This burger comes straight from the Forks Over Knives recipe library, where Ellen Boeke’s Grilled Black Bean Veggie Burgers was published in July 2023. Bean patties are notorious for sticking and crumbling on a grate, so it is worth learning from a published method that is built around that problem rather than improvising one.
The patties combine mashed black beans with cooked brown rice and whole wheat panko for structure, plus smoked paprika and soy sauce for a savory, rounded flavor. Flaxseed meal soaked in water is stirred into the mix, and the recipe makes eight burgers.
Ingredients (makes 8)
- 1 tablespoon avocado oil (optional; the recipe includes an oil-free route)
- 2 cans (15 ounces each) no-salt-added black beans, rinsed and drained, about 3 cups
- 3/4 cup grated onion
- 4 cloves garlic, minced
- 2 teaspoons smoked paprika
- 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
- 2 tablespoons flaxseed meal, plus 1/3 cup water
- 1/4 cup no-salt-added tomato sauce
- 2 tablespoons reduced-sodium soy sauce or tamari
- 1 1/2 cups cooked brown rice
- 1 cup whole wheat panko
- 8 whole wheat hamburger buns, plus toppings such as sliced onion, lettuce, tomato, pickles, ketchup or mustard
Method
- Cook the beans, onion, garlic, paprika and pepper in a large skillet over medium heat, stirring now and then, until the onion is tender. If you are using the optional oil, heat the skillet and coat it with the oil first, then add these five ingredients.
- Coarsely mash the bean mixture and let it cool a little.
- Stir the flaxseed meal into the 1/3 cup water in a large bowl and leave it for 15 minutes.
- Stir the tomato sauce and soy sauce into the flax mixture, then add the bean mixture, rice and panko and combine.
- Divide the mixture into eight portions and shape each into a patty about 3/4 inch (roughly 2 cm, our conversion) thick.
- Grill, covered, over medium heat for 5 minutes. Turn the patties carefully, then grill 5 minutes more, or until heated through. If they start to stick, the recipe suggests brushing them with water.
- Serve on the buns with your toppings.
The Rule That Keeps Them Intact
The recipe’s one big instruction is patience: wait the full 5 minutes before you try to flip, or the patties may stick and fall apart. That note is a good reason to resist the urge to check early.
Food Safety: Cooked Rice and Leftovers
Because this patty includes cooked brown rice, the UK Food Standards Agency’s rice guidance applies if you cook the rice ahead. The FSA notes that uncooked rice can carry Bacillus cereus spores that survive cooking, and that the longer cooked rice sits at room temperature, the more likely it is to become unsafe. Its advice is to chill leftover rice as quickly as possible, ideally within one hour, in smaller portions, rather than leaving it to cool in the pan or rice cooker, and to keep it in the fridge no more than one day.
For cooked burgers you do not finish, USDA’s Food Safety and Inspection Service advises putting leftovers in shallow containers and refrigerating them at 40°F (about 4°C, our conversion) or below within two hours. It also says never to leave food out of refrigeration for more than 2 hours, or more than 1 hour when the temperature is above 90°F (about 32°C). For the toppings, the FDA advises washing produce under running water, without soap or detergent, and washing hands for at least 20 seconds before and after handling it.
Diet Note
Forks Over Knives files this recipe in its vegan burgers section, and the ingredient list as written has no meat, fish, dairy or eggs. We have not checked individual products, though: the ingredients of the panko, hamburger buns, tomato sauce, ketchup and pickles, and how any sugar in them was processed, are not assessed here, so check the labels if it matters to you.
Keep reading
- Weber’s Curried Red Lentil Burgers
- America’s Test Kitchen Grilled Cabbage Wedges, Explained
- Weber’s Grilled Eggplant with Labneh and Pomegranate
- Grilled Lemon-Ginger Tofu Steaks on the BBQ