Recipes › Mains

The Perfect Pumpkin Burger

By Samira Kazan

published June 06, 2024

These delicious pumpkin burgers are hearty, vegan, and easy to prepare in under 30 minutes. The burger patties are versatile and freezer-friendly—perfect for quick mid-week lunches.

Pumpkin is an underutilized ingredient in savory recipes. However, with a rich, slightly sweet, savory flavor and creamy consistency, it is a great ingredient to elevate these veggie burgers. I make this recipe using homemade pumpkin puree. It is easy to make by roasting pumpkin chunks, blending them until smooth, and then freezing. So you can enjoy these burgers months after the pumpkin season ends.

Plus, this hearty pumpkin burger recipe is quick and easy to make – the entire dish takes under half an hour to prepare. It makes for a delicious, healthy mid-week meal, and the burger patties are perfect as a meal-prep option, to be made in advance and frozen.

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Ingredients
How to make pumpkin burger
Prepare patties ahead and store
More hearty burgers
The Perfect Pumpkin Burger Recipe

Watch my video tutorial!

Ingredients

Pumpkin puree : I used homemade pumpkin puree , though you can also use canned (make sure it’s plain pumpkin and not pumpkin pie filling).
White Beans : Soaked and cooked. If preferred, use canned beans. Navy beans or cannellini beans work well; alternatively, use black beans.
Rolled oats : To use as a binder.
Onion and garlic
Seasoning : Italian seasoning (or use only dried oregano), salt, black pepper, and paprika (or smoked paprika).
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).
Sriracha Mayo Sauce : (Optional) a mix of chili sauce and mayonnaise.

How to make pumpkin burger

Make the pumpkin patties : First, add the oats to a food processor and blend them into fine flour. Set aside about 1/4 cup of the oat flour to use for the shaped patties.

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. The burger mix should be slightly sticky but not too wet or dry. If it’s too sticky, add a little more oat flour. Taste and adjust any of the seasonings to your liking.

Steps for blending ingredients to make burger patties - 3

Next, form the patties. To do so, you can use a large ice cream scooper for even-sized burgers or separate the mixture by hand. It’s best to dip your hands in water before shaping the patties so the mixture doesn’t stick to them. Shape the mixture into a ball and then flatten the patty to your desired thickness. Keep a bowl with some oat flour next to you so you can sprinkle both sides of the patties with it—this will make them crisp up while frying.

Fry the patties : Heat some oil (any neutral oil will work) and pan-fry the burgers over medium heat for 3-4 minutes on each side, until lightly brown and crispy. If you have a large skillet, you can fry several of them at the same time. Otherwise, work in smaller batches.

Steps for cooking pumpkin burger patties - 5

Assemble the burgers : To do so, first, prepare the buns. You can leave them soft or make them crispy by either lightly frying in a pan or broiling (grilling) in the oven. Then prepare the spicy mayo sauce by mixing the chili sauce in some mayo. Adjust the amount of chili sauce based on your spice preference. Finally, assemble the pumpkin burgers with your toppings of choice. I love adding lettuce, tomato, a spoonful of chili mayo, and a sprinkle of pomegranate seeds to balance the flavors. Enjoy!

Steps for assembling pumpkin patty burger - 6

Prepare patties ahead and store

Burger mix/uncooked patties : Store in an airtight container in the fridge for 3-4 days or in the freezer for up to 4 months. If storing the shaped patties, it’s best to separate them with parchment paper so they don’t stick together.

Cooked patties: These are best eaten right away while warm, especially if assembled into burgers. Any leftover patties can be frozen for 2-3 months. 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.

Two halves of a pumpkin patty burger stacked on top of each other - 7

More hearty burgers

Homemade black bean burger with lettuce, cheese, tomato, avocado and ketchup - 8

Homemade black bean burger with lettuce, cheese, tomato, avocado and ketchup - 9

Equipment

Blender/Food processor

IngredientsUS CustomaryMetric1x2x3x

▢ 3 cups pumpkin puree
▢ 3 cups white beans navy beans, cannellini beans
▢ 4 cups rolled oats certified GF if necessary
▢ 1 onion medium-sized, roughly chopped
▢ 2 cloves garlic
▢ 1.5 Tbsp Italian seasoning or just dried oregano
▢ 1 tsp salt
▢ 1/2 tsp black pepper
▢ 1/2 tsp paprika smoked or non-smoked

Toppings (as wanted)

▢ burger buns
▢ lettuce or spinach, rocket, etc.
▢ tomato
▢ pomegranate optional – but delicious!
▢ Sriracha Mayo Sauce: mayonnaise + chili sauce

Instructions

Make the patties

In a food processor or a blender, add the oats and blend them to fine flour. Put aside 1/4 cup of the oat flour to sprinkle on the shaped patties.
Add the rest of the patty ingredients (pumpkin puree, beans, chopped onion, garlic, Italian seasoning, salt, black pepper, and paprika) and blend until well incorporated. Taste test and adjust any of the seasonings if needed. The burger mix should be slightly sticky but not too wet or dry. If it’s too sticky, add a little more oat flour.
Use a large ice cream scooper for even-sized burgers, or separate the mixture by hand. Dip your hands in water to prevent the patties from sticking to them. Shape the mixture into a ball and then flatten the patty to your desired thickness. Sprinkle oat flour on both sides of the patties.
If you’re not ready to cook the burgers immediately, cover and place them in the refrigerator until you’re ready to cook them. You can also freeze them.

Cook the patties and assemble the burgers

In a large skillet, heat some neutral oil. Pan fry the burger patties over medium heat for 3-4 minutes on each side, until light brown and crispy.
Prepare the buns – leave them soft or make them crispy by lightly frying them in the pan or broiling them in the oven.
Prepare the spicy mayo sauce by mixing chili sauce with some mayo. Adjust the amount of chili sauce based on your spice preference.
Assemble the pumpkin burgers by layering lettuce, tomato slices, pumpkin patty, spicy sauce, and pomegranate seeds (optional). Alternatively, use your favorite burger toppings. Enjoy!

Video

Notes

Burger mix/uncooked patties : Store in an airtight container in the fridge for 3-4 days or in the freezer for up to 4 months. If storing the shaped patties, separate them with parchment paper.
Cooked patties: These are best eaten right away while warm, especially if assembled into burgers. Any leftover patties can be frozen for 2-3 months. To reheat, allow the burger patties to thaw in the fridge. Then fry them lightly on each side for a few minutes till warmed through.

Nutrition

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