I think if you would’ve asked me a couple of years ago if I liked zucchini I would have easily shrugged with a quick “of course, who doesn’t?” However when I look back at my recent recipes, it’s becoming apparent that I’m a little more than just fond of zucchini! Who knew zucchini was so versatile? In the last several months, I’ve made Vegan Zucchini Sweet Potato Rolls, Zucchini Pasta with Mushroom Marsala, Zucchini Fritters with Poached Eggs, Zucchini Fettuccine and Cauliflower Alfredo, and now these Vegetarian Zucchini White Bean Burgers. Looks like I need to be making something sweet with Zucchini, maybe some Zucchini Muffins, with almond or cashew meal, and a little honey and flax-seed?? Mmmmm, I think this may have to happen sooner rather than later!
Sorry, I’ll try to focus – back to these Zucchini White Bean Burgers, I’m a huge fan of veggie burgers…not so much the frozen, highly processed, full of soy type veggie burgers that are so often found in the stores… but rather those made from scratch, in my kitchen, and loaded with beans, seeds, meals, herbs, onions, sweet potatoes, zucchini…I think you get the point. Bake those patties to a golden perfection, slap them on a toasted bun, and it ranks right up there with one of my favorite things to eat!
These Zucchini White Bean patties may be vegetarian and gluten-free but they are certainly not lacking in flavor. The zucchini and white beans create a lovely base, while the almond meal, flax, chia, and sunflower seeds add a healthy dose of texture and crunch that is then perfectly seasoned with the smoked paprika, salt, and pepper. Refrigerating this combo for an hour or so, helps the patties hold together better once baked and on your bun. Not only do they offer a good source of nutrition, but they do so without a lot of calories.
And then there’s this Sriracha Avocado Sauce, a combination of two of my favorites and a great substitute for mayo that offers a little healthy fat with a bit of a kick! Feel free to adjust the garlic, lemon and other seasonings according to your own likes and dislikes, then top your burger with some additional toppings and this is one satisfying veggie burger. I hope you enjoy it as much as we did!
I hope to have good news to share with you next week about our almost/hopeful/soon-to-be new house!
Happy Friday!
Vegetarian Zucchini White Bean Burgers
Ingredients
- ZUCCHINI BURGERS
- 3 small-med zucchini grated, drained (this is about 1 1/2 cups once drained)
- 4 brussels sprouts
- 1/2 red onion diced or grated
- 1 can great northern white beans rinsed and drained
- 1 ounce feta cheese crumbled
- 2 tablespoons flaxmeal
- 2 tablespoons chia seeds
- 2 tablespoons almond meal
- 2 tablespoons sunflower kernels
- 1 tablespoon smoked paprika
- 1/4 tsp Salt
- 1/4 tsp pepper
- SRIRACHA AVOCADO SAUCE
- 1/2 avocado
- 1 small garlic clove
- 1 tbsp Sriracha sauce
- 1 tsp smoked paprika
- juice of half a lemon
- 2 tbsp vanilla almond milk
- 1/4 red bell pepper
- 2 basil leaves optional
- Choice of buns/slims
- Suggested Toppings: Avocado red bell pepper, sliced onion, spinach, cheese
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
- While oven heats, grate zucchini in food processor then put in strainer, salt and let sit for 10 minutes.
- Meanwhile, add red onion and brussels sprouts to food processor, pulse 5-6 times until finely chopped.
- Set chopped onions and brussels sprouts aside and add white beans to food processor. Pulse until nearly pureed.
- Take handfuls of zucchini and squeeze out all water before adding to large bowl.
- Add onions and brussels sprouts to drained zucchini in large bowl, then beans, feta cheese, flaxseed, chia seeds, almond meal, sunflower seeds and seasonings.
- Stir until well combined and thoroughly mixed.
- Place in refrigerator for one hour (or longer).
- Once burger mix has sat for an hour, remove and create 6-8 patties with your hands. (I've had some feedback that people have ended up with seven large patties and having a hard time getting them to cook through without falling apart - I'd suggest keeping the patties on the smaller size, even if it makes more than 6-8. Also if the mixture seems to wet, add additional almond meal or flax to the help with the excessive moisture.)
