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These White Bean Burgers are made of creamy white beans that are robustly flavored with herbs and spices. It’s the perfect choice if you are looking for a healthier but still delicious version of your favorite fast-food burger. Simple ingredients and ready in just 15 minutes!
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Why You’ll Love This Homemade Vegan Burger Recipe!
Don’t think you need to skip out on burgers just because you’re going vegan! These white bean burgers are delicious, hearty, and fully of healthy ingredients (without any preservatives!). They are low calorie but still full of fiber, protein, and antioxidants!
I love that these vegan patties are ready to cook in only a few pulses of the food processor. This White Bean Burgers recipe is simple and quick to prepare. Plus, you can customize the recipe to your liking! Feel free to add your favorite herbs and spices to my white bean patties. Top it with greens like lettuce, spinach, kale, or arugula. Fresh tomatoes or cucumbers can be add juiciness and flavor. The list goes on and on!
If you’re looking for more vegan burger options, you can also try my Chickpea Quinoa Burgers, Black Bean Bulgar Burgers, and Lentil Burgers.
White Bean Burger Ingredients
- Olive oil: A dash of oil adds a richness to your patties that makes them moister. Feel free to omit or replace it with nut butter or almond butter instead.
- White beans: Drained and rinsed. I prefer using canned white beans, instead of fresh ones. They have a more consistent texture and the right amount of softness to produce those beautifully compact patties. Not to mention that they are more time-saving and convenient! If white beans are not available, other beans should work well.
- Slices of bread: It acts as a binder that helps hold all the ingredients together.
- Garlic salt: This seasoned salt combines dried, ground garlic, and table salt, which gives that savory and salty flavor combination.
- Spices: I used onion powder, chili powder, and cumin. These spices give the patties a warm and robust flavor with a punch of heat. Other herbs like paprika, black pepper, fennel seed, cardamom, or coriander can also be used, depending on your preference.
- Herbs: A combination of parsley and rosemary gives aromatic, woodsy, and peppery tones. Use other herbs like dill and thyme.
- Nutritional yeast: Adding this to the mix gives the white bean burgers a richer, ‘cheese-like’ flavor for a savory flavor boost! You can use vegan parmesan as an excellent substitute for this.
- Salt and pepper: To taste
How to Make White Bean Burgers
Preparation:
- Drain and rinse the beans until the stickiness is gone.
Steps:
Step 1: First, place all ingredients, except the parsley and rosemary, in a food processor and blitz them until well blended.
Step 2: Next, pour the bean mixture into a bowl and fold in the fresh herbs.
Step 3: Next, to make the patties, portion the bean mixture into ⅓ cups. Using your hands, form patties a fourth to a half-inch thick.
Step 4: Then, add and heat oil in a skillet on medium heat. Finally, place the patties into the pan and cook until lightly brown on each side.
Toni’s Recipe Tips
- Drain beans thoroughly: Before putting the beans in the food processor, drain them thoroughly. Too much liquid in your mixture will turn it mushy and will prevent it from holding its shape. If this happens, add more dry bread to absorb the water.
- Mix just enough: Do not over-process the white bean mixture, just enough to get everything well incorporated so they stick together when formed. It is still nice to have a little texture when you bite on those burgers.
- Reduce spice: You can omit the chili powder if you want to make these burgers kid-friendly.
- Let the burgers cook: Leave the patties in the pan undisturbed for a few minutes until you see the sides browning and turning crisp. Flipping them too early can make them fall apart and crumble.
- Freeze first: If you want your patties to be completely set and compact, place them in the freezer for an hour before cooking.
FAQs
It’s possible that you need more binder. Add a few slices of bread to prevent the burger from crumbling and falling apart as soon as it is removed from the pan or when you bite into it.
Although dried beans have a great flavor, they need a lot of time and effort to prepare. As a result, I prefer to use canned white beans because they are more convenient. However, if you have the time, you can use dried white beans instead.
There are so many ways to cook your white bean burgers. You can cook them on the stovetop, bake them, or cook them over the grill.
Serving Suggestions
- Burger Toppings: Load your burger with onion or red onion (grilled or caramelized!), lettuce, sliced tomato, guacamole or avocado slices, grilled pineapple, and/or pickled jalapeños.
- Burger Sauces: Serve with vegan mayo or chipotle sauce, creamy garlic sauce, pico de Gallo or blender salsa, or even spicy chipotle white bean dip.
- Salad: Serve the burger on top of or alongside a salad of crisp greens, like this Greek cucumber salad, sweet potato and kale salad, or pear salad,
- Fries: Make one or more of the following! Oven Baked Sweet Potato Fries, Oven Baked Sesame Fries, Baked Zucchini Fries, Crispy Green Bean Fries, or Carrot Fries!
- Sides: Serve with some favorite BBQ sides like coleslaw, potato salad, mac and cheese, spinach pasta salad, or broccoli salad.
- Be creative: Use the burgers as tortilla fillings and serve with sides like avocado crema, or or roasted red salsa.
Storage Instructions
Make ahead: This recipe is suitable for make-ahead patties. Simply chill the white bean burger mixture overnight in the fridge before assembling and cooking as suggested.
Fridge: Whether cooked or uncooked, leftovers can be stored in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 5-6 days.
Freezer: It can also be frozen for a period of up to two months. To prevent the patty from sticking together when frozen, I recommend placing parchment paper between each one. Before cooking, let it thaw.
