Bohnen-Burger (vegan) (vegan bean burger)
A bean burger patty that holds together on the grill or in the pan, the beans mashed by hand rather than blended to a purée, since a purée binds too wet and slumps out of shape, while a rough mash leaves enough texture and starch on the surface to hold. Chilling the shaped patties before cooking is what lets them firm up enough to survive a flip without falling apart.
Prep25 min
Cook15 min
Rest30 min
Servings4
Christoph's vegan bean burger, the beans mashed rather than blended for a texture that holds together in the pan.
Ingredients
Units
Temperature
Servings
Patties
- 400 g black beans, drained, tinned rounded
- 100 g onion, finely chopped rounded
- 1 garlic clove rounded
- 60 g breadcrumbs rounded
- 15 g tomato paste rounded
- 10 g ground cumin rounded
- 30 ml neutral oil, for frying rounded
- to taste fine salt rounded
Dietary labels are a guide, not a guarantee. If you have an allergy, read the ingredients yourself.
Method
- Sauté the onion and garlic in a little oil over medium heat for 4 minutes, until soft.
- Mash the black beans roughly with a fork or potato masher, leaving some whole beans and pieces rather than a smooth purée.
- Combine the mashed beans, sautéed onion and garlic, breadcrumbs, tomato paste, cumin and salt. Mix thoroughly.
- Shape into 4 patties. Chill for at least 30 minutes, until firm.
- Heat the oil in a pan over medium heat. Fry the patties for about 4 minutes per side, until deeply browned and firm all the way through.
Notes
- Mash the beans, don’t blend them. A smooth purée has too much moisture and too little texture to bind properly, and the finished patty slumps rather than holding a firm shape; a rough mash keeps some structure and starch on the surface.
- Chill the shaped patties before cooking. This firms up the mixture so the patties hold together through flipping; skipping this step is the most common reason bean burgers fall apart in the pan.
- Don’t rush the browning. A well-browned crust on both sides is what holds the patty together at the edges; a pale patty is more fragile.
- Cooked patties freeze well between layers of parchment, so it’s worth making a double batch.
Ingredient substitutions
- Black beans can be kidney beans or a mix of beans.
- Breadcrumbs can be rolled oats, pulsed briefly in a food processor.
- A pinch of smoked paprika or chili powder adds depth and heat.
From Christoph Mayer