Simple Vegan Bean Burger Recipe with Pinto Beans

Check us out, we finally got around to making a recipe for vegan burgers! Now we’re no strangers to putting together a recipe for some delicious burgers, and the last time we had a burger craving we created a crispy fried chicken burger recipe. But this time we’ve gone for a simple vegan bean burger recipe with pinto beans. 

Unlike your typical bean burger, our delicious pinto bean burgers are vegan, and for that reason you’ll find a couple of different ingredients in our recipe compared to vegetarian burgers. Probably the most significant is what we’ve used as a binding agent. We’ve used chia seeds instead of egg. And as always we’ve kept the ingredients simple, and if anything chia seeds are just as easy to work with as egg: measure, mix with water, and wait.

A bit like our “beef” in black bean sauce recipe, we did have to buy just one ingredient online though: chipotle peppers in adobo sauce. But it was a next-day delivery easy Amazon order. We discovered these guys when we were living in the USA for a few years, and they have such a rich smoky, spicy, and even sweet flavor to them. Perfect for bringing some real depth to these burger patties. Honestly though all the remaining ingredients are easy to source, off-the-shelf simple ingredients.

So why a pinto bean burger recipe? Yes, we could have gone with red beans or black beans or any other type of bean. It’s just a personal preference. While we’re not exactly qualified to provide all the nutritional information, it only takes a quick web search to see they are loaded with protein, fiber vitamins and minerals. But we like them because on their own they’re mild in taste but they do a great job of soaking up the flavous of the ingredients they’re cooked with.

Vegan Pinto Bean Burger Ingredients

1 cup dried pinto beans (for 3 cups of boiled, drained and rinsed beans)

1/2 an onion grated

2 tsp minced garlic

2 diced chipotle peppers (in adobo sauce).

2 Tbsp adobo sauce

1 Tbsp soy sauce

1 Tbsp balsamic vinegar

1 tsp cumin

Ground salt and pepper to taste.

1 Tbsp chia seeds

2 1/2 Tbsp water

1 cup panko bread crumbs

Olive oil

Vegan burger buns and toppings

How to Make a Vegan Pinto Bean Burger

1. In a large saucepan, boil 1 cup of pinto beans, in 850 ml of water for 10 minutes, then turn them down to simmer for an hour. Then drain and rinse them under cold running water. You can store them in an airtight container overnight if you want to cook them the day before you plan to make the burgers.
   
2. When you’re ready to make your bean patties start by mixing 1 tablespoon of chia seeds with 2 1/2 tablespoons of water. It would be best if you then let the seeds rest for 10-15 minutes until you are left with a jelly-like consistency that will be your binding agent. 
   
3. Peel an onion and then cut it in half. Keep one half for another recipe and grate the other half.
   
4. Peel and mince two cloves of garlic, or just use 2 heaped teaspoons of jarred already minced garlic. 
   
5. Take two chipotle peppers from the can. Slice them down the middle, remove the seeds, and then dice them into fairly small pieces. 
   
6. Add to a large bowl the pinto beans, grated onion, minced garlic, diced chipotle peppers, adobo sauce, balsamic vinegar, soy sauce, cumin, and freshly ground salt and pepper to season. Combine all of the ingredients using a potato masher. You should keep mashing until everything is really well mixed but you can still see some whole beans. You still want some texture, you aren’t trying to make a paste. 
   
7. Now you should add the chia seeds to the bowl and using a spatula or wooden spoon, fold them into the mashed bean mix. 
   
8. Finally to finish the bean mixture, pour into the bowl the panko bread crumbs and fold them into the beans and vegetables until they are evenly distributed among all the other ingredients.
   
9. Taking a handful of the mixture, just see if you can mould it easily into a single burger patty. If the mixture seems too wet and isn’t holding its form very well then you can place the mixing bowl into the fridge for at least 15 minutes and see if the cooler mixture holds together better. You can also try to mash the beans and vegetables more. 
   
10. Divide the burger mixture into 6 equal portions, roll them into a ball, and then onto a chopping board press down onto them to form these balls into flat patties. Each one should be about 2 cm (just under an inch) thick. 
    
