Vegan White Bean Broccoli Burgers
Vegan White Bean Broccoli Burgers- made with mostly pantry ingredients, these plant-based burgers are bursting with flavor and have great texture too. Each burger has 7 grams of protein! (gluten-free)
Man do I love when healthy food tastes good. Like, really good.
These Broccoli White Bean Burgers are about as unassuming as it gets but don’t let that fool you. They are packed with flavor and have an impressive texture considering the fairly simple ingredient list.
They are also a fantastic source of protein and iron which are nutrients that are supposedly scarce in a plant-based diet. Plus the broccoli is basically hidden inside so it’s a great way to sneak in some green!
White Bean Broccoli Burger Ingredients + Substitutes
- Broccoli- You want to make sure you have 8 ounces of florets (not including the stem). I weigh mine on a scale for accuracy.
- Rolled Oats- I always have rolled oats on hand so the recipe calls for pulsing them to a flour. However, you can also use equal amounts oat flour if that’s what you have available.
- Garlic- The amount of cloves you use will vary depending on how big they are. I tend to go for 2-3 cloves as mine are on the larger side and we love garlic. Feel free to adjust this to your personal preferences.
- White Beans- Great Northern Beans of Cannelinni Beans both work well for this recipe.
- Nutritional Yeast- If you’re unsure what nutrition yeast is, I have a post that explains it more here. It basically adds a cheesy flavor without the need for dairy. You could probably just leave it out if you want (and add another tablespoon or two of oats/oat flour to help absorb moisture).
- Tahini- I realize this might seem strange to put in a veggie burger but it adds a delicious nutty flavor that I can’t get enough of in this recipe.
- Extra Virgin Olive Oil- We’re using just a tablespoon for flavor and moisture. Again, you could probably skip this one if you had to but I think it’s best to keep it.
- Lemon Juice- Just a tablespoon for a hint of tang. Distilled white vinegar would make a good substitute here.
- Green Onions- These are not entirely necessary but they do add flavor and texture.
- Dried Oregano- My favorite herb of all-time (sorry thyme), it’s just so versatile and makes everything taste better, in my opinion.
- Salt & Pepper- I found 1/2 teaspoon of each to be enough but you can add more or less depending on your preferences.
do I really need a food processor?
The answer to that question is probably yes. I haven’t tested them without one and I can’t see the texture being quite right with chopping everything by hand. If you’re in the market for one, I just replaced my old one with this 7-Cup Cuisinart Food Processor and I LOVE IT.
Highly recommend. Otherwise, check out this veggie burger recipe that does not require a food processor.
How to Make White Bean Broccoli Burgers
- First step is to steam the broccoli florets for about 7 minutes, or just until fork tender.
- Next we pulse the oats to a flour then add the garlic and pulse until finely minced.
- Add the steamed broccoli to the processor along with the remaining ingredients (minus the green onion). Pulse until finely chopped and well combined, scraping down the sides in between pulses.
- Transfer to a large bowl and fold in the chopped green onion. Refrigerate for at least 30 minutes. (this step helps make it easier to handle when you shape them into patties)
- Scoop out about 1/3 cup of the mixture at a time and use your hands to shape into round patties. Place on a lined baking sheet then bake for 18-20 minutes. Then your burgers are ready to serve!
Can these be cooked on the grill?
Once they are baked, they hold together pretty well so I think you could definitely get away with reheating them on the grill. Otherwise my favorite way to reheat them is on the stovetop with a little bit of olive oil.
How long will they keep?
When sealed in an airtight container, they will last up to 1 week in the refrigerator and 3 months in the freezer. Be sure to allow to cool completely prior to freezing. For optimum freshness and to prevent freezing together, I like to wrap mine in parchment paper before placing them in the container.
Looking for more veggie burger recipes?
- Black Bean Quinoa Veggie Burgers (no food processor required)
- Curried Sweet Potato Chickpea Burgers
- Classic Lentil Burgers (not vegan but has vegan option)
- White Bean Zucchini Burgers
- Easy Black Bean Burgers
- Nina’s Berliner Burgers
- Turmeric Falafel Burgers
- Lentil Pea Burgers with Lemon Basil Mayo
Vegan White Bean Broccoli Burgers
Ingredients
- 8 ounces broccoli florets
- ½ cup rolled oats
- 2-3 garlic cloves, depending on size
- 1 15-ounce can white beans (such as great northern or cannelinni), drained and rinsed
- 2 tablespoons nutritional yeast
- 1 tablespoon tahini
- 1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
- 1 tablespoon lemon juice
- ½ teaspoon dried oregano
- ½ teaspoon salt & pepper
- ¼ cup chopped green onions
Instructions
- Steam the broccoli just until fork tender, for about 7-10 minutes. Set aside to cool.
- In a food processor, add the oats and pulse to a fine crumb. Add the garlic and continue to pulse until minced.
- To the processor, add the broccoli, white beans, nutritional yeast, tahini, olive oil, lemon juice, oregano, and salt & pepper. Pulse until everything is finely chopped and evenly combined. You will likely need to stop and scrape down the sides in between pulses. Careful not to over process the ingredients. We don't want to make hummus.
- Transfer the mixture to a large bowl then fold in the green onions by hand. Cover and refrigerate for 30 mins to an hour. This helps the mixture to be easier to handle when you shape it into burgers.
- Preheat the oven to 400°F and line a baking sheet with parchment paper or a silicone mat. Scoop out roughly 1/3 cup of the mixture at a time and use your hands to shape into round patties. Arrange on the baking sheet several inches apart. Bake in the oven for 18-20 minutes, until golden brown on the edges.
- Serve immediately or allow to cool and refrigerate for up to 1 week or freeze for up to 3 months. I like to reheat them over medium-low on the stovetop with a little bit of olive oil for 3-4 minutes on each side.
Nutrition
Hello
Ok to use a Vitamix or Blendtec instead of food processor?
Thank you in advance,
Clarissa
Hey Clarissa! I feel like the texture wouldn’t be quite right with a blender. Because the blender bowl is much narrower at the bottom it will end up over blending the ingredients, or seize up altogether. If you don’t have a food processor you could try mashing the beans with a fork, finely chopping the garlic and broccoli, and using oat flour in place of the rolled oats. I can’t guarantee they will turn out the same (or hold together as well) but that is certainly going to give you better results than the blender method. I hope that helps!
Does this work with frozen broccoli that comes in a microwaveable steam bag?
Otherwise how do you steam broccoli? ()
I think that would work the same! I have a steamer basket that I place in a pot with a few inches of water in the bottom and cover with a lid. That steams it perfectly. :)
oh what perfect timing !looking to use up a small head of broccoli and this works a treat with what else Ive got in -they sound delicious!
I’m so glad to hear that! Please let me know what you think if you give them a try!
Could I use almond butter (or something else) in place of the Tahini? Thank you for ALL of your wonderful recipes!
I would just use an extra tablespoon of olive oil! The flavor will be slightly different but still good. :)
This worked great! Burgers were amazing! Both of my kids loved them! Even my husband loved them and he’s insane about texture. Thank you so so much!
Fabulous flavor but too wet to be a burger consistency (mushy). Better as a thick dip.
Hmm I’m wondering if you might have overprocessed them or used too much broccoli? You can also add more oat flour to help them firm up.
These look so good! Do you think I could use almond flour instead of oat flour (it’s just what I have in the pantry :)
You could but I do think it would change the texture as almond flour is much higher in fat and less absorbent as a result. If you had an all purpose flour that might work better. Otherwise you could give them a try with almond flour and just accept that the results would vary a bit.