Spicy (or not) Black Bean Burgers

I have tried making black bean burgers several times, all the times previous have been utter failures. They were mushy and the flavor was just off. I don’t particularly care for any of the store bought burgers either. I had to remedy this situation with a little testing and I finally came up with a spicy (or not) black bean burger I really love! I’ll let you know everything I figured out with the testing . Also, the heat I used in these burgers came from cayenne pepper, as noted in the recipe below, you can add this or not. We always like a little spice, so we love it!

I generally cook my black beans in my pressure cooker and make big batches at a time. If you are doing them with a pressure cooker, I use 1 pound of beans with 7 cups of water, 2 teaspoons salt and 1 tablespoon minced garlic. Pressure cook on high for 24 minutes, then natural release. You can also cook it longer, about 40 minutes and quick release. I am not sure which is faster?

Once they are finished, or if you buy them canned, drain and rinse.

Next, pat them dry. I laid mine on a paper towel lined sheet pan. They don’t need to be perfectly dry, just get some of the moisture off. Then I moved them off the pan , by bundling the paper towel and scooping them up. Line the sheet pan with parchment and bake at least 15-25 minutes.

While the beans are baking, start sauteeing your veggies. You should always do this for burgers, meatloaf and meatballs. You want the excess moisture from the veggies out first. You really can choose any veggies you want, for mine I used bell peppers, onions and garlic. Mushroom, celery, carrots etc would be great as well.

You will want to cut your veggies fairly small, you want them to cook quickly.

Saute them for 5-8 minutes until softened.

Here are the finished veggies.

Next, add them to a food processor or blender.

I pulsed mine just a little, I wanted the veggies in a smaller pieces than what they were.

I was gifted some new ketchup. A beetroot ketchup. I was a little leery at first, but it was really good! We used the hot.

Add a few eggs.

You can use breadcrumbs as a binder, but I wanted to try a gluten free version with oat flour. It worked perfectly. I ground mine oat groats in my Nutrimill, but you can always buy the oat flour.

I made ours a southwestern style burger, so I used those spices. They are in the recipe below.

The Cotija was so good in here too. You could also use a Monterrey or even a cheddar if you prefer.

The finished beans. You will want to make sure they are pretty dry, but not totally dry.

Allow to cool slightly then add to the food processor.

Don’t pulse too much, you still want chunks in your burgers.

I baked mine so I scooped them back on to the same sheet I baked my beans on. No need to waste parchment or dirty another pan. Flatten and form. It should be a little sticky, but not super wet.

Flip halfway through baking time.

Although you can make these ahead of time and freeze, they really are so much better fresh.

Serve your burgers how you choose. We didn’t have much in the house, other than red onions, tomatoes and spinach. It would have been even better with sauteed mushrooms, avocado etc. I didn’t top with cheese either, I am watching my calories again and didn’t want to use them there!

Sorry, these aren’t my best photos. Sometimes your family is just ready to eat!

Anyway, I definitely recommend them! They are such a tasty burger!