I’ve been experimenting with recipes recently from Veganomicon: The Ultimate Vegan Cookbook
I was quite suspicious. I always have trouble getting bean burgers to stick together without eggs, but an egg wasn’t the missing ingredient here, of course, since these were vegan burgers. What I was missing was the 1/2 cup of vital wheat gluten. Instead, I used 1/2 cup of Quick Mix. Whenever I make “regular” burgers, I add Quick Mix to the ground meat mixture. I know, it sounds odd to add baking mix to burgers, but it works really well! Then I add a couple eggs, too, but…. I was determined to see the vegan black burgers through to the end.
Here’s how I made them–with the surprisingly delightful results.
Black Bean Burgers
2 cups cooked black beans, drained
1/2 cup Quick Mix (or other baking mix)
1/2 cup bread crumbs
1 teaspoon chili powder
1 teaspoon garlic salt
1 teaspoon cumin
1 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
1 teaspoon onion powder
1 tablespoon ketchup
1/4 cup water
vegetable oil for frying
Mash beans–but not quite completely. It’s okay to still have a few partial beans in there, just mostly mash. Add the baking mix, bread crumbs, and seasonings; mix. Add ketchup and water. Mix well to blend. Dump the mixture out onto a baking mix-floured sheet and divide into 6 parts. Form each part into a ball.
Heat oil in a skillet over medium heat. Place three balls at a time in the hot oil. Mash with the spatula to make patties.
Fry about 7-8 minutes, till nicely browned–
–then flip to fry another 7-8 minutes on the other side.
I was amazed at how well these burgers stayed together and well, how meaty they appeared.
We had them with melted cheese on top because Weston’s vegan girlfriend wasn’t actually here. I was just trying out the recipe.
They were delicious! Don’t they look meaty???
Find the printable recipe here and save it to your recipe box:
Black Bean Burgers
P.S. You could change up the seasonings to suit yourself, of course, and even use half ground meat and half beans if you aren’t going for a vegan burger. It would stretch your meat dollar further and still make a yummy burger!
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Pete says:
Yummy!! I just LOVE veggie burgers, and these DO look wonderful. Thanks!
On March 28, 2011 at 8:22 am
AnnieB says:
Suzanne, will canned black beans work, do you think? And do you think the uncooked burgers would freeze well?
Thanks for the recipe – they sound GREAT!
On March 28, 2011 at 11:22 am
Suzanne McMinn says:
Annie, I’m sure canned beans would be fine! I’m planning to try freezing the patties, and I don’t see any reason that wouldn’t work. I want to have some onhand for when Weston’s girlfriend comes over unexpectedly or I’m busy and already have a non-vegan meal going. Then I can have something quick for her.
On March 28, 2011 at 11:28 am
AnnieB says:
TY Suzanne. We just had regular burgers last night. They were so good, but sometimes they feel awfully heavy. A good (good being the operative word) veggie burger would be great for when you don’t want something too rich. Can’t wait to try them!
On March 28, 2011 at 11:34 am
pnycat says:
These look very good. Garden Burgers are just a little to soft and thin. If anyone uses the canned black beans and/or freezes them will you please report back on your results?
On March 28, 2011 at 11:45 am
Rosemeri says:
Thanks Suzanne. I have been looking for something like this for a while now. Looks and sounds good. I also like the idea of mixing this with ground meat to not only stretch the meat but to make a healthier burger. I can also see adding some grated carrots and other vegies to the mix. Lots of possibilities.
On March 28, 2011 at 12:59 pm
Jennifer Robin says:
They look amazing… and I am a dedicated beef fanatic! I actually can’t wait to try this recipe. 🙂 I wonder what kind of cheese would taste best on them?
On March 28, 2011 at 2:14 pm
KimM says:
These look great, they are definitely going on my menu for next week. Thanks!
On March 28, 2011 at 2:19 pm
AnnieB says:
@Jennifer – I’d go with cheddar or jack cheese, in keeping with the tex-mex/southwestern black bean/cumin thing.
On March 28, 2011 at 7:58 pm
Lindsay says:
Oh those look tasty! I’ll have to give them a shot, I’ve been looking for a good black bean burger recipe. I’ve made them before with ‘meh’ results. Although you did just give me an excellent ‘stretch the meat dollar’ idea which I will absolutely have to submit after I tweak it a bit!
Those do look very meaty and impressive! I bet Weston’s girlfriend just loves you! 😉
Thanks for posting that!
On March 28, 2011 at 9:31 pm
lemniskate says:
And in case anyone’s wondering, I’ve found vital wheat gluten at the local super walmart. They might not carry it everywhere, but then again, it’s an easier place to check than a health food store.
On March 29, 2011 at 10:22 pm
Pete says:
Our local Kroger has it as well…
On March 31, 2011 at 8:14 am
Mountain Kimmie says:
I just made these tonight. I’v been meaning to try them since seeing this recipe, especially since I remembered I had a bag of dried black beans that had been languishing in the pantry for quite some time. I cooked the black beans in the pressure cooker, which is really fast & easy, drained them, and just took out the amount I needed for the burgers. The rest will go in the fridge for later or be frozen. I don’t like garlic, so I left that out and just used regular salt, and I didn’t have onion powder so I used a generous amount of dried minced onion (a staple I keep on hand and use all the time). Also I just used a small shake of cayenne pepper rather than the crushed red pepper flakes, and I didn’t have ground cumin so I partially ground some whole seeds. These came out great!!!!!! Really surprisingly tasty and satisfying. I topped them with cheddar cheese, just letting the cheese melt as they finished cooking in the pan, and served them on regular hamburger buns with ketchup. I imagine you could put all the regular burger fixings on if you wanted. There are only 2 of us, so the leftover patties are going into the freezer. I’ll report back later how successful this was. I’m thinking the frozen patties can go into the microwave with a slice of cheese on top for reheating. We are pretty meat-centric around here, but not against trying vegetarian recipes if we find them appealing. The nice thing is that now we have something good to serve when vegan friends come over. Thanks Suzanne!
On April 10, 2011 at 1:14 am