Cooking for Beginners recipes, structured

Black Bean Burgers

The beans dried out in the oven before mashing, which is the difference between a burger and a bean paste in a bun.

Prep
25m
Cook
25m
Waiting
30m
Total
1h 20m
Serves
4
Effort
Moderate
Scale
4
Units

Method

Tap a step number to mark it done. Tap an ingredient once for got it, twice for need it.

2 tins Dry the drained beans at 180°C / 350°F until the skins split 15m This is the whole trick. Wet beans steam inside the patty and it falls apart. Mash to a coarse, tacky mixture with some beans left whole 8m A smooth purée gives you a texture like refried beans. Leave a third of them intact. Shape into four patties and chill 30 minutes 10m Chilling firms the starch so they hold together in the pan. Fry the patties in a hot pan, 4 minutes a side, and build the burgers 10m Press once when they go in, then leave them alone.
1 tbsp Fry the aromatics until the pan is dry 8m
1
2 cloves
2 tsp
1 tsp
1 tbsp
80 g
1
1 1/4 tsp
2 tbsp
4
4 slices
to serve
Read left to right: ingredients merge into steps, and the rightmost cell is the last thing you do. Steps account for 51m of hands-on and cooking time.

  1. Dry the drained beans at 180°C / 350°F until the skins split

    15m
    • tinned black beans 2 tins

    This is the whole trick. Wet beans steam inside the patty and it falls apart.

  2. Fry the aromatics until the pan is dry

    8m
    • olive oil 1 tbsp
    • onion 1
    • garlic 2 cloves
    • ground cumin 2 tsp
    • smoked paprika 1 tsp
    • chipotle paste 1 tbsp

  3. Mash to a coarse, tacky mixture with some beans left whole

    8m
    • from 1 Dry the drained beans at 180°C / 350°F until the skins split
    • from 2 Fry the aromatics until the pan is dry
    • panko breadcrumbs 80 g
    • egg 1
    • salt 1 1/4 tsp

    A smooth purée gives you a texture like refried beans. Leave a third of them intact.

  4. Shape into four patties and chill 30 minutes

    10m
    • from 3 Mash to a coarse, tacky mixture with some beans left whole

    Chilling firms the starch so they hold together in the pan.

  5. Fry the patties in a hot pan, 4 minutes a side, and build the burgers

    10m
    • from 4 Shape into four patties and chill 30 minutes
    • sunflower oil 2 tbsp
    • burger buns 4
    • cheddar (optional) 4 slices
    • pickles, lettuce and mayonnaise to serve

    Press once when they go in, then leave them alone.

Why the beans go in the oven

A tinned bean is about two-thirds water. Mash it wet and that water has nowhere to go in the pan except to steam, which is why so many bean burgers crumble or turn to mush in the middle. Fifteen minutes at 180°C drives off enough moisture that the skins split and the surface turns matte, so the breadcrumbs and egg can bind a mixture that is already close to the right consistency rather than fighting a flood.

Notes

  • Shape them wider than the bun. They shrink less than meat but they do puff.
  • They freeze raw between squares of baking paper and go straight from freezer to pan with two extra minutes a side.
  • A hot cast-iron pan and patience gives a real crust. Non-stick over medium heat gives you a warm bean cake.

Try butter, 30 minutes, braise, or an ingredient you need to use up.