Black Bean Burgers

Always on the lookout for vegetarian friendly recipes I was intrigued by a recent recipe from Cooks Illustrated for black bean burgers. I have made veggie burgers before, but these looked good, and easy. If you’re familiar with Cooks Illustrated they spend lots of time perfecting recipes so I don’t usually fool with them much, and I only did with these because I forgot to buy some of the ingredients. I’ve made them twice, a little different each time, and the two key elements are letting the beans dry, and using chips as the binder.

The first time I made them I used plain tortilla chips, the second time (by accident) I bought nacho chips, and there wasn’t a big flavor difference; you only use one ounce. These burgers are hearty and filling and they’ve already become a staple at our house. We’ve been eating them as burgers on buns, with all kinds of toppings such as lettuce and tomatoes, avocados, and our stand-by topper for everything, tomato jam.

You can keep them in the fridge overnight, or wrap them and store them in the freezer. This recipe is for a basic black bean burger and you can add any flavorings you like: fresh cilantro or basil, chopped, sautéed peppers, hot sauce, jalapenos or chipotle chilies. These burgers make a great canvas for whatever you’re in the mood for. The burgers you see in these photos were made with cilantro (2 TBL chopped) and scallions (4 sliced thin).

Black Bean Burgers

Print recipe

Serves	6
Prep time	30 minutes
Cook time	10 minutes
Total time	40 minutes
Dietary	Vegetarian
From magazine	Cooks Illustrated

Ingredients

• 2 cans black beans (15 oz. can, drained and rinsed)
• 2 Large eggs
• 2 tablespoons flour
• 2 cloves garlic (put through garlic press or minced fine)
• 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
• 1/4 teaspoon black pepper
• 1oz tortilla chips (crushed)
• 3 tablespoons oil (for sauteeing burgers)
• 3 tablespoons oil to saute burgers

Directions

Step 1

Line a sheet tray with a triple layer of paper towels and lay beans on the towels for 15 minutes

Step 2

Beat flour and eggs together until well combined. Add garlic, salt pepper, and any other herbs, flavorings you're using, mix well

Step 3

Put tortilla chips into the bowl of a food processor and pulse until they are finely ground. Add beans and pulse 5-7 times to break up beans, do not puree! Add bean mixture to egg mixture and combine well. Cover and chill for one to 24 hours.

Step 4

When ready to prepare burgers, divide mixture in half, then make three patties out of each half. If you are going to freeze the burgers, wrap well, and store in freezer up to two weeks

Step 5

Heat half the oil in a large non-stick pan on medium heat, and when oil is hot add patties to pan Cook 3-5 minutes per side, until they are nicely browned, adding more oil before you turn them Drain on paper towels and serve on buns