) goes so well with any barbecue-type meal!
How to Store and Reheat Extras
These veggie burgers are perfect for meal prep. They can be stored in single layer freezer bags in a freezer-safe container, lined parchment paper.
When you want to reheat them, just put a splash of olive oil in a pan, and heat the burger until crispy. You can also heat up the grill if you’ve got time!
Can I Freeze These Burgers?
Absolutely! These black bean burgers can be frozen for up to a month. Make sure to thaw them overnight in the fridge before cooking them again for the best results.
P.S. Here are some of the items I used to make this recipe if you’d like to use them too:
| WHAT YOU’LL NEED // SHOP MY FAVORITE INGREDIENTS & PREP PRODUCTS |
If you try these Black Bean and Quinoa Burgers with Strawberry BBQ Sauce please let me know in the comment section below, or tag me on instagram with the hashtag #jessicainthekitchen! For more exclusive recipes follow me on Instagram AND on Snapchat: jessinkitchen.
Easy Grillable Veggie Burgers
Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- ½ medium onion, ½ cup, diced
- 1/3 cup red bell pepper, diced
- 3 cloves garlic, minced
- ½ teaspoon red pepper flakes
- ½ teaspoon ground black pepper
- ½ teaspoon sea salt
- 15 ounce can of black beans, rinsed and drained (498g)
- 1 cup cooked quinoa, or cooked rice
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- Roasted Strawberry Barbecue Sauce, or Regular Homemade BBQ Sauce
- 1/2 cup gluten free flour, I use Bob's Red Mill Gluten Free 1:1 Baking Flour or regular flour
Instructions
- Heat the first tablespoon of olive oil in a pan over medium high heat until hot, and sauté the onions, red bell peppers, garlic until cooked down, about 3 minutes. Season with salt and pepper slightly to taste. Allow the vegetables to cool a bit.
- In a food processor, add the black beans, cooked quinoa, sautéed vegetables, red pepper flakes, gluten free flour, ground black pepper and sea salt. Pulse until combined – you want it all completely incorporated, until it’s one cohesive mixture and the black beans are nice and mashed in.
- On a cookie sheet lined with parchment paper, form the mixture into burgers (ensure to spray your hands with oil first – they are sticky!). I like to use my ½ cup measurement to pack them in, then form them in my hands into shape. They can make 4 large burgers this way. Optional: refrigerate for about 10 minutes before cooking.
- In a pan over medium high heat, heat about 2 tablespoons olive oil. Add the burgers to it, being careful not to overcrowd the pan. Once the burgers sizzle, lower to a medium heat and cook about 6 minutes on each side, until crispy and cooked through.
- Serve as you desire, in a burger form or in a lettuce wrap. We added burger buns, onions, tomato and lettuce and barbecue sauce. Enjoy!
Notes
- Refrigerate the burger meat. If you refrigerate the patties for about 10 minutes before cooking, they’ll be sure to stay together. Semi-solid patties cook best because as the exterior gets crispy, the juices get sealed on the inside.
- Spray your hands with oil. Oil up your hands to minimize the burger mix sticking to your hands. This also helps you get that perfect patty shape.
- Rinse and drain those beans. Rinsing them removes extra salt from the can, and ensures that you’re working with fresh beans. Drain them to get rid of excess moisture before starting.
- Use a measuring cup when forming the patties. This will ensure that all of your burgers are relatively the same size, and it gets you a circular shape to start with.
- I love using this Homemade BBQ Sauce on these burgers.
Disclaimer: Although jessicainthekitchen.com attempts to provide accurate nutritional information, kindly note that these are only estimates. Nutritional information may be affected based on the product type, the brand that was purchased, and in other unforeseeable ways. Jessicainthekitchen.com will not be held liable for any loss or damage resulting for your reliance on nutritional information. If you need to follow a specific caloric regimen, please consult your doctor first.
Oh my goodness!! These burgers are the answer to my falling apart veggie burgers prayers! I have tried countless recipes and they’ve always fallen apart when cooked. This combo of cooked quinoa and beans with GF flour is perfect! The burgers held together remarkably well and they taste amazing!!
Thank you so much Jessica! We’re happy that you’re happy.