Black Bean Veggie Burger with Guac on a Pretzel Bun

Now this is the way to kick off the Vegan MOFO! I’ve been on a quest to perfect the veggie burger since I went veg. It needed to be hearty, not crumble everywhere and taste delicious. I loved the Black Bean Veggie Burger at Smashburger, until I found out that neither the burger nor the bun were vegan and the calorie count was 670 stinking calories and 36 fat grams, -without sides! Blast!

Black Bean Veggie Burger

Adapted, veganized and healthified from this awesome recipe. 

  • 2 cans black beans, drained and rinsed
  • 1/4 C. chopped cilantro
  • 2 t. hot sauce (I like sriracha)
  • 1/2 C. grated pepper-jack cashew cheez or other vegan cheese shreds
  • 1/4 C. finely minced red onion
  • 2 T. vital wheat gluten or 2 T. ground flax seed (binders, gluten works best for a non-crumbly burger, but if you’re gluten free, flax is a decent sub)
  • 1 t. ground cumin
  • 1/3 C. masa harina (finely ground corn flour, the kind used for making tamales)
  • 1 clove minced garlic
  • 1 minced jalapeno, seeds and ribs removed for less heat if desired
  • 2 T. nutritional yeast
  • 1-2 t. spike seasoning
  • 2 T. Water

It really needed a vegan makeover….

Method: In a large bowl, mash beans with a potato masher, leaving some beans whole. Add in all other ingredients and mix with your hands until all combined. Refrigerate burger mixture for 30 minutes. Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Remove from fridge, divide into 8 portions. Roll each portion into a ball and smash into a thin 3-4 inch round patty with the palm of your hand. Spray a baking sheet with cooking spray. Arrange patties on tray, spray tops of patties lightly with cooking spray. Bake for 20 -25 minutes, turning once.

Serve up with some of these home baked oven fries (1 potato/sweet potato per person, cut into fries, toss all in a large bowl with a small amount of olive or coconut oil, seasonings/salt/pepper to taste bake at 450 degrees for 20-25 minutes or until golden brown and crispy) and this cucumber salad. Top with guac, lettuce, tomato, pickles, sliced onion, sliced jalapeno (if you like it like that), sliced pepper jack cashew cheez (not pictured, used up the last of it in the burgers), organic ketchup or bbq sauce and of course, dijon mustard. Best served on a whole grain pretzel bun… Recipe for the pretzel bun coming tomorrow!

121 comments

    1. Yay Richa! So glad your still up on MOFO eve! I couldn’t sleep and had to wait to see this one go live! Since you adore bread as much as I do, your gonna love these pretzel buns!!! WeeEeee! 🙂

      Reply

  3. Good heavens… that looks amazing! I’m a vegan burger junkie. Seriously, I think I have a problem.

    Anyway, don’t you hate it when you think you’re ordering a vegan burger and it SO turns out not to be one? It’s completely annoying, but, at least in this case it lead you to creating a delicious recipe (which I can’t wait to try, by the way). Thanks!

    PS Happy VeganMoFo

    Reply

    1. Ha! Thanks JD! Seriously nothing wrong with having a veggie burger addiction, there are worse things!

      And yes, I totally hate it when I find out veggie burgers aren’t vegan! It happened to me one too many times, I’ve figured out pretty much all of them in restaurants are vegetarian unless specifically specified to be vegan. Oops.

      Let me know if you try the burger, it’s my absolute favorite! And thanks for the VeganMOFO wishes!

      Reply

  5. That looks AMAZING Somer!! I love veggie burgers….always have, even before I was Vegan! I do the same thing with mine…put avocado spread instead of mayo..so much tastier than traditional spreads! Yours looks delicious! I can’t wait to try it!!

    Reply

    1. Thanks Brandi! It’s hard not to love a good veggie burger, and I’m the same as you, even before I went vegan I’d pick a veggie burger over a traditional one any day!

      Reply

  7. I am glad too you made the cucumber salad. Did you like it ? What about your kids ? I have heard some kids are fussy with salads 🙂 also like this “Adapted, veganized and healthified”

    Reply

    1. I LOVED it, my husband and children think cucumbers are just “meh” whereas I adore them, they ate the salad, which says something 😉

      Reply

    1. Thanks Heidi, they are the one thing we keep coming back to. Especially with veggie burgers. Regular hamburger buns just don’t cut it after you’ve enjoyed these 🙂

      Reply

  12. That burger looks so delicious, especially with the guacamole! I love making my own veggie burgers; they are much cheaper and more flavorful than the pre-made frozen varieties.

    Reply

    1. Thanks! If you want to make the patties without the vital wheat gluten, corn starch may work even better than the flax. I’m having fun with the camera, thanks for noticing!

      Reply

  19. I must try this too! I’m thinking that since the recipe calls for corn flour can substitute with flour as a binder instead of gluten powder.

    Reply

  22. Hi Somer! Thank you for dropping by my blog!! =) Can’t wait to have a good burger when i get home! I always love black beans with plenty of cumin, coriander, lime juice and smoked chilli powder. My mouth is watering just from typing these words…bahaha! =)

    Reply

  25. Always on the hunt for the perfect veggie burger – think I found it 🙂
    We will try this one Somer, it looks so yummy!
    I make one with quinoa which is pretty damn good, but this one…………… I can’t wait!
    XXXX

    Reply

    1. Anne, it really is at the top of my list of favorites! I think your family will really enjoy it. Is your quinoa one in your archives? One can never have too many veggie burgers in their repertoire! Hugs!

      Reply

  26. Um, that pretzel bun looks AMAZING! I need that in my life ASAP. And how did you know I love guacamole on my burgers? You just know how to make my day! Great start to MoFo- can’t wait to see what else you have in store for us! xo

    Reply

    1. It’s hard to go wrong with a veggie burger, but thanks for the sweet compliment! Yay for pretzel buns (we can’t eat veggie burgers any other way now. Permanently spoiled….)

      Reply

  34. Hot DAMN! You’re not flailing at all! It is twenty minutes until my lunch break and you know the only thing I’m craving now! Sweet, hot, juicy burger – this looks amazing! Nice job on reducing those scary fat grams too! NOM.

    Reply

    1. Yes! Thanks Sparkles!!! Nothing like a mission to make healthy taste good! I’m still coveting your necklace! I looked at it on the site – SO ADORABLE!

      Reply
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  41. Wow. I wish I read this on the day you posted (damn me and my laziness) because I actually had a black bean burger from Smashburger on Monday. I would have gone elsewhere…I assume they use egg in the patty? How disappointing. And that fat count…ick. Thank you for making a truely vegan version; it looks just like the one from Smash but I know it tastes so much better!

    Reply

    1. Oh man, yes egg, yes cheese, yes smashed croutons that have cheese and butter All in the black bean smashburger. Blast. I admit their burger is the best veggie burger I’ve ever had at a restaurant, but I think I’ve done a “smashing” job of recreating it!

      Reply
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    1. Thanks Heather! We could eat those once a week. Really so, so good! Do the pretzel rolls my dear, I know you’ve got the skillz to make them entirely yours!

      Reply
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  47. My computer screen has fingerprints all over it not ‘coz I kept trying to reach for the oven fries. That you very much!!

    Reply
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