Spicy Black Bean Burgers

“What we don’t need in the midst of struggle is the shame for being human.”

And the cooking diaries continue y’all. Going a bit stir crazy and eating a little bit too much all while trying to balance out comfort foods and balanced foods. Sounds difficult right?? Heck yeah!

It’s sure is difficult right now to be eating anything nutritious. Quite frankly, it is downright impossible! Buttt…. this black bean burger comes together perfectly to bring in comfort and nutrition!

Don’t let the words in the directions fool you, this is not complicated to make what so ever. Since it was my first time making the burgers, I wanted to give as much detail as I could to help you make them as well! Promise, they come together fairly quickly and are super satisfying to eat.

This is a vegan black bean burger recipe, but feel free to use a flax egg or a regular egg if you prefer to make burgers with an egg. If this is your first time making a black bean burger, I think you can omit the egg and add in a bit of flour.

These black bean burgers have a softer texture with the crunch of quinoa and breadcrumbs which I just love! Tip: Serve on warm toasty brioche buns and top with your favorite toppings!

Black Bean Burgers

Servings 4 patties

Ingredients

For the burger:

• 1 15 oz 365 Organic Spicy Black Beans Can or any can of black beans
• 1 tbsp oil
• 2 garlic cloves minced
• 1/2 serrano chili diced
• 1/2 tsp hing
• 1/2 tsp cumin + 1/2 tsp cumin used in two separate steps
• 1 tsp taco seasoning + 1 tsp taco seasoning used in two separate steps
• 1/2 tsp chili powder
• 1/2 tsp smoked paprika
• 1/3 cup onions diced (about 1/2 an onion)
• 1/3 cup red bell pepper diced (about 1/2 a red bell pepper)
• 1/4 cup mushrooms diced
• 1/2 cup cooked quinoa
• 1-2 tbsps flour all purpose or 1 egg whisked (see directions and notes)
• 1/3 cup bread crumbs
• 2 tsps ketchup
• 1 tsp siracha sauce
• 1 tsp red pepper flakes
• 1/2 tsp dried parsley
• 1/4 tsp garlic powder
• Salt pepper to taste

Optional for assembly:

• 4 Brioche buns
• 4 Cheddar cheese slices or vegan cheese slices
• Tomato slices
• Cucumber slices
• Onions
• Cilantro mint chutney
• Ketchup
• Mashed avocado
• Chaat masala to sprinkle on top

Instructions

1. Rinse and drain black beans. Set aside. Make sure beans are completely drained and not wet when ready to use.

2. In a medium sized pan, heat oil until it begins to warm (on low heat). Once oil beings to warm, add in minced garlic cloves, diced serrano chili, 1/2 tsp hing, 1/2 tsp cumin, 1 tsp taco seasoning, chili powder and smoked paprika. Let the all ingredients come together until fragrant about ~30-60 seconds, mixing occasionally. Next add in diced onions, red bell pepper and mushrooms. Once again allow all ingredients to simmer together for several minutes on medium heat (about 5-6 minutes).

3. In a large bowl combine together black beans (make sure to blot to get rid of moisture) with the sautéed veggies. Mash the mixture with a fork or a potato masher. I find that a fork works best for me. Continue to press down until you have a mashed mixture with some whole pieces of black beans. Next add in quinoa and either a whisked egg or 1-2 tbsps of flour. If your mixture feels a bit loose, add in 2 tbsps of flour. Mix all ingredients together.

4. Next add in bread crumbs, ketchup, siracha sauce, red pepper flakes, 1/2 tsp cumin,1 tsp taco seasoning, dried parsley, garlic powder and salt and pepper to taste. You can taste test the mixture at this point. One more time, mix together so all ingredients are incorporated and then gently mash a couple more times. Form into 4 patties. (Patty tip: I like to start with four equal sized balls. Then place each ball on a flat surface and press down with the palm of your hand. This will create that round burger shape.)

5. Refrigerate the patties for a couple hours or freeze the patties for an hour before use. You can make these the night before.
6. When ready to cook the patties, pan fry on medium heat. About 3-4 mins on each side. If you did not use an egg, be careful when flipping the patties. Eggs bind the mixture together.
7. Assemble on brioche buns and serve with your favorite toppings!

Recipe Notes

• I made these burgers without the use of an egg. Eggs are used in making burgers because eggs bind together the ingredients. If you are vegan you can use a flax egg as mentioned in the directions, or you can use flour. I used flour and my mixture was fine. When you refrigerate / freeze the burgers will set.