Between homemade, restaurant, and store-bought, these are the best black bean burgers I’ve ever tried. With great reviews from taste testers around the world, I’m confident you’ll be satisfied with this bean burger recipe. They’re big, thick, hearty, and flavorful. The trick is to partially dry out the black beans so the burgers do not taste mushy. Grill or bake the black bean burgers and enjoy on a bun, plain, or on a salad.
A few weeks ago I made a batch of what I believe to be the best black bean burgers ever. Or at least the best black bean burgers I’ve ever had. These were a massive hit with the family. We couldn’t believe the hearty texture, incredible flavor, and overall ease of preparation. I was expecting good, but not this good.
These Black Bean Burgers Are:
- easy
- healthy
- hearty
- satisfying
- big + thick
- compact
- garlicky
- juicy
- spicy
- NOT MUSHY
I feel the need to shout that these black bean burgers are not mushy, one of the common problems with homemade black bean burgers. On the other hand, these black bean burgers are not crumbly either. They hold their shape beautifully!
Quick Video Tutorial
How to Make My Best Black Bean Burgers
The full printable recipe is below, but let’s walk through it quickly so you understand each step before you get started
- Partially dry out the black beans. I learned this from Serious Eats. Spread out the canned black beans onto a lined baking sheet and bake for about 15 minutes. This prevents the black bean burgers from tasting like mush.
- While the black beans are in the oven, sauté some garlic, onion, and pepper together. This will be the flavor base of the entire burger. Make sure you blot the garlic, onion, + pepper when they’re done—you don’t want its moisture in the black bean burger.
- Food processor or fork! Your choice. Whichever you choose, make sure you don’t completely mash the black beans. We want a bulky and satisfying texture. Larger chunks of beans are the best part!
- FLAVOR. A black bean burger would simply be a patty made from beans if we didn’t add some pizazz. The sautéed garlic, onion, + pepper combo is a great start, but a little cumin, worcestershire sauce, smoked paprika, feta cheese, and chili pepper turn black beans into the BEST black bean burger.
Now let’s talk about binders.
And not the kind you bring to school. How do the black bean burgers hold their shape?
- Breadcrumbs. I used gluten free bread crumbs to keep the burgers GF, but any bread crumbs are great. You can use crushed crackers, almond flour, or even oat flour instead.
- Ketchup. I love ketchup so the more the merrier, but you only need 2 Tablespoons. Some sort of condiment like this is needed so the burgers hold their shape. Instead of ketchup, try mayo or BBQ sauce. (I used a tangy BBQ sauce in the 2nd batch and the burgers were incredible.)
- 2 eggs. Best burger binder you’ll find.
All of this stuff, plus the baked black beans, goes into 1 big bowl. Lightly mash it all with a fork to combine. It’s too easy.
How to Shape & Cook Black Bean Burgers
Shape the black bean burgers however large or small you want, keeping in mind that the larger they are, the more unevenly they’ll cook. From what I tested, the sweet spot is about 1/3 cup of mixture.
You can bake or grill the burgers—instructions for both included in the printable recipe below. You can also make the burgers ahead of time and freeze, which is what I did for our trip. Stack them between parchment paper in a freezer container or zipped-top bag. You can even bake/grill the frozen burgers if you forget to thaw them.
As one of my favorite Memorial Day recipes, I always make a batch ahead for the grill!
For a light lunch, skip the bun and eat on a salad. For a seriously impressive supper, get creative with the toppings: mashed avocado + caramelized onion, pepper jack cheese + spicy mustard + sweet pickles, herbed goat cheese + roasted red peppers, sriracha + sautéed mushrooms, mozzarella + pesto, corn salsa + cheddar cheese, or even chunky guacamole. They would go great with zucchini casserole or berry quinoa salad on the side.
The last time I made them, I piled the black bean burgers high with BBQ sauce, Swiss cheese, and grilled pineapple. Best thing I’ve eaten all week. And my week included s’mores made with peanut butter cups. SO THAT’S A GOOD BURGER.
