Black Bean Burgers

Delicious black bean burgers with sesame seeds, almonds, carrots and cumin. Vegan and gluten free. Perfect for a burger or on a salad.

This recipe was my Goldilocks of veggie burger trials. The first one was way too dry, the second was far too wet, and the third, well you know how the story goes – it was just right! I set out to create the perfect veggie patty, something that had a nice crumb texture to it and was delicate enough to be enjoyed in a salad, but at the time held together enough so you could call it a burger, stack it up in a bun with your favorite toppings and really sink your teeth into it. I also had a few other requirements, I didn’t want to have to cook a million other things on the side, I wanted the dough to come together fast with minimal effort and I needed it to be packed full of flavor. Combined with the desire for this recipe to be vegan and gluten free, this was no easy task.

 There are a million veggie burger recipes out there, the world of food blogging has made choosing a recipe far too overwhelming. Its all about trial and error, changing up different ingredients, and when it fails, adjust and try again. If something about a recipe seems off to you – too much liquid, too little binding ingredients – then it very well may be, trust your opinion and your taste buds, its the best way to create a recipe that you really love. And I’m sure your friends and co-workers won’t complain about the samples either! So I hope this recipe pulls through for you – because sometimes, in the dead of winter, a girl just needs a burger. 


NUTTY BLACK BEAN PATTIES

This recipe makes 4 large or 6 medium burgers. I find the smaller they are the better they stay together,  so you could even divide the dough into smaller patties and make black bean sliders! Its up to you!

Ingredients

1 tablespoon flax seeds
1/4 cup sesame seeds
1/2 cup slivered almonds
1/4 sunflower seeds
1/4 cup rolled oats*
2 gloves garlic
1 cup grated carrots
1 heaping tablespoon tahini
1 1/2 cup cooked black beans
1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
1/2 teaspoon ground coriander
3 teaspoons tamari or soy sauce
Juice of half a small lime

for serving (optional)

avocado
cilantro
rocket (of greens of you choice, if your going for a salad)
lemon juice
olive oil
burger buns (if your going for a burger)

Instructions

Place the flax seeds in a small bowl and cover them with water, set aside while you prep the rest of the ingredients

Toast the sesame seeds and slivered almonds in a pan over medium heat, stirring often. Remove from heat once they start becoming aromatic and brown – set aside to cool

In a food processor – combine the rolled oats and sunflower seeds on high and let it run until the mixture resembles coarse breadcrumbs

To the food processor add the toasted nuts, garlic, and carrots and mix until well combined

Strain the water from the flax seeds and add to the food processor with the rest of the ingredients and pulse to combine – leaving some larger chunks of black beans

The dough is done – you can taste here and adjust seasonings if you want

Transfer the dough to a bowl and cover with plastic wrap and set in the fridge for at least an hour or overnight. I find the longer the dough stays in the fridge the easier it is to work with.

When your ready eat, preheat the oven to 400 F and lightly oil a baking sheet with olive oil. Place the baking sheet in the oven for 15 minutes. Remove your dough from the fridge, divide into equal size portions and form each section into a patty shape. Take your hot baking sheet out of the oven and place the patties on it,  lightly pressing down on the top of each with a spatula, and drizzle the top with  little bit more olive oil.

Bake in the oven for about 8 minutes, then gently flip them over to bake on the other side for another 8 minutes. Once flipped over, lightly press down the other side with a spatula again (doing this helps create a flat surface and helps hold them together)

They are done once both sides look crispy and brown

Let them cool slightly before serving

Serve up with avocado and cilantro on top of a bed of greens or as a burger with your favorite buns!

*Choose certified gluten free if you have a gluten sensitivity


Let me in on your kitchen creations – tag your photos #happyheartedkitchen and share the love!

12 Comments

  • Reply
    Anonymous
    February 13, 2013 at 1:25 am

    Oats aren’t gluten free

    • Reply
      Jodi Kay
      February 13, 2013 at 6:52 am

      Hi – well actually, oats are inherently gluten free, but are often grown or processed with wheat or other gluten containing grains. Luckily though, for those with a sensitivity or intolerance to gluten, there a lot of companies out there that are producing completely gluten free oats! I have found that most health food stores in France carry at least one band of gluten free oats, and back home I know that Bob’s Red Mill Gluten Free Oats were easily available too! Hope this helps.

  • Reply
    Carole
    February 14, 2013 at 8:22 pm

    Hi there. The current Food on Friday on Carole’s Chatter is about burgers. I do hope you link this lovely one in. This is the link . Please do pop back to check out some of the other links – there are a lot of good ones already. Have a great week.

    • Reply
      Jodi Kay
      February 14, 2013 at 9:29 pm

      Thank you, Carole! I’ve just linked this recipe – I am always happy to share :) There are some great burger recipes over there! Take care x

  • Reply
    Carole
    February 14, 2013 at 10:21 pm

    Jodi, thank you for linking this in to Food on Friday. We have got a super collection of burgers together. I hope you have stopped by some of the other links to check them out!

    Ps I have just signed up to follow your blog. A follow back to Carole’s Chatter would be wonderful – or have you already followed? Cheers

    Ps If you would like email reminders of future Food on Fridays, just pop by and comment and include your email – I won’t publish it – and the reminder will be by bcc so it will remain private

  • Reply
    Chirita Cerasela
    February 15, 2013 at 11:14 am

    This burgers are very very good…thank you for the recipes.I singed up to follow your blog.

    • Reply
      Jodi Kay
      February 19, 2013 at 7:24 am

      Oh thank you, Chirita! Glad you liked the burgers and welcome to my happy hearted kitchen :)

  • Reply
    Stephanie
    February 19, 2013 at 10:37 am

    This is a great, healthy and easy burger recipe! Making the dough beforehand and allowing it to rest, not only makes it easier to work with, but cuts cooking time to a minimum for a quick weeknight meal. A little tip, my oven did not seem to heat up enough to really crisp them up, but I popped them under the broiler for a few minutes on each side and it worked like a charm!

    • Reply
      Jodi Kay
      February 22, 2013 at 4:32 pm

      Thanks for the tip, Stephanie! so glad you enjoyed the burgers :) x

  • Reply
    Shelita
    November 6, 2014 at 6:00 pm

    This sounds super delish can’t wait to try it. Thanks for sharing pretty lady Jodi!

  • Reply
    Sarah
    November 26, 2014 at 12:52 am

    I made these last night and they were amazing! We served them in lettuce wraps with lots of fresh veggies. Thank you for the recipe, I am going to share on our FB now:)

    • Reply
      Jodi Kay
      November 26, 2014 at 8:03 am

      Sounds delicious, Sarah! I am so happy you enjoyed them! Thanks you so much! J x

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