Burgers and MAKING THEM STICK
I'm sort of new to vegan cooking, and today I tried a modified recipe for mexican-ish black bean burgers. They were basically 1 16 oz. can of black beans, half a red pepper, half an onion, 4 oz. of mushrooms and some garlic, cumin, chili powder, and hot sauce mashed together in the food processor. I baked them in the oven at 375 degrees for about 15 min on each side. Unfortunately, they stayed mushy and wouldn't stick together. I baked them longer too, and that only made the edges crispy.
The original recipe called for egg and bread crumbs. Unfortunately the only bread crumbs in my house had milk in them, so I couldn't use them. I thought maybe some olive oil would help the burgers stick a little better instead of using egg, but it didn't seem to work.
So my question is, what kind of vegan ingredient can I use for future recipes like this one to make the burgers stick together?
Thanks
I like to make a flax egg replacer (mix 1 tbsp ground flax to 3 tbsp water per egg, whisk until "gooey"). Sometimes, if I don't have bread, I will grind oats in the food processor. That works pretty well and adds a slight taste. In my opinion, just looking at the recipe, I would also add a tbsp or two of ketchup to the mixture. That's just my preference. Welcome to vegweb and good luck!
I also do an egg replacer, but they always turn out better when I pan fry them.
i wish i'd asked this before i started cooking - we had flax in the house!
also - what would you pan fry these in? (i'm really bad at frying and i burn everything)
I dont want to speak for lubimiller, but I would fry them medium high heat with vegetable/olive oil in a non stick pan.
I've seen a recipe that had vital wheat gluten mixed in to help bind the burgers. I have yet to try it though so I'm not sure of the results. It seems like it would be a good idea though.
I know what you mean...I would never try to grill the bean burgers I've made on a barbecue because they tend to want to fall apart. I have to avoid gluten so I have been known to add a little Maseca (masa harina) to the mix, or sometimes dredge the shaped burgers in it and sort of pat it in. It seems to help them keep together. Sometimes I bake them on an oiled cookie sheet or slide them under the oven grill to get them crispier.