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Omgosh!! I just made the mixture and froze them. I could have just sat down and eaten the mixture with a spoon. Sooo good! I really like the texture the quinoa gives it.
Chris
Let me just intro this by saying: I love this recipe.
I love all our recipes, but this is one that just fits perfectly into my real life, again, and again, and again.
Veggie burgers can be hit or miss, I know. I’m not a fan of bean-heavy burgers, so please hear me right off the bat: I am not going to over-bean you with this quinoa burger.
Instead, I’m going to give you a stupidly easy burger that is heavy and solid but not too dense (seriously, pinky promise, the beans are under control!), crispy but not crumbly, and nicely meaty-looking… with all of the smoky good flavor, all of the yumminess, and none of the meat.
How These Quinoa Burgers Come Together
We are working with primarily three things:
- Quinoa – the star
- Black beans – just enough to help it hold
- Savory, smoky chipotle flavor – the thing that keeps you coming back for more.
Once you add something crunchy / binding (like panko or oats), and something wet / binding (egg or flax egg), and a few pinches of spices, you are certifiably in chipotle quinoa burger business.
These quinoa burgs can be made in minutes with just five-ish ingredients, and honestly, considering the minimal effort plus the excellent, versatile, and healthyish results, it’s a real weeknight unicorn.
All The Toppings, Of Course
Toppings – I mean, toppings are your business. They are pretty much limitless and you can be as wild and free as you want here.
But my favorite toppings, personally, are smashed avocado, spicy mayo, thick slices of tomato, crunchy lettuce, and a crown of pickled red onion.
Pop it on a brioche bun and you have juicy, saucy, crispy quinoa burger perfection. Yay meatless!
Check Out Our Video For How To Make Chipotle Quinoa Burgers:
Other Veggie Burgers We Love:
- Spicy Tofu Burgers (trust me on the one – YUM)
- Spicy Cauliflower Burgers (similar to these beauties but with cauli and MAGIC GREEN SAUCE)
- The Ultimate Wild Rice Burgers (some cozy texture-perfect goodness)
Common Questions About These Quinoa Burgers
Yes, the burgers can be frozen after cooking. If reheating from frozen, here are three different methods:
OVEN: 350 degrees for 15 minutes
MICROWAVE: 1.5 minutes
STOVETOP: 6-7 minutes, flip halfway through (you may need to add a bit of water to the pan and cover to heat them all the way through).
Yes! Oats work well as a panko substitute.
Yes, the flax egg worked well as a regular egg substitute.
Chipotle Quinoa Burgers
- Total Time: 25 minutes
- Yield: 4 1x
Description
Chipotle Quinoa Burgers – veggie burgers you’ll want to make again and again! Filling but not too dense, crispy but not crumbly, and with all the smokiness and yumminess with none of the meat.
Ingredients
- 1/2 cup uncooked quinoa
- one 14-ounce can black beans, rinsed and drained
- 1–2 individual chipotle peppers (not the whole can)
- 1/2 teaspoon each: garlic powder, onion powder, chili powder, cumin
- 1 egg, beaten
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1/4 cup panko breadcrumbs
Instructions
- Quinoa: Cook quinoa according to package directions. Allow to cool.
- Mix: Place black beans, quinoa, chipotles, and spices, in a food processor. Pulse just a few times, enough to make the mixture sticky and well-mixed but not completely pureed. Ideally there will be some chunks of black beans still intact.
- Add egg and panko: Transfer mixture to a bowl. Using a spoon or your hands, mix with egg and panko. Form into 4 thick burgers.
- Fry burgers: Heat a generous swish of olive oil over medium high heat (nonstick pan works best here). Add burgers to the pan and fry for a few minutes on each side, flipping carefully to keep them intact, until they are golden brown and crispy on the outside.
- Serve: Serve on buns with spicy mayo, avocado, lettuce, tomato, red onion (pickled if you want!), whatever suits your fancy!
Equipment
Buy Now → 
Buy Now → - Prep Time: 15 minutes
- Cook Time: 10 minutes
- Category: Dinner
- Method: Stovetop
- Cuisine: American
Keywords: quinoa burgers, chipotle burgers, vegetarian burgers, healthy burger
Make It A Freezer Meal!
Pulse In A Food Processor:
- 1 1/2 cups cooked quinoa (about 1/2 cup uncooked)
- one 14-ounce can black beans, rinsed and drained
- 1–2 individual chipotle peppers
- 1/2 teaspoon each: garlic powder, onion powder, chili powder, cumin
- 1 egg, beaten
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1/4 cup panko breadcrumbs
Form:
- Form into 4 large patties and freeze on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Once frozen solid, store in a bag or container.
To Cook:
BAKE: From frozen, bake at 400 degrees for 35 minutes.
STOVETOP: Heat on medium high for 10 minutes, flipping halfway through.
FINAL STEP: Serve on buns with spicy mayo, avocado, lettuce, tomato, pickled onions, and whatever else you like.
View more healthy freezer meals here!
One More Thing!
This recipe is part of our collection of magical black bean recipes. Check it out!
Can you bake these instead of fry?
10/10 these were super tasty and quick (and cheap)! We spread some queso dip on in lieu of cheese slices. So good!