11. Heat a large heavy heavy-bottomed non-stick frying pan over medium heat. Add a splash of olive oil and swill it around in the pan. Then add the pinto bean patties and cook them for around 5 minutes. Then flip them over and cook them again for another 5 minutes. These times are going to vary a little bit, but what you want is for the burgers to be well-browned on both sides. 
    
12. If you want to melt some plant-based cheese onto the top side of your patty while the bottom is cooking then just set a slice on top as soon as you flip the burger after cooking the first side (as long as it’s browned enough).
    
13. Finally, serve up your tasty burgers in a soft vegan burger bun with all your favorite burger toppings. We went for beefsteak tomatoes, butter crunch lettuce, red onion, sliced pickles, and chipotle garlic mayonnaise. We also think this goes great with sweet potato fries on the side.

Simple Vegan Bean Burger Recipe with Pinto Beans

Satisfy your burger cravings with our Simple Vegan Bean Burger Recipe with Pinto Beans. They're easy to make, definitely delicious, and packed with flavour.

Print Recipe Pin Recipe

Prep Time 17 minutes mins

Cook Time 10 minutes mins

Total Time 27 minutes mins

Course Dinner

Cuisine American, Mexican

Servings 6 burgers

Equipment

• 1 mixing bowl
• 1 large frying pan
• 1 potato masher

Ingredients

  

• 1 cup dried pinto beans for 3 cups of boiled, drained and rinsed beans
• 1/2 an onion grated
• 2 tsp minced garlic
• 2 diced chipotle peppers in adobo sauce.
• 2 Tbsp adobo sauce
• 1 Tbsp soy sauce
• 1 Tbsp balsamic vinegar
• 1 tsp cumin
• Ground salt and pepper to taste.
• 1 Tbsp chia seeds
• 2 1/2 Tbsp water
• 1 cup panko bread crumbs
• Olive oil
• Vegan burger buns and toppings

Instructions

 

• In a large saucepan, boil 1 cup of pinto beans, in 850 ml of water for 10 minutes, then turn them down to simmer for an hour. Drain and rinse them under cold running water.
• For the bean patties start by mixing 1 tablespoon of chia seeds with 2 1/2 tablespoons of water. Let the seeds rest for 10-15 minutes until you are left with a jelly-like consistency.
• Peel an onion and then cut it in half. Keep one half for another recipe and grate the other half.
• Peel and mince two cloves of garlic, or 2 heaped teaspoons of jarred minced garlic.
• Take two chipotle peppers from the can. Slice them down the middle, remove the seeds, and then dice them into small pieces.
• Add to a large bowl the pinto beans, grated onion, minced garlic, diced chipotle peppers, adobo sauce, balsamic vinegar, soy sauce, cumin, and freshly ground salt and pepper to season. Combine all of the ingredients using a potato masher, until everything is well mixed but you can still see some whole beans.
• Now you should add the chia seeds to the bowl and using a spatula or wooden spoon, fold them into the mashed bean mix.
• Finally to finish the bean mixture, pour into the bowl the panko bread crumbs and fold them into the beans and vegetables until they are evenly distributed.
• Taking a handful of the mixture, see if you can mould it easily into a single burger patty. If the mixture seems too wet and isn’t holding its form very well then place the mixing bowl into the fridge for 15 minutes and see if the cooler mixture holds together better. You can also try mashing everything more.
• Divide the burger mixture into 6 equal portions, roll them into balls, and then onto a chopping board press down onto them to form these balls into flat patties. Each one should be about 2 cm (just under an inch) thick.
• Heat a large heavy heavy-bottomed non-stick frying pan over medium heat. Add a splash of olive oil, then add the pinto bean patties and cook them for around 5 minutes. Then flip them over and cook them again for another 5 minutes. These times are going to vary a little bit, but what you want is for the burgers to be well-browned on both sides.
• If you want to melt some plant-based cheese onto the top side of your patty while the bottom is cooking then just set a slice on top as soon as you flip the burger after cooking the first side (as long as it’s browned enough).
• Finally, serve up your tasty burgers in a soft vegan burger bun with all your favorite burger toppings.

Keyword chia seeds, chipotle peppers, garlic, onion, pinto bean

Frequently Asked Questions About Vegan Pinto Bean Burgers