Easy, Tasty, Baked Black Bean Burgers

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By the Gracious Vegan

These gluten-free black bean burgers have incredible texture and taste without any added oil. The burgers are baked rather than pan-fried, which not only saves on oil but also eliminates time standing at the stove. These burgers freeze well, meaning great leftover meals! 

Makes 10-12 burger patties

Preheat the oven to 425°F. Line a sheet pan with parchment paper.

Prep. In a small bowl, fork-whisk the ground chia seeds and water together and let them sit while you prepare the other ingredients. The mixture will be very thick.

  • 1/4 cup water

  • 1 Tablespoon chia seeds, ground (in a bullet blender, coffee grinder, or spice grinder)

Water-sauté the vegetables. In a large skillet or pan, water-sauté (What is water-sauté?) the following ingredients with water (start with 3-4 Tablespoons water and add more if needed) for 8-10 minutes, until the onions are transparent and soft and the pan is dry.

  • 1/2 cup chopped onion

  • 1 clove garlic, minced

  • 1 cup chopped white button or cremini mushrooms (4 mushrooms)

  • 1/2 cup chopped celery

  • 1/2 cup chopped green or red pepper

Process, shape, and bake. Transfer the vegetables to a food processor and pulse with the following ingredients until everything is nicely combined but still chunky. 

  • The chia seed mixture

  • One 15-ounce can black beans, drained and rinsed

  • 3/4 cup dried bread crumbs (whole wheat crumbs preferred) or quick-cooking oatmeal or quinoa flakes

  • 1/2 cup well-chopped walnuts

  • 1 Tablespoon ketchup (or 1 teaspoon tomato paste)

  • 1 Tablespoon regular or Dijon mustard

  • 2 teaspoons soy sauce

  • 2 teaspoons Montreal steak seasoning

  • 1 teaspoon Italian seasoning

  • 1/2 - 1 teaspoon smoked paprika

Form 3-4" patties about 1/2” thick and lay them on the parchment paper (they can be close together). Bake for 15 minutes, then flip them over and bake 8-10 minutes more or until firm with brown surfaces. The burgers are ready to serve. They also freeze well.

Serve on English muffins, whole-grain burger buns, or other bread with your favorite burger toppings.

  • Whole wheat English muffins, toasted, whole-grain burger buns, or other bread

Timing: Around 50-55 minutes

Gluten-free