These Gluten-Free Vegan Black Bean and Quinoa Veggie Burgers are an easy and healthy recipe made with clean, real food ingredients. They're the perfect plant-based meal that can be prepared in about 15 minutes and is ready to top with your favorite fresh veggies!
Here's Why This Recipe Works
My top 3 favorite reasons:
- Healthier Than Store-Bought Brands
- Can Be Prepared In About 15 Minutes
- Made With Clean, Real Food Ingredients
You can feel good about making my healthy plant-based recipe because it's vegan, gluten-free, dairy-free, soy-free, egg-free, oil-free, and Medical Medium compliant!
Frequently Asked Questions
Is This Recipe Healthy?
In my opinion, yes!
Here's the ingredient list of a similar popular store-bought veggie burger:
- S.A.D. (Standard American Diet) Morningstar Farms Spicy Black Bean Veggie Burger Ingredients: Black Beans, Vegetables Protein Textured (Soy Protein Concentrate, Wheat Gluten, Water), Rice Brown Cooked (Water, Brown Rice), Onions, Water, Corn Whole Kernel Sweet, Corn Oil, Eggs Whites, Tomatoes Diced, Wheat Bulgar, Peppers Chili Mild Green, Spices, Calcium Caseinate, Contains 2% or less: Onions Powder, Salt, Corn Starch, Tomatoes Juice, Tomatoes Dried, Yeast Extract Autolyzed, Dextrose, Corn Protein Hydrolyzed, Wheat Protein Hydrolyzed, and Soy Protein Hydrolyzed, Garlic Powder, Flavors Natural & Artificial from Non-Meat Sources, Peppers Jalapenos Powder, Caramel Color, Calcium Chloride, Citric Acid, Lactic Acid, Paprika, Lemons Extract
They contain several GMO ingredients like corn, corn oil, corn starch, corn protein hydrolyzed, soy protein hydrolyzed as well as other processed ingredients like caramel color and natural and artificial flavors, and wheat and egg whites making them not suitable for those following a gluten-free or vegan diet.
My healthier version is made with clean, real ingredients and they're 100% vegan and gluten-free!
What Can I Make To Go With This?
I love to make healthy homemade fries and "hamburger" buns when I make this recipe:
- Oven-Baked Sweet Potato Fries
- Vegan "Hamburger" Buns (not gluten-free)
And don't forget to use your favorite toppings like romaine lettuce, arugula, tomatoes, red or white onions, avocado slices, etc.
Karielyn's Expert Tips + Ingredient Substitutions
Here are some expert tips to make this recipe perfectly:
Quinoa. You can use (1) cup leftover quinoa or make a fresh batch for the recipe. Here's how:
- Add 1/2 cup uncooked quinoa + 1 cup water to a small saucepan.
- Bring to a boil, then reduce heat and simmer uncovered for approximately 15 minutes.
- Let stand, covered for 5 minutes then fluff with a fork.
- This will make (1) cup of cooked quinoa needed for the recipe.
Zucchini. I used (1) small zucchini to get 1/2 cup diced needed for the recipe.
Onion. My favorite onion to use is the red onion variety, but feel free to use your favorite onion. I do not recommend a sweet onion since this is a savory recipe.
Chipotle. I like to make these a little spicy so if you don't like spicy or will serving these to children, feel free to reduce or omit the chipotle powder.
Smoked Paprika + Cumin. Adjust these to your preference.
Himalayan Pink Salt. This is my salt of preference, however, you can always substitute with sea salt.
Pulsing The Mixture. It's important that you use the "PULSE" feature of your food processor and not the "HIGH" setting. You want to pulse just enough to break the black beans, walnuts, zucchini, and onions into tiny pieces, which is approximately (20) long pulses. If you overprocess the mixture, you'll end up with a black bean dip!
Baking Time: Oven times vary, so make sure they are cooked until they are nice and crispy - very important. Otherwise, they will be a little limp and fall apart.
Want More Healthy Plant-Based Meal Recipes?
Check out these:
- Kelp Noodles with Spicy Peanut Sauce
- Stuffed Pepper Soup
- Spaghetti Squash with Creamy Lemon Garlic Sauce
- or my CLEAN EATING Cookbook with 75+ plant-based recipes made with clean, real food ingredients just like this one that you will love!
Did You Make This Recipe?
