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This Mexican burger is inspired by Jeff Novick’s veggie burger line. It's a delicious, kid-friendly, and healthy alternative to greasy beef burgers. Use your favorite salsa or you could also replace salsa with ketchup. If you enjoy the hotness, feel free to add a little bit of hot sauce. For a better hold, prepare the patties the day before and store in your refrigerator over night.

By Katie Mae,

Ingredients

  • 1 cup cooked brown rice
  • 1 15-ounce can black beans
  • ½ onion, diced
  • ¼ cup corn
  • 1 teaspoon cumin
  • 1 teaspoon garlic powder
  • ¼ teaspoon chili powder
  • ¼ cup cornmeal
  • 2 tablespoons salsa

Instructions

  • To cook the brown rice, bring ½ cup of rice and 1 cup of water to a boil in a pot. Once boiling, reduce heat to simmer. Once water is absorbed, taste rice to see if fully cooked. If not, add a little more water and let simmer until it’s ready. Boil beans until soft or drain canned beans. Pour beans in a medium size bowl and mash them with your hands, potato masher, or fork.
  • Preheat oven to 350º F. Lay a piece of parchment paper on sheet pan.
  • Sweat the onion in a sauté pan. Sweat means the moisture comes from the veggies so no oil is needed. Just remember to keep a lid on the pan. If the onions do start to stick, add a little bit of water. When onions become translucent add corn and spices. Cook for a few more minutes.
  • Add cornmeal, salsa, veggies, and rice to bean bowl. Mix everything together so there is an even consistency. Feel free to do this with your hands. Then form mixture into patties. A good thickness is about ½ inch and I like to make mine around 3 inches in diameter.
  • Place patties onto parchment paper and bake for 15 minutes at 350ºF. Flip the patties and bake for another 15 minutes. Serve between two leaves of romaine lettuce with tomato, onion, ketchup, and mustard. Or try putting the burger on a bed of fresh spinach instead of the bun…delicious!
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Comments (20)

(5 from 16 votes)

Recipe Rating

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Alexis

My husband and I just began a plant based diet. This recipe is fantastic! I skipped the cumin though. I used lettuce as the bun and added ketchup and mustard. It tasted like I was eating a burger!

Whitney

These were good. Personally I think the cumin makes them taste more taco meatish than like a hamburger. Next time I will cut the cumin way back and add some seasoning more akin to Montreal Steak seasoning.

Andrea Smith

Omg! I must say im not vegan or vegetarian or anything like that. But i enjoy adding meatless meals in my family menus. And i must say this bean burger was better then my favorite turkey burger. Even the kids an my husband were amazing. It was easy too! I tweaked the seasonings a bit but other that i stuck to the recipe. Definitely a must try!

Julie

Wonderful recipe it exceeded my expectations! I can’t believe just how well they held together - when I reviewed the recipe I had my doubts, but I was pleasantly surprised. This too was my first time making a Bean Burger and the taste was so flavourful, that this will be my go-to burger!

Ann Marie

My husband and I loved these burgers. I have tried several burger recipes and most of those burgers don’t hold together, but these held together great and were delicious. Can they be frozen?

Megan Edwards

Hi Ann Marie, Glad to hear you loved these so much! Yes, you can place the patties in freezer bags or airtight containers and put them in the freezer. Make sure you put a sheet of parchment paper between each patty so that they don't stick together. When you're ready to eat, let them thaw on the counter before proceeding to bake at the time and temperature stated in the recipe. Let us know how it goes!

Mary

First time making and eating a bean burger and this was surprisingly better then I thought it would be. Next time I may add some sundried tomatoes for a pop of flavor.

Jodi Niro

Could these be made into meatballs instead of Pattie’s?

Valerie

I made this recipe today for dinner and loved it. The black bean burger is so flavourful.

Tif

Turned out really well. Held together perfectly and the whole family (kids included) thought they tasted great. Upped the amount of chili power 1 tablespoon bc we like more spice.

Suzy Navarrete

Yum. That looks so good.

Heather Allison

Easy and so delicious. I used an organic quick cook brown rice and quinoa packet and it worked out fine.

Diana Lopez

Can i substitute corn meal with bread crumbs?

Viljami

I used a drop of olive oil, to saute the onions and for cooking the patty, and added salt. The best veggie patty closest to WFPBD I've eaten :) Short grain brown rice held it together well.

Deborah

Quite good. A bit dried out. Do you think I baked them too long? I would make them again.

Clare

I don't eat onions. Would you suggest cooking the cornmeal and spices in a bit of veg broth or should I just do them straight on the dry griddle? Any suggestions?

Nessie

Can polenta be used instead of cornmeal?

Nic

All fell apart. I think it's time to go back to the drawing board with this recipe.

Blaine Stephens

Looked questionable at first, but this is the best black bean burger I have ever had.

Donna L.

Made just like the recipe but added chopped green peppers and they were good!

About the Author

Headshot of Katie Mae

About the Author

Katie Mae

Chef Katie Mae is the founder of The Culinary Gym, an online hub for learning, practicing, and mastering whole-food, plant-based cuisine. Since 2011, she has been teaching at TrueNorth Health Center and Dr. McDougall’s residential health programs. Witnessing patients radically transform their health inspired her to create an in-depth culinary curriculum to help people embrace a whole-food, plant-based diet at home. With a master’s degree in nutrition from Bastyr University and a personal passion for flavor science, Mae teaches how to prepare food that’s both health-promoting and mouthwatering. Find her on Instagram and Facebook.
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