Pumpkin Bean Burger With Spicy Mayo Sauce

5 from 5 votes
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Delicious pumpkin bean burgers with veggies and a spicy mayo sauce. This recipe is simple and can be made in under 30 minutes – for a delicious mid-week meal. Plus, this recipe is dairy-free, gluten-free, and can be made 100% vegan!

Pumpking burger

Pumpkin season may be coming to an end, but with Halloween in the rear-view mirror, there are plenty of leftover pumpkins ready to be used. With that in mind, why not enjoy a delicious pumpkin burger. You can save yourself from waste AND enjoy a delicious, easy veggie burger recipe – with a twist.

Two halves of a pumpkin patty burger stacked on top of each other

Plus, I make this recipe using homemade pumpkin puree, which means you can enjoy them months after pumpkin season ends. Beyond that, there are even several ingredient swaps that you can make!

I think pumpkin is such an underutilized ingredient in savory recipes. Other than several pasta dishes, pumpkin is often left by the wayside in place of other winter squash and root vegetables. However, with a rich, slightly sweet, savory flavor and creamy consistency, pumpkin is a great ingredient to elevate these vegan bean burgers.

Frying a pumpkin burger patty in a pan

Like my sweet potato and bean burger patties, this recipe combines pumpkin puree with cannellini beans as a base, seasoned with a homemade Italian herb blend, garlic, onion, paprika, and salt and pepper. The entire vegan pumpkin burger patty recipe is made up of just 9 ingredients. I then love to pair this with a creamy, spicy mayo sauce for the “pièce de résistance”. And you can even use vegan mayo for a 100% vegan version.

A pumpkin patty burger cut in two, placed next to mini pumpkins

When using pre-made pumpkin puree, this entire dish takes under half an hour to make – for a wonderful healthy mid-week meal! Plus, this recipe yields 9 large burger patties, perfect as a meal-prep option, to be made in advance, and freezer-friendly.

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The Ingredients

For the Pumpkin Burger Patties

Ingredients for pumpkin burger patties
  • Pumpkin puree – I used homemade pumpkin puree, though you can also use canned.
  • Beans – I used soaked and cooked white beans; navy beans or cannellini beans work well (using this method for cooking kidney beans). You can use tinned beans if preferred, though the texture may differ.
  • Rolled oats – use certified gluten-free oats if necessary.
  • Onion and garlic – if you’re unable to use fresh, you can use onion/garlic powder.
  • Italian seasoning – I used homemade Italian Seasoning.
  • Salt, black pepper, paprika (or smoked paprika) – optionally, you could add a pinch of cayenne or chili pepper for extra heat.

The Other ingredients

Pumpkin burger toppings
  • Toppings: lettuce (or the greens of your choice – like spinach, rocket, etc.), tomato, pomegranate (optional, but lovely when combined with the savory and spicy elements).
  • Spicy Mayo Sauce: a combination of homemade Chili sauce mixed with some homemade mayonnaise. For a vegan option, use vegan mayo (I’m still working on my own recipe version at the moment – recipe coming soon!).

The Step-By-Step Instructions

Note * If you’re making pumpkin puree from scratch, then use this method.

Step 1: Blend the Pumpkin Veggie Burger Patties

To make oat flour, add the oats to a food processor and blend them into fine flour.

Then add the rest of the patty ingredients and blend until well incorporated. Process the mixture until your preferred consistency is obtained – less for a chunkier texture, more for a smoother mixture.

Steps for preparing pumpkin patties

The burger mix should be slightly sticky but not too wet or dry. If it’s a little sticky, add a little more oat flour.

Step 2: Form the Patties

To form the patties, you can use a large ice-cream scooper for even-sized burgers or just by hand.

Chef’s note: if you dip your hands in water before shaping the burgers, it can help your hands from getting sticky.

Have a bowl of oat flour beside you while doing this to sprinkle both sides of the patties with. These will crisp up while frying.

Making pumpkin burger patties using a large ice cream scooper

If you’re not ready to cook the burgers immediately, then you can place them in the refrigerator, covered, until you’re ready to do so. You can also freeze any that you don’t plan on using immediately (check the “how to store” section below!).

