Pesto White Bean Burgers

These flavor-packed white bean burgers are made with hearty cannellini beans, crunchy walnuts, and zesty basil pesto. They're easy to make with just a handful of ingredients — perfect for everything from cookouts to weeknight dinners!

Beans are where it's at when it comes to making veggie burgers. They're hearty, protein-packed, and great for holding all your other veggie burger ingredients together. I make veggie burgers out of all kinds of beans — just take a look at my black bean burgers, red kidney bean burgers, and Greek chickpea burgers.

But you know what beans don't get nearly enough love when it comes to veggie burger making? Good old cannellini beans! I'm talking about those big creamy white beans, also known as white kidney beans.. We all love a good bowl of white bean soup, but white bean burgers are just as wonderful.

These particular cannellini bean burgers are especially wonderful, because they also feature another delicious favorite: vegan pesto.

Normally when I make veggie burgers I like to throw in lots of spices and seasonings. They're usually necessary for flavor, and I love a burger that's full of flavor! Pesto is loaded with spices, seasonings and flavors, so all you need to do is add a few spoonfuls of it to pack your white bean burgers with deliciousness.

Jump to:

• Ingredients You'll Need
• How They're Made
• Variation: Baked Burgers
• Leftovers & Storage
• Prep-Ahead Tip
• What to Serve with Pesto White Bean Burgers
• Pesto White Bean Burgers

Ingredients You'll Need

• Walnuts. Nuts are great for adding flavor and texture to bean burgers. This particular recipe uses walnuts, but you could substitute them with similar nuts like pecans or hazelnuts.
• Cannellini beans. These are the white beans for our white bean burgers. Prefer to use a different variety of white bean? Go for it! Navy beans, great northern beans, butter beans and pinto beans would all work well.
• Panko breadcrumbs. Oat flour can be substituted if you need a gluten-free option.
• Vegan pesto. Be careful, because not all pesto is vegan. Many store-bought brands contain Parmesan cheese. You can use homemade vegan pesto, or seek out a vegan brand at the store, such as Amore brand pesto.
• Scallions. These are also known as green onions.
• Lemon juice. Use freshly squeezed lemon juice. Bottled lemon juice isn't nearly as flavorful.
• Salt.
• Olive oil.
• Burger buns.
• Toppings. Use your favorite burger toppings, such as vegan mayonnaise, extra pesto, hummus, lettuce, tomato and/or onion.

How They're Made

The following is a detailed photo tutorial on how to make this dish. Scroll all the way down if you'd like to skip right to the recipe!

Start by placing your walnuts into a food processor bowl and blending them until they're finely chopped.

Now add your beans, pesto, breadcrumbs, lemon juice, and scallions. Pulse the food processor until everything is finely chopped and well-mixed. Taste the mixture and season it with some salt.

Now test the mixture by grabbing some and pressing it together in your hands — if it holds together well, it's ready. If it's too crumbly, add some water and pulse the machine again.

Heat up some oil in a skillet and shape your burger mixture into patties. Cook them in batches, cooking as many patties as you can fit in the skillet at one time without crowding. They'll need about 5 minutes per side, and are done when they're browned and lightly crisped on the outside.

Tip: Handle your burgers carefully when cooking them. Vegan burgers are, by nature, more delicate than other types of burgers. I like to gently press on the top with a spatula while cooking, then use the spatula to pull the sides in. This helps pack the ingredients together and gives the patty a nice shape.

Stuff your white bean patties into buns and pile on the toppings. I like to dress my burgers with some extra pesto, vegan mozzarella-style slices, and vegan mayo.

Variation: Baked Burgers

Prefer to bake your veggie burgers? No problem! Place the patties on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Bake them in an oven preheated to 400°F for about 25 minutes, carefully turning them halfway through. They should be lightly browned when they're done.

Leftovers & Storage

Leftover white bean patties will keep in an airtight container in the fridge for about 3 days, or in the freezer for about 3 months.

Prep-Ahead Tip

The burger mixture can be blended in advance and stored in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 3 days, or in the freezer for up to 3 months. On the day of serving, thaw the mixture (if frozen), then shape it into patties and cook them according to the recipe.

What to Serve with Pesto White Bean Burgers

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