This quick and easy refried bean burger is made with canned refried beans making it convenient to make on a weeknight meal. These are moist, delicious and 100% vegan.
Many of the homemade veggie burger recipes fail to impress - they are hard to shape and harder to cook. Most of them fall apart in the pan while cooking or eating. But this refried bean burger recipe is fool-proof and are packed with flavor. No more squishy, bland veggie burgers!! Recipe adapted from Bal Arnesan's show on Cooking Channel.
I posted this recipe in 2012 when I had my daughter. Here's an excerpt from the old post. I planned to cook today's vegan lunch in 30 minutes and post it under '30 minute meals'. But little did I know that my 3 week old had her own plans. I was hardly in the kitchen for 10 minutes, she started to cry and wanted to be fed. So my 30 minute meal ended up being more than an hour meal. Even though I wasn't able to make the meal under 30, but I'm sure it can done if there are no distractions.
I have been making these burgers ever since and they CAN be made in 30 minutes. These are one of our favorite homemade burgers because they are moist, spicy, flavorful and delicious. Even my picky eater daughter loves these.
Ingredients:
All the ingredients in this recipe are pantry staples. Which makes this bean patties recipe perfect to make whenever you have a craving for a sandwich. Here's what you need:
- Vegan refried beans - lard is a common ingredient in refried beans. So make sure to check that the can says either 'vegan' or 'vegetarian'. Also check the ingredients to make sure there is no lard.
- Chickpea flour - acts as the binding agent in this recipe. Also adds a double dose of protein to these burgers.
- Oat flour - there is no need to buy this. Simply blend rolled or steel cut oats until they turn into a powder. Or use quick cooking oats - no need to grind these.
- Bread Crumbs - I've tried both whole wheat and regular ones and both work. Use what you have in your pantry.
- Chole Masala or Garam Masala - this gives the burger a nice spicy flavor. Sub with curry powder if you don't have these.
Instructions:
What I really like about this recipe is the simplicity of it. Ingredients are straight forward, no need for a food processor or any gadget. Also there is no refrigeration required. Mix everything together, form into patties and cook them. Done!!
- Heat oil in a saute pan; add the onions and cook until lightly browned around the edges, about 5 minutes.
- Add ginger + garlic paste and cook for another minute. Turn off the heat and set aside to cool slightly.
- In a large mixing bowl; combine the refried beans, chickpea flour, oat flour,bread crumbs, chole masala, red chili powder and salt. Mix well.
- Add the onion mixture and mix well to form a mixture that holds together when squeezed. If the mixture is too wet, add more oat flour or bread crumbs to absorb the moisture.
- Divide the mixture into 6 equal size patties, about ⅓ cup each.
- Heat 2tbsp oil in a non-stick pan on medium heat, gently place the burgers and cook them undisturbed for about 3~4 minutes lightly browned on the bottom. Flip and cook on the other side until golden brown crust forms on both the sides.
- Enjoy on your favorite bun with your favorite burger accouterments.
Refried Bean Burger
Ingredients
- 1 tsp Oil + more for cooking the burgers
- 1 Small Red onion, finely chopped
- 1 tsp Ginger + garlic paste (or use 1tsp each of finely chopped ginger and garlic)
- 16 oz. Can of vegan Refried Beans
- ½ cup Besan (Chickpea flour)
- ¼ cup Wholewheat bread crumbs
- ¼ cup Oat flour*
- 1 tsp Chole or Garam Masala (homemade or store bought)
- 1 tsp Red chili powder
- To taste Salt
Instructions
- Heat oil in a saute pan; add the onions and cook until lightly browned around the edges, about 5 minutes.
- Add ginger + garlic paste and cook for another minute. Turn off the heat and set aside to cool slightly.
- In a large mixing bowl, combine the refried beans, chickpea flour, oat flour,bread crumbs, chole masala, red chili powder and salt. Mix well.
- Add the onion mixture and mix well to form a mixture that holds together when squeezed. If the mixture is too wet, add more oat flour or bread crumbs to absorb the moisture.
- Divide the mixture into 6 equal size patties, about ⅓ cup each.
- Heat 2tbsp oil in a non-stick pan on medium heat, gently place the burgers and cook them undisturbed for about 3~4 minutes lightly browned on the bottom. Flip and cook on the other side until golden brown crust forms on both the sides.
- Enjoy on your favorite bun with your favorite burger accouterments.
Notes
- Vegan refried beans – lard is a common ingredient in refried beans. So make sure to check that the can says either ‘vegan’ or ‘vegetarian’. Also check the ingredients to make sure there is no lard.
- Chickpea flour – acts as the binding agent in this recipe. Also adds a double dose of protein to these burgers.
- Oat flour – there is no need to buy this. Simply blend rolled or steel cut oats until they turn into a powder. Or use quick cooking oats – no need to grind these.
- Bread Crumbs – I’ve tried both whole wheat and regular ones and both work. Use what you have in your pantry.
Nutrition
More Sandwich Ideas:
Dalia Kinsey
It's becoming more and more clear that I should just move in to Trader Joes. I've had burgers on the brain for days but since I'm cutting back on soy I've been looking for alternatives to my usual packaged favorites. This looks like a winner - pinning it now.
Amy
I love that show too. I never realized why her accent bugged me until you described it that way. 🙂 I am going to have to try these.
mrkk08
What a great looking burger! I don't think I've ever even had refried beans (I should fix that!) but the flavours sound great. Happy MoFo!
Priya Suresh
Thats a healthy and great looking burger, wholesome and yummy.
Charul @ Tadka Masala
Delicious looking burger which would also be protein packed! Nice idea for lunch.
Karmawins
I am so happy to read that you think she overuses spices! I tried to make a dish using her spice recipe and it was awful. And I knew it was too much too!
Erin
These refried bean burgers are great for meatless Monday meals. Delicious and you don't miss the meat at all!
Kacey Perez
I can't wait to try this recipe this summer. Definitely interested in substituting veggie burgers for regular burgers.
Leslie
You did such a fantastic job with this recipe! I love the creativity in this. A must try!
Sue
Wonderful. After making a few veggie burgers that were too dry, this recipe is a winner. Thank you for the tip about the oat flour; that saved me.
cookshideout
Hi Sue, I'm happy to hear that you liked the recipe. Thank you for trying.
Skylar
I have everything except for the chickpea flour 🥺 I do have both almond as well as coconut flour though. Could I sub one of those for the chickpea?
cookshideout
Hi Skylar, I haven't tried this recipe with either almond or coconut flour. But I would think almond flour should work. You need the flour to hold everything together, so almond flour should do the job. Happy Cooking!! Best, Pavani
Debi
Has anyone ever tried adding mushrooms??
cookshideout
Hi Debi, I haven't tried. But I'm sure you can. Cooking the mushrooms to remove any water would help to hold the burgers. Best, Pavani
Sheryl Abrams
I was amazed at how easy this recipe was. I didn’t have ginger paste so I used powdered. I didn’t have chickpea flour so I subbed in Buckwheat flour. I used gluten free bread crumbs. They came out GREAT! Looking forward to trying more for this site.
cookshideout
Hi Sheryl, so glad to hear that you liked the burger recipe. Thank you for sharing your substitutions - will be very helpful for my GF readers. Best, Pavani