Tis the season to be grilling!
I’m faking you out. These “burgers” aren’t grilled at all. In fact, they’re a meatless meal (but do they *almost* look like real, grilled burgers?). I’ve tried a handful of meatless veggie burger recipes over the years, and most of them end up being rejected or at least smushed into a tortilla and deemed “tasty, but not a burger,” like this favorite chickpea wrap.
A bit of Mexican flare and lots of bread crumbs resurrected these bean burgers from the certain demise of just being “refried beans”. (How to make frugal homemade breadcrumbs.) They were too spicy for my kids, but that’s easily remedied. We adults loved them, and this recipe is a definite “do over.” (That is, we’d eat them again, no problem.)
Black Bean Burgers (Mexican Style)
Ingredients
Instructions
- Allow legumes to cool if you just cooked them.
- Whiz them in a food processor along with vegetables and cilantro.
- When mostly smooth, add salt and pepper, eggs and a cup of bread crumbs, then more bread crumbs bit by bit until a firm consistency is reached.
- Roll into balls slightly larger than a golf ball, then flatten with the heel of your hand into patties.
- Cook in a greased skillet (preferably cast iron) about 5-8 minutes, turning at least once to keep even doneness.
Notes
This is too spicy for kids.
Adapted from True Adventures in Money Hacking
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How can these be made gluten free? Would almond meal or a bit of coconut flour work?
I have the same blue dishes!!!
You say these aren’t grilled, but could they be? Have you tried it yourself?
Jamie,
Hmmmmm….it’s been a while since I made them, but I’m thinking they wouldn’t be solid enough to not fall through the cracks…
🙂 Katie
Do you think these would freeze well? I recently went gluten free and am currently sugar and fruit free while I try to kick a Candida infection and I could really use some snacks/lunches to have on hand when I run out of fresh options…
Christina,
Yes, they definitely freeze acceptably. Separate them with waxed paper. Reheats in toaster oven or a skillet. 🙂 Katie
We love these! When I make these, we fold them in a whole wheat pita with lettuce and KS ranch.
I usually make a double batch and freeze half of them. I don’t usually cook them first. I form them into patties, then stick them on a cookie sheet to freeze. I then put them in a freezer bag (I know, plastic:( but it it gets a lot of air out). When ready to cook, I thaw them(not always completely) and pan fry them in coconut oil.
When freezing them, should I cook them first, or is it okay to freeze them raw?
★★★★★
Farhaana,
Should be fine either way! Sounds like you have a good system already. 🙂 Katie
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What do you use for buns? Are they store-bought or homemade?
.-= Kelli M´s last blog ..Thomas and Kathleen- Part One =-.
Lately I’ve been using homemade soaked whole wheat, but the recipe isn’t on my blog. It’s actually in the camping ebook, but based on one over at The Happy Housewife. Yummy!
🙂 Katie
I recently made chickpea and lentil patties. So good. I love making bean patties for dinner on a regular basis- a great way to use up leftovers!
.-= Jenn AKA The Leftover Queen´s last blog ..Goose Egg Vanilla Custard =-.
Have already cooked black beans in the freezer…I see this on my weekely menu SOON! *Blessings*
LIB
.-= Liberty´s last blog ..The one on the left =-.
I keep seeing this recipe pop up and it really does look delicious.
.-= Brenda´s last blog ..Cauliflower Bean Dip-TMTT =-.
I am going to have to try these!
I made some black bean “burgers” a few weeks ago and they had bread crumbs AND flour in them and they were very bland and dry and just tasted like we were eating bread “burgers” on a bun. Blech!
Hubs was not a fan at all and he probably wouldn’t be super excited about me trying again, but I think it would be such a great meal for our Meatless Mondays, if we could find a black bean burger that we actually liked.
Everything I’ve tried from KS has been good, so I’m sure these will be better than my last attempt! Thanks for the recipe!
Wow! I made these for dinner this evening! Kindred spirits…
.-= Dayna´s last blog ..Winding Down =-.
These look very tasty to me! I’m betting my kids would scarf them up too… I have some spicy-food-lovin’ kiddos. 😉 My husband, however? He won’t touch beans of any kind. It is a constant source of frustration for me (and my budget). Sigh…
.-= JessieLeigh´s last blog ..Death By Chocolate =-.