Have you met my favorite veggie burgers? If not, it’s about time! I have high standards for veggie burgers, and these put all the rest to shame. I have a feeling they’ll become your favorite veggie burgers, too.
These veggie burgers are hearty and satisfying, and feature an irresistible combination of flavors. They start with a base of quinoa, black beans and oats. Then we amp up the volume with sweet potatoes, fresh herbs, and some carefully chosen seasonings. They’re a little sweet and a little spicy, in the best of ways.
You may recognize this recipe as the “Sweet Potato and Black Bean Veggie Burgers” that have been hidden in the archives for quite some time. There’s a chance you’ve enjoyed these burgers in my cookbook, Love Real Food, sandwiched between buns with a crisp lime-cilantro cabbage slaw and guacamole (page 177).
Or maybe you’re seeing these burgers for the first time right now! If so, I’ll share why this veggie burger recipe is my favorite:
- These burgers are absolutely delicious. In fact, these are the best veggie burgers I’ve ever had. They’re better than any restaurant’s, and far better than store-bought frozen veggie burgers.
- These burgers retain their shape before, during and after cooking. Many veggie burgers are a chore to make or to eat, but these are totally fuss-free.
- You can cook these burgers in the oven, on the stove, or yes, even on the grill. They also freeze well, so you can make a full batch and enjoy them over time.
- These veggie burgers are perfect for serving to friends who follow special diets. These burgers are vegetarian, of course. They’re also conveniently vegan, gluten free, nut free, egg free and soy free.
Watch How to Make Veggie Burgers
Veggie Burger Cooking Options
You have three cooking options for these veggie burgers, and we’ll start with my favorite one.
1) Oven-Baked
I love baking these veggie burgers in the oven. It’s the easiest way to cook a bunch at once, and they turn out beautifully cooked through and golden on each side.
2) Grilled
These burgers grill well, too! I’ve successfully grilled them on the grates without the burgers falling apart. (If you do run into any trouble, just chill the burgers for a bit before trying again.)
3) Stovetop
Lastly, you can cook these veggie burgers in a skillet on the stovetop. The stovetop isn’t my favorite method because it requires more babysitting than the oven, but it’s totally doable. These burgers are extra moist inside. Check the recipe notes for details.
Veggie Burger Ingredients
These veggie burgers are made with easy-to-find, healthy ingredients. Here’s what you’ll need:
- Sweet potatoes: For the best results, weigh your sweet potatoes at the store to ensure you’re starting with the right amount. Ideally, choose smaller sweet potatoes because they’ll cook a little quicker. We’re going to slice them down the middle and roast them until tender.
- Quinoa: We’ll start with raw (uncooked) quinoa, and you’ll find instructions on how to cook it within the recipe. Or, if you happen to have 1 1/2 cups leftover cooked quinoa, you can use that instead. Millet will work in place of quinoa, too (check the recipe notes for details).
- Black beans: Canned or home-cooked will work, as long as they are rinsed and well-drained. Though I have’t tried, I bet you could substitute an equal amount of pinto beans, chickpeas or white beans in a pinch.
- Red onion, cilantro, and garlic: If you’re sensitive to any of these flavors, don’t worry, they mellow during cooking and produce a delicious end result.
- Spices: Adobo sauce (from a can of chipotle peppers in adobo) or smoked paprika lend some smoky grilled flavor. We’ll also add cumin, chili powder, and salt.
- Quick-cooking oats: Oats absorb excess moisture and offer a dose of whole grains. You can also use old-fashioned oats, pulsed briefly in a food processor or blender to break them up.
Veggie Burger Serving Suggestions
Burger Accompaniments
Serve these burgers as, well, burgers! Find some great buns, or use butter lettuce leaves for a low-carb, gluten free options. Add any of the following:
- Ripe, juicy sliced tomato
- Crisp lettuce or fresh sprouts
- Pickles
- Sliced cheese
- Onion, very thinly sliced
- Avocado or guacamole
- Ketchup and mustard
- Maybe even fried eggs
Side Dish Suggestions
These burgers would go nicely with my Simple Healthy Slaw or Gaby’s Cucumber Salad.