More Creamy White Bean Recipes
Vegan Appetizers
Vegan Curry White Bean Dip
![completed Tuscan White Bean Soup [With Kale] in a pot](https://plantbasedonabudget.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/Tuscan-White-Bean-Soup-PBOAB-14-378x378.jpg)
Vegan Dinners
Tuscan White Bean Soup [With Kale]
Vegan Appetizers
Cold White Bean Dip with Chives
Vegan Dinners
Vegan White Bean Chili
This recipe was generously donated by Local Love Catering.
If you tried this white bean burgers recipe or any other recipe on my blog, please leave a 🌟 star rating and let me know how it went in the 📝 comments below. Thanks!
Photos by Alfonso Revilla
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White Bean Burgers
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Ingredients
- 2 Tablespoons of olive oil
- 1 can of white beans, drained and rinsed 15 ounce
- 4 slices of bread, small diced
- ½ teaspoon of garlic salt
- ½ teaspoon of onion powder
- ½ teaspoon of chili powder
- ½ teaspoon of cumin
- 2 Tablespoons of nutritional yeast
- Salt and Pepper to taste
- 1 Tablespoon of minced fresh parsley
- 1 teaspoon minced rosemary
Instructions
- In a food processor place all ingredients except for the fresh herbs and process until well incorporated.
- Place Bean mixture into a bowl and fold in the fresh herbs.
- In a skillet, add olive oil and heat on medium heat.
- Portion the bean mixture into 1/3 cups and form into patties that are ¼ to ½" thick and place into the hot pan.
- Cook until lightly brown each side.
Notes
- Drain beans thoroughly: Before putting the beans in the food processor, drain them thoroughly. Too much liquid in your mixture will turn it mushy and will prevent it from holding its shape. If this happens, add more dry bread to absorb the water.
- Mix just enough: Do not over-process the white bean mixture, just enough to get everything well incorporated so they stick together when formed. It is still nice to have a little texture when you bite on those burgers.
- Reduce spice: You can omit the chili powder if you want to make these burgers kid-friendly.
- Let the burgers cook: Leave the patties in the pan undisturbed for a few minutes until you see the sides browning and turning crisp. Flipping them too early can make them fall apart and crumble.
- Freeze first: If you want your patties to be completely set and compact, place them in the freezer for an hour before cooking.
what can be used in place of nutritional yeast?
Hi! We on the PBOAB team haven’t tried a sub for nutritional yeast for this recipe, so I can’t guarantee the results. I wonder if a vegan parmesan cheese would work out well to get a similar texture and taste 🙂
Hi, for the white bean patties, how would I bake them? On parchment? And how long before turning over and what temperature would you suggest.Thank you.
Hi! You can bake them as well 🙂 We on the PBOAB team haven’t tried it out yet specifically but let us know how it turns out for you if you give it a go!
this is a great basic recipe. I substituted some processed steamed vegetables for part 8of the beans then, I cooked as directed. I loved the taste it gave to the patties. I have also added some red hot pepper flakes.
Love the addition of steamed veggies! Thanks so much for sharing your adjustments 🙂
I experimented with air fying (370 degrees x 15 minutes) and baking (375 degrees x 25 minutes), spraying oil on both sides before each method. Both were drier and firmer than the ones I fried on the stove, but still tasted good.
That’s so awesome! Thanks for letting us know how it turned out 🙂
omg..absolutely delicious..easy..I made with my homemade gluten free vegan bread.
delicious truly
thank you
They’re the best for meal prepping too! So glad you liked it!
Hey Toni,
This recipe is pretty simple and I would love to make it with navy beans.
Do you think instead of regular bread, brown bread will ruin the texture of the burger? We usually eat brown bread in our household.
Thanks for sharing such a simple yet enticing recipe.
Navy beans and brown bread should work as well! Let us know how it turns out if you end up giving it a go!
Doesn’t hold its shape when cooking
So sorry they didn’t hold for you. Too much liquid in your mixture will turn it mushy and will prevent it from holding its shape. If this happens, add more dry bread to absorb the water. Hope it works out if you end up giving it another go!
I don’t have bread ! Can I use oats?
Thanks !!
Hi! We at plant-based on a a budget haven’t tried out using oats yet so can’t guarantee the results. But please let us know how it turns out if you end up giving it a go!
So surprising, both texture and flavor wise.
I added a few tbsp of gluten flour.
This recipe is a keeper.
So glad you enjoyed it! Nothing like yummy bean burgers!
Pescatarian and giving 5-stars and counting!!! Love, Love, Love them. I do “fish Friday” and now I will have “Toni’s burger Thursday”. Thanks
Love that you’re enjoying these burgers!
I’ve made this in the oven and loved them !
Wohoo! So glad you enjoyed them!
time and temp fir cooking in the oven? Did you cook them on parchment paper and flip 1/2 way through the cooking time? I like the thought of no oil! Thanks for sharing.
Is there a good sub for the bread?
Thanks
We recommend using bread, but you could also try using oats a binder in this recipe. Enjoy!
Can I put it in the blender if I don’t have a food processor?
Hi! You can try, but the texture might turn out a bit differently. If you do attempt to you the blender, be sure to halt the blending before it gets too blended! Let us know how it turns out if you end up trying it!
I need to make my own burgers more often 🙂
I’ve made so many veggie burgers that I’m on the hunt to find new ones. I love the idea of adding white beans. Yum!
These look so good! Glad to see a unique bean burger recipe.
These are one my favorite vegan burgers! And they are easy to make!