Zucchini Quinoa Burgers Recipe on Food52 (2024)

lea January 31, 2020

I made a deconstructed burger version of this. Just sauteed the onion garlic and shredded zucchini, and mixed it with cooked quinoa and chickpeas and threw in the pumpkin seeds and added the mustard, herbs and lemon juice. It came out really tasty and pretty! I could really see using a raw shredded carrot instead of the zucchini for more of a salad situation. So if you're not up for hassle of the whole recipe don't let it stop you from enjoying the really delicious flavor profile that Gena originally posted :)

I made these yesterday and they came out delicious! I added more quinoa and dill and swapped parsley for oregano. I baked them in the oven and let them cool and they kept their form. I refrigerated them and they were even firmer and the flavor was even better the next day.

I made these yesterday and these were amazing! This was absolutely delicious. I may have blended the mixture in the blender a little too much, but i didn't mind the texture. It kind of reminded me of a crab cake texture, which I loved. I didn't experience any dryness that others commented about. I did add about 2 Tbsp of Chickpea water, which may have helped. Thank you for a great recipe!

Any ideas to replace the pumpkin seeds , maybe flax seed ?

My husband and I tried these last night and loved them! We pan-fried them in a hot cast iron pan, and although they're a little fragile to handle, they came out perfectly. Make sure they have browned and formed a crust on the bottom before flipping them. Omitted oregano, used about 1-1/2 tsp. dried dill (didn't have fresh on hand), toasted the pumpkin seeds before grinding and added an ear of cooked corn cut off the cob. As with all Gena recipes I have tried, this was really delicious. I'm making round two today!

Looking forward to making this burger when my garden starts dropping squash. I think it will work with yellow squash too. I may salt the shredded squash and squeeze out excess water which could possibly have something to do with the patties not holding together. If I have trouble I'll be adding an egg to bind the mixture even though it's not vegan.

Lexi October 6, 2015

We love this recipe! However, having tried both the oven bake and stove top fry, we would definitely go for the oven bake, which is far superior ;-)

Jen B. September 15, 2015

Came out crumbly and mushy on the stove top, trying the oven next. It needs something to help it stick together.

A good binder for this recipe is the 'juice' from the chickpea can - I added 2tbs of it to the rest of the mixture in the food processor and they held together well. Still should expect to be the consistency of falafel - not super firm. Also used cilantro instead of the other herbs and lime juice instead of lemon. Yum.

I loved this recipe! Super easy to make and very flavorful. I will definitely make it again ;)

Do you have any serving suggestions? (toppings, breads, etc.?)

These burgers definitely need a binder. I made them today and they fell apart i couldn't even pick them up to put in the bun. I made them thin, i made them thick, i put them in frig, i used a lot of oil and i used a little oil and i tried just spraying the pan no matter what i did they fell apart and when i ate them they were like mush in the bread but the taste wasn't too bad and i love the concept of beans and quinoa burger so i think its back to the drawing board and tweak the recipe. Thanks for the idea

koc July 29, 2014

Fantastic! Great flavor plus nice and crisp on the outside and soft on the inside. I made a few substitutions based on what I had on hand and family preferences; sunflower seeds instead of pumpkin, fresh basil instead of dill, spicy brown mustard instead of dijon. Thanks for the wonderful recipe.

Just made them exactly as recipe stated and about to put in oven. Wish me luck!

Used tahini instead of mustard, no oregano, little extra lemon juice. Very wet batter. Hoping chilling will make it easier to form patties. Next time I won't add ny water...the zuc seems to add enough!

Can I make the mixture ahead of time and put it in the fridge? How long will it last for? (Note: I don't use a microwave, so freezing and thawing is difficult).

On a beautiful late afternoon day in New England - kids at the beach, dog napping, summer breeze coming from our garden - making these burgers was profoundly enjoyable. We harvest two zukes a day, so it has been fun experimenting with such multi-layered delicious recipes. I didn't this would top the vegan chocolate zucchini cupcakes, but it did! Lost in the moment and not the recipe, my mixture came out watery. Added more red quinoa and baked them on parchment paper in the oven - holy yum is all I can say. I'm willing the kids home so i dont eat another:(Thanks Gena!!!

I made these but didn't appreciate the mustard very much. Is there a substitute for mustard that I can use. Another question: is the 2/3 cup of water, listed in the ingredients, used to cook the quinoa or is it meant to be added to the mixture later on.

I made them tonight with black beans instead of chick peas. My daughter's friends were waiting for her, and they are not adventerous, and they finished them off. I would call them a success. Thank you!!

substituted the zucchini with eggplant, the chick peas for white beans and added lentils-phenominal!