Vegan Black Bean Burger

Introduction

Since we went plant based a few years ago, I have been making more and more mock meats from scratch.

There are some delicious recipes out there with nuts and mushrooms.

But at times, I just want something lower in fat that I can easily put together.

Which is the reason for this vegan burger with two main ingredients:  black beans and rye flour.

Add some seasonings and you have an easy, flavorful complete protein burger.

As discussed below, this recipe is quite flexible and there are many substitutions that can be made based on what you have on hand.

Ingredients Discussion

Why Black Beans?

Black beans are rich in vitamins and minerals including iron, calcium, magnesium and zinc.

When combined with a grain, they form a complete protein that our bodies need to repair and build cells.

Black beans are also low in fat – which is important to many people seeking to lower their cholesterol levels.

Because of their dark color, black beans are a good visual substitute for dark meat – which can be important for people transitioning to a plant-based diet.

Black beans are also rather neutral in flavor and they have a pleasant, tender texture when cooked.

Substituting with Canned Beans

This recipe provides instructions for making the black beans from scratch.

However, you can easily use canned black beans instead if you prefer.

One cup of black beans (as called for in the recipe) provides four ½ cup servings while a can of black beans provides three and a half ½ cup servings – close enough for our purposes.

Substituting with Other Beans, Pulses or Nuts

You can use any other bean of your choosing, keeping in mind that the lighter colored beans will not provide the same visual effect.

You do want to have the beans to have some firmness as they help provide some of the structure to the burger.

For that reason, green lentils could work but red lentils will be too soft.

For extra texture chopped nuts can be added to substitute in part for some of the cooked beans: i.e. 1⁄4 cup of chopped walnuts can replace 1⁄4 cup of cooked beans.

Rye Berries

For this recipe, we are grinding rye berries into whole grain dark rye flour.

Why Rye?

Rye flour is darker in color, which helps to mimic the appearance of meat.

Rye also happens to be the grain of the month in this series on whole grains 101.

It is a very affordable, filling, fiber rich grain which makes a complete protein when combined with beans.

Rye is a hearty grain that lends itself well to full flavored seasonings.

As discussed in the previous post, while rye does contain gluten, it has lower quantities of gluten than wheat.

Many people with gluten sensitivities find that they can tolerate rye.

Rye Paste (“Yudane”) as a Binder

Rye flour mixed with water has excellent binding properties – even better than those of wheat.

In fact, rye flour can be used as a glue!

Once the rye paste cools down, its sets well and is easy to shape.

Often, in conventional burger recipes, eggs are used as a binder.

Recently, I was reading about Japanese yudane as a substitute for eggs and butter in vegan baking – (more details provided in this post).

Japanese yudane uses a 1 to 1 ratio of hot liquid to flour.

According to this Wikipedia entry:

“Scalding” flour, especially rye flour, for baking is a technique that has been used for centuries[…]

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tangzhong

In other words, rye has long been used and appreciated for its binding abilities – so it was an obvious choice for this recipe : )

Making Rye Paste with Less Cleanup Time

I cooked my dry beans in an Instant Pot and I used a separate small sauce pan to heat up the liquid and make the rye paste.

If you want to save on cleanup time, you can use the saute feature of the Instant Pot to heat up the liquid and make the rye paste.

Likewise, if you are using a regular cooking pot for making your beans, you can reuse the same pot for the rye paste.

As an alternative, you can microwave the liquid.

Where to Buy Rye

You might be able to find dark rye flour in your local grocery store.

For freshest results, it is best to buy rye berries and mill them into flour yourself.

You can also buy rye berries and rye flour online: this post on Where to Buy Whole Grains Online includes a free PDF download with 39 online sources of rye – listed by state.

Rye Substitutes

Hard wheat can be used as a substitute – hard red wheat will work best if you are aiming for a darker color.

If you are gluten-free, short grain rice (used for risotto) or glutinous “sticky” rice should work well, though I have not tested them out – keep in mind that they will be lighter in color than rye.

Core Umami Seasonings

Seasonings are key in this recipe as they bring the complexity of flavor and savoriness usually associated with meat burgers.

For savoriness, I used a combination of tomato paste and red miso.

Tomato Paste

Tomato paste helps to mimic the color of meat and it is also rich in the antioxidant lycopene.

Tomato paste adds some natural sweetness to the burgers.

As a substitute, you could use an equivalent amount of grated beets – since they will bring sweetness as well as vibrant purple/red color.

Red Miso

Red miso is a hearty, enzyme rich, salty, soy based fermented food known for being high in umami.

If you can’t find red miso, feel free to use white, yellow or brown miso.

Regular soy sauce can be used but it will not have the same level of savoriness.

Vegan Worcestershire sauce is another good option.

You can also marmite, a popular British yeast based product with added B12.

For a soy-free option, consider coconut aminos.

Other Seasonings

Dehydrated chopped onions, garlic, sage, salt and pepper round out the seasonings for this vegan burger.

Dehydrated Chopped Onions

Dehydrated chopped onions are among my new favorite seasonings.

They add texture and sweetness to the burger.

You can substitute with an equivalent quantity of sauteed finely chopped fresh onions, mushrooms or half the amount of onion powder.

Garlic Powder

Garlic powder can be substituted with double the quantity of fresh, crushed garlic cloves.

Onion powder can be used as a replacement.

Sage

Sage is a seasoning commonly found in meaty dishes.

The goal with this vegan burger was to provide an all purpose meaty flavor that combines well with recipes from various cuisines.

If don’t have sage, then, depending of what toppings you intend to use for your burger, you can replace with:

• oregano, thyme or Italian seasonings (for a Mediterranean flavor)
• cumin, paprika and chili (for a taco meat vibe)
• allspice, nutmeg and cardamom (for a schawarma like flavor)

Transforming into Vegan Ground

I have been having a lot of fun with this burger recipe and finding other uses for it.

Lately, it has come in handy as a taco meat filling.

Just make the black bean burger as instructed so that you get a mix of crunchy and soft parts.

Then, simply cut up the burger with a wooden spoon and add any extra seasonings you want.

Patty SizeTips

This vegan burger is on the softer side.

You can make four ½ cup patties or six 1⁄3 cup patties.

If you are using an air fryer, the ½ cup patties will hold up well – just make sure to use some non-stick liners.

If using the oven or pan frying, the 1⁄3 cup patties are more manageable.

When pan frying, you will want to make your patties somewhat thicker as they will flatten out some.

Conclusion

I hope you enjoy this flexible recipe and would love to hear what toppings you use when making your burgers.