More Favorite Dinner Recipes
- Maryland Crab Cakes
- Sausage Stuffed Peppers
- Honey Garlic Shrimp
- Cilantro Lime Chicken
- Lemon Thyme Chicken
- Baked Chicken Meatballs
- Zucchini Fritters or Corn Fritters
For even more inspiration here are 15+ summer dinner ideas!
PrintThe Best Black Bean Burgers I’ve Ever Had
- Prep Time: 30 minutes
- Cook Time: 15 minutes
- Total Time: 45 minutes
- Yield: 6-7 burgers
- Category: Dinner
- Method: Baking
- Cuisine: American
Description
Between homemade, restaurant, and store-bought, these are the best black bean burgers I’ve ever tried. These burgers are not vegan or vegetarian. (See recipe note to make adjustments if necessary.) With great reviews from taste testers around the world, I’m confident you’ll be satisfied with this black bean burger recipe!
Ingredients
- 2 (14-ounce) cans black beans, drained, rinsed, and patted dry
- 1 Tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
- 3/4 cup (100g) finely chopped bell pepper (1/2 of a pepper)
- 1 cup (130g) finely chopped yellow onion (1/2 of a large onion)
- 3 garlic cloves, minced (about 1 Tablespoon)
- 1 and 1/2 teaspoons ground cumin
- 1 teaspoon chili powder
- 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1/4 teaspoon smoked paprika
- 1/2 cup (60g) bread crumbs or oat flour
- 1/2 cup (70g) feta cheese (skip if vegan)
- 2 large eggs (see note for vegan substitution)
- 1 Tablespoon Worcestershire sauce (see note for vegan & vegetarian version)
- 2 Tablespoons ketchup, mayo, or BBQÂ sauce
- pinch salt + pepper
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 325°F (163°C). Spread beans evenly onto a lined baking sheet and bake for 15 minutes until slightly dried out.
- Meanwhile, sauté olive oil, chopped pepper, onion, and garlic over medium heat until peppers and onions are soft, about 5-6 minutes. Gently blot some of the moisture out. Place in a large bowl or in a food processor with the remaining ingredients (cumin, chili powder, garlic powder, smoked paprika, bread crumbs, cheese, eggs, worcestershire, ketchup, salt, and pepper). Stir or pulse everything together, then add the black beans. Mash with a fork or pulse the mixture, leaving some larger chunks of beans.
- Form into patties, about 1/2 cup (130g) of mixture each, about 3/4-inch thick.
- To bake: Place patties on a parchment paper-lined baking sheet and bake at 375°F (191°C) for 10 minutes on each side, 20 minutes total. To grill: Place patties on greased aluminum foil and grill 8 minutes on each side. Heat temperature is personal preference as all grills differ. Generally, black bean burgers should grill on medium-high heat about 350°F (177°C) – 400°F (204°C).
- Serve with your favorite toppings. Store leftovers in the refrigerator for up to 5 days.
Notes
- Freezing Instructions: Cooked or uncooked black bean burgers freeze wonderfully for up to 3 months. Stack between parchment paper in a freezer container or zipped-top bag. Thaw in the refrigerator and reheat to your liking or, if uncooked, cook according to instructions. If desired, you can skip thawing and reheat/cook from frozen for an extra couple minutes.
- Special Tools (affiliate links): Baking Sheet | Parchment Paper | Glass Mixing Bowl | Food Processor
- Vegan & Vegetarian: Worcestershire sauce is not vegan or vegetarian. For vegetarian burgers, leave it out or replace with your favorite vegetarian condiment such as BBQ sauce. For vegan burgers, make the following 3 changes: (1) leave out the Worcestershire sauce or replace with your favorite vegan condiment such as BBQ sauce, (2) leave out the cheese, and (3) replace the eggs with 1/3 cup mashed sweet potato.
Ahhhh, dry out the beans and pat the sauted aromatics. That makes total sense. Sally does it again!
