Vegan Cajun Red Beans and Rice Classic Dish turned into burgers! These are so flavorful, filling and delicious! They are topped with a wonderful Cajun cream sauce!
My husband grew up in Louisiana and loves cajun food. Even though I didn’t grow up there, I love it too. Red Beans and Rice is one of my absolute favorite dishes of all time and one that my mom made constantly when I was a child.
The love I have for that classic dish I decided to turn into some burgers. These are amazing and delicious. They are also super easy to make. I created a spicy cajun cream sauce made from cashews to go on top of them and oh boy, cajun heaven. This whole meal is bursting with flavor.
These are just 8 ingredients but are so loaded with flavor, you’d never know.
Do those look delicious or what?
I hope you love these Vegan Cajun Red Beans and Rice Burgers! Be sure to let me know what you think!
Cajun Red Beans and Rice Veggie Burgers
Only 8 ingredients (+salt & water) needed for these amazing Cajun veggie burgers. These are loaded with flavor and hearty texture. They are a breeze to make and will be loved by all.
Ingredients
FOR THE RICE
- 1 cup uncooked jasmine brown rice
- 2 cups water
- 1/2 teaspoon fine sea salt
FOR THE BURGERS
- 1 cup (140g) green bell pepper finely diced
- 1 cup (140g) finely diced yellow or white onion
- 2 15 oz cans of salt-free red kidney beans
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1/2 teaspoon dried thyme
- 2-3 teaspoons cajun seasoning (this is a blend from the store, with salt already added, start with 2 teaspoons and add more if desired. I used 3 for a strong flavor)
- 1 1/2 tablespoons vegan worcestershire sauce
Cajun Cream Sauce
- 1 cup (140g) raw cashews (140 g, soaked overnight if you don't have a high-powered blender, see NOTES below for sub)
- 1/2 cup + 2 tablespoons water
- 1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar
- 1 1/2 teaspoons cajun seasoning
- 1/2 teaspoon dried thyme
- 1/8 teaspoon cayenne pepper
- 1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
NOTE
- The reason why I added cayenne pepper to this sauce and not the burger is because the burgers had a lot of veggies and beans and rice that could handle a strong amount of the cajun seasoning and work well. However, this sauce is just liquid and adding too much cajun seasoning required to get a strong flavor would have made it too salty (because it includes salt), so that is why there is added cayenne and black pepper. It truly perfected it.
Instructions
- It is important to prepare the burgers right after making the rice, while it is still warm, as it helps to form the burgers.
- Add your rice, water and salt to a small pot and bring to a boil. Once boiling, stir and cover and reduce to low. Simmer for about 30 minutes or until all the water is gone.
- Remove from the heat, stir again and cover and let it sit for 10 minutes. Fluff with a fork and leave the lid off.
- While the rice is cooking, cook your veggies. Add the bell pepper and onion to a pan with 3 tablespoons water over medium-low heat.
- Cook for about 8 minutes until the veggies are tender and all the water is gone. It's important all the water is gone before the next step.
- While the veggies are cooking, drain and rinse your beans. Add one can to a large bowl and mash the beans with a fork into a paste. Now add the other beans to the bowl, but do not mash them.
- Preheat your oven to 350°F (177°C) and line a sheet pan with parchment paper.
- Add the cooked veggies and rice to the beans, just giving it one quick stir to mix.
- In a small cup, combine the garlic powder, thyme, cajun seasoning and worcestershire and stir well. Pour the spices over the bean/rice mixture.
- Now, you are going to need to stir and stir and stir this mixture for a good 5 minutes or more until it's all well mixed and all the spices are thoroughly blended into the mixture. You will need to stir and press the mixture with the back of your spoon. This will cause the starches to release from the rice and make the mixture become very sticky and thick. Keep stirring until it is very sticky, otherwise the burgers will not hold.
- Using a 1/2 measuring cup, scoop out the mixture and pack it in and level off. Plop the burger mixture on the parchment lined pan. Repeat with all the mixture. You should get 7 large patties.
- Press the patties down to 1 inch thick and smooth along the sides to help form the shape. This is important so they stick. Bake for 40 minutes on the first side.
- Use a thin metal spatula to carefully slide under the burgers and flip them. They will still be rather delicate, so be gentle when flipping them. Don't try to flip them with your hands or they will fall apart. They will be nice and firm by the time they are ready to eat though.
- Bake for another 10 minutes until they have a nice golden brown top and are slightly crispy. The rice forms a nice crispy coating which is so delicious.
- Cool 10 minutes before eating, as this is important so they firm up. If you make smaller burgers, you may need to adjust the baking time. I have only made these as large patties.
