Savory Brown Rice Veggie Burgers

These Savory Brown Rice Veggie Burgers are satisfying and absolutely delicious, a simple and healthy recipe made with whole food ingredients that actually holds together! Made with black beans, hearty brown rice, savory mushrooms, flavorful herbs and spices, these vegan burgers are easy to make, freezer-friendly, and perfect for meal prep. Whether you’re looking for a healthy weeknight dinner or a delicious vegan option for the summertime BBQ, these homemade veggie burgers are sure to impress!

Why You’ll Love These Savory Brown Rice Veggie Burgers

✔️ Easy to make with healthy, whole food ingredients

✔️ Firm texture that holds together

✔️ Great for meal prep and freezer-friendly

✔️ Loaded with protein and fiber

✔️ Burgers that are vegan, dairy-free, and can be made gluten-free

Tips for success

• Use a food processor if you have one! It saves quite a bit of time finely chopping mushrooms and onions.
• Bread crumbs are key in order for these burgers to hold their shape. Start with ¾ cup and slowly add more if needed. Too much will dry the mixture, so go slow and use damp hands if it starts crumbling.
• Mix with your hands! It’s the easiest way to evenly combine ingredients and form patties with the right consistency.
• Taste before you cook. The beauty of plant-based burgers is that you can adjust the seasoning before they hit the pan. Taste mixture before cooking and add anything more you think it needs.
• Spice it up! Add more cayenne if spice is your jam. For a spicy spread, mix sriracha and vegan mayo for a simple chipotle aioli.

Gluten free

These Savory Brown Rice Veggie Burgers can easily be made gluten free! Opt for gluten free breadcrumbs and use liquid aminos instead of soy sauce. Tamari can be used if it’s certified gluten free. I prefer using breadcrumbs over oats as I find the burgers hold together better and oats tend to leave the burgers with a “dusty” aftertaste.

Are canned beans less nutritious?

Nope! Don’t feel guilty for being lazy or forgetting to soak beans, you’ll get all the bean benefits from popping open a can! Home-cooked beans are more flavorful and cost efficient but none of the nutrients are lost during the canning process. Just make sure to check the label to ensure there isn’t anything added other than beans, water, and maybe salt. And remember to rinse canned beans before cooking!

Freezer-Friendly

These burgers freeze wonderfully! Just shape, freeze on a parchment-lined tray, then transfer to a bag or container. Thaw completely in the fridge before cooking.

Ingredient Highlight

Brown rice adds structure and fiber, while giving the patties a nutty base.
Mushrooms bring depth, umami, and a meaty bite.
Beans add a hearty texture and pack tons of protein and fiber.

Is There Arsenic in Rice? Here’s How to Minimize It

There can be. Arsenic is a naturally occurring heavy metal found in rock, soil, and water but inorganic arsenic is the what we need to worry. This can be found in contaminated soil and groundwater from livestock manure, fertilizers, old pesticides, or industrial waste. Arsenic levels tend to be higher in rice than other grains because rice crops sit in standing water.

Here’s how to lower your exposure:

• Buy rice grown in California! Avoid buying rice from southern U.S. states (I’m looking at you, Texas) as the fertilizers of yore used to be arsenic-laced when growing cotton crops.
• Soak the rice for at least 15 minutes, then rinse it well before cooking with fresh water. After soaking, you may need to slightly reduce the cooking time and/or water, since the grains will already be partially hydrated.
• Cook rice like you would pasta. Bring a large pot of water to a boil and boil the rice until desired tenderness. Once rice is finished cooking, strain the water out (just like pasta) and rinse rice one more time. This step alone can reduce any arsenic levels by 50% but unfortunately some water-soluble B vitamins will also be lost.¹ I usually don’t do this, but know that the option is there for you.

Print Recipe

5 from 1 vote

Savory Brown Rice Veggie Burgers

These Savory Brown Rice Veggie Burgers are satisfying and absolutely delicious, a simple and healthy recipe made with whole food ingredients that actually holds together!

Prep Time45 minutes mins

Cook Time40 minutes mins

Total Time1 hour hr 25 minutes mins

Course: burgers and sandwiches, dinner, favorites

Cuisine: American

Keyword: batch cooking, Black Beans, Brown Rice, dinner, freezer-friendly, hearty, mushrooms, savory, Veggie Burgers

Servings: 9 patties

Author: The Wandering Veggie

Equipment

• 1 Oven

Ingredients

• ½ cup brown rice (uncooked)

Sauté:

• ¾ cup white onion, finely diced
• 4 cups cremini mushrooms, finely chopped (about 8-9 mushrooms)
• 6 cloves of garlic, minced
• 3 Tbsp tamari or soy sauce (sub liquid aminos for gluten free)

In large bowl:

• 1 – 15.5 oz can black beans drained and rinsed (or 1 ½ cups freshly cooked)
• ¾ cup cilantro minced (about half of a bunch)
• ¼ cup almond butter or peanut butter)
• ½ cup walnuts finely chopped
• 1 – 1 ½ cup breadcrumbs
• ¼ cup ground flaxseed meal
• 2 Tbsp nutritional yeast
• 1 Tbsp smoked paprika
• 1 Tbsp cumin
• 2 tsp chili powder
• 1 tsp cayenne
• 2 tsp Italian seasoning

Instructions

• Cook ½ cup dry brown rice according to package directions.
• Prep everything under "sauté". If you have a food processor, it saves a lot of time with finely chopping onions and mushrooms!
• Heat a large skillet on medium heat. Once hot, sauté onions and mushrooms, stirring frequently, until mushrooms begin to brown. Add garlic, let cook for a few moments until aromatic, then pour in tamari or soy sauce to deglaze the pan, stirring to lift browned bits. Cook until moisture has cooked off then turn off heat.
• Preheat oven to 350°. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
• While everything cooks, measure out and place the rest of the ingredients in a large bowl, and for the bread crumbs start with ¾ cups.
• When rice and mushroom mix has finished cooking, add to large bowl. Use your hands to knead and mash everything together until desired consistency, adding more bread crumbs as needed until the mixture is slightly tacky but not sticky. You shouldn't need more than 1 ½ cups. Use your hands to form patties and place on the baking sheet. These patties be refrigerated beforehand, but not required.
• Lightly brush patties with olive oil. Bake patties on middle rack for 22-25 minutes, flipping after 15 minutes. When patties are lightly browned remove from oven.
• Build your burgers on lightly toasted buns with all your favorite toppings: lettuce, tomato, onion, pickles or cucumber, avocado, mustard, and/or vegan mayo (or add sriracha for chipotle mayo!). Enjoy!

Notes

These veggie burger patties keep in the fridge in a well-sealed container for up to 5 days and are freezer-friendly for up to 2 months.

Did you enjoy these Savory Brown Rice Veggie burgers? I’d love to hear, leave me a comment below! 🙂

1. https://www.hsph.harvard.edu/nutritionsource/food-features/rice/#:~:text=The%20average%20GI%20for%20brown,risk%20for%20type%202%20diabetes.