Recipe: Black Bean & Quinoa Burgers

I’m a huge fan of black beans but they can be tricky to find in can form in Melbourne, so when my local grocer has them I stock up and then take great delight in cooking with them. One of the best parts of these burgers is they freeze well so I can whip up a batch and then keep my black bean obsession going even when I can’t find them in stock! Plus, they are delicious and healthy and taste just as good served with a side salad or in a traditional burger.

This recipe is adapted from here

Ingredients List

  • 1/2 cup uncooked quinoa
  • 1/2 red onion
  • 3 cloves garlic
  • Can of black beans
  • Pinch of salt
  • 2tbs tomato paste
  • 1 egg
  • Cob of corn
  • Large bunch of coriander
  • 1tbs chili paste (or to taste, or dried chilis)
  • 2tsp ground cumin
  • 2tsp paprika
  • 1/2 cup panko (or other breadcrumbs)
  • 1/4 cup wholemeal flour

You can make these vegan friendly by omitting the egg and replacing it with a flax egg (1tbs flax powder & 3 tbs warm water, stirred and left to thicken)

Black Bean & Quinoa Burgers

Steps

  1. Rinse then cook the quinoa, then set aside
  2. Finely dice the onion and mince the garlic, then cook in olive oil for 5 minutes, until softened
  3. Drain and rinse the black beans then place in a bowl and mash, leaving some beans whole.
  4. Remove the corn kernels from the cob
  5. Finely chop the coriander
  6. Combine the black beans, onion mix, salt, tomato paste, egg, corn kernels, coriander, chili paste, cumin and paprika in a bowl and mix well
  7. Add the panko, flour and quinoa and stir well to combine
  8. Form the mixture into 6 large patties and place on tray lined with baking paper, cover with glad wrap then refrigerate for at least an hour (overnight if you can) to help the mixture stick together

Black Bean & Quinoa Burger

You can cook these in a fry pan, on the BBQ or in the oven, cooking times will vary depending on your preferred cooking option – about 5 minutes a side on the BBQ or in a frypan, slightly longer in the oven.

I prefer to freeze these after cooking them as they hold together better, but if you’re not too stressed about them possibly falling apart a little then you can freeze them pre-cooking as well – up to you!

Black Bean & Quinoa Burger

What are your must-haves when building a burger? Are you a black bean fan too?

12 Comments on Recipe: Black Bean & Quinoa Burgers

  1. Lila
    March 17, 2014 at 8:53 am (10 years ago)

    Love the idea that I can freeze these but I’m pretty sure I’m going to devour them so quickly there won’t be any left to freeze!
    Thanks for sharing your wonderful recipe on the link up!
    Lila recently posted…Meatless Monday – Sumac your lips together salad

    Reply
    • I Spy Plum Pie (admin)
      March 17, 2014 at 9:18 pm (10 years ago)

      Thanks for hosting!

      Reply
    • I Spy Plum Pie (admin)
      March 17, 2014 at 9:18 pm (10 years ago)

      Ooh freezing them in small batches is a great idea, I’ll have to give that a go!

      Reply
    • I Spy Plum Pie (admin)
      March 17, 2014 at 9:21 pm (10 years ago)

      They’re annoyingly hard to find at times aren’t they? I manage to get them at my local organic store and the Turkish grocers, but not the supermarket. Dried beans are usually easier to find though!

      Reply
  2. Rebecca
    March 18, 2014 at 5:10 pm (10 years ago)

    Oh my goodness YUM! I’m a burger lover these look amazing. Let’s do a recipe swap post! Yummmm

    X

    Reply
    • I Spy Plum Pie (admin)
      March 20, 2014 at 9:42 am (10 years ago)

      Thanks Rebecca! Sure, that sounds fun!

      Reply
  3. Dena
    March 21, 2014 at 1:01 am (10 years ago)

    yum! these look delicious!! xx

    Reply
    • I Spy Plum Pie (admin)
      March 21, 2014 at 12:01 pm (10 years ago)

      Thanks Dena!

      Reply
  4. Sandy
    June 13, 2014 at 1:33 pm (10 years ago)

    You just made me go out and buy black beans! No canned ones to be found ( I”m in Melbourne too), but the local nut and bean shop had big bags of dried ones and they cook up beautifully in the slowcooker so I don’t need to pay any attention to them! Thanks for the recipe!

    Reply
    • I Spy Plum Pie (admin)
      June 13, 2014 at 2:16 pm (10 years ago)

      Ooh slow-cooked beans are even better than canned beans (now if only I had a slow cooker!). I’m not sure what part of Melbourne you’re in but I’ve had the best luck getting canned black beans at organic grocers & my local Turkish grocer and on the very rarest of occasions at the supermarket, but in the Mexican section rather than the canned veggies section. Hope that helps!

      Reply

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