More Vegetarian Burgers
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If you’re no stranger to meatless burgers, then I guarantee you’ve had your fair share of less-than-ideal veggie burgers. Plant-based burgers can be difficult to create: they need to hold their shape, have a tender, not-mushy texture, and taste delicious. In this black bean burger recipe, I think I’ve nailed all three components. The secret? I focus on making the flavor the best it can be instead of trying to make these patties replicate the taste of beef. Whether you’re looking to go meatless or planning a vegetarian cookout, read on for how to make these burgers the best they can be:
What People Are Saying:
"Turned out perfect, delicious and kept their shape just fine. Whole family loved it. Will definitely make this again." - bpat
"Best black bean burger recipe I’ve ever had. Perfect consistency and holds together great and it’s delicious!" - OliveCherries
We're going to start off by roasting our black beans, mushrooms, and onions. Add the black beans to one baking sheet, and the mushrooms and onions to another since the black beans will be done earlier. Drizzle the mushrooms and onions with olive oil, and a bit of salt and pepper. Roasting our veg will dry them out so they don't contribute as much moisture to the patty, eliminating any mushy texture (yuck).
Once the beans are dry and have begun to split and the mushrooms and onions are tender, it's time to add them to the food processor. I like to just grab the foil under my black beans and use that to pour them in my food processor; if any stick, just use a spatula to scrape them off. Along with that, add the oats, chopped garlic, avocado, cilantro (or parsley), and seasonings. Blend everything together until very smooth and combined. Not blending your ingredients together well enough is the culprit to a patty that falls apart and won't stay together. Once your mixture is perfectly smooth, let it rest in the fridge for at least 10 minutes. If you want to, you can let these rest for even longer in the fridge.
Once you've let your mixture rest, it's time to form it into patties. I decided to go with 4 jumbo-sized patties for this recipe. They might seem big, but trust me—you're going to want an extra-large burger here. When forming your patties, the mixture should feel like clay in your hands. If it's too chunky or falling apart, blend your mixture again until it's smoother, then let rest again before moving on to forming your patties.
Now we can get to cookin'! Unlike beef burgers, we’re using a medium-low heat for these patties. This will give you that great crust, but will allow for the inside to come up to temp and get nice and toasty. Once they smell toasty and a few minutes have passed, check the underneath to see if a nice crisp, golden crust has formed. Then you can flip!
Once your patties are crisp, golden, and heated-through, you can remove them to start assembling your burger. You can use whatever burger toppings you love, but I personally love crunchy lettuce, sliced red onion, tomato, avocado, and a spread of mayonnaise, so that's what I'm using here. That being said, get creative—use your favorite toppings to create your best-ever black bean burger!
Full list of ingredients and directions can be found in the recipe below.
Uncooked, these patties can be stored in the refrigerator for 2-3 days. After you cook your patties, you can store them in an airtight container in the refrigerator for 2-3 days. Make another burger, or crumble them on top of your favorite salad or grain bowl.
(15-oz.) cans black beans, drained and rinsed
(3.5-oz.) package shiitake mushrooms, roughly chopped
yellow onion, thinly sliced
extra-virgin olive oil
Kosher salt
Freshly ground black pepper
old-fashioned oats
avocado, chopped
loosely packed cilantro or parsley leaves
cloves garlic, chopped
smoked paprika
chili powder
ground cumin
Vegetable oil, for cooking
Toasted hamburger buns
Lettuce
Sliced red onion
Sliced tomato
Sliced avocado
Vegan or regular mayonnaise
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