the burger
July 19, 2011 Yesterday we had, “the almost burger.”
Today we have, “the burger.”
It’s ready to be released!
A few important instructions:
1) Cube the sweet tater into ~1” cubes, for best texture results. Steam or microwave until tender. Leave those skins on!! Cubing will make the mashing easier + help with the texture.
2) For the beans. You want to mash half of the beans until paste-like. Add the other 1/2 and give a very light mash to combine. The idea is to leave a little less than half of the beans in their whole form. Texture!!
3) Quinoa! You can follow the same process for perfectly cooked millet, when making quinoa. It’s a sure bet method, every time. The only thing that differs is the cook time. You can add in 1T of oil with the water or leave it out. Good either way. When making quinoa [or millet], always make extra. Store the extra in the fridge and believe me, you’ll use it throughout the week.
salad topping – oatmeal topping – cold breakfast cereal – butter, salt + pepper – burrito filling – etc
Always make extra.
Perfectly Cooked Quinoa
- 1c quinoa, rinsed + drained
- 2c water
- Heat a pot over medium.
- Add rinsed quinoa and toast for 1-3min, stirring a few times.
- Add water, turn heat to med-high and bring to a boil.
- Stir once, reduce heat to simmer + cover the pot with a lid.
- Set your timer to 15min and do not stir or open the lid!!
- Turn off the heat and move the pot to another burner for 5min.
- Uncover, and fluff with a fork.
Simple as that!
4) Mash the sweet taters in a large bowl, but don’t make mashed potatoes. Right Mama Pea??
I made a full batch of 8 burgers and split the “batter” in half to try two different binding methods.
In the first batch, I used ground oats. I wasn’t looking for oat flour, because I was trying to retain some of the chewiness from the oats. I ground about half way to flour in the blender.
For the second batch, I ground millet in the blender, into a fine flour. I’ve used millet flour in veggie burgers before and liked the results.
5) I tried baking + pan frying these burgs. My personal preference + suggestion would be to bake these, but they still held up really well in the pan.
Millet flour burg on the left.
Ground oat burg on the right.
You could definitely see a difference. More texture on the right + not as grainy looking.
So, what were the results?
Well, both versions held together extremely well. Both versions also tasted great, which is good news, because it means you have options.
But which did I like best?
The ground oat burger. As I suspected! Emily uses this technique in her black bean burgers + in Angela’s perfected veggie burger, she also does the same.
The millet flour tasted fine and didn’t try out the burger at all. But those ground oats!!
They just add a little somethin’ somethin’.
Pile on the toppings!
- avocado
- roasted red pepper
- tomato
This is the first veggie burger that I’ve created completely on my own!
Such a proud mama. ;) I may be biased, but this is my favorite veggie burger to date!
Sweet Tater Black Bean Burgers [yields 8 burgers – vegan, gf]
- 15oz black beans, drained + rinsed
- 3c cubed sweet tater, cooked + skin on [~1.5lbs]
- 1/2c frozen or fresh corn
- 2/3c finely chopped onion [1/2 medium onion]
- 2 large garlic cloves, finely minced
- 1/2c cooked quinoa
- 6T rolled oats, partially ground
- 2T sunflower seeds
- 1/2t salt
- black pepper
- 1t cumin
- 1t oregano
- 1/4t coriander
- 1t chili powder
- 1/4t cayenne [optional]
- 1T olive oil
- Preheat your oven to 375* once you finish cooking the quinoa + potato.
- Mash half of the beans in a bowl until paste-like.
- Add in the rest of the beans and give a very light stir/mash to combine.
- In a large bowl, mash the sweet tater. Each cube should be mashed, but you don’t want it creamy.
- Stir in the salt, pepper, oregano, coriander, chili powder, cayenne [if using] and olive oil, until combined.
- Mix in the onion, garlic, corn, black beans, quinoa, sunflower seeds, and ground oats, until just combined.
- Taste, and adjust seasonings to your liking.
- Form into balls, between your hands and flatten into 1/2”-3/4” thick patties. This should make 8 medium/large patties.
- Place on a pan lined with parchment paper [or lightly greased pan] and bake on each side for 15min, flipping once, half-way through.
- Remove from oven + serve!
*If you want to refrigerate or freeze them, let fully cool on a cooling rack. Place in a sealed container for the fridge, or wrap in saran, then foil, then in a bag for the freezer. If reheating a frozen burger, let it thaw completely. Re-heat in a greased pan, over medium heat for ~3-5min per side, until hot throughout.
*To make the ground oats – Pulse your blender on + off, until you have the consistency about half way to flour.
*Instead of ground oats, feel free to sub – millet flour, oat flour, quinoa flour, whole wheat flour, etc.
*To pan cook – Heat a pan to medium and lightly grease. Cook on each side for 5-8min, flip + cook another 5-8min until golden brown.
*For the grill – Bake burgers for 15min on one side, flip burgers once and bake another 10min. While baking, preheat your grill slightly above medium [~350-375*] Grease the grates and cook burgers for ~3min per side.
