Burgers should be enjoyed by everyone, including those who don’t consume beef. If you’re vegetarian or vegan, a burger made with mushrooms is a great option. The mushroom and bean burgers are rich and meaty, providing the appropriate texture for individuals just beginning their plant-based journey. Vegetarians and health-conscious diners both will appreciate these black bean and mushroom burgers topped with crispy onion rings.
Black bean & mushroom burger suggestions
Veggie patties often come apart while cooking, but baking them helps them stay together until they cool. The wonderful beer batter will stick better to the onion rings if the thin membrane is removed before slicing. We noticed that the vegan burger goes nicely with Roodeberg’s Classic Red Blend, which is perfect for enjoying on a beautiful day with friends. For the same reason that everything is better when battered in beer, we prefer onion rings over fries while eating a burger.
Do you wish there were more plant-based and vegetarian restaurants open on weekend nights and daytimes throughout the South African summer? We recommend the black bean and mushroom burger topped with crispy onion rings.
Black bean & mushroom burger recipe
Course: Main
Cuisine: South African
Difficulty: Medium
Servings: 4 servings
Prep time: 20 minutes
Cooking time: 25 minutes
Total time: 45 minutes
Ingredients
- For the mushroom patties
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30ml olive oil
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1 medium onion, finely chopped
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6-8 portabellini or small brown mushrooms, chopped
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3 cloves garlic , finely grated / minced
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10ml ground cumin
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10ml ground smoked paprika
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½ cup fresh breadcrumbs (or raw oats)
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1 extra large egg
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15ml Worcestershire sauce
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30ml steakhouse sauce (or BBQ sauce), plus extra for brushing
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400g canned black beans in brine, drained
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400g red kidney beans in brine, drained (or replace with more black beans)
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freshly ground black pepper, to taste
- For assembly
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4 large sesame seed burger buns
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butter for spreading
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4 tbsp. mayonnaise
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lettuce leaves
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1-2 large tomatoes, sliced
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pickled gherkins, sliced
- For the crispy battered onion rings
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1 cup cake flour
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1 tsp baking powder
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¼ tsp salt
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½ tsp smoked or regular paprika
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180ml beer (lager or similar)
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vegetable oil for frying
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1 large onion, peeled and sliced into rounds
Method
- In a wide pan, heat the oil and add the onion and mushrooms. Fry over medium heat until soft, then add the garlic and fry for another minute, stirring often.
- Remove from the heat and transfer the mixture to a food processor, along with the cumin, paprika, breadcrumbs, egg, Worcestershire sauce and steakhouse sauce.
- Add the beans, salt & pepper, then pulse until you have a relatively coarse mixture (don’t make it too smooth). Tip: You can also crush the beans with a potato masher before adding it to the food processor. This helps to break up the bigger beans making it easier to keep slightly chunky with the rest of the ingredients.
- Divide the mixture into 6 and shape into flattened disks (it’s best to do this on smaller pieces of baking paper, to prevent the patties from breaking). Arrange the patties on a large oiled baking sheet, cover and refrigerate until ready to use.
- For the patties
- Preheat the oven to 200°C. Use a pastry brush to baste the patties with steakhouse sauce, then bake for about 10 minutes a side, removing the baking paper as you turn them over. The patties will be very soft when hot, but will firm up once cooled. If you have the time, precook them, and just reheat when ready to serve.
- Assembly
- Butter the inside of your buns and toast in a hot pan, then spread with mayonnaise, layer with lettuce, tomato, gherkin and the cooked, basted patties. Top with a slice of cheese and the top half of the buns, and serve at once, with freshly fried onion rings.
- For the onion rings
- In a medium mixing bowl, add the flour, baking powder, salt, paprika and beer, and mix to a thick and sticky batter. Heat the oil in a medium size pot over the stovetop until a drop of batter starts to sizzle (about 170°C). Dip each onion round in the batter and place carefully into the oil, frying on both sides until puffed up and golden (you can do batches of about 4-6 at a time). Drain on kitchen paper and serve at once.
Notes
- Because veggie patties have the tendency to break while cooking, it’s best to bake them for ease of mind. Once cooked and cooled, they firm up and become much easier to handle, so feel free to make them ahead of time for a quick reheat.