Cauliflower Burgers with Quinoa

While I love a meatlessly meaty burger - I'm looking at you BBQ black bean burger - sometimes I just want a veggie burger. Something lighter, something fresh...something different. These cauliflower burgers with quinoa are all those things. Light, fresh and different. And maybe a little good for you.

This recipe was originally published on May 29, 2018 and reposted on March 14, 2023 with new images, ingredient substitutions, process images and tips.

Burgers are on my daughter's "will eat" list so it makes sense for me to have a few up my sleeve. Side note -

Q. Where did Napoleon hide his armies?

A. In his sleevies.

I am so sorry, I heard that joke once and I can’t hear the word “sleeve” without thinking of it.

Back to it. If I can use my kid’s favourite foods to sneak some goodness in to her diet, I will, and this burger sneaks in both cauliflower and quinoa. To be honest, I do this with my husband too - it's not just a kid thing.

Why We Love a Good Cauliflower Burger

Well, for starters these cauliflower burgers are super tasty. But, that's not all.

Burger Ingredients

Cauliflower. Obviously.

Quinoa. Any colour quinoa will do. I think in these pictures I used tri-colour quinoa.

Chickpeas & aquafaba. While you can cook your own chickpeas from scratch - I have instructions in my chickpea and spinach curry post - and keep the aquafaba (chickpea brine), canned chickpeas are much quicker and easier for this burger.

Coriander. Mint would work here too.

Breadcrumbs. I pretty much always use Panko breadcrumbs, but any you have on hand will work. You may just have to add a little more.

Cheese. Vegan cheeae not only adds flavour here, it also helps to bind our burger. Get a nice melty one if you can.

Mayo. I use my own recipe but use any vegan mayo you like.

Sriracha. Or your favourite chilli sauce.

How to Make Cauliflower Burgers

You'll find full instructions and measurements in the recipe card at the bottom of the post.

OK, let's make some cauliflower burgers. There are a few steps but they are all really simple.

Step 1. Cook the quinoa. Rinse the quinoa well and cook according to the package instructions. Once cooked, divide the quinoa in to 3 half cups and allow it to cool.

Step 2. Roast the cauliflower. We can't have a cauliflower burger without cauliflower!

Preheat the oven to 180 degrees C (356 degrees F) and cut the cauliflower in to florets before placing them in a roasting tray. Drizzle with the olive oil and season well with sea salt. Roast in the oven for 15-20 minutes and remove to cool. 

Step 3. Process. When cooled, chop half the cauliflower in to small chunks (set them aside) and place the other half in a food processor with a half-cup of the cooked quinoa, the full cup of chickpeas and the coriander.

Add the aquafaba, a spoon at a time, and pulse the processor until the chickpeas are smooth and holding the mixture together. 

Step 4. Make patties. Transfer the mixture to a large bowl and add the cauliflower you chopped up earlier, another half-cup of quinoa, the cheese, sea salt and breadcrumbs and stir together. Using your clean hands, test that the mixture comes together in to a patty. Add more breadcrumbs if necessary. 

Line a tray with grease proof paper and add the last half-cup of cooked quinoa to a plate or bowl.

Form the cauliflower burger mixture in to small palm sized patties and gently press them in to the quinoa (you can press the quinoa in to the patties if that's easier) before laying the burgers on the lined tray. When all burgers are ready, place the tray in the fridge for 30-minutes.

Step 5. Dress your greens. Drizzle your greens with a little olive oil, a smattering of lemon zest and a touch of salt.

Step 6. Make spicy mayo. Combine the mayonnaise with sriracha sauce and stir well to combine.

Step 7. Grill the patties. Heat a large skillet over medium heat and add a tablespoon of sunflower oil. Take the burgers from the fridge and add them in batches of three or four to the hot pan. Cook for three minutes or until a crisp seal forms on the bottom of the burger. Turn the heat down slightly and cook for another minute. Gently flip the burger and cook the other side for another three minutes. Repeat with the remaining patties. 

Step 8. Assemble the burgers. You can toast your burger buns if you like - that's totally a personal thing thing.

Grab the bottom half of your bun and add a good dollop of sriracha mayonnaise and top with a burger patty. Top the burger with lettuce and avocado (if adding) and top with the bun lid. Repeat with the other burgers and serve.

And that's it, really.

My crispy quinoa cauliflower burgers are little powerhouses of goodness. With antioxidant-rich cauliflower and protein packed chickpeas and quinoa these little guys deliver a nutritious punch. Also, they are easy to make and delicious so, it's a win/win.

How to Overcome Vegan Burger Slippage

I hear you. And yes, these cauliflower burgers are softer in the centre than I usually make but I have a few tricks to overcome vegan burger slippage.

I am pretty chuffed with this crispy quinoa cauliflower burger recipe. Nutty toasted quinoa and roast cauliflower with fresh coriander leaves and vegan parmesan come together in a moorish bite while lemon infused fresh greens add freshness.

Enjoy.

NB: one raw cup of quinoa will yield more than enough cooked quinoa for this recipe.

Need more burgers? Check out these vegan burger recipes and roundups.