black bean burgers $6.69 recipe / $1.12 each

black bean burgers

$6.69 recipe / $1.12 each

I love getting recipe suggestions from readers but I like it even more when it just happens to be something that I'm really in the mood for! Last week I got an email from Katie who said she was tired of paying $7 for a veggie burger (w/o sides!) at restaurants. Lucky for Katie, I was seriously craving some sort of massive sandwich or po'boy or burger... so I set out to find some recipes.

Most recipes that I found for black bean burgers were very similar to the falafel that I made (which are seriously one of the BEST things that I've made) so I knew the burgers were going to be good. The concept is simple, black beans mashed together with some vegetables, spices and some sort of binding agent. You can make them with an Indian flare (curry powder), a Mediterranean feel (oregano, sun dried tomatoes and maybe some feta) or just throw together whatever spices you want. I just added a little of this, a little of that and what resulted was a seriously good bean burger! Follow my lead or make it your own!

The buns I purchased were ENORMOUS so I had to make my patties to fit. I was able to make six HUGE patties but, in all honesty, I'll probably only eat half at a time. If I had regular sized buns, I would have made eight smaller patties.





Total Recipe cost: $6.69
Servings Per Recipe: 6
Cost per serving: $1.12
Prep time: 30 min. Cook time: 15 min. Total: 45 min.

PATTY INGREDIENTS		COST
4 cups	black beans	$0.80
1/4 med	red onion	$0.22
1 clove	garlic	$0.07
1/4 bunch	fresh parsley	$0.22
1 Tbsp	sriracha	$0.09
1 Tbsp	mayonnaise	$0.11
1 tsp	worchestershire sauce	$0.05
1 tsp	cumin	$0.05
to taste	salt and pepper	$0.05
1 lg	egg	$0.16
1 cup	bread crumbs	$0.32
TOPPINGS		COST
6 lg	hamburger buns	$2.50
2 med	roma tomatoes	$1.04
1/2 med	red onion	$0.44
1/4 bunch	lettuce	$0.30
1/4 cup	mustard	$0.27
TOTAL		$6.69

I used black beans cooked from dry to save on the cost. You can use 2 (15 ounce) cans in place of the four cups of homemade beans.

STEP 1: Pour the black beans into a colander, rinse well and let drain. Add the beans to a food processor along with everything except the salt, egg and bread crumbs [parsley, onion (roughly diced), garlic (minced), sriracha, mayonnaise, worchestershire sauce, cumin and fresh cracked pepper (about 20 cranks)]. Process until everything is combined and the mixture looks pasty with a few chunks. See photos below

If you don't have a food processor, mash the beans with a fork and stir in the rest of the ingredients. Make sure the onion, garlic and parsley are well chopped.

STEP 2: Transfer the mixture to a bowl and season with salt. I used about 1 tsp of salt total. Adjust other seasonings at this time as well. Make the mixture slightly stronger in flavor and saltiness than you want the burgers to be because once the bread crumbs and egg are added, the flavor will be diluted.

STEP 3: Whisk an egg and stir it into the mixture. Stir in the bread crumbs. The resulting mixture should be moist chunks and crumbs. The mixture should stick together if squeezed in your hand. Adjust the bread crumbs up or down to achieve a mixture that will hold a patty shape.

STEP 4: Use your hands for form the patties. Coat a skillet with non-stick spray and cook the patties for 7-8 minutes on each side. The patties should be brown and crisp on the outside and slightly firm to the touch. Be delicate when handling the patties, they are not as cohesive as meat patties but should hold their shape while cooking.

Serve the patties on a bun along with any toppings you desire.

NOTE: I cooked two of my patties and froze the rest. I wrapped the raw patties in plastic wrap and then placed them in a zip lock freezer bag. To cook later, just thaw the patty for 30 seconds in the microwave then finish cooking in a skillet as described above.

Step By Step Photos

Rinse and drain the beans well. Place them in a food processor with the rest of the ingredients (except salt, eggs and bread crumbs).


Process until it's mostly pasty but still has some chunks. You may have to stir a couple of times between pulses just to make sure it's even.


Transfer the mix to a bowl and give it a taste. Adjust the salt and other spices until you have a mix that you like. Make sure it's a little stronger than you want the end product to be because you still need to add bread crumbs and the egg. I used 1 tsp of salt total but if you're using canned beans, you will definitely need less.


Whisk the egg and add it to the mix along with the bread crumbs. I decided to add a little more parsley at this point for color. You may need more or less bread crumbs depending on the moisture level of your bean mix.


Here is the end product. I wish I had video to show you the texture. When it was stirred, it would crumble just a little but if I squeezed it in my hand, it would hold together.


Form the mix into patties. You can either freeze the patties at this point or cook them. To cook, simply coat a skillet with non-stick spray and heat over medium flame. Cook the patties on each side until brown, crispy and heated through. (I forgot to take pics of the skillet, sorry!)



If you want extra crisp patties, you can add a few tablespoons of oil to your skillet and give them a shallow fry.