The Extra Step To Ensure The Perfect Crust On Black Bean Burgers

If you have ever tried a black bean burger that was disappointing because it was too mushy, you're not alone. Veggie burgers might have gotten a bad reputation because of their lack of structure and texture, but that doesn't mean you have to continue eating bad burgers. Instead, there is a way to remedy this issue, because it is caused by a singular enemy of delicious vegetable-based burgers: moisture (via A MindFull Mom). 

Black beans either come in a can where they are packed with liquid to keep the beans from drying out or they are soaked, often overnight, and then cooked to rehydrate dried beans (via Bon Appétit). And all of that moisture that the beans take on is then placed right inside the burger, causing it to have a soft and wet center. If, however, you use one simple trick to help remove some of that extra moisture, you can create a better black bean burger that isn't soggy and has a crispier exterior.

Taking a tip from celebrity chef J. Kenji López-Alt in Serious Eats, you can use your oven to transform overly wet and soggy black beans. Instead of directly adding a can of black beans to your burger mixture, pop them in the oven so that they dehydrate or dry out a bit. Once the beans are drier, you can combine all the ingredients to make your vegan burger patties. 

To achieve the perfect burger texture using black beans, López-Alt suggests baking black beans on a baking sheet for around 20 minutes in an oven preheated to 350 degrees Fahrenheit or until a crust forms on the outside of the beans. Ugly Duckling Bakery suggests just 10 to 15 minutes. The inside, however, should still be soft. So don't over-dry them to the point that the beans become hard and crunchy. Using this technique, you will never have to brave another disappointing, mushy black bean burger again.