These are whole-food veggie burgers built from black beans, brown rice, sunflower seeds, and oats — no meat substitutes, no oil. They hold together well, taste like actual food, and come together in 30 minutes. The real reason to make them: a batch of eight patties sets you up for fast, filling lunches all week.
The short version of why this works
Two things keep these patties from falling apart or turning to mush. First, you only process half the black beans with the onion, kale, and flax egg — that pureed half acts as the binder, while the whole beans you fold in afterward give the patty some texture to bite into. Second, the bread crumbs you grind fresh from two slices of whole-grain bread absorb excess moisture during cooking, which is what lets the outside actually brown instead of steam. Skip the pre-made breadcrumbs here — they’re too dry and the patty gets crumbly.
If something goes sideways
- Patties won’t hold their shape when you form them: The mix is too wet. Press it into a ball first — if it sticks to your hands without pulling away cleanly, fold in another tablespoon or two of rolled oats and let the mixture sit for five minutes before forming.
- Patties fall apart in the skillet: The pan probably wasn’t hot enough before you added them. A cold pan means the patty steams before it sets. Let the pan fully preheat on medium, then add the oil spray right before the patties go in.
- Flat, dense texture all the way through: Over-processing is the culprit. The food processor step should stop when the mixture looks roughly smooth — 20 to 30 seconds. Running it longer breaks down the fiber structure and you lose all the body.
- Patties stick to the baking sheet in the oven: Even a lightly oiled sheet can cause sticking with bean-based patties. Line it with parchment instead — they’ll release cleanly and the bottom will still brown.
- Bland flavor after cooking: Taste the raw mix before forming patties. Bean and grain patties mute in flavor as they cook, so the raw mix should taste slightly over-seasoned. Add a pinch more salt or cumin if it tastes flat at that stage.
About the ingredients
- Flax egg: Mix 1 tablespoon of ground flaxseed with 3 tablespoons of water and let it sit for 5 minutes until it gels. This is what holds the patty together in place of a chicken egg. Ground flaxseed works; whole seeds do not.
- Nutritional yeast (yeast flakes): This is an inactive yeast sold in the bulk or supplement aisle — not baking yeast, not brewer’s yeast. It adds a mild savory depth. If you can’t find it, a teaspoon of low-sodium soy sauce stirred into the mix is a reasonable stand-in.
- Sunflower seeds: Use hulled, raw or dry-roasted. Salted seeds work fine — just cut the added salt in the recipe by about a quarter teaspoon.
- Gluten-free swap: Use certified gluten-free rolled oats and your preferred GF sandwich bread. Everything else in the recipe is already gluten-free.
Leftovers and meal prep
Cooked patties keep in the fridge for up to four days in an airtight container with parchment between layers so they don’t stick together. For longer storage, freeze them the same way — uncooked or cooked both freeze well for up to two months. To reheat from the fridge, a dry skillet on medium for two to three minutes per side brings back a crisp exterior better than the microwave does. From frozen, thaw overnight in the fridge first, then reheat the same way. Because the recipe makes eight patties, it’s worth cooking the full batch even if you only need two or three now — the rest go straight into the freezer for a week when you don’t have time to cook from scratch.
Appetizing Sunny Garden Burgers
Ingredients
- ½ cup onion chopped
- ½ cup kale chopped
- 1 cup black beans cooked
- 3 tablespoons flax egg
- ½ cup brown rice cooked
- ⅓ cup sunflower seeds hulled
- ½ cup rolled oats
- 2 tablespoons yeast flakes
- ¾ teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1 teaspoon cumin
- 2 slices bread whole-grain
Instructions
- Put the chopped onion, kale, 1/2 cup of cooked black beans (save the other 1/2 cup for later), and the flax egg in a food processor and process until relatively smooth. Pour the mixture into a bowl and add the remaining black beans, rice, sunflower seeds, oats, nutritional yeast, salt, and spices. Mix thoroughly.
- Now grind the two slices of bread in the food processor until fine, and mix in as well. Form mixture into 8 patties. I found that these work great in the oven and the skillet.
- For the skillet: set on medium heat, and once the pan is hot, spray lightly with olive oil. Cook burgers for a few minutes on each side or until lightly browned (which takes a few minutes – depending on your pan's heat).
- For the oven: Pre-heat to 375 degrees Fahrenheit and bake on a well-oiled baking sheet for 10 minutes on each side, or until lightly browned. If you have a sporadically hot oven, check them at 7 minutes, and you may need to flip them early.
- Serve with any side or bread.
Nutrition
Common questions
Can I use canned black beans straight from the can?
Yes — drain and rinse them well before using. Excess liquid from the can will make the mix too wet and the patties harder to form and brown.
Do I have to use a food processor, or can I mash by hand?
You can mash by hand, but the patties will be more crumbly since the binder won’t distribute as evenly. If you go that route, mash the half-cup of beans and the kale very thoroughly before mixing everything together.
Can I make the mix ahead of time and cook the patties later?
Yes — the formed patties can sit covered in the fridge for up to 24 hours before cooking. In fact, chilling them for even 30 minutes before cooking helps them hold their shape better in the pan.
My oats are quick-cook, not rolled — does that matter?
Quick oats will work but they absorb moisture faster and the texture will be slightly softer and more uniform. Rolled oats give a bit more structure, which is worth using if you have them.
Can I cook these on an outdoor grill?
It’s possible but tricky — bean and grain patties are fragile on grill grates. If you want to try it, freeze the formed patties for 30 minutes first to firm them up, use a well-oiled grill, and handle them as little as possible.