One of the hard things for a vegetarian living in Mexico can be lack of access to things like veggie burgers. There are two key challenges when making your own veggie burgers – how to make it stick together and how to create a texture that isn’t mushy. I’ve made (and eaten) a lot of veggie burgers over the years and I truly think this is the best one I’ve ever had.
I started with this article from The Food Lab. The article recounts their journey trying to make the perfect burger, and the one key element I latched onto was their decision to dry their black beans in the oven to reduce the mushiness factor. This really hit me, and I knew I had to try that technique.
Another change I made was substituting chia for egg. I hate veggie burgers with an eggy taste, and of course chia gels up in no time so it would work perfectly as a binder. From there I just used what I had available – the cashews and half can of chipotle peppers just jumped into the food processor on their own!
The patties shaped easily with a bit of water as needed so that they’d hold together on their own. I wrapped them individually in waxed paper and froze what I didn’t use fresh. In the picture above you’ll see the burger on the fabulous buns I special ordered at Molika Bakery. What a treat this meal was! Provecho!
Theresa Diaz Gray
May 22, 2014Everything about that burger plate looks delish! I think ultimately that making your own is probably better for you and even tastier. I’ve made some pretty tasty “chicken” patties using garbanzo beans, but they would be even better using your oven drying.
regards,
Theresa
Terry
May 26, 2014wow! I just finished eating my breakfast and seeing that veggie burger still made me hungry! Thanks again Nancy for another good post.
Contessa
June 4, 2014Yum, thanks for sharing.
Judy
June 13, 2014This recipe sounds like it would taste good. The commercial veggie burgers I had in the past were mostly mushroom burgers, I think. So I have a ‘dumb’ question, probably because I’m not a vegetarian. Are the beans you and Theresa talking about pre-cooked? Out of a can? If pre-cooked, what would happen if you slightly undercooked your beans instead of drying/dehydrating in the oven before putting them in the food processor? Thinks about this, slightly undercooked beans might not have the right mouth-feel in your burger.
Nancy
June 13, 2014After having eaten several of these burgers I think I would change the recipe to include some cooked mushrooms. Maybe reduce the cashews a bit. I will try it next time. Judy, I wouldn’t undercook beans, they would have a bad mouth feel and I think they’d probably give you a stomach ache. I made my own beans from dried beans but canned would work in the recipe, too. My “inspiration” recipe used canned.
Judy
June 13, 2014I would think portobello mushrooms would be a better choice than the typical white button mushroom. I can see why the beans are dried in the oven because to pressure can a pint of beans it’s 75 minutes at 11 pounds pressure for 1200 feet elevation; 90 minutes for a quart. So the beans are extra soft/hydrated. I’ll have to get a can of beans out and see how the dehydrating in the oven changes the mushy factor.