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. 
Rachel
These burgers are delicious. I made the oven baked version, and the only change I made was adding some finely diced red and orange pepper. We served them on whole grain buns with pepper jack cheese, jalepenos, lettuce and bbq sauce. Highly recommend them!
★★★★★
Kate
That sounds like a delicious combination! Thank you for sharing, Rachel.
Barb
Wonderful recipe! My husband dressed his with a
Little catsup and I had some feta cucumber Tzatiki on mine……delish!! Baked this time and will try on the grill next time! Thank you!
★★★★★
Kate
That sounds delicious, Barb! Thank you for your review.
Mandy
I followed this exactly using the stove top method and it is the perfect sweet potato black bean burger! My new go to since I don’t eat red meat. It’s a bit more time consuming than my usual dinner recipes, but absolutely worth it in my opinion!
★★★★★
Kate
I’m happy it worked out so well for you, Mandy! I appreciate your review.
Lanie
Could I substitute bulgur for the quinoa?
Kate
Hi Lanie, see the notes. I know it works with millet. I can’t say for sure with bulgur without trying it. It may be too hearty of a grain to help the burgers stay together.
Sarah
Mine fell apart! What did I do wrong?
★★★
Kate
Hi Sarah, I’m sorry to hear that! Were you sure you measured the ingredients and added all of them?
Erica
Love these burgers! I’ve tweaked the recipe with cinnamon, turmeric, and curry powder, and even maple syrup. This is a go-to recipe I have fun with. I love having them in the freezer for an emergency luck or dinner.
Thank you!
★★★★★
Kate
You’re welcome, Erica! I appreciate your review.
Lisa Faris
Did you make them into patties and then freeze, or did you cook them first and then freeze?
Lanie Cantor
I plan to make these later this week. Can I substitute bulgur for the quinoa?
Kate
Hi Lanie, I do know millet works(see the notes), I’m not sure about bulgur as it is a bit more grainy and may not hold together quite as well.
Lanie
I replaced the millet with bulgur and it worked well! The burgers were very good, but a bit too sweet for me, so next time I’ll reduce the amount of sweet potato and sub with white potato.
★★★★
mia
This recipe was very good. I made mini patties and ate it over green fried rice with a fried egg and it was delicious. I can never get the patties to stick though. They are very crumbly….
Kate
I’m sorry to hear that! The smaller patties could be causing a problem depending on how well the mixture is combined.
Lanie
Oops…I meant that I substituted bulgur for the quinoa, not for the millet.
Becca
I made these for the second time yesterday for dinner. Even my husband who hates sweet potatoes seems to like them. This morning I ate one of my leftover patties with a fried egg and salsa. :) I love that they freeze so well and make such a quick and easy healthy meal option!
★★★★★
Kate
That’s great, Becca! Thank you for sharing.
Rosemary
Incredibly delicious and healthy! I baked them, and they were done before 35 minutes. I was surprised how well they held together without an egg. My mom, husband and son all agreed that they were delicious. Kate, this recipe is brilliant! I have a friend with gluten restrictions, and this will be perfect for her too. I froze them just like suggested so I can enjoy one any time. :-)
★★★★★
Vickie
I made these with smoked paprika because it is what I had on hand. Think I will try with the Adobo sauce next time. I am not vegetarian, but love vegetables and want to decrease my meat intake. This recipe was a great start and turned out as written. I am not big on buns, so had planned to eat without. I also made the Mexican street corn at the same time since there are some similar ingredients. I topped it on the patty and Oh my, that was absolutely delicious! I love your granola recipe and baked oatmeal too! Also wanted to comment that I am an experienced cook and find your recipes well written. Directions are smart and time saving!
★★★★★
Kris
I always keep a batch of these in the freezer for quick, healthy meals when I don’t have time to cook.
Love them on a brioche bun with jalapeño mayo, arugula (or spinach), a slice of tomato and your recipe for quick-pickled red onions for a little tang (another thing I always keep on hand).
★★★★★
Kate
I love that you always have these on hand! What a great idea. Thank you for sharing, Kris!
