Best Black Bean Burger
Ingredients
- 3 cups cooked black beans drained and rinsed
- ⅓ cup yellow onion* grated (about ½ medium)
- 2 garlic cloves minced
- 2 chipotle peppers from a can of chipotles in adobo diced
- 2 tablespoons adobo sauce
- 1 tablespoon tamari
- 1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar
- 1 teaspoon ground cumin
- ½ teaspoon sea salt
- ½ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
- 1 large egg
- 1 cup panko bread crumbs
- Extra-virgin olive oil for brushing
- Cooking spray if grilling
- Whole grain or sprouted grain buns for serving (optional)
Instructions
- In a large bowl, combine the beans, onion, garlic, chipotles, adobo sauce, tamari, balsamic vinegar, cumin, salt, and pepper. Use a potato masher to mash until the mixture holds together but still has some visible chunks of black beans. Add the egg and use a spatula to fold until combined. Then, fold in the panko.
- Use your hands to form the mixture into 6 patties. The mixture should be cohesive and a little wet. If it’s too wet to handle, chill in the refrigerator for 20 minutes to firm up or mash your beans a little bit more.
- Heat a cast-iron skillet over medium heat. Brush with a little oil and cook the burgers for about 5 minutes per side, until charred on both sides, turning the heat down as necessary. The exact timing will depend on the heat of your stove and cookware.
- Alternatively, preheat an outdoor grill to 400°F. Lightly brush the patties with olive oil, spray the grill grates, and grill for 8 minutes on the first side and 4 minutes on the second side.
Notes
*Grate the onion on the large holes of a box grater. As you grate it, the onion will release a lot of liquid. That's normal! Add the wet onion pulp to the black bean mixture, leaving excess liquid behind on your work surface.
Credit: Love and Lemons