Fava Bean Burgers with Quinoa, Spinach, and Feta

Flavorful, nutritious fava bean burgers are great on their own, tucked into a bun or lettuce leaf with a drizzle of creamy dressing, or made into slider-sized patties for a popular party appetizer.

Want to save this recipe?

Enter your email below and I’ll send it to your inbox. Plus get great new recipes every week!

Please enable JavaScript in your browser to complete this form.

Email *

Save Recipe

Why we love this recipe

Way back in 2012 during our London days, we arrived home from a trip and needed sustenance. I trolled the pantry and freezer and my memories of Yotam Ottolenghi’s Plenty and came up with the ingredients for an impromptu dinner. We enjoyed it so much that I kept it for posterity.

These burgers are:

• Equally packed with flavor and nutrients
• Great on their own, tucked into a bun or lettuce leaf, or made slider-size for a party
• Vegetarian and gluten free, with an easy vegan option

I first published this recipe here back in 2012. I’ve since updated the post for clarity and made some changes to the recipe.

What you’ll need

Here’s a glance at the ingredients you’ll need to make this recipe.

• This recipe uses fresh fava beans (sometimes called broad beans), which start showing up in markets in the late spring and last through mid- to late summer. You can sometimes find them frozen, which is fine — but don’t use dried ones in this recipe. If you can’t find favas, you could substitute canned chickpeas or white beans.
• Use a 10-ounce box of frozen chopped spinach. Let it defrost and then squeeze all the liquid out of it.
• Here’s how to cook perfect quinoa.

How to make them

Here’s what you’ll do to make a great batch of fava bean burgers with quinoa, spinach, and feta. You can see the steps in action in the video that accompanies this post, and get all the details in the recipe card below.

1. Boil the fava beans and slip out of their skins. Then mash to a chunky puree in a large mixing bowl.
2. Stir in the spices, cooked and drained spinach, cooked quinoa, feta, and eggs.
3. Form into patties and chill for 30 minutes, then pan fry.
4. Transfer to oven to cook through. That’s it!

Expert tips and FAQs

More favorite ways to love fava beans and quinoa

• Fava bean puree
• Green vegetable quinoa salad
• Warm cauliflower, lentil, and quinoa salad

5 from 4 votes

Fava Bean Burgers

By Carolyn Gratzer Cope

These burgers are nutritious and flavorful on their own, so you've got a wide array of serving options. I've shown them here on a bed of shredded romaine lettuce, drizzled with some leftover green goddess dressing. They're great with yogurt-based sauces, and our kids eat them with spicy ketchup. Pop them onto a bun or into a big lettuce leaf if you like, or serve alone. You really can't go wrong.

Prep: 45 minutes mins

Cook: 15 minutes mins

Total: 1 hour hr

Servings: 6

SaveSaved Pin Recipe Comment Print Recipe

Want to save this recipe?

Enter your email and I’ll send it to your inbox. Plus get great new recipes every week!

Please enable JavaScript in your browser to complete this form.

Email *

Save Recipe

Ingredients 

1x2x3x

• ▢ 1 cup (120 grams) fresh or thawed frozen fava beans
• ▢ 4 medium garlic cloves, minced
• ▢ ½ teaspoon ground cumin
• ▢ ½ teaspoon ground coriander
• ▢ ¼ teaspoon ground sweet paprika
• ▢ ¼ teaspoon ground turmeric
• ▢ ½ teaspoon fine sea salt
• ▢ ¼ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
• ▢ 10 ounces (284 grams) frozen chopped spinach, thawed
• ▢ 1 cup cooked quinoa
• ▢ 3 ounces (85 grams) crumbled feta
• ▢ 2 large eggs
• ▢ 2 tablespoons safflower oil for pan-frying

Cook ModePrevent your screen from going dark

Instructions 

• Preheat oven to 350°F with a rack in the center.
• Fill a medium pot with two inches of water and bring to a boil. Add the fava beans and cook for eight minutes, then transfer to a bowl of ice water to cool.
• Drain beans and slip each one from its whitish skin.. Place skinned beans into a large mixing bowl and mash with a potato masher or the back of a wooden spoon until you’ve created a chunky puree.
• Add the garlic, cumin, coriander, paprika, turmeric, salt, and pepper to the bowl. Mix with a fork to combine thoroughly.
• Squeeze out as much water from the spinach as possible and add drained spinach to the bowl. Break up any clumps with the fork any stir to incorporate.
• Add the quinoa and mix well.
• Beat the eggs and add to the bowl along with the feta. Mix until all ingredients are evenly dispersed.
• Use your hands to form the mixture into six even patties. Place on a plate and refrigerate for about 30 minutes.
• Heat the safflower oil over medium-high in a 12-inch oven-safe skillet. Arrange the burgers in a single layer and cook until golden brown on the underside, and then flip and cook two minutes more.
• Transfer skillet to oven and bake for 20 minutes. Burgers will be cooked through and firmer to the touch, but still tender inside.

Notes

1. Replace cooked fava beans with canned chickpeas or white beans if you like.
2. You can make these earlier in the day and serve at room temperature or reheated.
3. Leftovers will keep in the fridge for up to a week. Serve cold or reheat in the oven or toaster oven.
4. If you prefer, you can make these slider-sized and serve as an appetizer at a party. They would also work in a rounder shape as small meatless meatballs.
5. For a vegan adaptation, omit the feta and replace the eggs with two flax eggs. (One flax egg is one tablespoon of ground flaxseed stirred together with three tablespoons water and left to sit for five minutes before using.)

I first published this recipe here in 2012. I’ve since updated the post for clarity and made some changes to the recipe.

Nutrition

Calories: 111kcal, Carbohydrates: 16.2g, Protein: 6.3g, Fat: 2.8g, Fiber: 5.5g

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

Additional Info

Course: Fritters

Cuisine: American

Tried this recipe?Mention @umamigirl or tag #umamigirl!