Black Bean & Quinoa Burger

These Black Bean & Quinoa Burgers make the perfect plant-based protein option for weeknight lunches or dinners!

Since I’ve had this blog I’ve had so many of my friends, family, and instagram followers share with me their take on the recipes and meals I post, and it makes me so unbelievably overjoyed that people actually try (and like!!) what I post! It’s also a great reassurance that what I’m making isn’t absolutely horrible 😉 

With that being said, I love to receive requests and recommendations for recipes or meal ideas to try!! I used to be the pickiest eater on the planet (as in, only ate ham and strawberries during my childhood), so with my expanding taste buds I’m almost always open to trying new foods and recipes. So often I get stuck in a rut of eating the same meals week after week (like right now, for example), so I always welcome ideas from others! Wanna contact me with a request? Shoot me an email, Instagram comment, or text! 

Last year, a friend of mine requested an easy black bean burger recipe. I was going through my old blog domain last week and came across the recipe I had come up with for her. It was good…but not great. I felt like I could improve upon it now, so what do I do? Revamp, obviously. 

Now introducing, the new and improved black bean and quinoa burger!! Packed full of satiating plant protein, filling fiber, hearty whole grains, and impressive texture, these are sure to satisfy your craving for a burger, and I promise you won’t even miss the meat!

The first question I always get when I talk about meatless meals is “well, what about protein??”. We’re taught that we need protein to help us feel full and to build muscle, and I agree with both of those statements. I myself try to have some source of protein at every meal and snack to help keep my hunger in check, but I always feel like I’m running out of protein options! Recently I’ve also been working on incorporating more plant-based proteins into my diet to cut back on my meat intake (and grocery bill) a bit, so I’m having fun experimenting with different ways to get protein in without chowing down on a chicken breast every single day. This black bean and quinoa burger is a great meatless addition to throw into the weekly mix, coming in at roughly 11 grams of protein per patty. Boom.

Another one of the biggest arguments against bean or veggie burgers that I always hear is that they aren’t filling. “I’m hungry after an hour”, “I feel like I’m eating air”, insert your argument here. I get it, I get it. BUT, I can reassure you that’s not the case with this burger. Made with whole grains and black beans, each burger is packed with over 6 grams of fiber. Why do we care about fiber? Fiber helps to feel you up, and thus is what helps to keep you feeling satisfied longer. Those 6 grams of fiber paired with the 11 grams of protein have me feelin’ full just as long as any animal protein does. 

Okay so the protein is there and the burger makes me feel like I’m eating more than a leaf of lettuce, but what about the texture? No way this meatless burger can boast a decent texture, riiiiight? WRONG. 

I’m with you in that most meatless burgers either have the texture of a wet piece of sponge or are tougher than cardboard, but I think I managed to bypass both of those with this recipe guys!! I genuinely think the texture is dangerous similar to that of a traditional beef burger – a little crisp on the outside and full of dense texture on the inside. Don’t knock it til ya try it!! 

I’ve certainly had a time trying to nail down the perfect meatless burger. Batch after batch, it felt like the patties would crumble the moment they touched the pan to cook. After some trial and error, I think I finally made the two adjustments that made all the difference. What are they?

1. INCLUDE. A. BINDING. INGREDIENT. Specifically, a dry binding ingredient (the oat flour) to soak up some of the wet ingredient. I had been including oat flour in my previous attempts, but it turns out I just wasn’t adding enough. In this batch, I found that 1 cup of oat flour held it all together well, but it may be necessary to add another 1/4 cup if you find them falling apart. 
2. CHILL THE MIXTURE. I’m not sure if this part really helped, but it helped in my case so I’m going with it. Chilling the mixtures after forming them into patties seemed to set the “mold” much better.

That being said, I hope you’ll try this recipe, and I hope it works out for you!! In hindsight, I think the next time I make a batch I’m going to experiment even further with different spices to really amp up the flavor, but this works for a great “base”! 

Black Bean & Quinoa Burgers

2015-12-14 20:16:46

Serves 6

An equally delicious meat-free alternative to that burger you know & love. Pair with a slice or two of avocado and prepare to be in "I can't believe this isn't meat!" heaven!

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Cook Time

30 min

Cook Time

30 min

Ingredients

1. 1/2 cup tricolor quinoa, uncooked
2. 1 tsp extra virgin olive oil
3. 1/2 yellow onion, diced
4. 1 tsp minced garlic
5. 1 cup oat flour, (just old fashioned oats blended into flour in the food processor)
6. 1 16 oz can no salt added black beans, drained and rinsed
7. 1/2 teaspoon cumin
8. 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
9. 1/2 teaspoon chili powder
10. salt and pepper, to taste
11. 1 egg

Instructions

1. Rinse quinoa and cook according to package.
2. While quinoa cooks, diced yellow onion, and mince garlic.
3. Heat extra virgin olive oil in a medium saute pan over medium heat. Add diced onion and minced garlic and allow to cook until fragrant, about 5-7 minutes.
4. While onion and garlic cook, pulse old fashioned oats in food processor until it resembles the same consistency as flour. Remove from food processor and transfer to medium bowl.
5. Drain and rinse black beans in a colander. Remove as much moisture from beans as possible before adding to bowl of food processor (don't worry about cleaning it out after making oat flour). Pulse into a chunky consistency, being careful to not blend it completely smooth. Remove from food processor and transfer to medium bowl.
6. Add sauteed onion and garlic, as well as cooked quinoa, to medium bowl with flour and beans.
7. Add remainder of ingredients (spices, salt, pepper, and egg) to medium bowl. Mix to thoroughly combine all ingredients together.
8. Form bean mixture into 6 patties, and place on a large dish to chill in fridge for 30 minutes.
9. Spray a large pan with cooking spray and place over medium-high heat. Cook patties 5-7 minutes on each side, or until heated through.
10. Top with avocado slices, plain greek yogurt, ketchup, mustard, pimento cheese....whatever you want!

Notes

1. Pssst! Remember like, three months ago when I posted some pumpkin black bean burgers on my instagram? All you have to do is add in 1/4 cup pure pumpkin an an extra 1/4 cup oats to this recipe!
2. Number of servings will depend on how big you make your patties. I was able to form out 6 palm-sized patties from this batch.
3. If 1 cup of oat flour does not look sufficient to hold together your bean mixture, I suggest adding in more in 1/4 cup increments. It acts as a binding agent to hold the wet ingredients together.

By Clara Norfleet

Clara Norfleet | Food Fitness and Faith https://claranorfleet.com/