Last updated on April 14th, 2013
WANT A HEALTHY SUBSTITUTE FOR A HAMBURGER? Consider the Bean Burger. It’s high in fiber. It’s seasoned to perfection. And you can make the bean puree, as I do, hours (or even days) in advance of serving. Here’s the recipe for this vegetarian deliciousness which I promise even a meat-freak will enjoy:
I’ve made Bean Burgers from all kinds of canned beans, including cannellini and black-eyed peas. Those pictured here were made with organic navy beans. To remove the metallic taste of the can, I pour the beans into a fine-mesh sieve, and then run cold water over them.
Lots of bean-based burger recipes call for an egg. But I’ve performed numerous tests with the bean-puree mixture, and have found that an egg is not required in order for the patties to hold their shape. In fact, the addition of egg tends to make the mixture so liquid that it is difficult to work with.
As you can see, the burgers develop a beautiful, golden color as they fry. They also develop a pleasantly-crunchy crust, although the interior of each patty is smooth and creamy.
Well. You’ll just have to taste a Bean Burger, won’t you?
Vegetarian Bean Burgers
Kevin Lee Jacobs, A Garden for the House (dot) com
Ingredients for about 8 patties
2 15.5 oz cans of Navy, Cannellini, or small White Beans
1 medium yellow onion, roughly chopped
1 red bell pepper, roughly chopped
1 cup gluten-free oats (or regular rolled oats if you’re not on a GF diet)
1 tsp each salt and Montreal Steak seasoning
1 Tbs (or more) Worcestershire sauce* – Lea & Perrins is GF
Vegetable Oil for sauteing the patties
*Whoops! In the comments field below, reader Kara Martin Snyder informed me that Worcestershire sauce is not, in fact, vegetarian. It contains anchovies. Fortunately, “Annies” makes a vegetarian version of the sauce.
Special equipment – a food processor outfitted with the metal blade
1. Rinsing the beans – To remove the metallic taste of the can, pour the beans into a colander or sieve, and then run cold water over them. Drain.
2. Making the puree – Place the chopped onion and bell pepper in the bowl of the food processor, and process until the two are finely chopped — about 5 seconds. Add the beans, the seasonings, and the tablespoon of Worcestershire sauce to the bowl, and puree for 5 seconds. Finally, add the oats, and puree until the mixture seems fairly smooth. If the mixture is too stiff for the machine to run, add a bit more Worcestershire (or even water).
3. Chilling the puree – Scrape the bean puree into a bowl, cover with plastic wrap, and chill for one hour or more. The puree will keep perfectly well in the fridge for at least 3 days.
4. Forming and frying the patties – Pour a glug of oil into a skillet, then set the skillet over a medium-high flame. To keep the puree from sticking to your hands, wet them with water. Then, by the half cup-full or so, scoop out and form patties, and fry them for about 4 minutes on each side. In a 12-inch skillet, you can fry 4 patties at a time.
5. Serving – You can serve the patties just as you would a hamburger — in a bun with lettuce, tomato, and a slice of onion. A homemade English muffin, in my opinion, makes a superior bun for a bean burger. And if you’ve grown bored with ketchup and mustard, you might prefer homemade mayonnaise, to which a clove or two of pureed garlic has been added.
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Alan says
Kevin, I’m one of those “meat freaks” you mentioned, and these look (and sound) great even to me.
Bobbie says
Oh yes, I have to try these. Thanks!
Brenda from Cape Cod says
These look and sound awesome! I will be making them soon. And I thought I would mention that rinsing the beans removes much of the sodium. Yummmmmm!!!!!
Kevin Lee Jacobs says
Alan – I’m a meat freak, too, and find the bean burgers utterly satisfying.
Bobbie – Great! Let me know how they turn out for you.
Brenda from Cape Cod – Good to know that when I rinse away the taste of the can from the beans, I’m removing much of the sodium too.
Kathy Bennett says
What’s Montreal Steak Seasoning, & where can I buy it ?
Kevin Lee Jacobs says
Kathy – Montreal steak seasoning, which McCormick sells, is a mix of coarse salt, black pepper, red pepper, and garlic. I happen to love it. But you can use whatever seasonings appeal to you.