Nicole P
I made these yesterday exactly as written with the exception of adding cilantro – because I don’t like it. My husband, who is THE MOST critical of humans and rarely compliments ANYthing, said, several times, these are delicious! He kept asking what was in them. I was concerned he might not appreciate the sweet potato flavor because he is not a fan, but he loved the combination of flavors, which do go together nicely. These do indeed hold up to the grill and are even better with a nice char on them. That is hard to find in a homemade veggie burger. Thank you for sharing this gem of a recipe!
★★★★★
Kate
Hooray! Thank you for sharing, Nicole.
Denise
I was wondering how many gr one serving is?
I made these in a big bowl in the fridge, don’t have room to pre measure all of it, so would like to take serving side to a bbq to keep calories about the same.. thanks
★★★★★
Kate
Hi, sorry to disappoint but I don’t have metric units for this recipe.
Cathy
A scale which converts to the metric unit would be a great tool for your kitchen. Weigh the whole batch and divide the entire weight by the number of servings you want. Another option would be to weigh in ounces and use a Google search to convert to metric.
Meredith
This is the best veggie burger I have ever had. Great flavor and texture that even the veggie burger skeptics in my family enjoyed. I add an egg to the mixture and refrigerate the patties for a couple hours prior to baking them so that they do not fall apart. Cannot recommend these enough. Thank you for the recipe!
★★★★★
Kate
I’m glad you think so, Meredith! I appreciate your review.
Carol
They wouldn’t be vegan with cheese or eggs, would they?
★★★★★
Kate
Hi, I’m not sure the question as these don’t require eggs? Happy to help!
Philippa Young
Love this recipe Kate, your website has such cracking vegetarian dishes. I added another can of black beans and next time would even add two as it ups the protein so much. Thanks for so many wonderful recipes – you’ve saved me from many dull meals with your colourful ideas.
Love from London!
★★★★★
Carlotta
Hi Kate – These burgers are the bomb!! So healthy – and exploding with fresh flavor and yummy textures. We baked them and then refrigerated the leftover burgers with a companion container of condiments (sliced onions, tomatoes, pickles, etc) and ate the burgers for the week’s lunches. They reheat well in a skillet. Great recipe. Thank you!!
★★★★★
Kate
Thank you, Carlotta! I appreciate your review. Sounds like a great way to eat these burgers!
Diane
Just made a bunch of these spicy veggie burgers.
Grilled four and froze four for a later date!
Love having a meal in the freezer.
So good!
So flavorful!
Thank you, Kate.
★★★★★
Kate
You’re welcome, Diane!
Chelsea
Can you freeze the patties once they’re made? If so, what is the best method for keeping them fresh? Also, how long would they last in the freezer?
Kate
Hi Chelesa! Yes, these freeze well. See the post or the last step for my suggestions.
Alex
Great, flavourful veggie burger recipe. It’s one of the few that I feel confident making on the BBQ as they are not crumbly.
★★★★★
Mary Bianchetti
Can you do these ahead, a day before or two days before?
Kate
Hi Mary! They make great leftovers. I’m not sure about making the patties, uncooked that far in advance.
Mary Bianchetti
so I made these ahead, baked, refrigerated then froze. These came out great especially the Adobe chipotle flavor. I doubled the cilantro (s we love cilantro) and also used frijoles vs black because I ran out of black (think black beans would be better. Will make again. A winner recipe.
★★★★★
Kate
That’s great to hear, Mary! Thank you for your review.
Marilyn McCarthy
I just found your website while looking for salad dressing recipes and found your recipe for stuffed shells. They look amazing and I’m on my way to the grocery store to buy the ingredients. I can’t wait to try them! Oh, and by the way, my dog’s name is Cookie too.
Mary Bianchetti
Can I substitute oat bran for the quick oats? Do I have to first cook oat bran first or pulse if food processor?
Also how many days ahead can I make?
★★★★★
Kate
Hi Mary, I’m sorry I haven’t tried it so I can’t say for sure. These make great leftovers once baked and freeze well.
Mary Bianchetti
Can I freeze them uncooked and then cook later?
★★★★
Kate
Hi Mary, I recommend freezing cooked for best results. I’m not sure how the uncooked would turn out.
