The BEST mung bean burger patties recipe out there! Complete with tasty toppings, this burger is whole food plant-based and can be made oil-free, without sacrificing flavor!
Ingredients and Substitutions
First up, for the mung bean patties:
- Mung Beans: If you are tight on time, use canned mung beans. And if you prefer, you can use sprouted mung beans for extra nutrients.
- Oat Flour: A binder that helps hold everything together; make your own from rolled oats by following the instructions in the Recipe Notes below.
- Chia Seeds + Water: For the chia ‘egg’.
- Parsley: Adds fresh, herby notes; sub with cilantro if preferred.
- Sunflower Seeds: Add crunch and texture; swap with cooked brown rice for a softer bite. Sesame seeds would also work when in a pinch.
- Oil (optional): For brushing the patties; skip if you want to go oil-free.
- Any cooking oil from sunflower oil to olive oil works here.
Secondly, for the burger seasoning, don’t be intimidated by the long list! These are very accessible spices; I’m sure you would have most of them at home already! You would need garlic, onion, ginger, cumin, coriander, (smoked) paprika, salt, and (optional) miso paste. Here are some notes:
- Onion Powder: You can also use 1 small onion, diced. However, this makes the burger less firm and a bit more mushy since the ingredients won’t bind as well.
- Smoked Paprika: Regular paprika works too, though opt for smoked paprika for the maximum flavor. Plus, you can then pair this burger with this easy smoked paprika aioli!
- Miso Paste (optional but recommended): It really boosts the flavor of this burger!
And lastly, ingredients to assemble your burger! You can get creative here but this is what I recommend:
- Burger Buns: Toasted for extra flavor. Gluten-free buns also work if there are dietary preferences/requirements.
- Lettuce Leaves: Use green lettuce, butter lettuce, or your favorite lettuce.
- Homemade Burger Sauce: Bean burgers tend to be on the drier side, so do NOT skip the sauce!!!
- Choose any of your favorite easy sauces: from hummus (for a falafel wrap-inspired experience), classic burger sauce, smoky BBQ mayo, or this lighter chimichurri spicy sauce!
- Caramelized Onion and Mushrooms: It might sound intimidating, but they are done in half an hour, using literally just onions and mushrooms. They add a layer of texture to the burger so I highly recommend this! Simply make them when you cook your mung beans and prepare the other ingredients!
- When in a pinch, you can just use some red onion slices though!
- Tomatoes
Step-by-step Instructions
- Soak the Mung Beans: Soak the dried mung beans overnight, around 8-12 hours. This shortens the cooking time by a lot so do NOT skip this step!
- Cook the Mung Beans: Boil them in water for about 25-30 minutes until tender. Note that you want to add enough water (2-3x the volume of the mung beans) since these beans absorb quite a lot of water!
Did you forget to soak the mung beans? Don’t worry, you can still make this recipe, but it would just take a bit longer for you to boil the mung beans! But do soak them as soon as you can since any bit of soaking helps!
Without soaking, I need about 10 more minutes of cooking time so just boil your mung beans a bit longer.
- Make the Chia Egg: Mix the chia seeds with the water and let them sit for at least 5 minutes.
- Prepare Ingredients: Remove the tough parsley stems and weigh them to measure. Next, prepare the oat flour. If you are DIY-ing your oat flour, simply blend or process 1/3 cup of old-fashioned rolled oats or quick-cooking oats.
- Mix & Shape Patties: Once the mung beans have cooled down, process your mung beans, oat flour, parsley, sunflower seeds, and burger seasonings in a food processor. Add the chia egg, stir, then form into 6 patties.
- Air Fry or Bake: Air fry at 180°C (355°F) for 8 minutes per side, or bake at 200°C (400°F) for 10 minutes per side, brushing the burger with oil if using.
- Assemble: Assemble your burger the way you like to! Enjoy!
Top Tips
- Drain the beans well. Use a strainer if you need. Too much moisture can make the patties fall apart.
- If the mixture is crumbly, process it a little longer until it’s sticky enough to form patties.
- Shape the patties thin. Thin patties get nice and crispy this way. If you want, you can even divide each burger patty into two and smash them to make something like my veggie smash burger here!
Serving Suggestions
Any burger goes great with fries! So serve this with masala fries or this saucy masala chips for a flavor-packed pairing. Or go with the milder adobo fries.
If you want to spice things up, pair this with my gochujang French fries or kimchi loaded fries.
This vegan bean burger is also great when served with some garlic pita chips, dipped in this 5-minute hummus!
Storage and Meal Prep Instructions
Storage: Store in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 5 days. To reheat, bake or air fry at 180°C (355°F) for 3-5 minutes until crispy.
Meal Prep: Prepare the patties, the caramelized onions, and the sauce ahead and store them in the fridge. Prep toppings (tomatoes and lettuce) and store them in containers lined with kitchen towels. Reheat the ingredients and assemble the mung bean burger just before serving!