- Top your burgers with cajun cream sauce (see recipe below) and any other toppings of choice. I added sliced avocado, tomatoes and spinach leaves. So dang good I nearly died.
- FOR THE CAJUN CREAM SAUCE: The 1/8 teaspoon cayenne gives a nice spicy kick to this, just as a Cajun dish would have, but if you are sensitive, start out with 1/16th. Add all of the ingredients to a high-powered blender and blend, scrape the sides and blend until completely smooth. If you don't have a high-powered blender, I recommend soaking the nuts as long as you can so they are super soft and blend the ingredients in a food processor, as I've found a regular blender doesn't work well.
Notes
If you don't want to use a store-bought Cajun seasoning because of the added salt, you can make my homemade salt-free seasoning here. If using this one, you will need to add salt to the burger mixture. I'd suggest 1/2-3/4 teaspoon and taste the burger mixture after mixing.
Tried this recipe?Tag @thevegan8 on Instagram and use tag #thevegan8!
Brandi, those look out of this world so beautiful! You know I could live off of burgers. I love rice and beans so much combine those to create a burger recipe is just genius! But not only these Burgers looks so amazing that sauce looks and sounds to die for. Your Pictures are just stunning and I really love your lighting, so beautiful! Those pictures are so bright and inviting. Love the look of these burgers so thick and rich and that sauce with the cajun seasoning I bet this must taste so flavorful and delicious. I’m hungry, Brandi! 🙂
Wow, Florian! Thank you so much for such kind comments, I really appreciate them so very much! I’m so touched you loved the photos and lighting so much! I really wanted these to have a rustic, warm look to them and think I achieved it 🙂 Thank you as always!
I didn’t eat a lot of Cajun flavored meals growing up, but I would do some serious damage on two of these burgers right now.
Brandi, Im going to have to try these super soon. The burger buns look amazing too. What brand do you use?
Thank you so much Rita! The only ones that are decent and not filled full of awful ingredients are ones I buy from Whole Foods. They are not gluten-free though. I slightly toast them before eating a veggie burger and that really helps the flavor. I’m actually working on a gluten-free bun recipe for a reader request and because I cannot find any gluten-free buns around that aren’t hockey pucks, but creating the recipe has not been easy. Hoping to nail it very soon!
These look fantastic! I love the really rustic rice and beans texture instead of a perfect patty, and I’m amazed that just the hot rice was enough to glue it all together! You would think that I would be familiar with red beans and rice considering my mom’s whole family is cajun and from Louisiana, but nope never actually had it ha! I don’t think I realized until now that you live in Texas. It seems like there are so few of us vegan bloggers in the south, everyone is in the PNW or CA. But hey it makes for lots of new recipes to veganize that haven’t been done before 🙂
Aww thanks so much Natalie!! Yes, and glad you mentioned rustic because that is what red beans and rice are, and also the type of photo setup I tried to have go with the recipe. Rustic, warm, relaxing and comforting….because that is honestly what red beans and rice are to me! I cannot believe you’ve never had it!!! It’s so darn good and I love spicy southern flavors and I made this one with a nice kick, but it can be made milder if desired, but whyyyyy? haha! You are right too, a lot of Callie people! I don’t see many Louisiana type recipes posted from bloggers, so I’ll be glad to load the internet with them, LOL!
Oh, those CA folks have it easy! SoCal is vegan heaven. We have a few up here in the NE! NY and CT are representing too! :-p
But we sure won’t mind joining ya’ll in the south!
I’ll probably make a double batch and flash freeze them – they look amazing!!! Plus, anything I can put an avocado on wins in my book!
Can I just tell you how much I appreciate the “back to top” button you have? Such a little thing, but it makes a big difference, IMO!
Heck yes, the avocado just adds another creamy addition to the amazing burger! It was seriously I think the best veggie burger I’ve had, I just love these types of flavors! I can’t wait to hear what you think, be sure to come back and let me know! 🙂 Oh and I’m glad you love the button!
This recipe looks fabulous, and I can’t wait to try it. Do you think it would be OK to sub Tony Chachere Creole Seasoning? I know it’s not the same as Cajun seasoning, but I try not to use salt. Tony Chachere has a salt-free version; it doesn’t look like Louisiana Fish Fry Products has anything that is salt-free. Thanks!
I just ordered a bottle of Frontier Cajun Seasoning. It has no sodium. I won’t be able to compare it to the Louisiana Fish Fry brand. Hopefully it will be a reasonable substitute.
Oh awesome! I’m sure that will be a close sub, I would definitely add some salt to the burgers on your own though or it’s really going to taste bland, since salt brings out other flavors. Please let me know what you think of them, thank you!
