The lemon zest gives these easy homemade kidney bean burgers a delicious citrus flavour! They're perfect for an easy meat-free dinner or lunch and a great way to get your kids to eat some extra veggies!
I love a good homemade burger, although I have to admit that I usually make them with beef rather than beans. Recently though, I have seen a lot of delicious looking vegetarian burgers and begun to crave the perfect veggie burger too.
I wanted to create a vegetarian burger that was healthy and delicious as well as being a burger. I wanted the perfect veggie burger to sandwich in a burger bun and top with all the best burger toppings!
Do my family like veggie burgers?
When I first made these kidney bean burgers I was inspired by my daughter. At the time she was not very keen on meat but seems to love either baked beans or homemade cannellini bean and tomato stew.
If only she still liked those things!
Anyway, I decided I would try to extend her bean repertoire by making some burgers that she might like too. Of course she didn't like them! There was possibly too much parsley and lemon in them.
But luckily I did like them. These zesty kidney bean burgers have been made quite a few times now!
Little Miss Spice is still not keen but she does at least love chickpea burgers so that is progress.
Can you adapt these kidney bean burgers?
Oh yes, burgers are so easy to adapt! To begin with you could use a different type of bean. Black beans work really well as do cannellini beans.
You could also vary the herbs. Instead of parsley you could use coriander (cilantro) as it would also go really well with the lemon zest. You could also experiment with using lime instead of lemon.
The carrots could be replaced in full or partly with courgette. If so, it's best to squeeze some of the liquid out in a clean tea towel first. You could also add some thinly sliced onion.
If you fancy a spicier burger then add some cayenne pepper or paprika to the mixture.
What are the best burger toppings for this veggie burger?
I have to admit that I love my burgers simple just in a bread roll with a little ketchup or mayonnaise. However, for some people the toppings are the best bit! Why not try one of these burger toppings?
- sliced tomatoes
- cucumber
- lettuce, rocket, spinach or another green leafy salad green
- sliced radishes
- spring onions or onion rings
- sauces: ketchup, barbecue sauce, chilli sauce, harissa, brown sauce, Greek yogurt
- cheese
What to serve these veggie burgers in?
If I'm feeling lazy I'll just buy some burger buns! However, if I have just a tiny bit of time I might make these easy homemade bread maker burger buns. If you've got a bread maker they're really easy to make and it's a real treat to have homamade burgers and homemade bread together!
Can you reheat these bean burgers?
If you cook more burgers than you need you can keep them in the fridge for up to three days and then reheat them in the oven. They'll take about 8 minutes at 180C.
They may go a bit soft when stored in the fridge but reheating in the oven also helps them to crisp up again.
Can you freeze these kidney bean burgers?
If you don't think you can eat them up within a few days then just wrap them up well and you can store them in the freezer for up to three months. You can cook them from frozen in the oven. They'll take about 15 minutes at 180C.
Red Kidney Bean Burgers Recipe
Recipe
Zesty Kidney Bean Burgers
Ingredients
- 800 g tinned kidney beans
- 15 g parsley roughly choppped
- 2 carrots finely grated
- 3 tablespoon plain flour
- 1 egg beaten
- 1 teaspoon cinnamon
- ½ lemon zested and juiced
Instructions
- Drain and rinse the kidney beans. Put them in a bowl and crush using a potato masher or a fork.
- Add all the other ingredients and mix well. Form into burgers and put on a plate in the fridge to rest. Leave for 30 minutes or longer.
- Heat a little oil in a frying pan and fry the burgers for about 5 minutes on each side.
- Serve in your favourite bread rolls with tomato, salad leaves and mayonnaise. Or other choice of accompaniments. To add to the lemony flavour, squeezemore lemon juice over the burger.
Notes
Nutrition
More recipes you might like!
- Spicy Chickpea Patties
- Black Bean Veggie Burgers
- Juicy Lucy burgers (beef burgers stuffed with cheese!)
If you're looking for tasty midweek dinner ideas you might also like my easy spicy recipes collection.
Pin for later!
Eb Gargano | Easy Peasy Foodie
Love this - such a great quick and easy midweek meal - plus a great way to sneak some extra goodness into small people! Eb x
Corina Blum
Exactly! I'm trying to widen the vegetarian foods my children will eat too and burgers seem to be a way forward with Little Miss Spice at least.
Kat (The Baking Explorer)
Oh they sound delicious! I love a veggie burger!
Corina Blum
Me too! I love any burgers really.
jenny walters
I too am feeling bean based burgers at the moment. Such a great alternative to meat. But as yet I haven't managed too so am loving this recipe. Pinned!They sound lush x
Corina Blum
Thanks Jenny! I hope you manage to make some bean burgers soon!
Petra
Love this recipe as it doesn't require too many ingredients, I am pinning it for later, thanks!
Corina Blum
That's great! I hope you like it Petra
Beth Neels
This is no doubt a delicious looking burger! Like you, I usually make them with beef but these look so good, I am giving them a try! Thanks for the inspiration!
Corina Blum
That's great Beth! I do hope it's a hit in your house.
Monika Dabrowski
What a creative veggie burger idea, the cinnamon and lemon zest sound super interesting in this recipe! Thank you for bringing it to #CookBlogShare
Corina Blum
Thanks Monika! I'm so pleased you like it. The cinnamon adds a little warmth and it goes really well with the lemon.
Caroline
These sound tasty with the combination of lemon and herbs to make them that bit more fresh. A tasty veggie option.
Corina Blum
Thanks Caroline! I think the lemon and herbs are lovely in these.
Ramona
I absolutely love this recipe.I am such a beans lover. I am trying to reduce meat consumption especially now for lent so this is just great! A great vegetarian super delicious alternative to the classic meat burger. I cannot wait to make it.
Corina Blum
I'm trying to eat less meat too! The problem is that my kids like completely different veggie options so it's hard to make the same for everyone as I know they'll just leave a lot of it!
Immaculate Ruemu
Looks so good! I always try to make veggie options for friends and will be trying this!!
Corina Blum
It's always good to have a few easy vegetarian options!
Laura
Great idea those bean burgers, I do like to eat less meat every once in a while. The lemon zest is perfect, I could use it everywhere. I will try to make them for my son who should eat more vegetables
Corina Blum
I really struggle with getting my kids to eat more vegetables too. I'm always trying different things and usually it doesn't work but it does sometimes!
Chris
For sure that looks very good. I love some good natural flavours. I can see them right smiling at me there.
Karen
What a FABULOUS entry for cooking with herbs - thanks so much Corina! Karen
megafoodie
Loved your blog so much! I have nominated you for the Sunshine blog award. Here you go: http://scoutforfood.wordpress.com/2013/06/05/sunshine-award/
Denise@magnolia verandah
These sound good. Never tried bean burgers but have a couple of vegetarians in the family and these would be perfect.
yummychunklet
Parsley bean burgers...sounds delicious and different!
Nayna Kanabar (@SIMPLYF00D)
Wow these look so very delicious, I am going to book mark and give them a go.Thankyou for linking it to Lets cook with citrus fruits event.
Move Eat Create
Delicious! I know that the traditional thing to do is to use black beans in bean burgers, but I always love kidney beans in mine.
Corina
I love any type of beans in a burger and in fact the first time I ever made a burger it was with kidney beans.