You could make extra quinoa while you’re at it (you’ll need a total of 1 1/2 cups cooked quinoa for the burgers), and make my Sun-Dried Tomato, Spinach and Quinoa Salad or Favorite Quinoa Salad.
Ideas for Leftovers
Keep these burgers on hand for quick, healthy meals. Leftover cooked patties store well in the freezer for several months.
Warm one up and serve it with a simple green salad, or a quesadilla, or any hodge-podge of ingredients you may have. However you serve them, these burgers will add some additional veggies, fiber and protein to your meal.
Please let me know how your veggie burgers turn out in the comments! I love hearing from you.
Favorite Veggie Burgers
- Author:
- Prep Time: 1 hour
- Cook Time: 20 mins
- Total Time: 1 hour 20 minutes
- Yield: 8 burger patties 1x
- Category: Main
- Method: Baked
- Cuisine: American
- Diet: Vegetarian
These sweet and spicy veggie burgers are both vegan and gluten free. You can bake them, grill them, or cook them on the stovetop! For best results when choosing the grill or stovetop method, prepare the burger mixture in advance and let it chill in the refrigerator (you can let it chill overnight or longer if you’d like). Recipe yields 8 patties.
Ingredients
- 1 ½ pounds sweet potatoes (2 medium or 3 small)
- ½ cup quinoa, rinsed in a fine-mesh colander
- 1 cup water
- 1 can (15 ounces) black beans, rinsed and drained (or 1 ½ cups cooked black beans)
- ½ cup chopped red onion (about ½ small red onion)
- ⅓ cup chopped fresh cilantro
- 2 cloves garlic, pressed or minced
- 2 tablespoons adobo sauce* or 2 teaspoons smoked paprika
- 2 teaspoons ground cumin
- 1 teaspoon chili powder
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 1 ¼ cups quick-cooking oats** (use certified gluten-free oats if necessary)
- Extra-virgin olive oil, for brushing (or avocado oil, if using stovetop method)
- 8 whole wheat hamburger buns (optional)
- Your favorite burger fixings: Avocado or guacamole, tomato, onion, lettuce, pickles, cheese, sprouts, ketchup, hot sauce, mustard, fried eggs…
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 400 degrees Fahrenheit. Line a large, rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper for easy clean-up.
- Roast the sweet potatoes: Slice the sweet potatoes down the center lengthwise. Place the sweet potatoes, cut side down, on the prepared baking sheet. Roast until they yield to a gentle squeeze, 30 to 40 minutes or longer. Set aside for now. (If you’ll be baking the burgers, reserve the parchment-lined pan and leave the oven on.)
- Meanwhile, in a small saucepan, combine the quinoa and water. Bring the mixture to a boil over medium-high heat, then reduce the heat as necessary to maintain a gentle simmer. Simmer, uncovered, until all of the water is absorbed, 11 to 14 minutes. Remove the pan from the heat, cover, and let the quinoa steam for 10 minutes.
- Once the sweet potatoes are cool enough to handle, remove and discard the skin (it should pull off easily) and roughly chop the insides. In a large mixing bowl or the bowl of your electric mixer, combine the cooled sweet potatoes and quinoa, black beans, onion, cilantro, garlic, adobo sauce, cumin, chili powder, and salt. Use a potato masher, pastry cutter, large spoon or the paddle attachment of your mixer to mix really well. It’s ok if the black beans get smashed in the process.
- Sprinkle the oats over the mixture and mix well with a large spoon until the mixture holds together when you shape a portion into a patty. If you won’t be making the burgers immediately, cover the mixture and refrigerate for later.
- When you’re ready to cook, shape the burgers: Use a measuring cup to measure out ½ cup of the mixture. Gently shape it into a patty about 3 ½ to 4 inches in diameter. Use your hands to gently flatten the burgers and smooth out any jagged edges. Repeat the process for each patty; you should end up with 8.
- If you’re baking the burgers (see recipe notes for alternate options), brush both sids of each patty generously with olive oil and place them on the lined baking sheet, leaving a few inches of space around each one. Bake at 400 degrees Fahrenheit until the patties are deeply golden on the outside, about 35 minutes, flipping halfway.
