Vegan Mexican Burger
This Vegan Mexican Burger is a hearty veggie burger with delicious southwest flavors. Easy to make, gluten free, and plenty of protein! Eat it on a bun or with a fork and top it off with my Spicy Mayo and all your favorite garnishes!
Servings: 4 Burgers
Calories: 423kcal
Ingredients
For the Vegan Mexican Burgers
- ¼ cup low sodium vegetable broth plus more as needed, see note
- 1 yellow onion diced
- 2 garlic cloves minced
- 1 tablespoon chili powder
- 1 teaspoon cumin
- 1 teaspoon smoked paprika
- 1 teaspoon dried oregano
- ½ cup raw shelled pumpkin seeds
- 1 can (15 oz) black beans, drained and rinsed or 1 ½ cups cooked black beans
- 1 cup cooked and cooled quinoa leftovers work great!(see note for cooking instructions)
- 1 can (4 oz) diced green chiles drained
- 3 tablespoons homemade vegan mayonnaise or your favorite store-bought vegan mayo
- 4 tablespoons flax meal plus more as needed
For the Spicy Mayo
- ½ cup homemade vegan mayonnaise or your favorite store-bought vegan mayo
- 1 teaspoon chili powder
- ½ teaspoon smoked paprika
- Squeeze of fresh lime juice to taste
- Pinch of salt optional, to taste
To serve, optional
- 4 burger buns gluten free, if desired
- Spicy Mayo see above
- Red onion slices
- Tomato slices
- Avocado slices
- Fresh lettuce or greens
- Chopped fresh cilantro
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350°F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper and set aside.
- Over medium heat in a skillet, sauté the diced onions in vegetable broth for 5 to 6 minutes until soft and translucent. Add the garlic, chili powder, cumin, smoked paprika, and oregano and sauté 1 to 2 more minutes until fragrant and all of the liquid is absorbed. Let cool.
- Meanwhile, in the bowl of a food processor, pulse the pumpkin seeds until they resemble coarse sand.
- Add to the food processor with the pumpkin seeds, the black beans, cooked and cooled quinoa, drained diced green chiles, mayonnaise, flax meal, and the sautéed onions and garlic. Pulse until combined, but NOT puréed. You may need to stop and scrape down the sides occasionally to ensure all the ingredients get incorporated.
- If the mixture seems too wet, add another tablespoon or two of flax meal. The mixture should hold together well when pressed with your fingers and not crumble.
- Form the mixture into 4 burger patties.
- Optional, place the patties on a plate in the fridge for 20 to 30 minutes to firm up.
- Bake the burger patties on the prepared baking sheet for 25 to 30 minutes, carefully flipping after 15 minutes.
- While the burgers are baking, make the Spicy Mayo, if using. Whisk all ingredients in a small bowl until smooth. Taste and adjust seasoning as needed.
- Serve on burger buns with the Spicy Mayo, if using, and any toppings of choice.
Notes
~ To cook quinoa, rinse ⅓ cup dry quinoa well. Add to a pot with ½ cup water. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat and simmer for 12 to 15 minutes until al dente and the liquid is absorbed.
~ You can swap in any bean you like - kidney beans, chickpeas, pinto beans. I would stay away from cannellini beans as they tend to be softer and creamier and may make a mushier burger.
~ Breadcrumbs, cornmeal, flour, or rolled oats can be used in place of flax meal. Choose gluten free, if desired.
~ Walnuts or sunflower seeds would be good choices if you don't have pumpkin seeds.
~ If you don't want to use mayo in the burger mixture, try tahini or almond butter instead.
~ To pan fry the burgers, add a tablespoon of oil to a skillet. When the oil is hot, add the burger patties and cook for 10 to 15 minutes over medium heat. Flip the burgers and cook another 10 to 15 minutes until cooked through. Resist the urge to increase the temperature, as this will cause the outside of the burger to be done before the middle has set. Please note, pan frying results in a more delicate burger than oven baking.
~ This recipe makes 4 good size burgers. You'll get 6 or 8 burger if you make them smaller slider size.
~ Nutritional facts calculated for burger patties only, not including the Spicy Mayo, buns, or any toppings.
Nutrition
Serving: 1burger patty | Calories: 423kcal | Carbohydrates: 54g | Protein: 18g | Fat: 16g | Saturated Fat: 2g | Sodium: 650mg | Fiber: 14g | Sugar: 1g