Swapna Mehta
Should I bake these first prior to grilling? I’m worried they may fall apart on the grill
Kate
Hi, they should be fine. I have tested them and they work to grill. Just don’t flip too soon.
Mary Bianchetti
These are so good I am makings another batch for a party, will serve with chipolte Mayo. Am freezing ones for party…when I reheat for party do I defrost first or just reheat right for freezer put in oven? If yes at what temp and how long?
★★★★★
Kate
Hi Mary, you will want to defrost first. I’m glad you love them!
Janine Barclay
I was disappointed by these. I followed the recipe exactly and they were a little mushy. I guess this is to be expected with sweet potato as a major ingredient. I broiled them on both sides briefly to crisp them up but it didn’t do much. They tasted really good but not as a burger they were just too soft.
★★
Kate
I’m sorry you didn’t enjoy this recipe, Janine. I appreciate your feedback.
Addison
This recipes works well for us. I freeze extras and use them later. The kids prefer meat burgers but they eat these without complaining.
★★★★
Kate
That’s great! Thank you for sharing, Addison.
Rhonda
Thank you for this recipe I recently started a candida diet and am trying to find ways to eat. I will definitely try your recipes!
Mary
I haven’t made these yet but, when I do, can I freeze them without baking the first?
Kate
These are best cooked, then frozen. I hope you love them!
Dipti
Hi I loved this recipe of veggie burger . Can you please tell me if I can freeze uncooked patties or not?
★★★★★
Kate
Hi! Freeze once cooked. I’m glad you love it, Dipti!
Dipti
Thank you so much . They came out so good
★★★★★
Jennifer Lain
These are delicious! I’m allergic to chili so your suggestion to use smoky paprika was a super idea! I’ve been using chipotle because it’s jalapeño so the two together have a great southwest flavor! Thanks for sharing your creativity and love of food!
★★★★★
Kate
I’m glad you have been able enjoy these burgers, Jennifer! I appreciate your review.
Lindsay
I love these. They are so hearty and filling! I used the millet in place of the quinoa because quinoa gives me a terrible stomach ache no matter how much I rinse it. I froze some and heat them up in a skillet so they get a little crispy on the outside. Just turn it gently!
Wendy Nordli
I loved these. I chopped the onion and garlic in a food processor, then added the remaining ingredients to it to just pulse. This resulted in a wonderfully textured burger that held together well. I have made veggie burgers for years, and was concerned that having no egg would leave it crumbly, but it definitely didn’t. I only had room to cook 6 in my small oven, so pan fried the remaining 2, and they were beautifully browned and held together well. Thank you Kate! Love your recipes, they are my first search when looking for something new.
★★★★★
Kate
Thank you for sharing, Wendy! I’m happy you enjoyed these veggie burgers.
Greg
Such a good recipe! It’s great to make your own veggie burgers – healthy, tasty burgers- and it’s straightforward as well.
I hadn’t used adobo sauce before. I’m crossing my fingers for more recipes using it. Thank you!
★★★★★
Kate
You’re welcome, Greg!
Gabby
What can I substitute the quinoa with? I’m allergic to it…
Kate
Hi Gaby, see the note for the older version. It used millet instead of quinoa. Hopefully that helps!
Solange
These were delicious. I was short 150gr of sweet potato so I roasted a beet and grated it in instead. Besides making it look scarily like real mince it cut the sweetness a bit and gave it an earthy flavour. Will definitely be making them again. Thanks for the inspiration :)
★★★★★
Regina Brown
Excellent bean burger recipe! This is my first try at a homemade version. No need for store-bought ever again! I like spicy flavors so I only added some cayenne, and I may add jalapeños in my next batch. Thank you for the recipe.
★★★★★
Kate
You’re welcome, Regina! Thank you for your review.
Rachel W.
Amazing recipe! I used low sodium black beans, so I added extra salt, and for a little more kick I added smoked paprika (to the adobo sauce) and some cayenne. We garnished with spinach, red onion, avocado, mayo and pickles. Will definitely be making again!
★★★★★
Kate
Wonderful, Rachel!