- Serve burgers as desired. Leftover burgers keep well, refrigerated, for 4 days. Or, freeze them in a freezer bag for up to 3 months (thaw in the microwave for about 1 minute or in a 400 degree oven for 12 to 15 minutes, until warmed all the way through).
Notes
Recipe adapted from the Cafe Flora Cookbook. Cafe Flora is a wonderful vegetarian restaurant in Seattle with an ever-changing seasonal menu—check it out if you’re nearby.
*Adobo sauce note: Buy canned or jarred chipotle peppers in adobo and use the sauce. You’ll usually find this ingredient in the international or Hispanic aisle of the grocery store. You can transfer leftover peppers and their sauce to a freezer bag, squeeze out any remaining air, and freeze for later use.
**Oats note: You can use old-fashioned oats instead, if you briefly blend them in a food processor or blender until broken into smaller pieces (not as fine as flour).
Stovetop cooking method: Heat 1 tablespoon avocado oil (or other high heat oil) in a large skillet over medium heat. When it’s hot, place several burgers in the pan, leaving enough room to flip them. Cook each patty until browned and heated through, about 3 to 4 minutes per side. Add 1 tablespoon oil to the skillet for each pan of burgers you fry, and dial down the heat as necessary to prevent burning.
Grilling method: Ideally, let the mixture chill in the fridge for a couple of hours before shaping the burgers and grilling. No need to coat the burgers in oil, which might burn on the grill. Shape the burgers as instructed in step 6, and cook on a grill over medium heat, turning once the undersides have turned golden and developed some grill marks. Repeat on the other side.
Make it gluten free: Use certified gluten-free oats and choose your accompaniments carefully. As an alternative to buns, try butter lettuce leaves!
Prepare in advance: Prepare the burger mixture and let it chill in the refrigerator (you can let it chill overnight or up to a couple of days if you’d like). Then assemble the burgers and cook as directed.
Serving suggestions: These veggie burgers don’t have to be served as traditional burgers. The patties are good on their own with toppings like guacamole and pico de gallo, or in a salad with Southwestern flavors. Try serving them with corn on the cob in the summer.
Recipe notes 8/18/20: The original version of this recipe called for ⅓ cup millet cooked with 1 cup water (yielding 1 cup cooked millet) and 1 cup old-fashioned oats, lightly ground in a food processor or blender until the flakes are broken up, but not as fine as flour.
Vegetable enthusiast. Dog lover. I'm probably making a big mess in my Kansas City kitchen right now. 
Jenne
The flavor was so good but cooking them was a challenge. We tried grill, then aluminum foil on grill, then had to move to saucepan. Crisped up in the pan but still wouldn’t stay together enough to call it a burger. Not sure where I went wrong because I followed it to a t. But still super tasty and we just called them sweet potato patties!
Linn
Followed recipe to a tee.. tried them two times
I DID NOT CARE FOR TASTE, MUSHY EVEN WHEN COOKED A LONG TIME..TASTE, WAS NOT GOOD
★
Kate
Hi Linn, I’m sorry you didn’t love this recipe. I appreciate your feedback. It sounds like your needed more time in the oven or they may not have been the right size.
Kate
Thank you for your comment, Jenne! Glad to hear you enjoyed the flavor but I’m sorry that you had trouble cooking them. I’d suggest weighing the sweet potatoes next time to make sure you’re not accidentally using more than 1 1/2 pounds. The patties will also hold together better if you refrigerate them on a flat baking sheet for an hour or so.
Rachel L Mooers
Hi Kate! Would you freeze these before you bake/fry or after. I loved these so much and would love to stock the freezer for some easy dinners!
★★★★★
Kate
Hi Rachel! I would freeze after baking, otherwise they may not holdup as well. Thank you for your review!
Ellerie
Hi Kate! I am making this recipe in my school in food class and was wondering if I could take out some of the ingredients because I have only 1 hour to cook! Is there a way I could make this recipe shorter or quicker to make? Thanks!
Kate
Hi Ellerie! Sorry to disappoint, but I don’t have solution for you to cut out a step. You can maybe get others involved to help in the process or prep some of your ingredients a head of time to mix and then bake.