FAQ
Looking for More Related Recipes?
Did you know that mung beans are also popular in my home country, Indonesia? For more Indonesian recipes, try my Sticky Tempeh, Vegan Rendang, or my Sambal Aioli.
The BEST Mung Bean Burger
The BEST mung bean burger patties recipe out there! Complete with tasty toppings, this burger is whole food plant-based without sacrificing flavor!
Ingredients
For the Mung Bean Burger
- 1.5 cups cooked mung beans from about 0.75 cups uncooked mung beans; see instructions below
- ¼ cup oat flour see notes below
- 1 tablespoon chia seeds for the chia ‘egg’
- 3 tablespoons water for the chia ‘egg’
- ½ cup fresh parsley lightly packed (8 grams), thick stems removed
- ½ cup sunflower seeds sub with cooked brown rice
- 2 teaspoons oil (optional, for brushing)
Burger Seasoning
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1 teaspoon onion powder
- ½ teaspoon ginger powder
- 1 teaspoon ground cumin
- 1 teaspoon ground coriander
- 1 teaspoon smoked paprika
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 2 teaspoons miso paste (optional but recommended)
For Serving
- 6 burger buns halved and toasted
- 6 pieces lettuce leaves
- 6 Tablespoons homemade burger sauce choose from veggie burger sauce, hummus, BBQ mayo, or this spicy chimichurri sauce!
- 2 Tablespoons
caramelized onions and mushrooms or sub with red onion slices - 2 medium tomatoes sliced
Instructions
Cook the Mung Beans
- Soak the mung beans: The night before (or about 8 hours before cooking), soak 3/4 cup uncooked mung beans in water. This helps them cook faster and improves digestibility. Simply soak them in the pot you will cook them with.
- Cook the mung beans: Drain and rinse the soaked mung beans. Then cover with enough water to submerge the beans by at least 2 inches (5 centimeters). Bring to a boil, then reduce to a simmer and cook for about 25-30 minutes, until tender.Check after the 15-20 minutes mark and add more water if needed. If you see foams on the top layer, simply remove them. To check for doneness, you should be able to easily press them between your fingers, without them getting mushy. Once done, drain any excess water.
Prepare the Other Ingredients
- Make the chia egg: In a small bowl, mix 1 Tablespoon chia seeds with 3 Tablespoons of water. Let it sit for at least 5 minutes until it thickens.1 tablespoon chia seeds, 3 tablespoons water
- Prepare the parsley: Remove the thick parsley stems and measure out its quantity.1/2 cup fresh parsley
Make the Burger Patties
- Once the mung beans have cooled down to the touch, add the drained mung beans, oat flour, parsley, sunflower seeds, and burger seasoning (from the step above). Process for about 1 minute until the mixture gets sticky and can be easily shaped without falling apart, scraping down the sides if needed. You want most of the ingredients to get mashed. If you have trouble shaping the burger, process the mixture further.If you don't have a food processor, simply mash the mung beans, then mix the remaining ingredients by hand.1.5 cups cooked mung beans, 1/4 cup oat flour, 1/2 cup fresh parsley, 1 teaspoon garlic powder, 1 teaspoon onion powder, 1/2 teaspoon ginger powder, 1 teaspoon ground cumin, 1 teaspoon ground coriander, 1 teaspoon smoked paprika, 1/2 teaspoon salt, 2 teaspoons miso paste, 1/2 cup sunflower seeds
- Add the chia 'egg' and stir until the mixture is well combined.
- Divide the mixture into 6 equal portions and use your hands to shape each into a patty. I prefer keeping them thin and wide instead of thicker since this means that you get more crunch, but do what you like!For maximum flavor, you can smash the patties, similar to my
vegan smash burger recipe!
Bake or Air Fry the Patties
- Lightly brush both sides of the patties with oil (optional).2 teaspoons oil
- Bake the patties in the oven at 200°C (400°F) for 10 minutes, flipping, then bake for another 10 minutes.
- You can also air fry the patties for 8 minutes at 180°C (355°F), flip, then cook for another 8 minutes until golden brown and firm.
Assembly Time
- While waiting for the patties to cook, toast your burger buns.6 burger buns
- Assemble your burger by placing the lettuce on top of the bottom bun, followed by your burger sauce. Then add the mung bean patty, (caramelized) onions, and tomato. Top with the other burger bun. Enjoy!6 pieces lettuce leaves, 6 Tablespoons homemade burger sauce, 2 Tablespoons caramelized onions and mushrooms, 2 medium tomatoes
Notes
- If you don’t have oat flour at hand, you can make it easily! Add 1/3 cup rolled oats or quick-cooking oats to a blender or food processor. Blend until it turns into fine flour. This yields approximately 1/4 cup oat flour.
- Check out the post above for top tips, step-by-step photos, ingredient substitutions, serving suggestions, storage notes, FAQs, and other useful info!
