A really good vegan burger can be hard to find, especially if you’re more into bean-based options rather than tofu or some kind of processed protein option. These kidney bean burgers tick all the boxes: they’re sturdy but not dry, flavourful, filled with nutritious ingredients, and easy to make. You don’t need to chill the mixture before cooking, either.

I much prefer a baked burger to a fried one – and it seems like they always fall apart in the frying pan, despite what a recipe might say – it needs to much less active time, and you get a better end texture. Brushing the baking paper with a little oil helps to ensure a nice crisp, golden outside. This is a great base burger for any number of toppings, or to use as a classic veggie burger with ketchup and lettuce.

For more veggie burger recipes that won’t fall apart, try these spicy black bean burgers, baked vegan chickpea burgers, or Nina’s cauliflower burgers.

Ingredients

Ingredient Notes and Substitutions

• Kidney beans: either canned (and rinsed well) or cooked, it doesn’t matter.
• Oats: be sure to use certified gluten-free oats if necessary.
• Flour: I recommend either chickpea flour, to keep the burgers gluten-free, or a whole-grain flour like rye if gluten isn’t an issue.
• Cooked rice: leftover rice is ideal. I always use short grain brown rice but any type of cooked rice will work (but not wild rice, which isn’t rice at all).
• Spices: the added spices are minimal here, with just a little smoked paprika, hot pepper, and black pepper. You could add more, like cumin, if you want a differently flavoured burger.
• Parsley: if you don’t like parsley, sub something like cilantro/fresh coriander. See parsley substitutes.

Step by Step

Step 1: cook the onions and garlic, then mix with the remaining ingredients in a large bowl.

Step 2: puree part of the mixture in a food processor or use an immersion blender or potato masher.

Step 3: form eight evenly-sized patties and place on a greased baking sheet.

Step 4: bake for about 25 minutes, flipping partway through, and serve hot.

Recipe Notes

You can either use an immersion blender to partly blend the mixture, a food processor to fully blend part of it, or a potato masher. All options are outlined in the recipe card below but you don’t need a food processor for this recipe.

Don’t worry if you forget to flip the burgers partway through cooking. This step is mostly to ensure even browning, and they’ll still be cooked through even if you miss it.

Pictured are my spelt flour buns, which are a little more crisp and light than typical burger buns, but are a nice option.

How to Store

Storage: keep the uncooked mixture in a sealed container in the refrigerator for up to two days before shaping and baking as instructed. Cooked burgers can be stored in a sealed container in the refrigerator for a day or two but will dry out a bit.

Freezing: transfer the uncooked mixture to an airtight container and freeze for up to a month. Thaw in the refrigerator overnight before shaping and baking. I usually do this with half the batch.

Expert Tips

• Cook the rice ahead of time: if you can plan ahead a bit, it makes things easier if the rice has been cooked a day or two in advance and refrigerated.
• Season to taste: but not if you’re using chickpea flour! It tastes horrible uncooked and you won’t be able to try the burger mixture before cooking. Otherwise you can sample a wee bit of the mix and adjust seasoning if needed – note that if you’re using canned beans, they may have salt added.
• Wet your hands: the mixture can be a little sticky when handling, but a quick rinse under the tap will sort that out.

More Vegetarian Mains

Mushroom Fajitas
Butternut Squash Chickpea Curry
Lentil Cottage Pie
Easy Summer Pasta