Quinoa Pumpkin Veggie Burgers are insanely awesome and gluten-free too! Let’s skip the usual suspects and pair our pumpkin with caramelized onion and a cinnamon-cayenne spice combo to make the ULTIMATE vegetarian burgers.
Quinoa Pumpkin Veggie Burgers
When pumpkin takes over America each Fall, it’s usually in a predictable manner: bread, bagels, muffins, pies, cheesecake, lattes, cakes, cookies, and cannolis. Um… notice a trend?
It rhymes with feet.
While I do love the sweet stuff, I can only take so much sugar before I’m found twitching in the corner covered in crumbs. Let’s skip the usual suspects and pair our pumpkin with fluffy quinoa, caramelized onion, and a cinnamon-cayenne combo that is sure to swing pumpkin over to the savory side!
We may have traded Fall for Winter, but for those of you with a lone can of pumpkin still sitting pretty on your pantry shelves, this recipe will surely come in handy! Quinoa Pumpkin veggie burgers to the rescue!
of course no burger is complete without a not-so-secret sauce…
smoky chipotle aoli:
- 1/2 cup plain greek yogurt
- 1/2 cup all-natural mayo
- 1-2 chipotle peppers in adobo
- 1/2-1 clove of garlic, smashed and minced
- 1 tablespoon lemon juice
- 1 tsp Sriracha chili sauce
- 1 tsp parsley
- 1/2 tsp garlic powder
- 1/4 tsp saltTo veganize, simply swap the yogurt and mayo in the sauce for your favorite vegan sandwich spread!
To make the sauce
Finely chop your chipotle pepper and whisk it together with the remaining ingredients or simply combine all ingredients in a small food processor/blender and pulse. Taste, and then add more of any of the above ingredients that you’d like to amplify.
I make it a little bit differently each time depending on my mood — sometimes with extra garlic and sometimes with a whole lot of heat! It’s super flexible and ridiculously tasty! Spread a little on each bun and plop your pumpkin burger in the middle, piled high with all your favorite toppings. Enjoy!
In a pinch, spicy brown mustard also makes a fabulous spread for these quinoa pumpkin veggie burgers!
Quinoa Pumpkin Veggie Burgers
Ingredients
- ¾ cup cooked quinoa
- 1 cup old-fashioned rolled oats
- 1 cup chickpeas or cannelini beans
- 1 cup pumpkin puree
- ½ TBSP coconut oil
- ½ cup diced onion
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- ¼ tsp cinnamon
- ½ tsp garlic powder
- ½ tsp cumin
- ⅛ tsp thyme
- ⅛ tsp allspice
- ¼ tsp salt
- ¼ tsp cayenne pepper
- 4 fresh burger buns + all your favorite toppings
Instructions
- First cook your quinoa according to the directions on the package in either water or your favorite broth. I’m a rebel and use [this] technique exclusively; feel free to follow suit! I typically make a large batch and use it in salads, burgers, and soups all week long.
- To prettify the burgers, I grind my oats in a food processor [a blender works too!] so they resemble a coarse powder.
- Combine your ground oats and cooked quinoa and set aside.
- Next drain and rinse your beans, then pulse in a food processor or blender to lightly “whip” the beans. They’ll be easier to form into patties this way! You can also use a potato masher if you have one.
- Next, caramelize your onion in approx 1/2 tablespoon of oil. It’s just like sauteing, only you’ll turn the heat up a teeny bit more and encourage the golden browning that you’d avoid otherwise. Heat your skillet to medium-high with approx 1/2 teaspoon of oil, add chopped onions, and stir frequently.
- Add a pinch of salt to help those babies give up a little liquid and feel free to add a little water or an extra drizzle oil to the pan to help de-glaze the brown bits that stick.
- You’ll want to cook your garlic in the same pan, but add it at the end [make sure the pan isn’t too dry] and saute only briefly so it doesn’t burn.
- Once your veggies are ready, transfer to a large bowl with the beans, pumpkin, quinoa, and oats and add your herbs/spices to season. I usually taste and sniff as I go and adjust the spices along the way. A little extra garlic, cumin, cinnamon and cayenne made their way into the batch I made myself, but when I made them for spice-shy friends I added less heat. Let your senses and spice-preference be your guide!
- Divide the pumpkin mixture into four equal parts and form into balls.
- Cup each ball in your hands and squeeze while pressing it into a compact disc.
- Form into 4 patties.
- If you’re making these for later, pop them on a covered plate or wrap individually in plastic and refrigerate until later.
- Ready to eat? Pour a teeny bit of oil in a skillet, heat to high, and cook for a few minutes on each side until you’re left with a golden crust and a warm center. Cooking time will vary a tad based on patty size, but should be ready in around 6-8 minutes unless you make two larger patties.
