The Best Black Bean Burger

My husband and I went to India for a friend’s wedding over 20 years ago. I’ll never forget the amazing time we had celebrating the start of a beautiful marriage, enjoying time with friends while making new ones, the incredible sights we saw and so much more. I didn’t even mention the food part! We tried and enjoy so much delicious food. But, the one that really stuck with me was the McAloo Tikki Burger from McDonald’s. It sounds ridiculous, I know, but it was AMAZING and I still long for it over two decades later. Since developing that appreciation for “the veggie burger”, I’ve tried many, from restaurants to grocery stores. This homemade version is THE Best Black Bean Burger I’ve had thus far! While it’s not quite at the level of the McAloo Tikki Burger, it has definitely become a new favorite.

What Makes It The Best Black Bean Burger?

I’ve tried many a black bean/veggie burger now. Store-bought ones lack in taste and are often not actually good for you! They’re typically high in sodium, full of questionable ingredients and their consistency resembles cardboard – even the “good for you ones”. Restaurant versions are usually better, but you don’t know what’s REALLY in them. Plus, some of the best ones I’ve had were while we were on vacation in a different city (or country!), never to be had again.

This is THE Best Black Bean Burger for many reasons. It’s packed with so much flavor without overdosing on sodium and bad ingredients. It’s a great alternative to meat because it’s high in protein and fiber thanks to the black beans, feta cheese, flax seed, wheat germ and nutritional yeast. They’re really easy to make and you can make them ahead of time. Just keep them in the freezer for quick, wholesome and delicious meals when you don’t know what to make or have the time to cook. Little Sis just graduated from high school and for her graduation party, I made 56 patties, which were a huge hit! After several requests for the recipe, I think it’s finally time to share it!

I’m not very good at taking nice pictures of burgers, so this picture doesn’t do it justice. Please don’t let this unremarkable photo keep you from trying the Best Black Bean Burger yourself. It’s based off of Sally’s Baking Addiction’s The Best Black Bean Burgers I’ve Ever Had, but I’ve made some tweaks to make it hold together better, even more nutritious and a bit easier to make.

How to Prepare the Best Black Bean Burgers

The recipe is pretty straight forward and the steps are shown below. Just be sure to drain, rinse and allow some time for those black beans to dry a bit. Mash them up using a potato masher, a spoon, a fork or even the bottom of a mason jar. Mix up all the ingredients until you get a good consistency. The mixture will be a little sticky and mushy, but you should be able to form it into them patties. But if it’s just too wet, then add some more of the dry ingredients (panko, wheat germ, flax seed and nutritional yeast) to thicken it up a bit. This recipe is pretty forgiving!

Using a 1/2 cup measuring cup, get a level scoop of the mixture and flip it onto a baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Gently press them into patties 3 1/2″ wide and 3/4″ thick. This size fits nicely onto to a standard hamburger bun. For thicker patties, use a 1 cup scoop and fill 3/4 thick. This will yield fewer patties and require longer cooking times.

How to Cook the Best Black Bean Burgers

To fry fresh patties, heat pan with oil over medium to medium-high heat for a couple minutes and then place patties in pan. Cook for about 15 minutes, flipping about half way through, until internal temperature is 165 degrees F. When cooking from frozen, add extra time.

To bake fresh patties, pre-heat oven to 375 degrees F and bake for about 20 minutes, flipping half way through. When cooking from frozen, add extra time.

To grill fresh patties, place on greased foil and grill over med-high for about 15 minutes, flipping half way through. When cooking from frozen, add extra time.

To freeze, simply put baking sheet with parchment paper in freezer until patties are frozen. Then stack and layer patties between parchment parchment paper and store in freezer bag. You can thaw them in the fridge ahead of time or cook from frozen.

Enjoying Your Burgers

Once cooked, you can enjoy your black bean burgers any way you like! Eat them like a traditional burger or in a wrap with your favorite toppings. I love mine with cheese, lettuce, tomato, mayo mustard, ketchup and relish. YUM. Skip the burger if you prefer, and enjoy them on a lettuce bun or even crumbled on a salad! How do you like yours?

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Christine, aka happyvballgirl : )

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