Nothing beats a good veggie burger. Once you find the right recipe. They can be dry. Or, fall apart. Or take 2 hours to make. But these vegan beet black bean burgers have it all.
Store-bought veggie burgers typically come in two camps: loaded with processed soy protein or essentially protein free. It took me a while – and a lot of label reading – to find my favourites …made from actual beans and vegetables.
I really like the idea of making a homemade veggie burger but, for some reason, it’s was the one food that I pretty much always bought. One of those reasons is that veggie burgers typically take a long time to make: my (previous) favourite recipe takes like 90 minutes and a ton of steps. Not even close to reasonable. I would like to say that I spend four hours batch cooking on the weekend but in reality, I spend those four hours chasing after my kids.
Since sitting on my patio, eating a veggie burger loaded with all the fixings pretty much defines summer for me, I thought it was time I figure out how to make a simple bean burger at home.
Simple…and hella good. I’ve made it four times in the last month. And I can even find the energy to make them on a weeknight.
My beet burgers are super yummy, moist and loaded with good stuff like black beans, oats and flax. I’m a stickler for protein in a burger, because I recommend consuming protein at every meal.
This burger takes less than ten minutes to prep if you buy pre-cooked beets…don’t be a hero…buy the pre-cooked beets. Get these guys into the oven quickly and you can have a cocktail on the patio while they bake. Want a non-alcoholic sipper? Try my Watermelon Mint Chia Fresca.
Beet, Black Bean and Walnut Burgers
Ingredients
- 2 cans (14oz) of black beans, drained and rinsed ...or 3 cups of pre-cooked black beans
- 1 1/2 cup cooked beet chunks (about four smallish beets)
- 1/2 cup rolled oats (ensure they are pure, gluten free oats if you need a GF recipe)
- 1/2 cup walnuts
- 1 shallot, chopped
- 2 tablespoons ground flax
- 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
- 1 tablespoon freshly squeezed lime juice
- 1/2 teaspoon salt *see note
- 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1/2 teaspoon cumin
Instructions
- Preheat oven (or your BBQ!) to 375 degrees
- Toss all ingredients into a food processor and pulse until about 75% blended, to leave a bit of texture in the burgers. Remove blade, stir mixture with a spatula to mix in remaining chunks. Taste and adjust seasoning if required.
- Place mixture on nonstick cookie sheet by using a half cup
measure. Press to one inch thickness, forming eight round patties. - Bake for 30 minutes to allow a crust to form on bottom. Then, very carefully (these are soft burgers!!) flip, reshaping if necessary, and cook for 10-15 minutes on the remaining side.
- Serve with your favourite fixings! I love a combo of Dijon and Mayo on pretty much everything...and it works here too. And in the photo, we served the burger with a mixture inspired by one of my fave Ottolenghi salads: thinly slice a small red onion and place in a bowl, along with 1/4 cup of sliced dates (I like deglet noor or medjool). Pour 2 tbsp of balsamic and a sprinkle of salt
over them. Toss to combine and let sit for 30 minutes. AMAZING.