Kelli Patton says
Have you tried with black beans? Black beans are my favorite, and I’m a little scared of navy beans. Why are they called “navy” beans, anyway, when they clearly are not navy? These look great!
Kevin Lee Jacobs says
Kelli Patton – I’ve tested this recipe on Navy beans, Cannellini beans, Black-eyed Peas, and Small White beans. All produced amazing patties. Haven’t experimented with Black beans yet, but I imagine they’d be wonderful, too.
And I agree with you — why aren’t Navy beans blue? 🙂
Donna B. says
Yumyum! Oh, I may just have to unleash this recipe on my boyfriend. I’ve got white beans from the garden last year that I’ve been itching to use!
We’re both true and tested carnivores, but I’m a huuuuge veggie fan. I’m going to have to prepare this with a dessert of black-bean brownies!
Or… hrm, maybe that wouldn’t be very wise… haha!
Val Talbot says
Thought you’d like to know that ‘navy beans’ got their name because they were such a staple and filling food for the sailors in the Royal Navy – nothing to do with colour at all. Dry, they would take up little room (important when room is limited) but once soaked and cooked, they would fill a large number of hungry bellies!…..:-)
Kevin Lee Jacobs says
Donna B. – Black bean brownies…do tell!
Val Talbot – I tip my hat to you for solving the “why navy?” mystery.
Kathleen Conner says
That looks great, and easy! Just printed it up to try.
Lynda says
Money saving hint: Sort, soak overnight, rinse, and cook your own beans from dry. The one pound package of dried beans for a dollar/dollar-and-a-half will make the equivalent of about 6 or more cans of beans at a fraction of the cost!
Don’t have time to watch them on the stove? Use your crock pot! They come out better using the crock pot anyway.
Now I need to get busy in the kitchen because these look divine!
Thanks! ~ Lynda
MicronCat says
Yes! Do tell about black bean brownies…
MicronCat says
Well, I couldn’t wait for Donna B. to tell us, so I had to go Googling myself. Here are a few of the Black Bean Brownie recipes I found:
http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/melissa-darabian/black-bean-brownies-recipe/index.html
http://allrecipes.com/recipe/black-bean-brownies/
http://happyherbivore.com/recipe/vegan-blackbean-brownies/
http://joythebaker.com/2012/01/triple-chocolate-black-bean-brownies/
OK Kevin, I ‘spect you’ll be trying and reviewing…:)
Sharon says
Thank you so much for this recipe. There are times I have to have a burger and this looks like an awesome substitute for my craving and I can tweak it with some spicy heat!!
tea4too0 says
This is just the recipe I was looking for, thanks so much. I also got a lot of good information on Ticks from your article. Thank you for that too.
T
Vicky says
Since I have celiac disease I had to look this recipe over. Why go through all that mess and just buy Bob Reds Mill GF Black Bean in your store or go here http://www.bobsredmill.com/Gluten-Free/ If you are having this recipe GF make sure all items are gluten free. Worcestershire sauce is sometimes made with malt which is barley. Safe to say that the steak seasoning is GF. Many of us people that have celiac disease cannot eat GF oats. I would use the eggs if I used Bobs Red Mill flour for the moisture.So if you are making this recipe for a friend with CD or is allergic to wheat ask them first what they can have in their diet. Thank you for sharing this Kevin!
Martha says
Oh, yum. Thanks for this recipe and the black bean brownie recipes also.
brenda cole says
I’ve been looking for a good vege burger recipe. Thanks for posting this one … I’m going to give it a try.
Kevin Lee Jacobs says
Lynda – Dried beans will indeed save one money. I used canned beans simply because I had to perform so many experiments with the burgers.
Micron Cat – I think black bean brownies are in my future!
Vicky – Thanks for the heads-up that GF oats are not always acceptable for those with celiac disease. I checked, and the Lea & Perrins Worcestershire Sauce I used is GF (according to the makers). I added the brand name to the list of ingredients above.
Donna B. says
@ Kevin & Micron – haha! I’m happy Micron did some research!
