A scrumptious, grill-worthy and nourishing vegan Bean and Oats Burger that is packed with all the goodness you can imagine from oats, two kinds of beans, and carrots. There are no added oils in this veggie burger patty and it's hefty and sturdy enough for your Memorial Day grill. Also a gluten-free, soy-free and nut-free recipe.
Some of your favorite veggie burgers on this blog, and mine, have long been these vegan bean and oats burgers. It's easy to see why. They are full of flavor and yet they are utterly healthy with carrots, oats and red beans and pinto beans. A veggie burger simply does not get any better than this.
This is a really easy burger to make and it's full of texture from the beans and oats, which makes it wonderful to bite into. It easily makes it to the griddle and back, and is sturdy enough to throw on a grill.
Table of Contents
What you'll love about these bean and oats burgers
- They're delicious.
- They are made with beans and oats and carrots--all foods that are good for you.
- They're sturdy enough for the grill.
- They are free of any added fats or nuts, so they're great if you're looking for a waist-friendly option.
- They are tried and tested, over and over, by dozens of Holy Cow! readers, so you don't have to take my word for it.
I just made your Oat and Bean burgers and I am delighted with them!!! They are so delicious on a sesame bun with spicy brown mustard, ketchup and dill pickles. Thank you!!!
-Karla S.
Ingredients
- Onion
- Garlic
- Quick-Cooking Oats (or rolled oats, run through a food processor to break them down a bit, are fine)
- Pinto beans
- Red beans
- Carrots
- Ground cumin
- Cayenne
- Tomato ketchup
- Dijon mustard of whole-grain mustard
- Tamari (optional if soy-free)
- Salt, as needed
- Cooking spray for coating the pan or grill
Steps for making the veggie burgers
- Mash the beans: Place the beans in a bowl and mash them together. You should mash them well so the burgers hold together, but it's okay if a few beans remain whole, as they will add more texture.
- Cook the veggies: You will need to cook the carrots, onions and garlic first before adding them to the rest of the ingredients. This helps get rid of any moisture that could make your burgers fall apart when you cook them, and it also gives you an opportunity to cook the veggies with the spices, helping them marry together. This is not a long-drawn process--it takes just about five minutes.
- Prep the oats: Quick-cooking oats, which are usually cut into smaller pieces than rolled oats, are great in this recipe. I don't usually have quick oats on hand so I just use rolled oats and run them through the food processor to break them down further.
- Mix in the remaining ingredients: Mix in the onion-carrot mixture, oats and seasonings and mix it all together really well.
- Form the patties: I get eight hefty burger patties from this recipe. You can make them thicker, as I did this time, or shape them thinner as you see in the photo below from the last time I shared this recipe.
- Cook the burgers: I recommend cooking these burgers on a skillet first, with a bit of cooking spray, before you throw them on the grill. That will also take care of any worries about the burgers sticking to the grill.
- Serve the burgers: These burgers are great with this whole wheat burger buns. Serve them layered with hummus, like this eggplant hummus, greens, and a vegan coleslaw.
Recipe FAQs
You can use either. I have made this burger with both and it doesn't make a difference and you really can't beat canned beans for convenience. For the burgers you see in the photos this time I used canned pinto and red beans. The 14-oz cans yielded just over a cup of beans each after they were drained.
If starting with dry beans, use half a cup of red beans and a half a cup of pinto beans, soak them overnight, then cook them in enough water until really tender.
Yes and yes. If you want to make these with only pinto beans or only kidney beans that is fine. You can also use other kinds of beans--black beans would be great here.
You can store them in the refrigerator, after cooking them, for about a week. For longer storage I'd separate the burgers with parchment and store in the freezer in freezer-safe containers. To reheat, throw on a hot griddle or grill coated with cooking spray.
More veggie burger recipes
Vegan Bean and Oats Burgers
Equipment
- Griddle
Ingredients
- 1 large onion (finely minced)
- 4 cloves garlic (finely minced)
- 1 medium carrot (grated)
- 1 teaspoon ground cumin
- 1 teaspoon cayenne (use more or less based on your preference)
- 14 oz pinto beans
- 14 oz red kidney beans
- 1 ½ cups quick-cooking oats (I ran regular rolled oats in the food processor for a minute)
- 2 tablespoon Dijon mustard (or whole grain mustard)
- 1 tablespoon tomato ketchup
- 2 tablespoon tamari (or soy sauce. Leave out if soy-free and use more salt)
- Salt to taste
- Cooking spray
For serving
- Whole wheat burger buns
- Baby spinach or other greens
- coleslaw
Instructions
- Heat a skillet and saute the onion and garlic with a tiny bit of salt (no oil) for a few minutes until translucent but not brown.
