Cajun Spiced Black Bean and Sweet Potato Burgers

Spicy vegan burgers made with black beans, sweet potatoes, spinach and oats, with no egg or dairy. Droolworthy and healthy burgers.

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CAJUN SPICED BLACK BEAN AND SWEET POTATO BURGERS

I made these burgers today and I'm super pleased with them. 

They are super easy black bean and sweet potato burgers spiced with Cajun spices.

Don't worry if you don't have Cajun spices, I'll share how you can make your own with some simple spices you probably already have or are easy to buy at your local supermarket.

You are going to love these burgers. 

So much flavour!

EASY VEGAN BURGERS

These are the most simple burgers to make.

The only thing that needs to be pre-cooked is the sweet potato and you can prepare that ahead.

There's no frying onions and garlic, then cooking the other ingredients.

The spinach needs to be wilted and apart from that everything is just thrown into a bowl to be mashed together.

Super easy!

WHAT YOU NEED TO MAKE BLACK BEAN AND SWEET POTATO BURGERS

You only need a few simple ingredients to make these tasty bean burgers.

1. SWEET POTATO
2. BLACK BEANS
3. SPINACH
4. PORRIDGE OATS (also known as rolled oats)
5. CAJUN SPICE (see below how to make your own from simple spices)
6. FLAXSEEDS (also known as linseeds) - OPTIONAL
7. GARLIC
8. SALT AND PEPPER

also try Vegan Mexican Burgers with Rice or 10-Minute Spicy Bean Burgers.

SWEET POTATO

The sweet potato is the only ingredient that needs to be cooked ahead of making these burgers, but you can do that the night before if you like or even a couple of days ahead.

If you know you're making the burgers the next day, throw a sweet potato in the oven along with your dinner, or pop it in the microwave to cook, then once it's cool, pop it in the fridge until you are ready to use it.

Simples!

The flavour the sweet potato brings to these burgers is well worth the effort and they are so good for you.

You can read more about the benefits of sweet potatoes in this BBC Good Food article The Health Benefits of Sweet Potatoes.

BLACK BEANS

I use tinned black beans to make these burgers.

I always have a selection of tinned black beans, kidney beans, green lentils, cannellini beans and chickpeas in my store cupboard. 

I add them to so many dishes.

They are such good quality, so why not?

Of course, you may soak and cook beans from dried and that's ok too, just go for it.

If you can't get hold of black beans, there are a few pulses that make a good substitution.

The key quality of black beans are they are soft and creamy, which is what you want in these burgers.

The three pulses that can be used instead have those same qualities are kidney beans, cannellini beans or chickpeas.

Feel free to use a tin of these instead.

FRESH SPINACH

For a pop of colour, flavour and a nutrient boost, these burgers also contain spinach.

I used fresh spinach, but you could pop some frozen spinach in some hot water to defrost or in a bowl in the fridge overnight, then squeeze out as much liquid as you can and pat dry with kitchen paper.

If you are using fresh spinach, I have a tip for wilting them.

There's not need to get a pot out to boil it or steam it.

Just pop it in a colander, give it a good rinse then pour hot water over it to wilt it.

If you have tap that has really hot water just run that over the spinach, if not boil some water in the kettle and pour that over.

The spinach will wilt before your eyes.

The last thing to do is to pour cold water over the spinach, so you don't burn your hands when you squeeze out the excess liquid.

Give it a good squeeze then dry on kitchen paper.

There, that's it.

OATS

I use porridge oats to give texture and to help bind these burgers.

You may know them as rolled oats.

If you don't have porridge or rolled oats you could use oatmeal, that would be fine in this recipe.

Don't use jumbo oats as they are too big and the texture isn't right.

If you don't have any oats, you could use breadcrumbs.

CAJUN SPICES

I used Cajun spices in these burgers for flavour, but I kept the spice quite mild.

Feel free to add more if you like for a spicy kick!

I bought a Cajun spice blend from the supermarket, but don't worry if you don't have that or can't find it, I'm about to share the main spices in it so you can make your own Cajun spice blend.

I keep old spice jars to mix new spice blends. I just add a new label and then I can use them to flavour lots of dishes.

The main spices in a Cajun spice blend are chilli powder, cumin, oregano, cayenne pepper, garlic powder, ground coriander and thyme.

You could even reduce this to chilli powder, cumin and oregano and you would have a flavourful mixture.

