I just LOVE these simple Spinach and White Bean Patties served with cool, creamy yogurt sauce as an easy meatless meal. These veggie burgers are great with or without a bun!
I think I’ve discovered the secret to feeding toddlers: put food in patty form.
These spinach and white bean patties were born out of a need to get more iron in my children- both were just slightly under the desired amount at their last doctor’s visit.
But they both don’t care for meat very much.
Spinach and beans are both wonderful plant-based sources of iron, and guess what? Both my 2 year old and 9 month old gobbled up these veggie burgers in record time.
And they’re SO easy to make!
Just mix together some canned white beans (drained and rinsed, of course) with some frozen spinach (drained and thawed), onion, garlic, and breadcrumbs, along with some salt and pepper.
Then, form the mixture into 12 patties (or 6 to make more hearty veggie burgers) and coat in bread crumbs, then pan-fry in olive oil. So easy!
And the yogurt mixture is SO good. It’s a simple mixture of Greek yogurt, fresh dill, lemon juice, salt, pepper, and extra-virgin olive oil. You can serve it as a dip for the patties or spread it on a bun if you want to serve this as a veggie burger.
How do I keep the veggie burgers from falling apart?
There are a few tricks to keeping these patties from falling apart, one of the most common problems with homemade veggie burgers.
First, make sure the onions are very finely diced. If you doubt your dicing skills, you can even grate the onion on a box grater. The smaller all the components of the patty are, the easier all the ingredients will bind together and stay together.
Second, make sure the spinach is as dry as possible. To thaw frozen spinach, I usually run hot water over it in a mesh sieve until it’s thawed out. Then, I press very firmly down with a wooden spoon, or sometimes my hands, to press as much water out as possible. If the spinach is too watery, the patties may be too sticky, hard to form, and fall apart easily.
Finally, mash the beans. Not completely- you want to leave a few intact for texture. Just mash them in the bowl with a fork or a potato masher before adding the other ingredients.
Should I bake or fry the veggie burgers?
You can bake OR fry these white bean patties. I chose to fry them in a nonstick skillet, because I wanted a crispy golden crust on the exterior.
I cooked them for 2 1/2 minutes on each side.
But if you bake them, they will be a bit more firm, which is perfect if you plan on serving these on a bun. That way, they won’t smush out the side of the bun when you bite down on it. I recommend 375 degrees F for about 20 minutes.
Want the best of both worlds? You can pan-fry the patties for a minute or so on each side, THEN bake them in the oven to finish them off. Viola!
Can I freeze these?
Yes! After cooking them, I recommend placing on a baking sheet and flash freezing them– freeze for about 30 minutes until they harden, then place them in an airtight container or zip-top bag. This will help them maintain their shape and not stick together.
You can then heat them up in the oven, in a skillet, or in the microwave when you are ready to eat them.
These would be great served on a bun spread with the yogurt sauce, topped with sliced red onion, tomatoes, and baby arugula. Or, they’re amazing topped with a poached or fried egg for brunch or brinner (I did this with the leftovers-yum!). You can make them smaller for a party appetizer or bigger for a more substantial veggie burger. Patties like this are so versatile!
If you like these Spinach and White Bean Patties with Yogurt Sauce, you’ll love these Shrimp and Zucchini Fritters with Yogurt Sauce, these Quinoa, Mushroom, and Zucchini Veggie Burgers, and these Salmon Burgers with Lemon Caper Aioli.
And be sure to check out this spanakopita pasta for another easy frozen spinach recipe!
Here’s the recipe!
Spinach and White Bean Patties with Yogurt Sauce
Ingredients
For the Patties:
- 15 oz. canned cannellini beans drained and rinsed
- 10 oz. chopped frozen spinach thawed, with as much liquid squeezed out as possible
- 1/2 yellow onion very finely diced or grated
- 2 cloves garlic minced on a microplane zester
- 3/4 cup plain breadcrumbs divided
- 1 egg
- 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1/4 teaspoon black pepper
- 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil plus more if needed
For the Sauce:
- 1 cup Greek Yogurt
- 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
- 1/4 cup fresh dill chopped
- 2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
- kosher salt to taste
- black pepper to taste
Instructions
- Put 1/2 cup of the breadcrumbs in a shallow bowl.
- Place the drained and rinsed cannellini beans in a large bowl and mash with a potato masher or fork, leaving some intact.
- Add remaining ingredients, including the rest of the breadcrumbs, for the patties to the bowl and mix together well, using plenty of salt and pepper.
- Form 12 patties, each using just under 1/4 cup of the white bean mixture.
- Coat the patties in the remaining breadcrumbs. After forming each of them, I just pressed each side into the breadcrumbs and set them on a baking sheet until I was done.
- Heat the olive oil in a large heavy skillet over medium-high heat and line a large plate with paper towels.
- Add the patties in batches and cook for about 2 1/2 minutes on each side, until golden brown and crispy and cooked all the way through. Place on the paper towel lined plate.
- Meanwhile, mix together all ingredients for the yogurt sauce and set aside.