Hi Patt, I can’t say since I only tested it with the Cajun seasoning, so it may taste different. I would just add as much as you want until you like the taste of the batter, keeping in mind it mellows out after cooking, so you want the batter fairly strong. It will be really bland in flavor with no salt, so I would definitely add some, at least on your own to the mix.
Yes, very creative! Love the sound of this! I LOVE cajun spices. And super easy too! Yum!
Wow, Brandi! These burgers are so beautiful and I love rice and beans! My non-vegan boyfriend loves rice and beans too so I think this is the perfect veggie burger to make for him! I’m making it this weekend, yay! So happy to see this in my inbox this morning, and that sauce…yum
Awww so sweet, thank you so much Nicole for your kind words! We happily devoured every morsel of these burgers! Let me know if you make them!
Wowza!!!!!! What a creative take on a classic!! Red beans and rice were an absolute favorite of mine growing up! This burger looks so thick and hearty AND that sauce!! Omg. I’d put it on everything! Adding these two recipes to my list! Can’t wait!! ❤️
Cajun is always good! I mean, who would turn down dishes like dirty rice? The comfort and flavors <3
These burgers look fantastic and you know I love any type of dish with a cashew component!
These look unbelievably delicious. I definitely need these in my life. Do you think macadamia nuts would work for the sauce since? This burger looks so freaking dreamy. I also really like your Mexican Black Bean burger recipe. Only problem is finding a gluten free bun that isn’t full of crap. And I really don’t want to eat it wrapped in lettuce. That doesn’t sound fun. So I am eagerly awaiting your gluten free bun recipe 🙂 If I get a good bun I would tear your burgers up. Meaning eat them very excitedly and a lot of them Hahah. I am curious did you train in photography at all? You pictures are just insane. I don’t know how you do it. I can’t take a good pic to save my life. Hahahaha.
If you don’t mind the taste of macadamias and you have a strong blender, then it should work ok. I do not like the taste of macadamias in sauces, it’s too strong, but some people like it. They are also harder to blend, so I would soak them some first. I know, most buns are JUNK! The Whole Foods ones I buy are the only ones with good ingredients. It’s impossible to find a GF one without eggs, so I have to buy the wheat ones. I only really use them on occasion or just use bread cutouts.
Awwww, you are the sweetest! Thank you so very much! I really appreciate the compliment. Nope, never trained, I’m a real independent sucker who loves to learn things on my own, lol, stubborn I guess. I’ve always been afraid that a course would influence my style, which I don’t want. So, what I’ve learned is just practice, practice, practice and I’m still learning constantly! I have really dove deep into learning my camera and how to work with all the settings. The more you learn your camera and how to manipulate light, the better you will become, so don’t give up! I’ve taken hundreds of crappy photos, trust me! Trying to answer the best I can. Haha! Thank you again! 🙂
Very impressive that you are self taught. I appreciated your detailed response so thank you 🙂 Ok thank you for your feedback about the macadamias. I didn’t think about their strong flavor that makes sense. I will give it a shot with raw macadamias and see how it goes. Maybe raw will be slightly less strong tasting.
Thank you Christina, I just noticed I rambled, sorry! Let me know if you try them with the macadamias!
What a great idea to turn this into a burger! My kind of burger, too! Your pictures are really pretty!
Thank you so much Patricia, so kind of you!
YES. PLEASE. I adore rice and beans in my burgers and make some variation all the time. This is definitely in on the next round!
I love making a traditional red beans and rice dish into a burger. Nothing like a fun Cajun kick too!
The lighting! And the photos look so crisp!!! I’m amazed, Brandi!! Can I ask you what lense you use? If you created a photography book, I’d buy it!! 😀
Love the recipe too, by the way!
You are so kind Howie, thank you so much! I love really crisp, sharp photos…I hate blurry out-of-focus ones. Sure, I use this one and it’s an amazing lens. Worth every penny. I alternate between it and my 50 mm. I just noticed it’s currently on sale $100 off. And if I ever do a photography book (not likely), I’ll hold you to that, haha! 🙂 http://shop.usa.canon.com/shop/en/catalog/ef-100mm-f-28l-macro-is-usm?searchTerm=100%20mm%20macro%20is
Rice makes such a basis for burger patties… This burger looks truly amazing and I love the homemade cajun cream sauce.. your photos are gorgeous. You get me drooling every single time! <3 Love it! & Pinned!
Awww Bianca, you are the best, that means so much to me! I’m still drooling over your chocolate chunk muffins, wow!
These look fantastical!
Thank you Becky!!