- Place patties on a wax lined baking sheet (I also sprayed my wax paper with a little coconut oil cooking spray) and bake for 12 minutes. Remove tray, gentle flip patties and bake another 8-10 minutes or until cooked to your liking.
- While the patties bake, add all ingredients for the Sriracha Avocado Sauce to a NutriBullet or food processor and blend until smooth and creamy. Makes 5 servings, 2 tbsp each.
- Assemble your veggie burgers using bun of choice, then top patties with Sriracha Avocado Sauce and whatever toppings you prefer - we used red bell pepper, spinach, and sliced avocado. Enjoy!
Notes
Nutrition
Adapted from Never Homemaker’s Zucchini Burgers.
Lindsay says
looks so good. what can I substitute for the chia seeds and almond meal?
Kaylee Pauley says
Thanks Lindsay! You could try doubling the flaxseed in place of the flax + chia, and if you are not needing to avoid gluten, try whole wheat flour or bread crumbs in place of the almond meal. I hope that helps! :)
Kathy says
HOME COOK’S BEWARE. The big problem with this recipe is the inexact measure of zucchini – 3 medium zucchini. That is very very subjective. Also if you substitute a larger zucchini for the 3 “medium” zucchini, they can be quite a bit wetter than the small-med zucchini found in the supermarket. One person’s idea of medium may be totally different than another. It would be very helpful to have a cup or weight measurement. Now I have 7 large veggie burgers in the oven that have already been cooking for about an hour (15 mins at 375 first, then lowered temp when I saw they were still really really soggy and unable to flip)
Kaylee Pauley says
Hi Kathy, I’m sorry you are frustrated with the outcome of these! I’ll try to give cup or weight measurements in the future when working with zucchini. Because of their water content, I’m afraid they can be tricky (as are all vegetables with a lot of water) and you have to use your own discretion.
Just a suggestion, if they are still in the oven and not getting cooked because of their size, perhaps split them into smaller patties or try coating them in a little almond meal and cooking then on the stove top in a skillet. Hope that helps, thanks for the feedback.
Lindsay says
The same thing happened to me. I used two large zucchinis and I drained all the water before hand. My 7 burgers were very large and fell apart when I tried to flip them.
Kaylee Pauley says
Thank you for your feedback as well Lindsay! I’ve updated the recipe to call for 2-3 small zucchinis or approximate 1 1/2 cups grated zucchini, once drained. I also made a note in the directions to make smaller patties even if that means more than 6-8 and to use discretion and add more almond meal or flax if the mixture seems to have excessive moisture. I hope that helps. I’m sorry they didn’t hold together for you – I hope the flavor was still good!
I’m certainly not a trained chef, this is just a fun hobby for me, but I definitely appreciate your feedback and will try to think through these potential problems in the future! :)
Jessica Kelley says
Kaylee! These look absolutely wonderful and sound right up my ally! I can’t wait to make them! Thanks for updating the recipe based on what others are saying! But that’s the FUN with trying recipes! It’s kind of like an experiment and how each person can make little changes to what works for them the best. No need to get frustrated :)
Once I give them shot, I’ll let you know how they turn out!
Kaylee Pauley says
Thank you Jessica!! You’ve brightened my day, definitely let me know if you discover any good tips if you make them! Thanks again :)
Emily says
The burger sound amazing on their own, so I can only imagine how great they are with that spinach/avocado sauce! I also like the bagel flat idea for a bun.
Kaylee Pauley says
Thank you Emily!! :)
Julia says
Hi there! Have you tried freezing these/think they would hold up well in the freezer?
Kaylee Pauley says
Hi Julia, I’m afraid I haven’t tried freezing these, but I do think they would likely hold up well! Let me know if you give it a try! :)
mary jo says
i made these tonight and they were fantastic! my 6 year old, my husband and myself LOVED them. I had no issue, after flipping I cooked for additional 12 minutes. Also, I didn’t have brussels sprouts or red onion, instead used chives and added a bit of basil. thank you for this as we will be making it again soon!
Kaylee Pauley says
Hi Mary Jo, I am thrilled to hear this! Thank you for sharing your feedback, the encouragement is so appreciated! :)
Sue says
Put an egg in and it will help the mix to bind together