- Add the carrots, cayenne, and cumin and cook a couple minutes or until carrot is tender. Turn off the heat and set aside.
- Mash the beans in a large bowl. Add the carrot mixture, mustard, ketchup, tamari and oats.
- Mix well, then shape the mixture into eight patties. You can make more, smaller patties, or fewer, larger ones. For the grill shape the patties thicker.
- Heat a nonstick or cast-iron skillet and coat with cooking spray. Cook patties over medium heat for four to five minutes on each side, or until golden brown. I like mine a little charred for extra flavor or you can char them on the grill.
Smriti
Dear Vishali Honawar--Namaste! I am looking forward to trying your recipe. Looks really yummy! I love that the mix makes 8 burgers, but I would need to freeze the uncooked burgers. Can I do this? Or should I cook all and freeze the ones we can't eat? Bless you! Smriti D.
Nina
Wow! These are great! I make all kinds of bean burgers, but my go to is a black bean...Not anymore!! My family loves this burger! And, easy to make! Thank you!!!
Manimala
These Burgers came out perfect,i cannot thank you enough!
mixermaid
I have made these twice now. Both times I blitzed 1 can Red Kidney Beans and 1 can Black Beans in a processor first along with the liquid ingredients, then added sauted veg and blitzed some more. Then simply folded in separately blitzed rolled oats. The mix made 7 x 4oz burgers. They are wonderful and even my meat eating husband loved them. They will be a regular in my home and I have another batch freezing at the moment. I did try baking them in the oven to avoid fat / oil but they were a little dry. Pan frying is best in a little exra virgin olive oil. Love them.
Steve Gaydos
I just tried your burger recipe. it was great. I ran out of burger buns but I formed the mixture into the shape of a hotdog. it turned out good. I can't wait to try that on the grill.
Vaishali Honawar
Steve, good idea to shape it into a hot dog-- I am going to try doing that with some burger recipes, being a huge hot dog fan! 🙂
Anonymous
Vaishali, My wife tried this and said it was good. I don't know why I didn't think of that sooner. I hope you like it.
Robbin
Thank you so much for this recipe!! You saved me so much money and so healthy too!!I first made these exactly as directed, but I also thought a chewy texture would be nice, so I substituted oats with 1 cup PRECOOKED, COLD steel cut oats and 1full cup quick oats, or enough to make the mixture stiff enough to make patties. A nice smoky barbeque sauce is yummy with these too. We now have these weekly. ...even my picky son loves them! Blessings to you!!
Denielle
Thank you for the recipe - these were delicious and very easy to make. I find that it made about 8 good size burgers and I put several of them in the freezer until we are ready to cook them. This is a very economical recipe as well as yummy!
Ge
I am going on a camping trip soon and I am looking for burgers I could make ahead (maybe the night before or a few days before and freeze?) and that keep their shape when they are cooked on a grill on an open fire. Would this work with this recipe or should these be cooked immediately?
Thank you.
Vaishali Honawar
Hi Ge, You can make these ahead-- be sure to cook them on the griddle and then freeze them separated by wax paper. When you're ready to cook, slap them on the grill. They will hold their shape.
linda
Just made these bean and oat burgers....lassie....you are wonderful. X
Halla Einarsdottir
Wonderful - just made these !
Sarah
This is my official go to veggie burger recipe 🙂
It ticks all the boxes;
Quick and easy
Cheap to make (all the ingredients are always n my cupboard too)
Great texture
DELICIOUS!!
It's even a winner with my meat eating friends and family.
Thanks for this awe some recipe!!
Jeanne
I’m cooking this right now. I didn’t have ketchup so I used sriracha. I also used black cumin because I love very spicy food. They smell good. Will write back when I’m done.
Anonymous
Does it matter if the oatmeal is cooked or not?
Vaishali Honawar
Don't cook the oats. They should be raw.
Viviana Lahrs
HI, question: Do you cook the oats or not before adding? thanks!
Vaishali Honawar
No, the oats are not cooked.
Vaishali Honawar
Anon, sodium does matter to a lot of people, including me. And yes, it's also great that tamari is gluten-free.
Anonymous
also good burgers, i've added this to my regular diet.
although i recommend doubling the size, or making stacking two per bun.