Linn
Followed RECIPE exact…cooked exact as stated. MUSHY tasting, not GOOD at all.. I will keep searching..this is NOT the one
★
Kate
Hi Linn, I’m sorry you were disappointed. How long did you bake it for? Maybe you needed a little more time in the oven.
Regan McLaughlin
I have been surviving off of these frozen burgers for 2 months now. Thank you thank you thank you! This is one of my favorite sites to search for vegetarian recipes.
★★★★★
Kate
I’m happy to hear that! Thank you for sharing, Regan.
Bonnie Braunius
I made these tonight, and they were excellent! Best veggie burgers I’ve ever had, either at home or out. Great texture, they hold together well, etc.I’ll be making them again.
★★★★★
Kate
Thank you for sharing, Bonnie! I’m excited you loved them.
Bonnie Braunius
I just commented on how good these were, but I forgot to ask if you think this recipe would make a good meatloaf, if you baked it in a loaf pan for about an hour. As a vegan, that’s something I’d really enjoy, with some vegan mashed potatoes, etc.
★★★★★
Elena
I loved these veggie burgers! I might not have followed the quantities exactly, as I was too lazy to convert them to gr, but nevertheless the final result was sooo good! Crispy on the outside and soft and mushy inside. Delicious! And they ended up looking more like cookies than burgers (my laziness will be the end of me :D). Thank you for sharing the recipe! I’m so curious now to try your other recipes!
★★★★★
Kate
Hooray! Thank you for sharing, Elena.
Orchid
Most adobo sauce has gluten in it, so be super careful about that.
Kate
Hi Orchid, I haven’t found that to be the case in what I have bought. But, I appreciate you letting me know you have found that to be the case sometimes.
Mac
I have tried more veggie burger recipes than I can count. Haven’t liked even one because the texture wasn’t right. This one is perfect. I didn’t have the adobo so I used the smoky paprika but wasn’t flavorful enough. So, I made a spicy aioli and it was perfect! Thanks for the great recipe!
★★★★★
Kate
Hooray! I’m delighted to hear that, Mac. Thank you for your review!
Mary
These were absolutely delicious! I ate some of the “raw” burger and it was so good! Thank you so much for this recipe!
★★★★★
Kate
You’re welcome, Mary! Thank you for taking the time to comment and review.
Aisling
Hi Kate, just want to ask if there is a substitution you would recommend for the smoked paprika? I’m not a fan of the smoked taste but want to make these burgers
Kate
Hi! As the recipe states, you can use 2 tablespoons adobo sauce.
Yas
I hardly ever leave reviews but these veggie burgers are honestly the best I’ve made/eaten (and I’ve made a load)! I shape before refrigerating and then pop them in the oven on grease proof paper and they’ve come out perfect each time. Thank you for such a wonderful recipe :)
★★★★★
Kate
I love to hear that, Yas. Thank you for your review!
elizabeth
These were delicious! The key to not having them fall apart is to refrigerate them first after you make them into patties. I also used avocado oil and sprayed both sides prior to baking. I make a double batch and freeze them!
★★★★★
Kate
I love it! These are great to have on hand. Thank you for your review, Elizabeth.
Sarah
Made these a few days ago and loved the taste! Cooked them in a skillet, and they do fall apart quite easily, but we made chipotle mayo to add on top and considered them “sloppy joes”. If we’re not concerned about being vegan, do you think adding an egg in during the mixing process would be a bit more binding?
★★★★
Kate
Hi Sarah, I’m glad you enjoyed them!
Susan
Great little burger. Flavorful I found just a bit to much sweetness though from the sweet potato. I added 1 egg to make sure it binded well I baked in oven and they held together extremly well.. I’d make again for sure.
★★★★★
Kate
Thank you for sharing, Susan! We appreciate your review.
Margaret Finn
I have just made these for the second time and for me it is the best bean burger recipe I have found. The flavour is really good and they hold their shape really well. Thank you!
★★★★★
Kate
You’re welcome, Margaret! Thank you for sharing and I’m happy you enjoyed them.
