THE black bean burger that doesn’t fall apart
This is THE black bean burger that doesn’t fall apart on you! The key to this black bean burger holding together is using vital wheat gluten and preparing the burger like seitan. Basically, it comes together like kneading bread. Not familiar with seitan? Keep reading below. 😉 Using vital wheat gluten gives this black bean burger a meaty texture that really makes you feel like you’re eating a hearty burger.
What is seitan?
Seitan is a protein source from Chinese cuisine with a lovely meaty texture. It’s made from gluten, the main protein in wheat. The gluten is traditionally purified from flour by kneading and washing the flour with water. Washing in water removes the starch, and the insoluble gluten protein remains in the dough. Today, you can buy powdered gluten (vital wheat gluten), simplifying the process. I find it at organic food stores or online here. The resulting gluten dough has a very meaty, fibrous texture and is rich in protein. It has a neutral bread-like flavor, making it a great base for adding flavor. In this recipe, gluten + beans makes for complete proteins.
Making seitan or this black bean burger comes down to these four steps: mix, knead, shape, and steam or boil. Plus, for this burger, we finish by grilling like a burger.
Tips for making seitan (aka gluten protein burger):
- Like bread dough, you knead vital wheat gluten to develop its texture. When you add water to vital wheat gluten (or flour), the gluten proteins can start sticking together, forming a network that gives the dough its structure. With kneading, more and more strands form and the dough gets stronger. Versus a bread dough, a seitan dough will be a little more wet, but still with an elastic texture. I find that kneading seitan by hand is the easiest.
- Seitan dough can be sticky. In this recipe we steam the seitan. To avoid it sticking to your steamer basket, you may oil the basket ahead of time. I don’t always do this, and it still turns out. The burgers can also stick together during steaming, so leave a little space in between them.
- To make the burgers more tender, we add some chickpea flour here.
- I’ve tried both boiled and steamed seitan, and for me, steamed was the winner. While boiled seitan can be good, too, I find that the edges have a mushier texture.
Can this be made gluten free?
No. The key ingredient in this recipe is pure gluten, so it cannot be made gluten free. Really, no substitutions here.
Can these burgers be made ahead?
Yes! Once steamed, the burgers will keep nicely in the fridge for two days before you pan fry them. They also keep well in the freezer for three months.
This black bean burger
- Is full of Mexican-style flavor
- Has a meaty texture
- Is easy to make
- Can be vegan
- Might fool a meat lover! (Let me know if it does in the comments 😉)
And, of course, it’s the black bean burger that doesn’t fall apart!
Learning to find black beans in France
The humble black bean is not well known here in France. White beans, kidney beans, and lentils are the most common. It took me quite a while to finally discover that they were hiding in the international aisle of some grocery stores, with the Portuguese foods. With this, I discovered not only that black beans are popular in Portugal, but that there is a thriving Portuguese community here in France (apparently many fled the dictatorship in power from 1933 to 1968). This recipe has more of a Mexican take on black beans, though!
You might also enjoy…
If you’re looking for other delicious vegetarian inspiration, you can try my roasted red pepper & tomato tart, my eggplant and chard moussaka, or my caramelized onion tarte Tatin with goat cheese.
Mexican-inspired black bean burger
Ingredients
Dry ingredients:
- 135 g (1 cup) vital wheat gluten, no substitutions
- 25 g (3 tbsp) chickpea flour
- 1½ tsp granulated onion
- ½ tsp ground cumin
- ½ tsp dried oregano leaves
- 1 tsp smoked paprika
- ½ tsp salt
- ¼ tsp garlic powder
- Black pepper
Wet ingredients:
- 175 g (1 cup) rinsed and drained black beans
- 175 ml (¾) cup vegetable broth
- 1½ tbsp Worcestershire sauce or vegan substitute
- 1½ tsp tomato paste
- 1 tbsp oil for cooking
Instructions
- Mix: Whisk all dry ingredients together. Add in 1 cup black beans and the remaining wet ingredients. Mix together.
- Knead 5 minutes by hand. The dough should come together like a very elastic bread dough.
- Shape: Divide and shape into 4 patties.
- Steam, then cool: Steam 30 minutes in a single layer in a steamer basket, turning once after about 15 minutes (ok if you forget;). Let cool and store in the refrigerator for at least 2 hours or overnight.
- Cook til golden: When ready to cook, heat 1 tbsp oil in a pan and pan fry the patties over medium heat about 3 minutes per side, or until nicely browned and heated through. You can also grill these, if desired.
- Serve on a bun with your favorite toppings, such as a salsa, tomato, avocado, and lettuce.