Notes
Nutrition
No quinoa handy? No problem!
Make my zesty Chipotle Pumpkin Veggie Burgers!
If you get a chance to try these Quinoa Pumpkin Veggie Burgers, let me know! You can leave me a comment here (LOVE checking those daily!) or tag @PEASandCRAYONS on Instagram so I can happy dance over your creations. I can’t wait to see what you whip up!
Questions & Reviews
These were great for my 13 month old. I left out the spices except for 1/2 tsp of cinnamon and made 12 mini burgers. He gobbled up two for dinner last night and I am going to freeze the rest for later! Thank you!
So stoked y’all enjoyed the pumpkin burgers Rachel, thank you!
I made these burgers the other night and added extra salt, dried rosemary (didn’t have thyme), lime juice and a little balsamic vinegar (for more tanginess). Now, I’ve tried many veggie burgers but this one is EPIC. By far the best I have ever had. Thank you for this recipe!
Oh and I also subbed quinoa for bulgur because quinoa is way too expensive where I live. Worked out fine!
Thanks Zwaan! The rosemary sound amazing and I’m so thrilled that they work with bulgur too – I’m totally going to try that! 🙂
I made another batch today and used brown rice in stead of quinoa this time. Guess what.. that works too (:
Ohmygosh that’s awesome news Zwaan! I’m thrilled it’s so flexible with tons of yummmy grain options!
Yes it’s amazing haha. The bigger rice grains make for a slightly more uneven patty surface, which you notice when pan-frying, t but I don’t mind that at all!
Even more texture, right? So great!
Also do you think they can be baked?
Thanks!
I always lightly pan-fry the burgers first before baking [not much oil is needed at all so they’re still uber healthy!] up the leftovers and will sometimes even just pan fry a little first, then finish them off in the oven. Searing the outside of the burger helps hold it together and just tastes so amazing that I would suggest for best results to cook em up that way! They can absolutely be baked alone but wind up quite crumbly usually and sometimes a little drier than I’d like. If you’re unsure which you’d love best, you could try one each way! Keep me posted! <3 xo
Do you think rice could replace the quinoa?
I bet rice would be a great swap! Extra oats may work too but I’d be unsure on the exact measurements.
I made these tonight to use up some leftover quinoa and canned beans, and had tried your sweet potato burgers … thank you for such great, easy (I have an 11-month-old!), healthy, and fun! recipes.
Our babies are close in age! I feel ya on needing easy/fun recipes and I’ll try to keep belting them out! Thanks so much Claire!!! I’m glad you liked them! <3
I made these tonight and they’re so delicious! I added raisons and walnuts for a little extra sweetness and crunch. I also made two different pumpkin and Greek yogurt sauces to go with it.. One was just pumpkin and Greek yogurt for a tangy sauce and the other was pumpkin, yogurt, pumpkin pie spice and a little sweetener. Both really added to the burger!
LOVE the sauce ideas Meaghan!!! Brilliant!
Oh mah gawwwd this looks awesome! I love pumpkin in everything. Can’t wait to try it in burgers 😀
Oh. my. gosh. seriously?? I wonder if I could get Dave to eat one…
Good God Woman! You may have just swayed me to the pumpkin side. I actually have a batch of leftover quinoa from tonight’s dinner, caramelized onions in the freezer and loads of oats. I just need to get pumpkin. I’m on this.
Oh by the way, nice buns. 😉
Um wowzers these look absolutely delicious! I wish wish wish they sold canned pumpkin puree here in Australia. I know I could make my own puree from scratch and I should not be lazy and just do it 😉
Yummmmm! What a great idea. ~Candace @ Cabot
do you think i can just dip that heavenly burger in that sauce sans bun? OH MY YUM! miss you.
What an interesting idea! May have to give this a try just because I love trying new flavors!
OOH – love these vegetarian pumpkin burgers! BRILLIANT idea!
These look great!
shut the front door, i must try these, thanks for sharing!
Wow! Those look amazing! I can’t wait to have a go at preparing them!
Great idea and yummmmmmmm!!!!
Some of my favorite ingredients in one meal!! Love it!
Wow, this look wonderful and I actually have pumpkin still, must try! Thanks!
Mmmm! Not sure if we have any pumpkin left in the pantry but you can bet I’ll be checking as soon as I get home!
(and fyi I’m still giggling over the “rhymes with feet” line) 🙂
Don’t be showing me all this deliciousness while I’m snowed in! Actually…. I think I could hack together that aioli…
These look so good! I have some pumpkin sitting in my fridge ready to be used too!
Glad I stocked up on a few extra cans of pumpkin in the fall! 🙂 Yum