Made this recipe twice. First time they came out great. Second time they fell apart while frying. I wonder if this was because I refrigerated the mixture for several hours before frying. Perhaps the fridge dried out the mixture too much? Thoughts?
That could be! The longer they sit, the more moisture will be absorbed by the ingredients.
Hi! Lindsay:
Thanks for the delicious recipe. Will be making it soon.
Thanks for sharing. Can I swap a can of chickpeas for the blackbeans? Bina
Black beans work best!
These burgers have been in rotation for my family for years. We love them so much! It sounds dramatic but these have been an absolute life saver the last few months. My 3 year old daughter is fighting leukemia, and her tastebuds constantly change. But these burgers are guaranteed to be eaten by her. She requests them often and I love making them for her knowing they will fill her up and provide good nutrition to her. Just wanted to share our family’s strong praises of this recipe!
Hi Elizabeth! Thank you so much for your kind words and for sharing this with us. That is amazing and we’re so glad you’ve loved these. We’re thinking of your family and your sweet three-year-old. ❤️
Is there a substitute for the quinoa?
Thank you!
You could try another grain, like rice!
Great burgers! Did them in a pan with a little oil and they crisped up a bit and held together with care. Topped with tomato slices and Dijon…delish! Thank you for a healthy yummy recipe!
Can I substitute chipotle powder for the chipotles? Would I need to add anything else?
Hi Malia! Here’s what America’s Test Kitchen says: “For each whole chipotle chile called for in a recipe, combine ¾ teaspoon chipotle powder with ¼ teaspoon red wine vinegar and ¼ teaspoon tomato paste.” Hope this helps!
Hiya,
I can’t find chipotle peppers where I live. Any suggestions for a substitute please?
Thanks
Here’s a sub for using chipotle powder, from America’s Test Kitchen: “For each whole chipotle chile called for in a recipe, combine ¾ teaspoon chipotle powder (now widely available in supermarkets) with ¼ teaspoon red wine vinegar and ¼ teaspoon tomato paste.” Hope this helps!
This was great and easy. I am new to your recipes and love how they are set up with all the options I would want (cook mode , metric, doubling or halving recipes, video options, printing options and crossing off the ingredient as I use them) Thanks again!
I cannot emphasize enough how much we loved this recipe! I’ve always avoided veggie burgers bc I thought it would be too much prep work, but these were so easy and delicious! Froze up perfectly and have become a staple in the freezer meal section as we prepare for our new baby to come in a few weeks! Thank you for all of your ideas!!
Any recommendations for making this in an air fryer?
We don’t have a lot of experience with air fryer cooking unfortunately to say. We’d love to hear if you give it a go though!
This is my go to recipe! I love these “burgers” and so does my family. They come together pretty easily and taste great! They also use ingredients that I typically keep on hand.
This recipe was super easy to make! I prepped and froze them to have on hand. The flavor in the burgers is great! I like that there’s both quinoa and black beans, it gives them a nice texture. I look forward to eating the rest of my freezer stash and I will definitely make this recipe again!
Can I prep these today but cook tomorrow? And how many days will the magic green sauce last? Having a bunch of people tomorrow and trying to cook today for it!
Sorry for the late reply, Jen! The burgers can be prepped ahead of time, and the magic green sauce should last for up to 5 days in the fridge.
Can I prep these on Friday and cook Saturday?
For sure!
These were tasty but the spicy cauliflower ones are so much better!!!
This was my first attempt at making veggie burgers and these were delicious! I had them with no bun and a salad. Made some salsa mayo and added some of the adobo sauce from the chipotles. Yum!
Awesome, Jane! So glad you enjoyed them!
I really do appreciate recipes with photos showing each step!!!
Love this recipe – thanks! I overlooked the part about cooking the quinoa, so it went in uncooked :-0
This recipe is in my rotation and saved on my phone. I’ve made this 4 times already and I think it’s super tasty. And I love how nutritious it is at the same time.
Some people mentioned wet texture. It really depends on how much panko crumbs you’re using. If. It’s too wet to form a patty then you’ll need to add more than that is called for in the recipe. I personally like adding the abode juice thee chipotle peppers are in so then I would have to add more panko crumbs to account for the extra liquid.
It does have that mush texture when you bite through it, though, but if you toast your buns and add different toppings with different textures, it becomes a fun thing to eat because you actually notice those other textures you normally wouldn’t with a chewy burger.
Delicious! I was hoping for a slightly denser texture because my burgers came out a little too “wet,” so they fell apart easily. The flavor was spot on though!
This is one of my go-to recipes! I always have these on hand in the freezer now. I just made a batch not realizing I was out of black beans, so I used chili beans as a substitute and they turned out pretty great too! Yay Pinch of Yum!
Made these last night and they were delicious. Even got the thumbs up from the staunch meat eater boyfriend! Added some finely chopped red onion. Cooked 5 minutes per side in a cast iron skillet and then about 10 minutes in 400F oven. No issues with mushiness.
I have made this several times and we love it! Even my “not vegetarian” son. Most recently we used the 1/2Tbsp measure instead of the 1/2tsp measure for the spices (luckily caught it just before the salt was added!) Instead of big spicy burgers, we made slider-size patties with a cookie scoop, squished down to 1/4” inch with olive oil-dipped fingers, and baked at 450F for 10 minutes. Delish!!!!