Yes, I read of a recipe for black bean brownies a couple of weeks ago at one of my daily food blog haunts [@ Scarletta Bakes: http://scarlettabakes.com/black-bean-brownies/%5D it looks to be a delicious and simple dessert! I love how it calls for honey, since I think it works better with the flavor of the beans.
I almost wonder how doing a brulee for the top for some added texture would do… or maybe a molasses cookie bottom for crunch. or even a ginger snap… Oh the options!!
Gina Flansbury says
made these and dipped them before frying into some gluten free flour….the held together and browned up so nicely. thanks for a great recipe!!
Kevin Lee Jacobs says
Donna B. – That’s the fun thing about cooking — always room to experiment!
Gina Flansbury – You’re welcome!
Brenda from Cape Cod says
Been making black bean brownies for a little over a year now. Here are two recipes I’ve used (very similar except for the vegan thing):
http://mealmakeovermoms.com/kitchen/2009/07/10/black-bean-brownies/
http://bitchindietitian.com/2011/06/21/youll-never-believe-whats-in-these-brownies/
I don’t agree with the peppermint extract or candy cane bits at all. Learned of this from one of my clients who happens to be involved with the Cancer Project as a dietician (I think). I like it because I can have chocolate and not feel so guilty. 😉
Julie says
I tried these last night. They were delicious and even my 15 year old who is meat and potatoes all the way loved them. They didn’t hold together too well but I am guessing that is because I didn’t have the time to refrigerate them for the hour recommended.
Kevin Lee Jacobs says
Brenda from Cape Cod – Thanks for the links. I agree with you about the candy canes — although they do look pretty in the picture.
Julie – We had the same dinner last night! Glad your 15 year old liked the burgers. You are right about the chilling period. Chilling gives the oats a chance to absorb the liquid in the puree, and this in turn leads to patties which hold together well.
Hilary says
Thanks for the recipe.I made them tonight with pinto beans and my 7 yr old,who is NOT famous for enjoying beans,loved them.
Nancy says
I made these a couple of nights ago and while they were very tasty, mine did not hold together at all, even after refrigerating for a couple of hours. It was just mush in the pan. When I flipped them over, they completely disintegrated. I even went through the ingredients afterward to make sure I didn’t miss anything, and I didn’t. I think I am going to have to put an egg in the bean mixture the next time I make them, because there will be a next time. 🙂
VulcanDeathGrip says
My boyfriend is a cab driver and his customers are constantly giving him food; one gave us 9 cans of vegetarian beans (not very good ones, either) so I made these last night with those. I put an egg in the mixture and only refrigerated it for about 30 minutes. The mixture was very wet and had to be handled very carefully in the pan and once out to avoid breakage. I used a cucumber dressing on these as they are so similar to falafel. A very interesting dish; a nice alternative to meat. Thank you for the recipe!
Sydney says
Kevin,
I am excited about this recipe!! Navy beans are actually my favorite (I agree the name is strange, and that they should be blue. Several websites cite that these beans were a staple for the US Navy in the early 20th century.)
I am curious if you think this recipe will work well without the oats or any other grain. What, in your opinion, does the grain do for this recipe? Does it provide thickening? (I have to imagine that beans are plenty thick in themselves) Does it help with the cooking?
Thank you
Kevin Lee Jacobs says
Hi Sydney – You’d be surprised at how loose a bean-batter can be when it does not include a grain of some sort. Hence the need for oats or some other binding ingredient, such as flour.
Kara Martin Snyder says
Just a note, Worcestershire is not vegetarian. It contains anchovies. However, Annie’s makes a vegetarian version. The amount is teeny, but some diners are stricter than others.
Kevin Lee Jacobs says
Kara – Thanks for the alert regarding anchovies in Worcestershire sauce. I’ve made a note in the recipe above.
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matsmom says
Just made these and they are A-MAZING! Omited steak seasoning. Added fresh parsley and 1 egg. Didn’t refrigerate at all. Cooked in grape seed oil. Used homemade navy beans with organic sundried tomato (stocked at Costco in glass jar). One of the best veggie burgers we have ever eaten! Thanks for this great recipe!
Kevin Lee Jacobs says
Hi matsmom – So glad you enjoyed the burgers. Your amendments sound divine!