If you’re looking for a Vegetarian burger that’s low in carbs and high in protein & fiber…your search ends here!
Flavorful & smoky black bean and quinoa burger; crispy from the outside and tender from inside.
Made with real vegetables & no funny stuff: red onions, bell peppers & yellow corn, black beans, quinoa & seasonings. 100% plant-based, vegan, vegetarian, dairy free, gluten-free & high in Vit C!
“Meatless burgers” are the new fad (or trend) and it’s so easy to include store bought ones in your weekly meal plan! But do you know how processed your store bought meatless burgers are and are they really good for your health?
Homemade Burgers
It can be quite a task to get all the ingredients for a burger…especially if it’s vegan! And the most important thing is the texture & flavor.
Firstly, this recipe’s ingredients are any pantry staples. Once this is clarified, the next step is: Texture
Homemade vegetarian burgers are not the same as store bought. They need to be handled with care as they might crack.
This recipe is Gluten-free as well. I used corn starch and chickpea flour as my binding agents and it does stick well. You can easily grill and flip them as well!
The texture wouldn’t be the same as when you add all purpose flour or breadcrumbs or wheat flour! If you would like, you can add these ingredients instead of gluten-free ones.
Now coming to the flavor. It sure is delicious & smoky and perfect to get between bread slices, hamburgers or lettuce wraps with other fixings to give you a tasty meal!
Related Recipes: Vegetable bullets, Mushroom Kebab
About the Recipe
I love having store-bought low carb vegetable burger patties in my freezer all the time. It’s our quick go-to weekday brunch/ lunch option, after all!
Over time I realized how highly processed those patties are & how greasy it gets when I heat it.
So I had to come up with my own vegetarian burger recipe:
- which has 100% real ingredients
- is simple to put together & tasty
- holds up well while heating and flipping
- doesn’t bleed oil while it’s heating (not greasy!) &
- freezes well
So here I am, sharing my very own “Black bean Quinoa Burger” recipe:
I start by gathering and prepping all the required ingredients:
- Wash, dice and keep aside: Bell peppers & red onion
- Mince garlic and chop cilantro
- Measure and cook quinoa
- Drain and wash canned black beans. Measure and keep aside frozen yellow corn
- Measure and keep aside spices & binding agents: red chili powder or paprika, cumin powder and barbecue sauce; Corn starch and chickpea flour
Next is cooking the vegetables with spices. This step is essential as it removes moisture.
They are then pulsed in a food processor and mixed with mashed black beans, quinoa, cilantro, barbecue sauce (for smokiness) & binding agents.
I refrigerate this mixture for 1 hour, which helps to form patties. You can omit this step if using flour or bread crumbs.
Lastly, form patties and grill or sear in a skillet. Build it into a burger or sandwich and dig in!
I love using tahini in my burgers, sandwiches & salads. This is my quick tahini spread (which is dairy free, gluten-free, vegan & vegetarian):
Whisk 2 tbsp tahini with 1 tbsp lemon juice, 1 clove garlic, red chili powder, cumin powder & salt to taste.
If you like the recipe or make Black bean quinoa burger, please be sure to leave a comment. Above all, I love hearing from you guys and always do my best to respond to each and every comment. And of course, if you do make this recipe and decide to post, please be sure to tag me on Instagram or Facebook!
Black bean Quinoa Burger
Ingredients
- 1/2 cup quinoa cooked and fluffed
- 1 15 oz can black beans drained and washed
- 1/2 yellow bell pepper diced
- 1/2 red bell pepper diced
- 1/2 red onion diced
- 1/2 cup yellow corn kernels frozen and thawed
- 2 garlic cloves minced
- 1/2 tsp red chili powder or paprika
- 1 tsp cumin powder
- 2 tbsp barbecue sauce
- 4 stalks cilantro chopped
- 2 tbsp corn starch
- 2 tbsp chickpea flour
- salt to taste
- 2 tbsp olive oil or cooking oil of your choice
Instructions
- Prepare quinoa according to instructions on the package.
- Wash and dice bell peppers and onions & minced garlic.
- Heat 1 tsp olive oil in a pan and add onions, bell pepppers and garlic. Season with salt for quicker cooking. After 5 minutes, add corn kernels.
- Give the mixture a quick stir and wait for the vegetables to soften. Add chili powder (or paprika). Remove from heat and let it cool.
- In the mean time, drain and wash black beans and keep them aside.
- Pulse the vegetable mixture in the food processor and empty it in a large mixing bowl.
- Now pulse 3/4th black beans in the food processor, until they begin to form a ball. Transfer this to the mixing bowl with vegetables. Add remaining whole black beans as well.
- Next add cooked and fluffed quinoa, cumin powder, barbecue sauce, corn starch, chickpea flour and salt to taste.
- Mix until well combined.
- Cover and refrigerate for 1 hour so that the mixture rests and binds well.
- Heat a cast iron skillet & add oil. Scoop out about 1/2 cup of mixture and form into a ball. Pat it to form a patty.
- Add the burger (patty) on the skillet. Fit as many as possible but don't overcrowd. You may have to work in batches.
- Cook 4 minutes per side or until they are nicely browned. Using a spatula, gently flip and cook the other side as well.
- Use these patties to make burgers, sandwiches or lettuce wraps. Enjoy!
Notes
Nutrition
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