Step 3: Cook the Patties

Heat some oil (any neutral oil will work; I tend to avoid any strong olive oil if it’ll impart too much flavor) and pan-fry the burgers over medium heat for 3-4 minutes on each side, until lightly brown and crispy.

Steps for frying pumpkin patties

Step 4: Assemble the Burgers

To assemble the burgers, first, prepare the buns. You can leave them raw or make them crispy by either lightly frying in a pan or broiling (grilling) in the oven.

To prepare the spicy mayo sauce, simply mix chili sauce in some mayo. Adjust the amount of chili sauce based on your spice preference. Optionally, add a little lime juice for extra zing.

Assemble with your toppings of choice, a little of the spicy mayo sauce, and enjoy.

Assembling a burger with added spicy mayo and pomegranate seeds

How To Make Ahead And Store

The Uncooked Pumpkin Bean Burger Mix

The pumpkin bean burger mixture can be stored in the fridge or freezer (either as the mix or formed into patties). Keep it/them covered in the fridge for 3-4 days or in the freezer for up to 4 months.

If you store the mix as shaped patties, layer in an airtight container with parchment paper/beeswax wrap between the patties so they don’t stick together while freezing.

Eight pumpkin burger patties in a large plate

If you want to spread the patties out between multiple meals in a week, then it’s best to fry them up freshly each time for the best results.

The Cooked Pumpkin Burger Patties

The cooked patties are best eaten immediately, while warm. However, they are freezer-safe for between 2-3 months (possibly longer, though I haven’t tried).

To reheat, allow the burger patties to thaw in the fridge before frying them lightly on each side for a few minutes till warmed through and lightly crispy.

A pumpkin burger patty in a white plate

Recipe Notes & Variations

  • You can use canned pumpkin puree. Just make sure that it’s plain pumpkin and not pumpkin pie filling that you use.
  • Feel free to use black beans instead of cannellini beans. You could also use cooked chickpeas (use this method for soaking and cooking dried chickpeas) for delicious chickpea pumpkin patties. 
  • The pumpkin can be substituted with butternut squash or sweet potato. Note that the liquid content of each may differ, so you may need to tweak ingredient amounts. 
  • Feel free to adjust the amount of any of the seasonings according to personal taste. 
  • You should be able to bake the pumpkin burger patties too. Though this isn’t something I’ve tried. I’d suggest lightly spraying the patties with a little oil and baking on a lined baking sheet, in a pre-heated oven, for 15-20 minutes at 350ºF/180ºC, or until lightly crisp on the outside and heated through. 
  • You could also serve this burger with sweet chili sauce or garlic mayo. Homemade guacamole is another option that pairs well with this burger.

If you give this pumpkin bean burger recipe a try, then let me know your thoughts in the comments. Also, feel free to tag me in your recreations @AlphaFoodie.

Pumpkin Bean Burgers With Spicy Mayo Sauce

5 from 5 votes
By: Samira
Delicious pumpkin bean burgers with veggies and a spicy mayo sauce. This recipe is simple, and ready in under 30 minutes – for a delicious mid-week meal. Plus, this recipe is dairy-free, gluten-free, and can be made 100% vegan!
Prep Time: 10 minutes
Cook Time: 10 minutes
Total Time: 20 minutes
Servings: 9 patties

Ingredients 
 

  • 3 cups pumpkin puree
  • 3 cups white beans navy beans, cannellini beans
  • 4 cups rolled oats certified GF if necessary
  • 1 medium onion or onion powder
  • 2 garlic cloves or garlic puree/ powder
  • 1.5 Tbsp Italian seasoning homemade, see post
  • 1 tsp salt
  • 1/2 tsp black pepper
  • 1/2 tsp paprika smoked or non-smoked

Toppings

  • lettuce or spinach, rocket, etc.
  • tomato
  • pomegranate optional – but delicious!
  • Spicy Mayo Sauce: mayonnaise + chili sauce

Instructions 

Step 1: Blend the pumpkin veggie burger patties

  • Note * If you're making pumpkin puree from scratch then use this method.
    To make oat flour, add the oats to a food processor and blend them to a fine flour.
  • Add the rest of the patty ingredients and blend until well incorporated. process the mixture until your preferred consistency is obtained – less for a chunkier texture, more for a smoother mixture.
  • The burger mix should be slightly sticky but not too wet or dry. If it's a little sticky, add a little more oat flour.

