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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
These are fantastic!!! My family is very inclined towards actual meat burgers but will try any yumminess I create. Making them again tonight because this “burger” is the most requested burger I’ve made. In fact I was told by my 16 yr. old son to only make these. No more actual burgers, if that says anything. Definitely add the egg and put the fries on top. It’s a flavor sensation that beats all. Thanks for the recipe.
Oh my God, these were divine! The cannellini beans I had on hand were canned in tomato sauce and these cans often have sugar in them. So I opted to substitute them with black beans. Also, I used white quinoa and for the cheese I used an Egyptian cheese (that’s where I live), called “Roomy Cheese” which is aged like sharp cheddar; used it for the patties and for topping the burger. And I of course added a fried egg at the end – wow wow wow. Sooooo delicious – thank you so much for sharing! I love your blog!
SO happy you loved these! 🙂 THANKS!
Excellent. Not a quinoa fan so I was doubtful but the taste was absolutely delicious. A satisfying texture and with the additions, a meal in a bun.
Hey there,
Thanks for giving this recipe a try! So glad you enjoyed the burgers:) Have a great week! xT
We just had these for dinner for the second time tonight and they are a HUGE hit!! Thanks for a great recipe!
I made it, and they are absolutely delicious thaaaaaanks
omg….omg!!!! Thank you thank you thank you! I’ve been looking everywhere for a quinoa burger recipe and this one just looks fantastic! I’m gonna try it tomorrow for dinner! It looks so healthy and delicious, I can’t wait to try it!
Just made these (ate one and froze the rest) and it’s SO tasty! I will make them again and give them to my omnivore boyfriend, family and friends 🙂
I have not had quinoa (much less a veggie burger with it) but I thought your recipe looked really good. I have only made veggie burgers once and they were just okay. These, however, were beyond delicious. I didn’t do the whole shebang, but the burgers themselves were fantastic. They had a crunchy outside and really reminded me of a meat burger. Thank you so much for this because I will use this as my go-to veggie burger recipe.
WOWZER! Just made these tonight. I can’t say enough fabulous things about them! Truly, The. Best. Non-Meat. Burger I have ever had. I skipped all the cheeses and they were still fabulous. The caramelized onions really sealed the deal.
SO happy you loved it!! Thanks!
These look great. Want to make them tonight. Do you cook the quinoa first ? In uk it comes dry when you buy from shop. Thank, Sarah
Hey Sarah,
You do have to cook the quinoa first. Hope you love the burgers!
Thank you, they were great. Worked out well. You have great ideas. Sarah
Gonna try these tonight! Yum! Can you substitute anything for panko breadcrumbs like almond flour? Also what would be a substitute for the beer? Can’t wait to make these!
Hey Shannon,
I think almond flour might work ok and for the beer, just use your favorite all fruit juice or simply water. Hope you love these!
Awesome recipe! I made these tonight, but substituted the gruyere with Swiss raclette cheese and the cheddar with Comté. My carnivore family loved these!
Our dessert is the chocolate fudge lemon ricotta tart. Thanks fort the great recipes!
I found this recipe whilst looking for a vegan burger. It looks amazing! I am totally inspired to do a vegan version tomorrow.
I am officially transitioning vegan (started 4 weeks ago) as I am eating some animal products, however, only those products that I already had in order to use them up. I don’t believe in throwing food away. Obviously vegan replacements will be found. So far it is going well and cravings for dairy etc have not been a problem.
I have hardly touched meat over the last two years. Giving it up has been relatively easy and I expected more issues with the products outside of meat. However, I don’t know what has happened but all I want is a big juicy burger. This meat craving has come from nowhere! Therefore, I hunted down some appealing recipes.
Thanks for the recipe.
Me and the hubby loved these! We got 5 out of the batch, so two dinners and a lunch. We made them with just regular quinoa as we couldn’t find red in our area of the UK and they were just fine! Perfectly moist and never fell apart. The onions were amazzzzzzing…I’m tempted to just make a giant batch and keep a stash in the fridge for everyday use 😛 I’ll probably be making a double batch of the burgers to freeze soon as well 🙂 Thanks so much for this!
This is delicious! I made the whole thing – yeah it took 2 hours before we ate it, but it was worth it. I got rave reviews from the 3 men in my family, and they were too full to eat more than one! I used white quinoa, and instead of the chipotle curry, which I didn’t have, I used smokey paprika and cayenne pepper. I also used ordinary toasted breadcrumbs and ordinary cheddar cheese. The overall flavour could’ve been stronger for my liking, so I’ll try and buy your ingredients here in Australia for next time. I used a hand-held mixer to mash up the cannellini beans, then mixed in the egg. The completed mixture was nice and firm and cooked well. The first batch were a bit crumbly (1/2” thick), so I made the second lot thicker (3/4”) and they were perfect. I used a dstsp marsala wine with the onions – fairly sweet tho, so will try regular beer next time. And yes, the egg was definitely great with it. I will make some mini patties to share for Shabbat. Thankyou for sharing this delicious healthy recipe.
SO happy you love them!
Thank you for this incredibly healthy tasty veggie burger!