I made this Friday. Ahhhhhmazing! Had leftovers today for lunch. I normally do not like veggie burger leftovers, but these were delicious. I love how the sauce compliments the burgers flavor. It is not necessary, but I definitely loved it. Like you said, the sauce would go great on so many things. Thanks again for another delicious recipe!
That thick avocado, that drizzling sauce, this burger is shouting “eat me!” I love it. Definitely need to get my veggie burger on more often.
I drool at your pictures- Seriously, SO crisp, I can pretty much count each bean in there lol. Okay maybe not but still.
I love red beans and rice but would have never thought to make a burger out of them. What a wonderful idea. This looks delicious.
These sound wonderful! I love the flavors. Your pics are awesome too, they really do these lovely-sounding burgers justice!
Oh wow! This burger looks absolutely amazing, Brandi!! What a great combo! 🙂 I’m seriously drooling over here!
That sauce looks killer!
this looks great! I have never tried baking my veggie burger before, I have only done them in a skillet pan with some non-stick spray… I bet this way in the oven was awesome! I definitely need to try that next time! 😉 YUM
Brandi!
Thinking about you today and decided to drop in to the Vegan 8. Damn, this is a yummy looking creation! I should have figured I would find something that I wished I’d made for dinner!
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So sweet, thank you so much Greg!
That cream sauce sounds amazing, and I love a good veggie burger! These flavors sound delicious!
This burger looks delicious! Love the combo of brown rice and kidney beans and the recipe seems super easy. I’ve been meaning to make my own burgers so hopefully I’ll have time to try this recipe soon!
Thank you Anjali! They are amazing, I hope you try them!
I made burgers inspired by this tonight! I planned to make the actual recipe, but had a bunch of lentil/brown rice veggie burger dough leftover from Sunday that I still needed to bake up. I added Cajun seasoning and worstershire (that just auto corrected to “worst worshipper” ?) and went with it. I grilled up onions and peppers as a topping and made your Cajun sauce with the fat free sub of cooked Yukon potato instead of cashews or white beans. I needed to add a bit of cashew milk, but otherwise it turned out great. So great that after trying a bite of mine, Mr. Pebbles (who had just arrived home from a catered work party) refused to give my sandwich back! Lol. I made another one for me and we were both happy.
Oh I’m so happy everybody loved these! The lentils sound like they were a great sub for beans! So glad that worked out and you stuck with the flavorings I used and it worked so well! Thank you so much for the feedback!!
The Vegan 8’s Cajun Red Beans & Rice Veggie Burgers with a Dreamy Cajun Cream Sauce were “OUT OF THIS WORLD”. No exaggeration. I never had time to make these, as planned, last Friday night–so the Lab Rat (my husband) volunteered to make them for dinner on Tuesday. These are keepers. Add lettuce, tomato, maybe a slice of avocado & you’ll be in Cajun heaven. Really!!! I knew I had to make them after reading Brandi’s Instagram description & they totally lived up to the hype:
“I took the classic Southern dish “Red Beans and Rice” and turned it into a burger and it’s purely AWESOME. These are full of Cajun flavor, spicy kick and tang. These burgers have the most amazing hearty, chewy and moist texture….and the sauce really takes this burger to burger heaven. It’s big, juicy, creamy, spicy and glorious!” She is SO RIGHT!
Me, calling from work: “So, how did the burgers turn out?”
The Lab Rat (the husband): “FABULOUS! Even the raw batter was delicious.”
This recipe make seven large “spiced just right” burgers you are going to love. BTW: They’re all gone now. Snarfed them up for lunch & last night’s dinner, too. The sauce is out-of-this-world. Perfect as a dipping sauce for the roasted potatoes that went along with the burgers, too.
The ONLY thing the Lab Rat did differently was to cook them longer. Instead of 40 minutes on the first side, he added about 5-10 more minutes before flipping them–and flipped them very carefully. He needed about 15 more minutes of baking on the second side. But, maybe that’s just our oven. He also thought it would be better to use a Silpat, instead of parchment paper to make the flipping easier, & to bake them using convection mode.
Thank you so much for your AMAZING review!! You really made my day! Thank you for posting this review both on Facebook and my blog, it is so appreciated!! So happy to hear they were such a hit!
Made it tonight and everyone loved them! They were so delicious and the smell was heavenly. I used the leftover Cajun Cream on a bagel today however, there were no leftover burgers! ? Definitely a recipe I will make over and over again. Thanks Brandi!
I’m so very happy to hear that Beverley! Thank you so much for this awesome feedback!
