There are two paths I tend to follow when making a burger. Either you’re aiming to make a good meaty burger that will satisfy any carnivore (like my kidney bean burgers) or embrace the flavours of your vegetables to make a truly tasty and interesting veggie burger (like my coronation chickpea burgers). Today’s burgers fall into the second category. A good source of protein thanks to the variety of nuts and quinoa, these burgers are easy to make and full of so many flavours.
We served them with all your normal burger fixing in a bun but the mix is flexible enough that you have plenty of options here. Need some finger foods for a party? Just to roll into small balls, bake, and serve on toothpicks with a tasty dip. Don’t want a bun? In my opinion these work so much better in a lettuce wrap than a standard burger. Let your imagination run free!
Enjoy and let me know what you think!
- Makes: 10 -12 burgers
Ingredients
- 700g Butternut squash
- 300g Cooked Quinoa*
- 140g Almonds
- 150g Cashews
- 6 Garlic Cloves, minced
- 2 small Red Onions, finely diced
- 1 tsp Ginger, finely grated
- 1 tsp Smoked Paprika
- 1 Tbsp Cumin
- 1 tsp Cayenne powder
- 1 Chia Egg**
- 1 tsp Dried Rosemary
- 1 tsp Ground Coriander
- 1/2 tsp Chilli Flakes
- 4g Methylcellulose
- 1/4 tsp Xantham Gum (optional)***
- Salt & Pepper to taste
- Oil for cooking
Directions
Preheat your oven to 200 degrees (180 Fan /400F). Prepare the butternt squash by peeling and roughly chopping. If using the bulb end of your squash then make sure to remove the seeds and put to one side – don’t throw them away as roasted butternut squash seeds are just like pumpkin seeds and make a great snack. Toss in a little oil and place on a roasting tray, in the oven for an hour. When cooked, the squash should be completely soft and starting to caramelise around the edges. Mash the squash and put to one side to cool.
Place the nuts in your food processor and grind to your preference. I prefer to grind them to the size of small breadcrumbs but if you want a smoother burger feel free to keep going till you have a texture close to nut flour, but don’t go too far – process too much and the nuts will release their oils.
Now just simply mix together your cooked butternut squash, ground nuts, and the rest of the burger ingredients. Make sure everything is well combined and taste a small amount before seasoning to taste. Place the mix in the fridge for at least 30 mins to allow it to firm up before shaping. The mix should be a firm paste and not too wet. Shape the mix into your favourite burger shape. I tend to find that about half a cup of mix will create a good size burger but the mix is equally happy turned into smash burgers.
Cook in a frying pan with a touch of oil on a medium high heat until deep golden brown on both sides.
Enjoy!
Notes
* I tend to always make more quinoa, lentil and rice than I need that day so I always have some in my fridge or freezer. If you need to make some then about 160g of dry Quinoa will make the 300g needed for this recipe.
** If you’re not familar with the process to make a chia egg it’s really very simple and makes a great binder. Mix together 1 Tbsp of ground Chia Seeds with 3 Tbsp of water and set to one side for at least 10 minutes. This should make a thick sticky paste, very similar in texture to a beaten egg.
***With all my gluten free baking, I always have xanthan gum in my cupboards somewhere but if you don’t have any then you can skip this binder. Your burgers will be slightly more loose but still tasty!
Allergy Notes; This is naturally vegan, gluten free and soy free but I’m afraid there’s no skipping the nuts on this one!