SERVING BLACK BEAN AND SWEET POTATO BURGERS

I usually serve these on burger buns (toasted inside) with mustard, salad and mayo.

On the day I took the photos I served them on a toasted poppy seed roll, spread with wholegrain mustard, topped with a bed of salad leaves, then the burger and finished off with a few slices of lemon-dipped avocado. 

Oh boy, that was good!

Of course, you could serve them in rolls with your favourite toppings.

If you're watching your weight or trying to cut down on bread products, you could wrap your burgers in iceberg lettuce.

Still pile those toppings on though.

Oh, you are going to love these!

They are one of my best burger recipes, in fact, one of the best burgers we have ever had.

STORING BLACK BEAN AND SWEET POTATO BURGERS

These burgers (pre-cooked) can be kept in the fridge for a few days.

They also freeze well.

Freeze them between layers of freezer-friendly baking paper or non-stick baking parchment and in an airtight container or freezer bag.

Leave them in the fridge overnight to defrost before cooking.

MORE EASY VEGAN BURGERS TO TRY

Here are a few more easy vegan burgers for you to try and I've included my tasty homemade chipotle ketchup recipe, which is rather fabulous!

• 10 Minute Spicy Bean Burgers
• Black Bean, Beet & Brazil Nut Burgers
• Instant Haggis, Tatties & Neeps Burgers
• Smoky Red Pepper & Cheese Bean Burgers
• Spiced Chickpea, Carrot & Coriander Burgers

• Easy Homemade Chipotle Ketchup

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vegan burgers, veggie burgers, vegetarian burgers, bean burgers, sweet potato burgers, easy bean burgers, easy sweet potato burgers

dinner

American, vegan

Yield: 4

Author: Jacqueline Meldrum

Cajun Spiced Black Bean and Sweet Potato Burgers

Spicy vegan burgers made with black beans, sweet potatoes, spinach and oats, with no egg or dairy. Droolworthy and healthy burgers.

Prep time: 10 MinCook time: 10 MinTotal time: 20 Min

Ingredients

• 200g (1 medium) sweet potato, baked or cooked in the microwave
• 400g (14 oz) tin black beans (250g or 1  1/2 cups drained), see notes for alternative
• 100g (3  1/3 cups) fresh spinach
• 1 clove garlic, crushed
• 45 g (1/2 cup) porridge oats
• 2 tsp cajun spice, you can use more for a spicy burger (see notes for alternative)
• 2 tsp flaxseeds, crushed or whizzed to powder (optional)
• salt and pepper

Instructions

1. Rinse the beans and add them to a mixing bowl. Mash them with a fork or potato masher, but leave half of the beans whole for a bit of texture.
2. Scoop the flesh out of the baked potato with a spoon and add to the bowl.
3. Rinse your spinach in a colander then pour a kettleful of boiling water over it to wilt it. Rinse with cold water to refresh, then squeeze as much water out as you can. Chop and add to the bowl.
4. Next add the seeds, oats, spices, garlic, season with salt and pepper and mix until well combined.
5. Shape your mixture into 4 hearty balls, then flatten out into burger shapes.
6. Pop the burgers on a plate until you are ready to use them. 
7. You can bake or fry them in a little oil. I fry my burgers in a little cold-pressed rapeseed oil, for a few minutes on each side until brown and crisp.
8. Enjoy!

Notes:

If you don't have cajun spice you could make a mixture of chilli powder, cumin and oregano to use in these burgers.

Add more spice than I suggested for a spicy burger. I made these quite mild, just extra flavour.

Black beans can be substituted with kidney beans, cannellini beans or chickpeas, which all have the same creamy texture.

The flaxseeds are optional. They are also known as linseeds and are usually cheaper to buy as linseeds.

These burgers (pre-cooking) can be kept in the fridge for a few days, but they will also freeze well. Layer them between sheets of greaseproof paper in a tupperware tub or in a freezer bag and pop them in the freezer. Leave them in the fridge overnight to defrost them before cooking.

Calories per burger (if you make 4 burgers) = 332 calories

Nutrition Facts

Calories

332.44

Fat (grams)

7.70

Sat. Fat (grams)

2.96

Carbs (grams)

47.47

Fiber (grams)

11.33

Net carbs

36.14

Sugar (grams)

3.72

Protein (grams)

19.86

Sodium (milligrams)

1371.10

Cholesterol (grams)

31.30

Created using The Recipes Generator