This juicy Spicy Bean Burger is such a tasty vegan BBQ option - packed with flavour, juicy and moist and doesn't fall apart on the grill!
Here's a cheeky vegan burger recipe for you to try this weekend. Not one of those dry, crumbly, bland veggie burgers which never fail to disappoint in pubs and second-rate restaurants across the country, but a great big, juicy, lip-smackingly tasty quarterpounder.
There are thousands of veggie burger recipes out there on the internet, with all sorts of 'bases' - beans, tofu, sweet potato or butternut squash, 'Sosmix' or similar soya bases.
Here, I've gone for a mix of beans and pre-cooked rice, (inspired by Anna Jones' Really Hungry Burger), with cooked mushrooms and onions for moisture and to loosen the texture a bit.
The flavour comes from a great big punch of Marmite and chilli - if you like great big lip-smacking flavours, these burgers are for you.
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📝 What you need
Ingredients
Tinned butterbeans are creamy and nutritious. They are packed with protein, fibre, iron and vitamins to the point of being considered a ‘superfood’. They have a 'meaty' texture, but don’t have a strong flavour of their own, which works well here as they show off all the other punchy flavours in these spicy bean burgers.
Marmite Well, what can I say..... you either love it or hate it! If you love it - the Marmite adds a really deep, savoury 'umami' to these juicy burgers which makes them so special. If you hate it - you can replace it here with 'nooch' - nutritional yeast, or some grated vegan cheese, or just a teaspoon of vegetable stock powder.
Red chilli I've suggested one de-seeded chilli in the recipe which gives a warm glow to these burgers, but you can leave the seeds in or double up the recipe for a more fiery punch. Dried chilli flakes or even chilli powder are a good substitute if you don't have a fresh chilli to hand.
Nut butter This helps to bind the burgers as well as giving a nice texture and background flavour. I used cashew butter but almond or peanut would be great too, or even tahini.
Pre-cooked rice I've suggested a pouch of pre-cooked brown rice in the recipe, but these burgers are a great way of using up leftover rice - for just a few minutes extra effort you can stack your freezer with vegan burgers rather than throwing away excess rice. Do follow food safety advice on reheating and freezing cooked rice.
Mushrooms These give such a juiciness to the burgers, just make sure you cook them until their juices have been both released and then bubbled away. You need a fairly dry mix to add to the burgers so be patient and keep the mushrooms cooking low and slow. I used chestnut mushrooms but flat-cap mushrooms are great too as they are very dark so give a rich brown colour to these burgers.
Equipment
You can either mash the butterbeans for these burgers by hand, or use a food processor or mini chopper. They are really handy bits of kit to have in the kitchen.
For small chopping or blitzing jobs I use my Breville Active Compact Food Processor* which at £30 is a bargain and really handy for all sorts of quick tasks in the kitchen.
Or for bigger jobs or larger batches for the freezer, I will get out my Magimix Pro Food Processor* which has three different sized bowls for any size job. (This one was a gift for review from Magimix some years ago, but I’m a big fan and haven’t ever been paid to say so!)
❄️ Freezing
These spicy burgers freeze well, (after shaping, but before cooking - pile them up with squares of greaseproof paper between each burger and wrap the whole stack in foil).
As they contain rice, make sure you freeze them as soon as you have made them (once cooled). Then when you cook them make sure they are definitely piping hot throughout before serving.
Why not make up a big batch and keep them on standby for a speedy supper? Add an extra 5 minutes to the cooking time to cook straight from frozen.
👩🏽🍳 What else can I make with Butterbeans?
Butter beans are so nutritious that I’m always looking for new ways to cook them. How about trying:
- Choclette’s Chunky Vegetable Soup with Butterbeans from Tin & Thyme
- My Sun-dried Tomato Pâté which has a base of creamy butterbeans
- Chris’ Butter Bean Stew with Pumpkin from Thinly Spread
- Tomato and Herb Gigantes Beans from me!
- Choclette’s Mushroom Pâté with Walnuts from Tin & Thyme
- My Butter Bean Hummus which is so creamy and delicious!
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📖 Recipe
Spicy Bean Burger
Ingredients
- 400 g tin butterbeans (or other white beans), drained and rinsed
- 2 tablespoon marmite (or other yeast extract!)
