Although I do love a good turkey or bison burger, I’ve been craving beans and more plant-based options this winter.
In search of a tasty plant burger, I went to the my local Whole Foods and found that none of the burgers were allergen-friendly or followed the Conscious Cleanse way of eating. So, I then searched the World Wide Web for a recipe, and yes, you got it, nothing.
I’m always up for a test, so I went on a black bean burger mission. My criteria was to make it taste good, keep allergens out of it (most have eggs, tomatoes, nightshades, corn or gluten in them) and make sure the burger would stick together without crumbling apart!
Whew – that’s a long list of challenges! But after a few failed attempts, this gluten-free, egg-free Spicy Black Bean Burger was created.
The key to making all the ingredients stick together in this veggie burger is ground flaxseeds, which amazingly acts like the “glue” in lieu of eggs.
Did you know that 1 tablespoon of ground flaxseeds mixed with 3 tablespoons of water can replace 1 egg? It works like a charm!
It’s worth mentioning that if you are a Conscious Cleanse “Easy In, Easy Out” food-combining stickler, you’ll note that the beans and flaxseeds aren’t a food combination made in heaven. But we figured with the seeds being ground and in such small quantity, we’d allowed this recipe to slide on by.
Do you have a favorite veggie burger recipe? Share it with me in the comment section below.
With belly-loving beans,
Spicy Black Bean Burger
Yields 6 patties
Ingredients:
- 1 TB olive oil
- ½ onion, finely chopped
- 1 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 (15-ounce) can black beans, rinsed and drained
- 1 small carrot, shredded (about ½ cup)
- ½ TB crushed red pepper flakes
- 1 tsp sea salt
- ½ cup cilantro, chopped
- 3-4 TB flaxseeds, ground
- ½ cup water
Directions:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. In a large skillet, heat 1 TB oil over medium heat. Add onions and let cook until slightly caramelized, about 20 minutes. Transfer onions to a large bowl.
Combine ground flaxseeds and water and allow to sit for about 5 minutes.
In a food processor, pulse to combine, beans, carrots, flaxseed/water mix, red pepper flakes, sea salt, cilantro, garlic, and onions until sticky / or well combined. Form mixture into 6 patties and place on the prepared baking sheet. Bake for 20 minutes. Enjoy!
I live in northern B.C….it’s -10 C. this a.m…..brrr! and I’ve kinda been craving something a little more “meaty”. Oddly enough I put black beans on to soak last night and hadn’t decided what to make with them today…..thanks for deciding that! Sounds yummy! I’ve been eating the cleanse since Sept. and still lovin’ it. As for the bison burger I sub with moose….the great white hunter came up short on the bison hunt but the ol’ freezer is still bulging with moose. what is the fermented veggie thing in the bi burger?…is that like Bragg amino? Love to get your recipes…..thanks and enjoy your day!
Great minds think alike Theresa! I hope you enjoy these plant burgers. As for the bison burger, I think moose or elk would be a great alternative to bison. I just love wild game! The topping on the bison burger is a fermented veggie that we find in the refrigerated section at our grocery store. You could try sauerkraut as well or just replace with your favorite veggie. Hope that helps!
I love a good bean burger – can’t wait to try… and curious about the flaxseed and water.
Did you try the burger Pam? The flaxseeds are the trick to making this recipe stick. As you know it’s hard to find gluey substances that aren’t made from gluten or eggs. Thanks for posting!!
Hi, Do we saute the garlic as well, or is it mixed in raw?
Thanks!
Susanna, you’ll add it in later with the rest of the ingredients. Great question! See edited directions below.
I thought this was a great recipe and gave it a try. The flavor was really good, however the burger fell apart when I took it off the parchment paper. Your picture looks really good. I must have done something wrong. I just hand-mixed it, but next time I think I will put the beans, flaxseed and water in a food processer and then mix the rest of the ingredients in to the beans. Then make patties out of it. I ended up putting it on a salad and it was really tasty. It is definitely a recipe that I will be making again!! Thanks for posting all the really great recipes!!
Hi Kristen! Other cleansers have said that the food processor helps a lot with getting them to stick together, good thinking! :)
OMG these are absolutely delicious! I just made your blackbean burgers and they are amazing! I am a big meat eater but I did not miss that here. That is good because I am about to do your upcoming cleanse and practicing some of your recipes Ahead of time. This one is a keeper. I plan on freezing the other five burgers hope that works out good. Thank YOU!
Hi Jaime! I’m so glad you enjoyed them and we’re so thrilled you’ve decided to join us in a cleanse. Freezing them is such a great idea, too – thank you! :)
We really enjoyed this recipe. To make it easier for the ingredients to stick together, I mashed the black beans with my potato masher. It worked like a charm. All of the other ingredients blended well and we thoroughly enjoyed this vegan meal. Thank you :)
I LOVE this recipe. It is so good that non-veggie people in my family love it too! I use a potato masher rather than food processor to help the beans absorb some of the liquid. I prefer the texture and I like seeing some whole beans in the burger (plus it helps create a more solid burger). Please, please, please tell me that it is cleanse friendly… (fingers crossed)
Would these freeze well? I love the idea of having these on hand when needed for a quick dinner.
Hi Kelsey, Great question! We have not tried freezing them ourselves. We believe they will freeze well if you a little more liquid to firm up the patties more. If you try it let us know what you think. XO, J&J