- Serve patties immediately with yogurt sauce, or see notes for freezer instructions.
Notes
- Money Saving Tip: Cook your own dry beans rather than using canned. I like to cook a big batch and keep them frozen in jars, then pull a jar out for recipes like these.
- After cooking the patties, you can freeze them. I recommend flash freezing them for 30 minutes on a baking sheet, then transferring them to an airtight container or zip-top freezer bag. They can be microwaved, baked, or pan-fried to reheat them when you are ready to eat them. I like to take out a couple at a time for a quick lunch for my toddler (and me!).
- The yogurt sauce can be kept up to a week in the fridge. Stir before serving, as it may get a little watery.
- You can form the patties to be double the size and serve as veggie burgers on a bun spread with the yogurt sauce, topped with baby arugula, sliced fresh tomatoes, and thinly sliced red onion as an alternative.
- Or, you can make them half the size and make mini patties for an appetizer.
- The provided nutrition information does not include any added sodium from seasoning to taste, any optional ingredients, and it does not take brands into account. Feel free to calculate it yourself using this calculator or by adding the recipe to Yummly.
Nutrition
Nutrition Information Disclaimer
The provided nutrition information is my best estimate and reflects one serving of the recipe (total servings indicated at top of recipe card). It does not include any added sodium from seasoning to taste, any optional ingredients, and it does not take brands into account. I use an automatic API to calculate this information. Feel free to calculate it yourself using one of these tools:
Reiko C
SO good, thank you! Made with nettles I picked earlier in the day – boiled, drained (saved tea), sauteed in garlic and shallots and fresh jalapeno before mixing. Also nuked the drained beans for 3 mins before mashing. used panko in addition to the breadcrumb coating. GREAT patties!
Elizabeth Lindemann
So glad you liked it, and what a fun way to use nettles! Thanks for sharing this!
Jan Jihnstton
I found the original mix too wet, so just added extra crumbs. Also, I used chickpeas instead of the white beans, and added some grated cheese. So yum!! Will be making this again.
Elizabeth Lindemann
So glad you liked it!
Ruth
This recipe looks delicious! Would it be possible to bake them instead of frying ?
Elizabeth Lindemann
Sure! I recommend coating the bottom of a rimmed baking sheet with about 2 tablespoons of oil, then placing the patties on. Bake at 425 for about 10-12 minutes, then flip and bake for 10-12 minutes more, in the top half of your oven. They won’t get quite as browned and crispy, but it’s a lot easier (and less messy!) to bake them like this than use a frying pan. Hope that helps!
Bobbie Stark
I used kale instead of spinach. I also cooked them in the air fryer and topped them with a slice of fresh tomato. So delicious.
Elizabeth Lindemann
So glad you liked it, and great idea to do these in the air fryer!
Rhianna
Excellent recipe, thank you! I’ve struggled in the past with burgers/patties that turn out too dry or wet. This one is spot on! Great taste too. Will add them to my cooking rotation :)
Elizabeth Lindemann
Thank you! So glad you liked them :-)
Christine
Delicious, really easy and the variations are great too. Patties and fritters are always popular at my place.
Elizabeth Lindemann
So glad you liked it!
Jealith
Love this recipe. I also make it with zuchinni instead of spinach. Adding a bit of carrot also ramps up flavor. I was trying to stay vegan for a while and was told that instead of egg you can use what you usually drain from your beans as a binder. Egg works better.
Elizabeth Lindemann
Ooo I love the idea of using zucchini for this! And adding carrots! Thanks for the suggestions. I’ve heard the liquid from chickpeas, specifically (aquafaba) is good for binding, and you can use it for vegan meringue, but an egg is a much more effective binder for sure. Flax and chia “eggs” may work better than the liquid from legumes, too, for a vegan option. So glad you like this recipe!
Milena
Can I use something else instead of the egg? Thank you!
Elizabeth Lindemann
Good question! The egg acts as a binder, but other ingredients can do that as well. You may want to try to use a flax egg (flaxseed and water mixed together). The breadcrumbs also act as a binder, so adding a little liquid in place of the egg (water or milk or something) for the breadcrumbs to absorb could work. Or, you can probably just leave it out and prepare yourself for patties that may fall apart a bit more easily. Here’s a cool list of vegan binders that I just found- maybe some of those would be helpful too! https://veganburgermaster.com/vegan-binders/ Hope that helps :-)
Christine Vetne
Elizabeth. Started making them yesterday, got to late to fry up so covered and put in the fright. Today, added two eggs, not one. They fried up in small patties after using the small baller and then pushing down gently with a fork. Other than the eggs, it was a perfect taste. We loved it recipe, however no yogurt sauce. I give 5 stars.
Elizabeth
Aw yay, so glad you liked the recipe! Thanks so much for the review! :-)
Kittie
Can I use fresh spinach instead of frozen?
Elizabeth
Yes! Just cook it first a bit (I usually steam it) and then squeeze as much liquid out as possible. I also recommend chopping it up so the pieces are smaller in the patties. Hope that helps!