Spicy Tex-Mex Quinoa Burgers

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These zesty quinoa burgers are full of flavor and super easy to make! Pile on your favorite burger toppings for a delicious vegan dinner that everyone will love.

One of my talents is making a veggie burger out of just about whatever I have in the kitchen at any given time. Beans, sweet potatoes, even tempeh…I can turn them all in to burgers!

But I have a few secret ingredients that I like to include when I can, to make my burgers extra delicious. Quinoa is one of them!

Why Use Quinoa in a Burger?

Quinoa improves homemade veggie burgers in a few key ways.

• Texture. Bean burgers are great, but they can get a bit mushy and sometimes lack texture. Quinoa breaks up all that mashed bean, for a burger that you’ll really enjoy biting into.
• Flavor. Quinoa itself has a mild, nutty flavor that I really enjoy in my burgers. For even more flavor, I like to cook my quinoa in vegetable broth instead of water!
• Nutrition. Quinoa packs a heavier nutritional punch than other ingredients you might use as fillers in your veggie burgers (like panko breadcrumbs).

Ingredients You’ll Need

• Rolled oats.
• Quinoa. I used red quinoa, because the color really works well for burgers, but white or black quinoa (or a mix) will work just fine!
• Kidney beans. We’re using precooked or canned kidney beans. Feel free to substitute another type of bean if that’s what you’ve got! Black beans, lentils, chickpeas, and cannellini beans would all work fine.
• Onion.
• Garlic.
• Tomato paste.
• Spices. We’re using mild chili powder and ground cumin.
• Red wine vinegar. Feel free to substitute another type of vinegar, such as apple cider or white vinegar.
• Hot sauce. Use as much or as little of this as you’d like, or leave it out for heat-free burgers. I’m a fan of Cholula with this recipe, but feel free to use your favorite hot sauce.
• Salt & pepper.
• Canola oil. You can substitute just about any high-heat oil, such as corn, olive, or coconut oil. You could even make these burgers oil free if you cook them using a really good nonstick pan.
• Burger buns. Check the ingredients list to make sure your buns are vegan. I used Dave’s Killer Bread buns for my burgers.
• Toppings. Get creative here and use your favorites! Try lettuce, tomato, avocado, vegan mayo and vegan cheese!

Tip: Want to keep these quinoa burgers gluten-free? Just use certified gluten-free oats and gluten-free burger buns!

How They’re Made

• Start by cooking your quinoa. You can find details on how to do that here. Once the quinoa is cooked, set it aside while you gather the rest of your ingredients.

Tip: For the most flavor, I recommend cooking your quinoa in broth for this recipe, but this isn’t strictly necessary.

• Place the oats into a food processor bowl.
• Blend the oats to a powder.
• Add your quinoa, some red beans, onion, garlic, tomato paste, chili powder, cumin, red wine vinegar, and salt. You can optionally add some hot sauce too!
• Pulse the food processor just until everything is finely chopped and mixed. Don’t overdo it! You want to keep some texture in the mixture.

• Oil up a skillet and place it over medium heat.
• Shape your quinoa burger mixture into patties and place them in the skillet. Let them cook for about 5 minutes on each side, until lightly browned and crisp.

• Stuff the patties into buns. Pile the toppings onto your quinoa burgers and dig in!

Tip: This recipe makes 6 medium-sized burgers, but you could also make it into 4 giant patties!

Leftovers & Storage

Leftovers quinoa burger patties will keep in a sealed bag or container in the fridge for about 3 days, or in the freezer for about 3 months.

You can also store the burger mixture before cooking but after blending. Before shaping the burger mixture into patties, transfer it to a sealed container and refrigerate or freeze. Then, when you’re ready, thaw the mixture, shape it into patties, and cook them according to the recipe.