I just found your website through this one:
http://blog.kptncook.com/2015/08/06/15-vegan-blogs-on-the-rise/
And, I have to admit, this recipe has me hooked! I thought I had finished my shopping for the week, but as quickly as this prints its off to the store again. I have to try these, they look so delicious! Totally a winner.
I am glad to find your blog, anybody who can help me learn the Vegan lifestyle and enjoy Cajun? Tops in my book. dave.
Oh I’m so happy you found me Dave! Please come back and let me know what you think of these burgers, thank you!
I made these tonight. My omnivore partner thinks they are great and worth the effort! We put avocado on them and had baked sweet potato (yams actually) fries seasoned with cinnamon on the side.
I want to ask about the cashew sauce. It made *way* more than we could eat. Can I freeze it to go with the burgers I’m freezing for later? Next time I’ll only make a quarter recipe.
I’m so happy to hear these were a hit, thank you so much for the feedback! I think freezing should be fine, I’ve never tried it, but I imagine just thawing it in the fridge should be fine. I wouldn’t heat it up though because cashew based sauces can reheat a little strange.
Love, love, love these burgers!! Thank you for sharing the recipe. My husband and I love them so much that we have a “Cajun Burger Tuesday”.
Woohoo, I’m so honored you named a day after this recipe, wow!! Thank you so much Tiffany!! They are definitely my favorite burger!
I can’t wait to make these! Is the nutritional information for the burger only or with the sauce too?
Brandi,
Absolutely love this recipe! I made it a week or so ago and really enjoyed it. I am new to the Plant Based lifestyle and this was a great recipe to help instill in me that delicious can be made simple with only a few ingredients! I made one change to it and that was to use black beans instead of the red beans. I had them in the pantry! 🙂 No grocery trip was needed for this recipe! I am now going through and finding things that I can help move me along in this new lifestyle choice.
“And to every beast of the earth, and to every bird of the air, and to everything that creeps on the earth, everything that has the breath of life, I have given every green plant for food.” —Genesis 1:30
Keep the good ideas coming!!
That is just wonderful Stuart! Thank you so much for the wonderful feedback. So happy you loved the recipe!
Lovely burgers, another realistically repeatable recipe vegans love to use!
I think if most of us are honest the quick, easy route is the one we all go for most and when the nutrition and taste are there what could go wrong?
Really interested in your promise if a gf bun to come. There are so few recipes about and any quick and simple (foolproof may be a bit much to ask, and YEAST FREE as so many of us are so ill with that) yes please!
I’m so glad you loved these burgers, thank you so much for the feedback!!
OMG your website and social media blogs are a GOD SEND!! Thanks so much for also including stores to purchase products. I grew in Cypress ( Bobcat Fight Never Dies 🙂 and now live in Kingwood, so I have to make many trips to Central Market, Trader Joes and Whole Foods in the Galleria area. Your Kroger and HEB suggestions have helped me enormously since I have those right here in the neighborhood. I will definitely continue to follow you and wish you continued success. Maybe we could all send petition for Food Network to create a show geared towards Vegans and Gluten Free and have you HOST IT!!!
Oh, Nini, you are so sweet! Thank you so much for such a kind comment! So glad to hear my site has been such a wonderful help to you! Haha, Food Network, yes, they totally need a Vegan show!! Thank you again for taking the time to comment 🙂
I’m new on my vegan journey and was so glad I came across this recipe. These burgers are super yummy!!!!! The sauce and burger combined were just out of this world. My husband took all the leftover burgers and sauce to his job and everyone LOVED it. Mind you these are non-vegan people. They were asking for the recipe, as well. This will definitely be in our dinner rotation. Thank you for sharing!!
Yay Anita! I’m so happy to hear how much everybody, including all the non-vegans loved them! Thank you so much for the wonderful review!
I have made these burgers several times and absolutely LOVE them!!! Once in awhile I find that brown rice is a little heavy for me. Would these burgers work with white rice, or would they not be substantial enough? If they can be done with white rice is there a particular type you’d recommend?
So happy to hear that Heather!! Yes, I think it would work great, I would just cook 1 cup of white rice (jasmine) should work well with 1 1/2 cups water and 1/4 teaspoon for 15 minutes until the water is gone, cover for 5 minutes and then fluff with a fork. White rice needs less water than brown. Also, would you mind leaving a star rating, thank you Heather!
Never mind I found it! Definitely a 5 star recipe!!!
Thank you so much Heather! My recipe card plugin I recently switched, so I’ve had trouble with the ratings appearing, so thank you!
The burgers worked great with the white rice!! Thank you Brandi! In the past I have been lazy about making the creamy Cajun sauce to go with them, but this time I did it! So AMAZING I was scraping the blender for every last drop!!