Vegetarian patties made with the Thermomix® work because kidney beans provide the same starchy structure as minced meat. 130 g of breadcrumbs to 500 g of beans binds the mixture precisely so it stays shapeable without crumbling. Too much breadcrumb makes them dry, too little and they fall apart in the pan.
We have been making these patties regularly for years, now with sweetcorn and red pepper as our standard variation. The Gouda adds fat and a salty contrast to the relatively neutral beans. Tomato puree and mustard provide umami, stopping the kidney bean patties from tasting like pressed cardboard.
Vegetarian Patties with the Thermomix®
Ingredients 0 / 13 ✓
- 130 g Gouda
- 1 bunch parsley
- 1 onion
- 2 garlic cloves
- 500 g tinned kidney beans drained
- 1 tbsp tomato puree
- 1 tsp medium-hot mustard
- 1/2 tsp sweet paprika
- 1 tsp salt
- 1 tsp pepper
- 130 g breadcrumbs
- 2 eggs
- 20 g sunflower oil
Instructions 0 / 5
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1
Grate the cheese in the Thermomix®.
Cut the cheese into pieces, place in the mixing bowl and chop for 8 sec / speed 8, then set aside.
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2
Chop the vegetables.
Wash the parsley, shake dry and pick off the leaves. Peel and halve the onion, peel the garlic. Place the parsley, onion and garlic in the mixing bowl and chop for 4 sec / speed 7.
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3
Add the beans and spices.
Add the kidney beans, tomato puree, mustard and spices, chop for 4 sec / speed 7 and scrape down with the spatula.
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4
Mix the mixture.
Add the breadcrumbs, eggs and cheese and mix for 10 sec / speed 3.
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5
Shape and fry.
Heat the oil in a non-stick frying pan. Dampen your hands, shape 8 patties and fry for about 5 minutes on each side until golden brown.
Tips:
- For another great variation, add some sweetcorn and red pepper.
- You can also replace the breadcrumbs with almond flour.
Video
Nutrition per serving
Why kidney beans instead of chickpeas
Kidney beans are floury and firm, chickpeas are nutty and crumbly. For patties you need the floury structure, because when chopped at speed 7 it produces a homogeneous mixture. Chickpeas stay crumbly and need more binding agent. We tested both, and kidney beans win on texture by a clear margin.
Important: the beans must be well drained. Residual liquid from the tin waters down the mixture and you then need more breadcrumbs, which makes the patties dry. A quick drain in a sieve is enough.
Cheese first, then vegetables
The order is no accident. The cheese is chopped at speed 8 and set aside so it does not smear into a lump with the beans. If you blend the cheese and beans together, the fat combines too early with the starch and the mixture becomes greasy.
Parsley, onion and garlic go in next, 4 seconds at speed 7. This gives finely chopped pieces that are still recognisable and develop roasted flavours when frying. Blending longer makes a puree, blending shorter leaves coarser onion chunks that get in the way when shaping.
Two blending rounds, two spatula scrapes
After the first 4-second run with the beans, tomato puree, mustard and spices, scrape everything down with the spatula. The Thermomix® throws solid ingredients up against the sides at speed 7, and those pieces will not be caught in the second run. Without scraping down, chunks of bean are left that fall out when shaping.
Breadcrumbs, eggs and the grated cheese go in last, 10 seconds at speed 3. Speed 3 combines gently without pureeing. At speed 5 or higher the mixture becomes too homogeneous and loses the slight texture that makes it crispy when fried.
Wet hands, medium heat
The mixture is sticky. That is normal with bean patties, because there are no animal proteins to bind. Damp hands solve the problem and you can smooth the patties between your palms. Dry hands tear the surface and the patties break when you turn them.
5 minutes per side over medium heat. Too hot and the outside burns before the centre is cooked through, too cool and they soak up the oil. Golden brown is the goal, not black. A non-stick pan is essential as bean patties stick mercilessly to stainless steel.
Sweetcorn and pepper as additions, almond flour as a swap
Sweetcorn and red pepper make the patties more colourful and add a sweet contrast to the salty Gouda. We dice the pepper by hand into small pieces and add both after the first blending run with the beans. In the Thermomix® they would turn mushy.
Almond flour instead of breadcrumbs works for a gluten-free version. The ratio stays the same, 130 g. Almond flour binds slightly less than breadcrumbs but gives the patties a nuttier flavour. With almond flour you need more pressure when shaping, otherwise they crumble more easily.
Frying or grilling
In the pan the patties cook more evenly, on the grill they develop roasted flavours. On the grill you need an oiled grill grate or grill mat, otherwise they stick. The cooking time is the same, 5 minutes per side over medium heat.
Direct heat works better than indirect. Vegetarian patties do not need a core temperature check like meat, they just need to be crispy on the outside and warm in the centre. Too long on the grill dries them out.
3 days in the fridge, 2 months in the freezer
Cooked patties keep in the fridge for 3 days in a sealed container. Reheat in a frying pan over medium heat or for 2 minutes in the microwave. In the oven at 160°C fan for 10 minutes they go crispy again.
Freezing works raw or cooked. Frozen raw they keep for 2 months, defrost in the fridge overnight. Frozen cooked they keep for 2 months and can go straight from the freezer to the pan, then 8 minutes per side over low heat.
Goes well with: Mashed potatoes, tzatziki and bread rolls.
More vegetarian Thermomix® recipes: Vegetable spaghetti with nut pesto, ajvar carrot spread, wild garlic pesto.
