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The very best Crispy Quinoa Burgers Topped with Sweet Potato Fries and Beer Caramelized Onions. Perfectly spiced vegetarian quinoa burgers, pan-cooked until extra crispy on the outside, yet soft and cheesy in the middle. Top each burger with beer caramelized onions and spicy gluten-free sweet potato fries. Yes, this burger is every bit as DELICIOUS as it sounds. It’s the ultimate quinoa burger that’s anything but boring. Perfect for your game day eats…and any other burger day in between.
Sandwiches of any kind are one of the foods I struggle with most when it comes to photography. It’s stupid, but because I struggle with them so much I always avoid sharing any kind of sandwich recipe. I literally cringe at the thought of photographing them. The fear of an ugly food photo stops me in my tracks.
I know, I know, stupid. But hey, look at me today! Here I am with my favorite quinoa burger. I can’t say I find these photos are Pinterest worthy, but it’s a burger, and it may never be gorgeous. The brothers said they looked good, Mom said they look good. So I’m trusting their opinions and sharing despite what I think.
Point is that these burgers have been a favorite since the very, very beginning of HBH. And with the Super Bowl on Sunday, I obviously had to share them…these really are the BEST quinoa burgers.
Yes, these burgers are EVERYTHING. And that’s not an exaggeration in the least, they just have so much going on. These are what we call the “epic” crispy quinoa burger. Crispy, cheesy burgers topped with melted Gruyere cheese, buttery beer caramelized onions, spicy-sweet potatoes fries, fresh herbs, and even a little avocado.
Everything about this recipe is SO GOOD. These are not your average quinoa burgers.
The burger details…
Here is what I will say, this is not my most “super simple” recipe. But nothing about making these burgers is hard. There are a handful of steps, and you do need to have a little time to make them. But you can do so much ahead of time, and trust me, the extra time in the kitchen is worth it.
Start with the burgers themselves in a large bowl. The mixture is made up of quinoa, white beans, bread crumbs, and egg. The key to creating the best quinoa burger? The combination of the spices and cheese in the burgers themselves. You have to give them flavor, so I use a touch of chipotle chili powder and plenty of sharp cheddar cheese.
Form the quinoa mix into patties and keep them covered in the fridge while you prepare the sweet potato fries.
Now for those sweet potato fries…
They’re simply the best thing to ever be put on top of a burger. Dramatic, but true.
I like to cut my fries super thin and skinny and then toss them with a mix of chili powder and smoky paprika. Roast in the oven until crisp on the outside, but still soft in the center. Fair warning, these fries are addicting. You might just double the recipe. Some for the top of the burger and some to snack on.
Just a thought…
Ah, and those beer caramelized onions…
Yes, you need these too, because you can never go wrong with caramelized onions. I know it seems like a bit much, but go with me on this.
Using beer to caramelize the onions not only adds additional flavor right into the onions but it also helps them to cook down and caramelize faster. If you love caramelized onions, you will love these onions even more. They’re truly so good, even onion haters enjoy them.
Once the onions are cooked, the fries are ready, and the burgers have been crisped in the skillet, it’s assembly time. Find your favorite buns, toast them up, then add a cheesy burger to each bun. Add the beer caramelized onions and sweet potatoes. At this point, you could be done. OR you can take the burger a step further with mashed avocado, a fried egg, and fresh herbs.
Do what you’d love most here, completely up to you as to how you finish these. Just be sure not to skip the onions or the fries. These are two key toppers that you really do NEED.
A few tips…
The burger patties themselves don’t need to be put in the fridge for chilling. I just recommend doing so while you make the fries for a nice texture. If you need to pan-fry these up right after forming, that works just as well.
You can make the burgers up to four or five days in advance and keep in the fridge. Or you can pop them in the freezer for up to four months. If you plan to freeze the burgers, I like to wrap in parchment paper for storage.
If you don’t enjoy cooking with beer, just caramelize the onions without the beer following these directions.
These make for a fun Monday dinner. Or plan to make them on Sunday for the Super Bowl. Either is great, but once you make these, my hope is that you’ll be making them on repeat throughout the year! They’re healthy(ish), easy(ish), and so very delicious.
Fingers crossed you all love them as much as we do!