Elisheva
I would live to try this recipe but was wondering if you have a substitute for the oats as I am allergic to them.
Thank you
Kate
Hi! The oats really help hold it together. I’m not sure without trying it for sure. Sorry!
Melly
I’ve made these several times now and they are a family favourite! I always freeze the leftovers and they are great warmed up out the freezer. I’ve only tried the baking method and they’ve held their shape and cooked up crispy every time. Thank you!
★★★★★
Kate
Wonderful to hear! Thank you for your review, Melly.
Lynda
Fabulous. Followed directions and baked them. Turned out excellent. I love your recipes. Never tasted a bad one.
★★★★★
Kate
Thank you, Lynda! I’m happy to hear that.
Suze
So yummy! I made some adjustments, pinto beans instead of black, parsley instead of cilantro, sweet onion instead of red, I added an egg and some ground walnuts. Perfect. I love your recipes!
★★★★★
Kate
You’re welcome, Suze! Thank you for taking the time to review.
Aisling O Leary
Best veggie burger I have ever eaten. Far better than any store bought. I used normal paprika instead of smoked and they turned out great. Thanks for a great recipe
★★★★★
Kate
Wonderful to hear, Aisling.
Vanessa Maiolo
This recipe is great….even better if you add in a couple tsp’s of siracha, 1/4 cup bread crumbs and a couple of eggs before baking (if not vegan) – cooks through centres better and less ‘mushy’ as other people have commented as it does rise a bit.
★★★★
Lisa Fuller
I love this recipe. My teenage daughter agrees and says it’s much better than a beef burger. I love to freeze patties between parchment so I can pull out when hankering for a quick burger. I always bake them and that seems to work well. I have a kabocha squash and wonder if I could sub that for sweet potatoes?
★★★★★
Kate
That’s great, Lisa! Thank you for your review.
Sheri Barry
Normally, eggs are used to bind burgers. What binds these?
Kate
Hi Sherri! The oats help and so do the sweet potatoes.
Sean Parnell
Hi, big fan of your website. I’m not yet fully vegan or vegetarian but through your great recipes have almost got there. I have a big family by European standards, being English with my Estonian wife and Austrian kids naturally our favorite is your Chilli…seriously thanks so much for all the great recipes. Family loved the burgers too…
★★★★★
Sam
These are delicious. The last time I made them, I froze most of the patties. They thaw easily. I reheated them in the oven and they come out perfectly- a little crispy on the outside, and the flavor is fantastic. My husband, who I am not sure has ever liked a veggie burger, loved them!
★★★★★
Kate
Thank you for sharing, Sam! I appreciate your review.
Nidha
I have made this recipe several times. I like eating the party with a yogurt cucumber sauce. Very good and very easy. I am not a vegetable but you don’t have to to enjoy this burger.
★★★★★
Susan
What would be a substitute for oats, have celiac and even gluten free oats effect me.
Would rice work?
Kate
Hi! I’m sorry to hear that. I haven’t tried it without oats, so I can’t say for sure. I don’t know if rice will get you the same result.
Elena Hawkins
We just finished dinner. These patties were great. I will def be making these again. I doubled the recipe to use up some yams I had.
Some issues:
• I found the yam handling messy and tedious. The flesh didn’t come out of the skin easily. They were small yams, maybe overcooked at 20 min. Next time I’ll try peeling them, chunking and steaming. Then chopping. What do you think?
• I mixed this by hand and so the beans didn’t get squashed. I think I’d like mine to look more like yours–a little more processed and less coarse in texture. So I’ll use the stand mixer next time to get everything a little more pulverized. And in doubling my recipe, I didn’t add quite enough garlic.
Baking these in the oven came out crispy and a bit chewy, we loved that! I’m going to freeze the extras and they will make nice meals until I get to the next batch. Cleaning up the baking sheets was a tasty pleasure. Great flavor! Thank you!
★★★★★
Kate
Hi Elena, I’m sorry you had issues. It seems like your sizing varied, playing into your result of your sweet potatoes. I prefer roasting for more depth of flavor. No need to pulverize it, just enough that it holds together. There can be larger chunks of black beans in there.