- 1 red chilli seeds removed
- 2 tablespoon nut butter (I used cashew butter, but peanut or any other nut butter will also work well)
- 150 g pre-cooked rice (leftover rice or a microwave pouch are ideal)
- 75 g breadcrumbs (roughly 2 slices of bread blitzed into crumbs)
- 1 tablespoon rapeseed or sunflower oil
- 1 small red onion
- 2 garlic cloves
- 350 g mushrooms chestnut or flat mushrooms give a darker colour to the burgers
- plain flour for dusting
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 200°C (fan) / 400°F / Gas Mark 6.
- In a blender or food processor, blitz the butterbeans, marmite, chilli and nut butter to a smooth paste. Scoop into a large bowl.
- Add the rice and breadcrumbs to the bean mixture. Mash together with a fork or potato masher until fully combined.
- In a large frying pan, heat a tablespoon of oil.
- Peel and chop the onion and garlic finely, and add them to the pan. Cook gently for 3-4 minutes until softened.
- Finely chop the mushrooms and add them to the pan. Season with a little salt and black pepper, and cook until the mushrooms have released most of their liquid, and it has bubbled away - ie. you are left with a fairly dry pan.
- After they have cooled slightly, add the mushrooms & onions to the bean mixture and mix well to combine. Chill in the fridge for around 20 minutes.
- Divide the mixture in to six roughly equal sections, then sprinkle a little flour over your hands, and shape the burgers. I find the best way to do this is to roll the mixture into a ball, then pat it down on a chopping board.
- Oil a baking tray, and place the burgers on it, turning them over after placing them on the tray so that both sides get oiled.
- Bake for 15-20 minutes until golden brown with a crispy crust.
- Serve in a bun - pictured here with mashed avocado, red onion, tomato and salad.
Video
Nutrition
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Jenny says
Just made this and it was so nice!!! My husband isn’t a marmite fan but he really enjoyed it as did my seven year old. Will definitely make again. X
Kate Ford says
That's great to hear, thanks Jenny! X
Liz says
I've never tried marmite before but I love anything that has umami flavor to it!
Heather Johnson says
interesting - what is the benefit - other than flavor - of the marmite? why the yeast extract? i definitely want to make them!
Beth Sachs says
I'm a marmite lover (as in 'eat it straight out of the jar' type) and use it in loads of savoury recipes. Will be trying these burgers soon.
Dannii says
I never would have thought to put marmite on a burger, but I am definitely trying this soon.
Emily Liao says
Loved this spicy bean burger! So easy to make and the flavors were delicious.
rosie says
i love marmite, but only ever had it on toast, so this will be exciting to try
thevegspace says
Hope you enjoy it Rosie!
Tom says
Can these be freezed or is it not advisable due to the rice?
Chris @thinlyspread says
Oh, now, that looks delicious! I've made Anna Jones' Really Hungry Burger for my lot and it went down a treat but I'm liking the addition of marmite and chilli VERY much - it will be a big hit with my huge teens!
thevegspace says
Haha - hope you enjoy these Chris!
Sheila Reeves says
This sounds so good, quick question is it really 3 tbsp marmite??
thevegspace says
Hi Sheila,
Yes it is 3tbsp! This makes 6 burgers so about as much in each as you might spread on a slice of toast! I tried using less but couldn't really taste it, but by all means experiment... Thanks for stopping by, let me know how they turn out!
Kate
Becca @ Amuse Your Bouche says
Marmite - genius! Don't think I've ever put Marmite in a veggie burger before. It was lovely to meet you this weekend, hope you had fun! 🙂
thevegspace says
Thanks Becca! Great to meet you too.
Sina @ Vegan Heaven says
Oh wow! This burger looks amazing, Kate! I love bean burgers! Thanks for sharing your recipe! 🙂
thevegspace says
Thanks Sina - yes I love Marmite and this is lovely and juicy!!
deborah says
I love Marmite but have had to cut it out due to the high salt content. Do you think omitting it from this delicious sounding recipe would adversely affect the texture and how it holds together?
Great that this freezes too, as the only vegetarian in the house recipes that freeze well are most welcome.
thevegspace says
Hi Deborah, I don't think it would make much difference to the texture so do go ahead. I noticed that Sainsbury's now sell 'low-salt yeast extract' which might also work well, but it may still be fairly salty, just lower-salt than Marmite! Thanks for stopping by. Kate x
Emily says
Veggie burgers done well are just the best. This sounds amazing - I can never actually work out if I love or hate Marmite but my boyfriend would LOVE this x
Dannii @ Hungry Healthy Happy says
Marmite in a burger? YES PLEASE! I am obsessed with marmite and I have recently starting stiring it in to pasta.
Andrea @ Made With Pink says
What a unique burger. I've never been a marmite fan, but my husband would love this.