This burger has become my new best friend! Not just because of the fact that it is so darn good, but also because we have been spending a lot of time together lately.
I’ve been wanting to make a veggie burger for a long time now, but I was convinced that it would be really complicated to make and I would have to go through a lot of trial and error over it either being too dry or too wet. Because of that, I put it off for a while, a really long while. This veggie burger has been on my to-do list for a few months now and I can finally cross it off!
To make things less intimidating for myself, I decided I was going to start out really simple with just some sweet potatoes, black beans, and brown rice. I would mix them up and then check the consistency of the mixture and decide how much bread crumbs and/or other binder ingredients I would need. I was trying really hard not to have to use eggs in these so that they could also be vegan.
I roasted the sweet potatoes, cooked the brown rice, and added them into the food processor with the black beans and a few herbs and spices. I gave it a whir, as Ina would say, and to my amazement when I tried to form the mixture into a patty it worked perfectly! It wasn’t crumbly, it wasn’t too soft, and it stuck together in a patty shape perfectly. I guess sometimes less is more!
When I said before that I have been spending a lot of time with these burgers lately, it is because I made them three times in one week. I not only wanted to make sure I was giving you a delicious, fool proof veggie burger recipe, but I also couldn’t get enough of them. And, my husband loved them too, which is always a big plus when it comes to the food I cook on this blog. As you can see below, you will get 6 nice sized burgers out of this recipe. Not all my burgers were equal sizes, but you can easily make 6 that are all equal sizes and they will be the perfect size to fit on a bun. I just wanted to make a few huge ones and a few tiny ones!
I have experimented in all different ways with these burgers and each time they are equally amazing, if not better than the first time. I have added cheese to the mixture, I have grilled them (Yes, these veggie burgers are grill-able!), I have crumbled them up and added them to taco salad, and I have also eaten them raw, without heating them at all, and you can do that too because they don’t have any egg in them. Feel free to put your own spin on them if you would like, this version that I am sharing with you today was my absolute favorite and the smoked paprika really took them to another level, as did the curry cilantro mayo!
Smokey Sweet Potato, Black Bean & Brown Rice Veggie Burgers with Curry Cilantro Mayo {gf+v}
- Yield: 6 1x
Ingredients
- 1 15 oz can of black beans, rinsed and drained
- 1 cup cooked brown rice
- 3 cups roasted sweet potatoes, see recipe below
- 2 tablespoons chopped red onion
- 2 tablespoons chopped cilantro leaves
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 teaspoon cumin
- 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1/2 teaspoon smoked paprika
- 1/4 teaspoon paprika
- Olive oil, for cooking
- 6 hamburger buns, gluten free or regular
- Burger toppings of your choice: lettuce, tomato, cheese, onion, etc…
- Jalapeno, to taste. I used pickled jalapenos
Roasted Sweet Potatoes:
- 3 cups diced sweet potatoes
- 1 teaspoon olive oil
- 1/2 teaspoon cumin
- 1/2 teaspoon paprika
- 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1/4 teaspoon pepper
Curry Cilantro Mayo:
- 1 cup veganaise or mayonnaise
- 1 and 1/4 teaspoons curry powder
- 2 – 3 tablespoons finely chopped cilantro leaves
- 2 teaspoons lemon juice
- 1 pinch of salt
Instructions
- Make the mayo: add all of the mayo ingredients to a medium sized bowl and stir until combined. Set aside.
- Pre-heat the oven to 375 degrees F. On a large sheet pan, place the diced sweet potatoes, olive oil, and all the spices. Toss until sweet potatoes are coated and place into the pre-heated oven. Roast for about 25 minutes, flipping once, or until sweet potatoes are fork tender. Let cool for a few minutes.
- Place all of the veggie burger ingredients into a food processor and process for about 3 – 5 seconds until everything is mixed together but still has some texture to it. Form patties (you should get about 6 of them depending on the size you make) and place them on a parchment paper lined baking sheet. Chill in the refrigerator for about 20 minutes.*
- Heat a large pan over medium heat and coat the bottom with a thin layer of olive oil. Place burgers in the hot pan and cook for about 10 minutes, flipping once, until burgers are heated through.
- If grilling the burgers, grill over medium heat and rub a little bit of olive oil on the grill to ensure that the burgers don’t stick.
- Top veggie burgers with curry cilantro mayo and enjoy on a bun with toppings of your choice!
Notes
*This step is especially important if you are grilling the burgers, you want them to be as firm as possible before you put them on the grill.
- Category: Entree, Sandwich, Gluten Free, Vegan
all i can say is YUM these are so good the sweet potato and black bean burgers
Thank you! I’m so glad you enjoyed them!
These are amazing! I have made them many times and they always turn out great! Have you tried freezing them before? I would like to try making up a big batch and freezing a bunch!
Hi Ashton! It’s so nice to hear that you like these veggie burgers! I’ve only frozen them once, but it worked really well! I would just put some parchment paper or something similar in between them so that they don’t freeze together. And then make sure to thaw completely before you heat them up. š
Love the flavours of this burger, however mine were not firm. Definitely not firm enough to grill. I was too lazy to make the mayo so i just scooped a dollop of mayo and mixed in some curry powder. Was tastey with the burger!
Hi Melissa, they definitely firm up the more you let them sit, but at first they might be a little softer. Glad you enjoyed them anyways!
this looks stunning, as well as as the other recipes I’ve seen on your website… Anyway are you vegan? I’m a little bit confused with the vegan burger and then mayo. have a nice day!
Thanks Christalyn! I don’t eat a lot of dairy, but I’m not strickly vegan. My recipes are all vegetarian though. This particular recipe is vegan because I used veganise rather then regular mayonnaise, but just called it mayo in the title because I thought that would be easier!
Omg! I tried this tonight looking for a nice veggie burger recipe and this did NOT disappoint. My family loved it. I like how you don’t need to use eggs to bind it and I’m a HUGE fan of sweet potatoes. It adds a subtle sweetness and creamy texture. Thank you so much for putting this recipe up and testing it. I have found a ‘go to’ recipe. The curry lemon sauce added the perfect touch. I used Dutch Crunch Rolls. I don’t have a food processor, so I used refried black beans that were already mashed up and ready to go and just stirred everything with a wooden spoon. It was tempting to put it in the blender, but after reading online about how that’s a no-no, I just whirled it by hand. I was able to make 8 patties (some were a little smaller than the other) and cooked on top of the stove first, then put in the oven for about 8 minutes on 300 degrees. My mom gave it a 96/100 rating (I always ask her for ratings after I make something). Thank you Dear!
Hi Angela! Yah! I’m so glad you and your family loved these veggie burgers! They were the first veggie burger recipe I tested out and they are still my favorites! That is great to know you can make them using refried beans without a food processor! Your comment just made my day! š
Best veggie burgers ever! Made these tonight. So awesome. The husband doesn’t like cilantro, so I subbed with half a jalapeno and a handful of green onions. Also threw in a splash of lime juice, as the pepper made it a little bit spicy.
Other than that, delicious!! Would definitely recommend to even the most hardcore of carnivores. Perfection!
That’s awesome, Shannon! I’m so glad you made them and liked them! My husband hates cilantro too, so I always try to throw it in when I’m cooking something I want to keep all to myself š Thanks so much for the comment!