And don’t forget the ketchup.
Veggie burger complete.
Ashley
Recipes, black beans, burger, oats, quinoa, sweet potatoes in gluten free, vegan 
Reader Comments (217)
I love that you added sweet potatoes to the veggie burger. It looks absolutely deelicious!
Your burgers look delicious! I'll be making these as soon as I get my hands on some more sweet potatoes. I can't believe how quickly I go through them! Thanks for the recipe!
This looks so yummy. It just may be the first veggie burger I try!
Burgers look fantastic! Love all the those different textures and flavors in there!
You and Mama Pea should definitely open a veggie burger stand together! Or at least sell frozen patties online for the rest of us. :P
Ummmm…..I have no words!!!
WOW!!
Amazing!
"My personal preference + suggestion would be to bake these,"--that would be my preferred way too. It's just...easier I think :) And no grease splattters to clean up on my stovetop :)
yummmmm! i'm totally a fan of baking veggie burgers too...so much easier to clean up!
Amazing!! I love the addition of the quinoa and sweet potato. This burger nutritional powerhouse :) haha
Seriously I just love the picture of the ketchup oozing all over that burger! Delicious.
Yum! The texture in these rocks.
Congrats on your FIRST very own veggie burger! ....You have created a winner!
These look so yummy! Especially with the avocado on top. Can't wait to try em out!
the burger looks awesome and i can already tell that it will be added into my veggie burger repertoire!
I am so excited to make these! I absolutely love the combo of sweet potatoes and black beans so this is right up my alley. Not to mention the texture looks insane! Love!
Those are the next veggie burgers on my list to try for sure! Love the sweet potato and black bean combo!
two words, HOLY YUM! :)
These looks great! I can't wait to try them out. I've got everything on hand already and will be next on my list :)
Wow, these look fantastic! Everything I would want in a veggie burger, rolled up in one, yum!
xo
I love when you see a new recipe and have everything on hand!
Hope you enjoy them!
Haha, thank you!!!
Thanks Holly ;)
Oh my gosh, I know!! I love not dealing with raw meat! ;)
OMG...a food truck!!!!!!!!
FIRST? o.m.g. :) If you still haven't tried one the next time I'm in Ohio, I am making you some!!!
Those burgers are "Ridiculously Good Looking" Thank you!
Oh and excellent photos yet again :D
These looks amazing - and I love that they're made from things I already have on hand! Thanks for sharing!
Wow. Those look soooo delicious. I absolutely love sweet potatoes, black beans, and quinoa. I can't wait to try the recipe. Do you have the nutritional stats for these burgers?
Yum! I've made sweet potato chickpea burgers and combined sweet potatoes and black beans in other recipes, so I know I will absolutely love these. Great recipe Ash :)
Looks delish! :-)
REALLY!!! I am so making a batch and freezing them! I love your ideas/recipes! Do you have a recipe for ketchup. I do not use refined sugar and I am searching for a yummy ketchup recipe. PS - The house looks awesome!!! Love the tiles in the kitchen!
Ahhh this looks so good! I've only ever tried the frozen ones in the market and when I defrosted them in the microwave (pre-toaster oven days), they came out all mushy :( Yet again, this is another recipe that I'll have to bookmark and make in the future ;)
I love veggie burgers, but have never made my own- I absolutely cannot wait to make these! Although I'm not vegetarian, some of my good friends are and I don't particularly care for most meat, so I love making veggie meals to share! These are next on the list for SURE!
Awesome...I hope you + your friends enjoy them!
Unfortunately no...I should though...I'm a ketchup lover! :)
Thanks girl!
Nope, not yet. You can enter in the information at caloriecount.com. It's super easy! :)
Mmmmm yum!!! I love that you added corn and sweet potato in these! I dont know what it is about ground oats either...they truly rock in a veggie burger!
Gorgeous pictures...the light is especially beautiful in these!
this is going in my recipe box- my God i am in love with these!!! fantastic job- they look SO GOOD!!!!! <3
You should enter this into a recipe contest. For real. You will win. Hands down. OMG.
automatically starred this recipe! I will be making these soon, just need to stock up on sunflower seeds. Thanks for making this a science experiment and letting us know how to get the "perfect" veggie burger!!
YESSSSS THIS IS THE MOST PERFECT BURGER EVERRRR
NICE! So psyched to try these. Its happening this weekend for sure.
These look incredible, super easy and better yet, contain all my favorite ingredients. Well done, Ash :)
Can't wait to give these babies a spin! They're probably really yummy the next day, too :)
Nope, no mashed potatoes, unless you have a good gravy recipe! (have you been watching me on TV???) ;)
While I have to say that I'm not happy that you have had to go mostly gluten free for your tummy to feel better, I AM loving all the yummy GF recipes!! Granted I have to use GF oats when I make this recipe, I can't wait to try it!!
It was either you or a look a like!!! Woop! Famous lady!
Thanks Emilia...hope they turn out for you!!
I love your excitement :)