Step 2: Form the patties

  • To form the patties you can use a large ice-cream scooper for even-sized burgers, or just shape them by hand.
    Chefs note: If you dip your hands in water before shaping the burgers, it can help your hands from getting sticky.
    Have a bowl of oat flour beside you while doing this, to sprinkle both sides of the patties with. These will crisp up while frying.
  • If you’re not ready to cook the burgers immediately, then you can place them in the refrigerator, covered, until you’re ready to do so. You can also freeze any that you don’t plan on using immediately (check the "how to store" section below!).

Step 3: Cook The Patties

  • Heat up some oil (any neutral oil will work; I tend to avoid any strong olive oil if it'll impart too much flavor) and pan-fry the burgers over medium heat for 3-4 minutes on each side, until lightly brown and crispy.

Step 4: Assemble the burgers

  • To assemble the burgers, first, prepare the buns. You can leave them raw or make them crispy by either lightly frying in a pan, or broiling (grilling) in the oven.
  • To prepare the spicy mayo sauce simply mix chili sauce in some mayo. Adjust the amount of chili sauce based on your spice preference. Optionally, add a little lime juice for extra zing.
  • Assemble with your toppings of choice, a little of the spicy mayo sauce, and enjoy.

How To Make Ahead And Store

  • The Uncooked pumpkin bean burger mix:
    The pumpkin bean burger mixture can be stored in the fridge or freezer (either as the mix or formed into patties). Keep it/them covered in the fridge for 3-4 days or in the freezer for up to 4 months.
    If you store the mix as shaped patties, layer in an airtight container with parchment paper/beeswax wrap between the patties, so they don't stick together while freezing.
    If you're wanting to spread the patties out between multiple meals in a week then it's best to fry them up freshly each time, for best results.
    The Cooked Pumpkin Burger Patties:
    The cooked patties are best eaten immediately, while warm. However, they are freezer safe for between 2-3 months (possibly longer, though I haven't tried).
    To reheat, allow the burger patties to thaw in the fridge before frying them lightly on each side for a few minutes till warmed through and lightly crispy.

Video

Notes

  • You can use canned pumpkin puree. Just make sure that it’s plain pumpkin and not pumpkin pie filling that you use.
  • Feel free to use black beans instead of cannellini beans. You could also use cooked chickpeas (use this method for soaking and cooking dried chickpeas) for delicious chickpea pumpkin patties. 
  • The pumpkin can be substituted with butternut squash or sweet potato. Note that the liquid content of each may differ so you may need to tweak ingredient amounts. 
  • Feel free to adjust the amount of any of the seasonings, according to personal taste. 
  • You should be able to bake the pumpkin burger patties too. Though this isn’t something I’ve tried. I’d suggest lightly spraying the patties with a little oil and baking on a lined baking sheet, in a pre-heated oven, for 15-20 minutes at 350F/180C, or until lightly crisp on the outside and heated through. 
  • You could also serve this burger with sweet chili sauce or garlic mayo. 
Course: Main
Cuisine: American
Freezer friendly: 4 Months
Shelf life: 4 Days

Nutrition

Serving: 1Burger patty, Calories: 256kcal, Carbohydrates: 48g, Protein: 12g, Fat: 3g, Saturated Fat: 1g, Sodium: 269mg, Potassium: 662mg, Fiber: 10g, Sugar: 4g, Vitamin A: 12787IU, Vitamin C: 5mg, Calcium: 111mg, Iron: 5mg

Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.

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2 Comments

  1. hello,
    looks great, however I do not like pumpkin, neither butternut squash or sweet potato. can I use normal potato? or something else?
    thank you
    eliza

    1. Hi Eliza,
      Feel free to play around with potatoes, just bear in mind that the end results won’t be the same.