Help - Bland Black Bean Burgers with bad texture

pocketmole

This post inspired me to make burgers for lunch, haha. Made these with chickpeas, farro, tahini, and pumpkin seeds. I thought they turned out great, especially with the toppings I added (olive, feta, lemon basil pesto, tomato, kale). I could share this recipe too if anyone is interested. Came together in just a few minutes

fishermanmatt

Thanks everyone for all the advise. I'll make another batch this weekend and incorporate some of the suggestions that were posted. I'll probably start by replacing the TVP with quinoa (cooked with beef bullion). That should change the texture while adding salt and beef flavor. Maybe add some type of crunch from seeds and some of the different spices.

Listen when do you invite me for dinner? ahahua

Dinner is at 9:30. Served on the finest paper plates with your choice of flavored water.

This post inspired me to make burgers for lunch, haha. Made these with chickpeas, farro, tahini, and pumpkin seeds. I thought they turned out great, especially with the toppings I added (olive, feta, lemon basil pesto, tomato, kale). I could share this recipe too if anyone is interested. Came together in just a few minutes

Please post the recipe. I've got all summer to work on perfecting these so the more option the better. Pics added with the recipes would be a great addition.

pocketmole

Here are the ingredients as I entered them into MFP. Really didn't do anything special with them - just blitzed it all together in the food processor (added the pumpkin seeds at the end so they stayed mostly whole) and formed into 4 equal sized patties I suppose one main thing worth noting is that the can of chickpeas was drained. The farro and red rice blend is available in the freezer section of the grocery story (at least at the one I shop at) but I think any other grain could work in it's place. Farro has a really nice, chewy texture though. Oh and I think I may have used less than a teaspoon of salt. I usually just pour a little in my palm and eyeball the amount - do it to suit your taste.

After I formed the patties I put them in the fridge for about 30 minutes before cooking them. I don't think you have to do this but the patties held together -really- well. Well enough that I think you could toss them on the grill. I just seared mine on either side in a nonstick skillet and then popped under the broiler to melt the cheese on top.

xtravisfx

Bumping for my wife and I to look at later. I'd suggest you add ground turkey as that's what I do for my black bean burgers, but it appears that you're looking for the no meat option. To each his own

lauren3101

I know this may seem like a silly question, but did you use salt and pepper? I sometimes find a little bit of seasoning can make the difference between bland and tasty.

vegan4lyfe2012

This is my favorite black bean burger recipe:

http://lowfatveganchef.com/gluten-free-vegan-yam-black-bean-burgers/

You don't even have to pre-cook the yams - you shred them in the food processor. They give it a little "je ne sais pas"

sirenical

I don't use TVP in my black bean burgers....

Taco Seasoning (packet or homemade)
Black beans
Sauted onion and carrots
Oatmeal
Egg
Mash with potato masher

Form into patties and I pan fry with table spoon of oil

fishermanmatt

Thanks for the additional responses and recipes. I picked up four four bags of dried beans and a variety of spices and veggies to add to the mix this time around. I'll report back Sunday or Monday with the recipe and results. Thanks again.

fishermanmatt

Big thanks for all the advise. I made another batch today using canned kidney beans that turned out pretty darn good. Rough ingredients lost follows:

One can of dark red kidney beans
One habanero pepper
Three ounces of carrots
Three ounces of white onion
1.5 tablespoons of worcestershire sauce
1/2 cup of panko
3 tablespoons of pumpkin seeds
Cumin
Sage
Parsley
Basil
One large egg
Ginger
Salt

The texture was good and they stayed together well dispite me not forming patties and freezing them first. I think they would have been even better if I had done this step because I would have made them thinner. I really like the addition of the pumpkin seeds. The little bits of crunch and flavor was very nice. Calorie wise they were about double of what the first batch was. Not bad by any means but the egg, panko, & seeds add up quick. All in all, I'd consider it a success. If my first batch was a 1.5 out of 10. With y'all's help the second batch was a soild 5, maybe even a 6. Thanks again and keep the ideas coming.

I've got a bag of garbanzo beans (chick peas) soaking now. I'm going to try a larger batch using them for next week.

jennygirl9

Bump for later

maureensimmons92

For a lower calorie vegan option try one can of black beans, half a cup of salsa, and a quarter to a half cup of flour, mush all together and pan fry in a little oil or you can even grill them. When i want to spice it up I add some lentils and curry powder!

fishermanmatt

Still working to prefect the bean burger. Things are getting better. I'm getting over my fear of the spice rack and giving things a try. Lots of seasoning really helps. My latest recipe is shown below. I went a bit overboard with the carrots and corn. I need to cut them both in half but used the entire can/bag rather than letting them go to waste. I'm also going to try to reduce if not eliminate the panko. Since its main purpose in the recipe is to absorb the liquid I'm thinking of using some unflavored Metamucil. While it may seem like an odd ingredient to some, it works well in my breakfast smoothies and the tuna salad I have at lunch. I also went out and got a burger press and plan on getting an ice cream scoop to portion things out.

Feel free to add your own recipes/suggestions.