If you make these crispy quinoa burgers topped with sweet potato fries and beer caramelized onions, be sure to leave a comment and/or give this recipe a rating! Above all, I love to hear from you guys and always do my best to respond to each and every comment. And of course, if you do make this recipe, don’t forget to tag me on Instagram! Looking through the photos of recipes you all have made is my favorite!
Crispy Quinoa Burgers Topped with Sweet Potato Fries and Beer Caramelized Onions
Servings: 6
Calories Per Serving: 969 kcal
Nutritional information is only an estimate. The accuracy of the nutritional information for any recipe on this site is not guaranteed.
Ingredients
Quinoa Burgers
- 2 cups cooked quinoa
- 1 cup cannellini beans mashed
- 1/2 cup Panko bread crumbs
- 1 large egg, beaten
- 1 clove garlic, minced or grated
- 1 teaspoon chipotle chili powder
- kosher salt and black pepper
- 3/4 cup shredded sharp cheddar cheese
- 1/2 cup shredded gruyere cheese
- 6 burger buns, toasted
- fried eggs, mashed avocado, and herbs, for serving (optional)
Sweet Potato Fries
- 4 sweet potatoes, cut into matchsticks
- 4 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil plus more for cooking
- 1 teaspoon chipotle chili powder
- 1/2 teaspoon smoked paprika
- kosher salt and black pepper
Beer caramelized onions
- 2 tablespoons salted butter
- 2 large yellow onions, thinly sliced
- 1 cup beer, such as pumpkin, lager, or pilsner
Instructions
- 1. In a medium bowl, combine the quinoa, mashed beans, Panko, egg, garlic, chili powder, cheese, and a pinch each of salt and pepper. Form the mix into 5-6 equal burgers. Place on a plate, cover, and transfer to the fridge. 2. To make the fries. Preheat the oven to 425 degrees F. Place the sweet potatoes on a large baking sheet and toss with olive oil, chili powder, paprika, and a large pinch each of salt and pepper. Spread the fries in an even layer. Do not overcrowd the pan, if needed, divide the fries between 2 baking sheets Transfer to the oven and bake for 15-20 minutes, then flip and bake for 15-20 minutes more. You want the sweet potatoes to be tender, yet crisp. 4. Meanwhile, make the onions. Melt the butter and onions together in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Cook, stirring occasionally until softened, about 5 minutes. At this point, you want to slowly add the beer, 1/4 cup at a time, until the beer cooks into the onions. Continue to cook another 8-10 minutes until you've used all of the beer and the onions are deeply caramelized. Remove the onions from the skillet to a plate.5. Cook the burgers in the same skillet, heat a drizzle of oil over medium-high heat. When the oil shimmers, add the burgers and cook until golden and crisp, about 5 minutes per side. During the last minute of cooking add the Gruyere cheese, cover, and cook 2-3 minutes, until the cheese has melted. 6. To assemble, place each burger on a bun, top with caramelized onions and sweet potatoes. If desired, add a fried egg, mashed avocado, and fresh herbs. ENJOY.
Notes
To Make Ahead: the burgers can be formed and kept in the fridge for up to 1 week. Cook as directed.
Freezing: the burgers can be frozen in an airtight container for up to 4 months. To cook, thaw on the counter for 1-2 hours, then cook as directed.
Baking Instead of Pan Cooking: you can bake the burgers on an oiled baking sheet at 425˚ for 20 minutes, flip and continue baking for another 5-10 minutes, until crisped. Note that you will not get as crispy of a burger this way.
This post was originally published on January 27, 2020
Hey Tieghan,
Firstly, I was so impressed by your photography for this recipe it was nothing short of perfect!! When I saw this picture I couldn’t wait to try the recipe. It’s not something I would ever think to make.but I’m glad I did. Everyone I showed the recipe to said to me they couldn’t wait to make it themselves. I just wish my sweet potato fries were more crispy. The first time I put it at 425 and before I even flipped them over they were starting to blacken. By the time I finished the other side they probably would have been good. I put them under the broiler that was a mistake they were way overdone. The second time I tried them in a skillet for like 5 min each side then put them in the oven at 400 for around 15 mins per side and then did the broiler. I was so worried about burning them again wasn’t sure what to do. What is your secret for making them a bit crispy?? The beer caramelized onions were excellent it adds such great flavor thank you!! Lastly, I picked up your newest cookbook at the library. I feel like I am gong to be in cooking heaven very soon love it!!