I'd love to hear about it! Please give it a rating and leave a comment below...it would make my day! 🙂
Gluten-Free Vegan Black Bean and Quinoa Veggie Burgers
Equipment
Ingredients
For the veggie burger:
- 1 can organic black beans (15-ounce can, drained)
- 1 cup organic quinoa (cooked*)
- 1 cup organic walnuts
- 2/3 cups organic gluten-free quick rolled oats
- 1/2 cup organic zucchini (peeled, cubed)
- 1/2 cup organic red onion (diced)
- 1/4 cup organic fresh cilantro
- 4 cloves organic garlic
- 1 tablespoon organic ground chipotle powder
- 2 teaspoons organic ground smoked paprika
- 1 teaspoon organic ground cumin powder
- 1 teaspoon Himalayan pink salt
For the flax egg:
- 1 tablespoon organic ground flax seeds
- 2 tablespoons water, filtered/purified
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 375 degrees Fahrenheit.
- Prepare a cookie sheet lined with parchment paper and set aside.
Prepare the flax egg:
- Add all ingredients for the flax egg to a small bowl and whisk together until well combined.
- Set aside while you prepare the rest of the recipe.
Prepare the veggie burgers:
- Add all ingredients for the veggie burgers to a food processor.
- Rewhisk the flax egg and add it to the food processor.
- Pulse the ingredients for about 20 long pulses, but take care to not overprocess. Pulse just enough to break down the veggies, walnuts, zucchini and beans into tiny pieces.
- Taste and adjust the seasonings to your preference.
Assembly:
- Take out a handful of the veggie burger mixture at a time and form it into a "hamburger" shape.
- Place the veggie burgers on the prepared cookie sheet.
- Bake at 375 degrees Fahrenheit for approximately 30 minutes, flipping them over halfway through.
- Serve with your favorite gluten-free bun and toppings (sliced tomatoes, sliced red onions, romaine lettuce leaves, etc.)
Recipe Notes
Nutrition Information
Hi, I'm Karielyn! I'm the published cookbook author of CLEAN DESSERTS and content creator of The Healthy Family and Home™ website since 2012. I specialize in creating easy, healthy plant-based and Medical Medium® compliant recipes that are gluten-free + vegan and made with clean, real food ingredients that you can feel good about eating.
Kay says
I want to try this tonight while the others have beef burgers. I have not seen ground chipotle in the stores here. Is there a substitution for that?
Karielyn Tillman says
Hi there Kay! I added the ground chipotle to give the burgers a smokey + spicy flavor. You could substitute with ground smoked paprika (or regular paprika if you can't find smoked) and maybe a little cayenne pepper - if you want the spicy flavor. If not, I would just go with the paprika.
Thanks for the question and I hope you enjoy the recipe! 🙂
Alisha says
How many burgers does this make?
Karielyn says
Hi there Alisha! It should make (8) 3-inch burgers.
Thanks for your question and I hope you enjoy the recipe 🙂
Kate says
This looks great! I've cleaned out my cupboards and set myself a 'pantry challenge' to use everything up before buying more store cupboard foods. This looks like a great way to make a dent in my mountain of quinoa.
Karielyn says
Hi Kate! Very good for doing a pantry clean out!
I think you will really like these. I also have some quinoa breakfast bars that are really good too that you may like to try: https://thehealthyfamilyandhome.com/vegan-cacao-almond-baked-breakfast-quinoa-squares/
I have so many quinoa recipes in my "to-make" list I sometime feel like I'll never make them all lol!
I hope you like this one if you try it out 😉
Kayla Joy says
This recipe was sooo good! My husband and I both loved it and will definitely be making them again!
Kayla
Karielyn says
Hi Kayla! I am so glad to hear you enjoyed them! And to get husband approval is even better because I know how hard it can be to try a new recipe out on a husband lol!
I really appreciate you taking the time to leave feedback...it means a lot to me 😉
Aya D says
Hey, Thanks for the recipe! The Veggie Burger was delicious! Good food to keep a healthy body.
Karielyn says
Hi Aya! I'm so glad you tried out the recipe and liked it! Thanks for the feedback and stopping by 🙂
Tracey Johnson says
The vegan quinoa and black bean burger was delicious and we will make this a regular in our menu plan. I substituted a mesquite seasoning for the cumin and it gave it that grilled flavor. Served with oven fries and sliced avocados and cucumbers. Yummm!
Karielyn says
Hi Tracey! I love the things you served on the side and the mesquite seasoning! I've never used that before but it's a great idea and I might try it next time I make them.
Thank for the idea and for the feedback...I'm glad you liked them 🙂