Jennie
I normally just adore your recipes, but sadly this one was a miss for us The texture was WAY off…um, like eating mashed potatoes on a bun. :( I followed the recipe to a T and baked them as recommended. I think it would likely take hours for those suckers to crisp up in the oven. We ended up tossing the batch…Maybe we just aren’t veggie burger people? It’s OK – you are an incredibly talented, lovely person and a great cook. I appreciate your site – just maybe not this recipe. :)
★
Kate
Hi Jennie, I’m sorry to hear that. Did the outside crisp up at all?
Elena Hawkins
The photos don’t look smooth like mashed potatoes…They show a coarse texture in the burgers. Perhaps you over-processed. I could see the beans in my burgers, they were chunky. There was a lot of tooth to these, which I loved!
★★★★★
Sue C
I just made these in my stand mixer. I doubled the recipe to freeze a bunch for a quick meal. After reading comments, I was worried about them falling apart, so since I wasn’t going for a vegan version, I did add 1 egg to the doubled batch. I baked them and they held together perfectly :) They were yummy on served on potato rolls w/ LTO and spicy mayo. I like my burger with a little more “char”, so I think I will try the stovetop method next. I can’t imagine grilling them. I was curious about freezing them. It looks like it is suggested to cook them completely, then freeze. I am wondering if they can be shaped and frozen (without cooking). I ended up doing some experimenting – I froze some baked completely, others par-baked, and some not baked. I will see what happens. Any thoughts?
★★★★★
Will
Hello, I was wondering how the “not baked” patties turned out? I’m prepping a double batch to freeze some for later, and was thinking about freezing them shaped and not baked.
This will be my second time making this recipe. I grilled refrigerated patties the first time and they turned out fantastic!
★★★★★
Mihika
loved this recipe. i added some baked pumpkin to it and it was still very good!
★★★★★
Kate
You’re welcome! Thank you for sharing.
Dreke
First time making this dish the other day and I am not a vegetarian but my better half is and I was extremely pleased with this! I will be making this again.
★★★★★
Kate
I’m happy to hear that! Thank you for taking the time to review.
Joan
These turned out great. I left the potato skins on, which saved some time, and maybe helped them hold together?? Both the flavor and consistency were perfect.
★★★★★
Michelle
We have allergies to beans and oats. Can we do without our substitute with something else? Tia!
Kate
Hi! Sorry to disappoint, but I don’t think this one will be for you. That would be an entirely new recipe.
Andrew
Made these for the family and they were excellent. Nice and moist with good flavor and just the right amount of spiciness. I will definitely make them again.
I did not have a problem with them staying together.
★★★★★
Kate
Hooray! I’m glad you loved them and didn’t have concerns with the recipe.
Joan
These turned out fantastic. I left the potato skins on (because I am lazy!) and maybe that helped them hold together.
★★★★★
Geeta
I made this recipe and the whole family really enjoyed the burgers. Especially the kids. I cooked them in the oven and had to cook them longer. It came out perfect and didn’t break.
★★★★★
Kate
Wonderful to hear, Geeta! Thank you for your review.
Alaina Smith
These are the best!! Thanks, Kate!
★★★★★
Kate
You’re welcome, Alaina!
Jadwiga LEBIEDZINSKA
The best burger ever !!!
★★★★★
Kate
Thank you!
Kathleen Meredith
Hi Kate! I made a double batch of these yesterday and put the mixture in the frig overnight. I want to freeze most of the burgers. Should I go ahead and bake all of them OR make into patties and freeze, then bake when I’m ready to serve them? I have made this recipe before and they are THE BEST!!!
THANK YOU
KATHLEEN
★★★★★
Kate
Hi! Yes, bake then freeze. Thank you for your review, Kathleen!
Jennifer Elizathbeth Baker
I made these for my family. I have a 4 yr old and a 7yr old. Everyone loved them! They are a little time consuming but I make a double batch and freeze the leftovers. I just put them in the toaster to reheat the frozen ones. Hands down best veggie burgers I have ever eaten and sooo healthy. I love that they are not full of saturated fat and processed junk. Thank you so much for this recipe!
★★★★★
Kate
I’m delighted these were a hit, Jennifer!