Hey Mike! for the fires, make sure you lay them in a single layer and do not overcrowd the pan. If needed, use 2 baking sheets. This is KEY for getting perfectly crisp fries. Then, No broiler this time! 🙂 Please let me know if you have any other questions. I am so glad you love this recipe! Hope this helps! Thank you!! xTieghan
Hi there!
I was just looking over the video for this and saw that you used black beans. Did you prefer them over to the original white beans in the recipe? I was just wondering because I was going to make these again tonight and wanted your feedback if one is better than the other. These are divine BTW… I just wish I had a cast iron skillet to crisp them in!
Hey Karen! I prefer using the white beans, so I would recommend sticking with those! Please let me know if you have any other questions. I hope you love this recipe! Thank you!! xTieghan
Making these tonight! ?
Thank you Kim! xTieghan
I made these tonight. The flavor of the patty was really good! The BF and I enjoyed them bun less and I even found cheddar gruyere cheese at Trader Joes! I did have a small problem cooking the patties, it seemed to take a lot of oil to make them crisp. Perhaps I was expecting more of a “meat” texture doneness? In any event, I will definitely give these a go again!
Thank you so much Karen! I am so glad you enjoyed this! xTieghan
Such an easy and delicious recipe! My boyfriend and I enjoyed it so much!!!
Thank you so much Maggie! xTieghan
Hey! First off, I love all your recipes! Second, do you think it would be ok to use black beans? Thank you!
Hey Erin!! Yes, black beans will be great! Please let me know if you have any other questions. I hope you love this recipe! Thank you!! xTieghan
Made it tonight! It was a hit
Amazing! Thank you Maureen! xTieghan
These burgers turned out so great!! Best veggie burger I’ve made, ever! The crispy outside puts it on another level! Thanks for a great recipe!! Keem the veggie recipes coming! 🙂
Thank you so much Erica! I am so glad these burgers turned out so well for you! xTieghan
Made these for dinner tonight and they were a huge hit!
Thank you Sarah! xTieghan
I just made these tonight (minus the onions for sake of time) and they were delicious! When I added the cheese for the last minute I turned the burger cheese side down in my non stick fry pan for a minute so the cheese got all brown and crispy. Soooo good! I love all your quinoa recipes and this is one of my favourites. Thank you so very much Tieghan
Thank you Deb!! I am so glad these burgers turned out so well for you! xTieghan
So I didn’t have sweet potatoes or burger buns, but I had everything else so I figured I’d try this recipe out this morning. It was soooo good! And that’s just with the burger, caramelized red onions and some avocado slices. I made my patties a bit smaller, so I ended up with 8. I’m very excited to eat the rest these over the weekend. I will definitely be making these again (hopefully with all the ingredients).
I am so glad you still tried this and loved it!! Thank you so much Katlynn! xTieghan
Very simple ingredients and really good! It was my first time trying chipotle chili powder, which I wasn’t a fan of but I can try it without it next time. Thank you so much for this great recipe!
Thank you!! I am really glad this one turned out so well for you Houri! xTieghan
Can they be made without cheese?
Hi Rose! Yes, you can omit the cheese. Please let me know if you have any other questions. I hope you love this recipe! Thank you!! xTieghan
Hi Tieghan! This is one the most AMAZING recipes I’ve ever seen–specifically the sweet potato fries! I want a huge bowl of those RIGHT NOW. Anyways, do you recommend using an egg replacer for the egg as a vegan alternative? Please let me know!
HI there! I would try using 1 (14 ounce) can of beans instead of only 1 cup. Then, add 2 tablespoon olive oil to the quinoa mix. I have not tested this, so I can’t say for sure what the result will be, but I think it should be great! Please let me know if you have any other questions. I hope you love this recipe! Thank you!! xTieghan
We made this quinoa burger last night on the spur of the moment with tricolor quinoa, pinto beans and a mad dash across the street to Traders Joe’s for brioche buns. I normally dislike veggie burgers but these were fantastic! However I had a hard time keeping the sides from crumbling apart while cooking, especially once I turned over the burgers. Any suggestions?
Hi Merrill, using pinto beans likely caused the burgers to crumble. They are a drier bean and I don’t love them in veggie burgers. Next time I would try using with canellini beans. I think they should come out great! Please let me know if you have any other questions. I hope you love this recipe! Thank you!! xTieghan