the best damn vegan burger

Steps

1. You need to start with a thawed package of Gardein beefless ground, so either leave it in the fridge overnight (best option) or remove the contents of the package into a large mixing bowl and let it sit on the counter until it's thawed.
2. Caramelized onions are going to be part of the binder for the beefless ground. To start, thinly slice the onion and sauté in a pan with coconut oil over medium heat for about 10 minutes stirring occasionally. Add in salt and stir to coat the onions. Then don't stir them much to allow them to brown and let them cook in the pan for another 10 minutes. Add in a teaspoon of agave nectar to add some more sugar to the pan and toss again to coat all the onions. Sauté for another 5 to 10 minutes to get them caramelized. They don't even need to be as caramelized as the photo above, as long as they are soft and browned up.
3. Drain and rinse the black beans. In a food processor, combine the caramelized onions and black beans into a smooth paste. Add this mixture to the beefless ground in the mixing bowl along with vital wheat gluten, chipotle chili, and cumin. Mix by hand until it's well combined.
4. Form your patties by hand. Mine are small, approximately 3 1/2-inches in diameter and 3/4-inches thick, You can make them any size, based on the size of your buns, but at this size they're easier to cook. You can either BBQ them or pan fry while basting them in your favorite BBQ sauce. If you want to make a homemade BBQ sauce, check out this classic BBQ sauce recipe. They take about 2 to 3 minutes each side, plus another 2 to 3 minutes once the sauce is on them.
5. Dress your burger however you like! These ones have vegan mayonnaise and iceberg lettuce on the bottom, then the patty, a tomato slice, crispy onion strings, and dijon on the top bun.