White Bean Burger Recipe

Introducing our mouthwatering white bean burger recipe, a wholesome and flavorful plant-based delight! Crafted with the goodness of canned white beans, onions, bell peppers, almond flour, and pecans, it’s a protein-packed option that won’t disappoint. Infused with an array of tantalizing seasonings, this burger promises a delightful symphony of taste and texture. Satisfy your cravings with a nutritious and delicious choice that’s perfect for any mealtime.

You are going to love these white bean burgers! They are definitely delicious on a vegan burger bun with the standard ketchup/mustard/mayo condiments, but why not elevate your white bean burger by drizzling on some vegan burger sauce and adding pink pickled onions? Or for a completely different flavor profile, try drizzling on tangy creamy vegan blue cheese dressing and sprinkling with tofu bacon bits.

If you've ever tried your hand at creating bean burgers, you know it comes with its share of challenges. One primary concern is achieving the right texture—ensuring the patties hold together while not being too dense or mushy. Additionally, balancing the flavors and seasonings to complement the beans' taste without overpowering them can be tricky. Both this white bean burger and  black bean sweet potato burgers perfectly illustrate that tasty balance!

Ingredients needed to make white bean burger patties

I know this looks like a lot! But every little ingredient and seasoning adds an subtle layer of flavor that makes these bean burgers really stand out.

• chopped onion – I prefer white or yellow onions for this recipe.
• chopped bell pepper – Use red, yellow, or orange bell pepper for this recipe. Green bell pepper has too sharp a flavor.
• minced garlic – I sometimes cheat and use jarred minced garlic which is perfectly fine for this recipe. Just watch so that the tiny pieces of garlic don’t burn when you are sauteing the vegetables.
• 3 Tablespoons avocado oil – You can use another neutral flavored oil if you prefer. You will be dividing the oil; sauteing the vegetables with part of the oil and brushing the remaining oil on top of the bean burgers before putting them in the oven.
• white beans – You will be using two cans of white beans. Drain, rinse, and dry the beans before mixing them with the other ingredients. White beans may be sold as white beans, navy beans, or great northern beans. Cannellini beans are also technically white beans but I wouldn’t consider them for this recipe because I feel like the size and texture are significantly different than the common “white bean”. I generally use whichever of the others I have on hand.
•  pecans – You will need to finely chop the pecans. Either chop the pecans by hand, or you can use this handy manual chopper – it’s super easy to use!
•  chili sauce – If you are not familiar with chili sauce, it’s generally found in the condiment section (and usually on the top shelf in my grocery store). Chili sauce is like an elevated ketchup. It’s not spicy despite the name. I love to keep it on hand for dipping fries or seasoning vegan burgers. If you can’t find chili sauce then you can substitute ketchup instead.
• soy sauce – I use low-sodium soy sauce.
• almond flour and ground flax seeds (or flax meal) to help hold it together and give your bean burger substance.
• minced chives 
• smoked paprika, celery salt, garlic powder,  black pepper,  mustard powder, and cayenne pepper – You will be using only a small amount of each of the seasonings. Don’t be tempted to leave any out even if the amount used is super small. All of the seasonings are important and meld together to make a well-seasoned plant-based bean burger.
• ½-1 cup panko bread crumbs – Always start with the smaller amount of bread crumbs listed. You can always add more but you can’t take any away once they have been added and mixed in. Add the bread crumbs just until you can form a nice bean burger patty without it falling apart. If you add too many breadcrumbs to your recipe then the white bean burgers will be too dry.

How to make a vegan white bean burger

The exact ingredients with measurements can be found in the recipe card below along with more concise abbreviated instructions. Read on for more details, tips, and tricks so that you will feel confident making this recipe.

Steps 1-4: prepare, drain, and chop

Preheat the oven to 375°F and prepare a baking sheet with parchment paper or a silicone baking mat. I highly recommend parchment paper for a super easy cleanup!

Open the two cans of white beans. Drain in a strainer and rinse well. Set them aside while you are preparing the other ingredients. The beans don’t need to be bone-dry, but they shouldn’t be dripping wet either. Pat them dry with a paper towel if necessary.

Chop the onions, bell pepper, and garlic. You can set them aside together. A short cut I often take is to use jarred minced garlic. In recipes that are garlic-forward, I would always use fresh garlic. When garlic is one ingredient amoung many, then I feel okay to use jarred garlic.

You can use a red, orange, or yellow bell pepper for this recipe. The flavors of each are similar and mild. A green bell pepper would be too harsh in flavor and would not work well with this recipe.

Chop the pecans and chives and set them aside. You can set them aside together but set aside separately from the onions, peppers, and garlic.

If you buy chopped pecans in the store, you are going to want to chop them smaller (unless they are already finely chopped – but that is not typical).

Chop by hand or with a mini food processor. But if you chop with a food processor, just hit the chop button a few times and make sure you aren’t pulverizing your pecans! This handy manual food processor does the trick with a few pulls and never minces the nuts too small.

Step 5: sauteing the vegetables

Heat one-half of the avocado oil in a saute pan. You will be using one half of the oil for sauteing the vegetables and the other half to brush on the burgers before cooking. Add the onion, peppers, and garlic to the heated oil. Saute for 3-5 minutes until soft. Make sure the garlic does not burn! Remove from the saute pan from heat and set aside. You will be using the sauteed vegetables in the next step when you are mixing everything together.

Steps 6-8: mix everything together

Use a fairly lagre bowl. You will need room to mix and mash everything without the ingredients spilling over. Add the drained beans, chopped pecans, sauteed vegetables, chili sauce, soy sauce, almond flour, ground flax seeds, chopped chives, smoked paprika, celery salt, garlic powder, black pepper, mustard powder, and cayenne pepper. Stir well until everything has been combined.

Now mash everthing together with a potato masher. This is the step for mashing the beans. There will still be some whole beans and large pieces in the mixture. That’s okay. But do ensure that everything is well mixed.

After the beans have been (mostly) mashed and everything has been well mixed, add one-half cup of the panko bread crumbs and mix together.

Try to form some of the mashed bean mixture to see if you are easily able to form a patty. If the mixture is too soft and wet then add more bread crumbs, one tablespoon at a time. Remember, it’s easy to add more – but impossible to take away once the bread crumbs have been added. Too many bread crumbs and your bean burger will be too dry and crumbly. If this happens, you can try adding in a little more liquid to the mixture. I would add in some vegetable broth, again, one small spoonful at a time.

Step 9: Form the white bean patties

Oil your hands with some of the avocado oil. Form 6 patties and place them on the prepared baking sheet. You will have some remaining oil to brush on the top of the patties. The oil brushed on top will give your white bean patties a nice toasty look and texture.

Step 10: Time to cook!

Bake in the preheated 375° oven for a total of 35 minutes. After the first 20 minutes, remove the baking pan from the oven, turn each burger carefully with a spatula and return the baking sheet to the oven and continue cooking for about 15 minutes till nice and lightly browned.

Serving and storing your cooked bean burger

These bean burgers are best served right away. If you have any leftovers, you can store them in an airtight container in the fridge for up to five days. Be aware though that the texture will change. They may dry out and become more crumbly as the days go on. In this case, you can crumble them on top of a nice fresh veggie salad!

You can also freeze the burgers tightly wrapped, but again, they become more crumbly when thawed.

Dress your burgers with vegan burger sauce and pink pickled onions. Or try the bold tangy flavor of vegan blue cheese dressing topped with tofu bacon bits. Served on a vegan burger bun with a zesty Italian salad, you’ve got a complete meal that the whole family will enjoy!

The printable recipe card