Best Veggie Burgers Ever!! (And You Can Make Them Vegan Too)
These black bean burgers are bold, hearty, high in protein and chock full of flavor! Added bonus, they are so very easy to make.
The hearty texture is the result of two tricks I like to use. First, is drying out the canned black beans in the oven for 15 minutes. Second, when adding the beans to the food processor, keeping some aside to just stir in. These two tricks will prevent the burgers from having that typical mushy consistency of veggie burgers.
I love the incredible flavor in these burgers created by the spices, the BBQ sauce and the added aromatics. After all the experimenting, in my opinion, these are the best black bean burgers ever!! However, I encourage you to play with the flavors too, using our Beer BBQ sauce, or substituting that with sriracha for kick or even just a plain old ketchup.
But the fun is when you can BE BRAVE with the toppings – I used avocado and Whiskey BBQ sauce, but you can go the traditional route with ketchup, mustard, mayonnaise and slices of tomato and onion. Or you can experiment with caramelized onions, tomato chutney, herbed goat cheese, slices of spicy Monterey Jack cheese, the list goes on and on.
If you are watching your carb intake, try serving these on a salad or even using Bibb lettuce leaves as the “bun”. Whatever you do, don’t skip the cabbage slaw (part of the recipe below), and check out the suggestions in the recipe notes on how to make this slaw all summer long as a side for every BBQ and grill party. It will be a hit!
Black Bean Burger with Whiskey BBQ Sauce
Ingredients
2 (14 oz) cans black beans, drained, rinsed and patted dry
1 tablespoon O&V Garlic EVOO *
1 medium yellow onion, finely chopped (about 1 cup chopped onion)
½ red bell pepper, finely chopped (about ¾ cup chopped bell pepper)
4-6 garlic cloves, finely chopped
2 large eggs (See Chef Tip to make vegan)
½ cup feta cheese, chopped (eliminate to make vegan)
1 tablespoon Worcestershire Sauce (See Chef Tip to make vegan)
3 tablespoons O&V Whiskey BBQ Sauce (plus more for serving) *
½ cup breadcrumbs
2 teaspoons cumin powder
1 teaspoon chili powder
1 teaspoon onion powder
½ teaspoon garlic powder
¼ teaspoon O&V Smoked Paprika *
¼ teaspoon salt
½ teaspoon fresh cracked pepper
To Serve
¼ large red cabbage, sliced thin
1 ½ tablespoon O&V Guacamole Dip Seasoning *
1 tablespoon water
3 tablespoons O&V Lime Grape Seed Oil *
2 tablespoons O&V Marc de Champagne Vinegar *
Avocado Slices
Bibb Lettuce leaves
Whiskey BBQ sauce
Red Onion Slices
Preparation
Preheat the oven to 325F. Spread the black beans on a parchment lined baking sheet and bake for 15 minutes until slightly dried out. Remove and place ¼ of the beans in a bowl and gently mash leaving large pieces.
While the beans are in the oven, heat a medium skillet and add the Garlic EVOO. Add the chopped onion, bell pepper and garlic and sauté over medium heat for 6-8 minutes until soft and beginning to turn color. Set aside to cool and blot gently with a paper towel to remove excess oil and moisture.
In a food processor, add the eggs, cheese, Worcestershire sauce, Whiskey BBQ sauce, breadcrumbs, cumin, chili powder, onion powder, garlic powder, smoked paprika, salt and pepper. Add the onion and bell pepper mix and pulse to mix together well. Add the black beans from the baking sheet (not the bowl) and pulse to combine (don’t over process, you want it chunky). Finally add in the black beans from the bowl and stir in.
Form the mixture into patties using 1/3 cup of mixture for each patty. Raise the temperature of the oven to 375F. Place patties on a parchment lined baking sheet and bake in the oven for 10 minutes. Remove, flip over and bake for an additional 10 minutes.
While the black bean burgers are baking, thinly slice the red cabbage. In a bowl add the guacamole dip seasoning and water and let soak for 5 minutes. Add the Lime oil and champagne vinegar and whisk to incorporate. Toss with the cabbage.
Serve the burger by laying some bibb lettuce leaves on the bottom half of the bun, add some red cabbage slaw. Place a black bean burger and top with slices of avocado and red onion. Drizzle the top with additional Whiskey BBQ sauce and serve
Makes 6-7 burger patties
Total Time: 45 minutes
Chef Tip
To make these vegan, eliminate the cheese and replace the Worcestershire Sauce and eggs as follows:
Replace the Worcestershire sauce with ½ tablespoon aged balsamic, ½ tablespoon soy sauce, ½ teaspoon ground yellow mustard/dry mustard powder.
Egg substitute: 2 tablespoons ground flax seeds + 4-5 tablespoons water. Sit for 5 minutes in fridge. Add to black bean burger mix
Notes
* The Garlic EVOO adds another layer of garlicky flavor and the Smoked Paprika adds a smoky, outdoorsy depth of flavor making these burgers taste meaty and right off the grill! Our Whiskey BBQ sauce is delicious and adds tremendous flavor. You can use other high-quality ingredients as substitutes.
This slaw is great as an accompaniment to this burger, but add additional veggies (carrots, radish, green cabbage, parsley, mango slices, yellow peppers) and it can stand on its own as a side dish to any burgers or BBQ. The Guacamole Dip Seasoning gives the slaw a rich, slightly spicy flavor that is balanced by the zingy Lime oil and sweet light and crisp Marc de Champagne vinegar.
Categories: Entrée, Soups & Salads, Vegetarian, Vegan, Gluten Free, Dairy Free, Best Vegan Burger, Veggie Burger, Black Bean Burger, Whiskey BBQ Sauce, Beer BBQ Sauce, Lime Oil, Guacamole Dip, Marc de Champagne Vinegar, Smoked Paprika, Garlic EVOO, Cabbage Slaw, Vegan Eggs, Worcestershire Substitute, Best Veggie Burger,