Oh dear, I seem to be the only one who has had trouble with these burgers. Mine were dry and falling apart. Where did I go wrong? I followed the recipe to the letter
Hi Sarah, thanks so much for giving these a try! If they were dry, it’s possible your beans were dried out a bit too much — for next time, you can try decreasing the pre-bake time for beans just a bit to see if that helps. You can also try adding more ketchup, mayo, or BBQ sauce, but do this just a small amount at a time so as not to add too much liquid. Hope this helps!
I have not made yet but want to today. I do not have sweet potatoes to make it vegan, so what other thing could I add (and hopefully have) to substitute the sweet potatoes.
Hi Holly, we have only tested these with the sweet potato substitute and are unsure of how other vegan substitutes might work. Let us know if you give anything a try.
These are so delicious. I used dried black beans which I boiled (after soaking 8 hours) for 1 1/2 hrs beforehand. They weren’t watery or mushy so I skipped the part where you bake the beans (canned) on a baking sheet for 15 minutes before getting the rest of the ingredients all together. The burgers came out perfect, not mushy at all. I would not change anything else about this recipe. The flavors all blend together and taste better than any frozen bean burgers you get in the grocery store. Thanks Sally for your hard work in trying out all these recipes for us. I usually bake muffins and cakes from your website but now I see there are SO many more things I should be trying. Yummm!
Excellent! I’m going to make an extra batch for the freezer. I skipped the peppers since I don’t like them and added mushrooms.
My husband and I both loved this burger. I made just half the recipe using only one can of beans and shredded parmesan cheese (that is what I had on hand).
I used the left over burger in scrambled eggs as suggested by one of your readers and that was great. Thank you for your recipes. I made the chocolate chip cookies last week and the cream cheese pound cake today. As usual everything is great!
I have two questions – have you tried it by pressure cooking dried beans in the instant pot? And are these freezer friendly?
Hi Crystal! We haven’t tested pressure cooking the beans so can’t offer any advice. See recipe notes for freezing instructions 🙂
My family loves this recipe! I fix it at least 2 times a month. My husband prefers this over a hamburger. Thank you for sharing!
These are outstanding! I know the goal is to be vegetarian, but curious if adding some ground turkey to the recipe could work? Thanks for a staple meal!
Hi Danielle, we haven’t tried it ourselves, but we can’t see why not. Let us know what you try!
That’s so sad they can’t eat veggies because this is delicious ):
DELICIOUS RECIPE! I combined this recipe with another black bean burger recipe and added: chopped up cilantro (including stalks) and some tomato salsa. Used red pepper in addition to the yellow pepper. SO GOOD!!!!!!
I made this recipe today, but being the only person in my house who really enjoys bean burgers, I cut the recipe in half for the first try of the new recipe. I didn’t have a can of black beans in my pantry, so I substituted black eyed peas, and added black beans to my grocery list. I also didn’t have feta cheese, so I used tomato basil goat cheese. The half recipe made four nice size burgers and the seasoning was very good . I froze three burgers to try later when everyone else is eating beef or when vegetarian friends come for a cookout. This recipe is a keeper!
Can i use grated mozzarella instead of feta? Its the only cheese my husband will eat. Dont want the patty be crumbly. Also, how about adding minced jalapenos?
Hi Terri, absolutely! Mozzarella should work great and you can absolutely add minced jalapeños too (add to your desired spice level).
I made these with grated mozz. & a jalapeno. Taste was great but mix was very wet. I’ll try again with less bbq sauce
How much cooked beans is equal to a can?
Hi Abby, one can of beans is the equivalent of 14 oz. of beans.
How would this recipe work as either mini meat loaves or one large meat loaf?
Hi Deb, we haven’t tried this recipe that way, but let us know if you do!
Loved it every time I’ve tried it! Has anyone tried making these in an air fryer? Wanted to know if there’d be any recipe changes or substitutions
I used my Ninja pot, no subs, but I added Ketchup-mustard to the top and made a “crust”. it was delish! cooking time was 17 min I used the metal baking rack thing/
Could I sub ground flax seed for the breadcrumbs
Hi Ali, We haven’t tested flax seed, but other readers have reported using oats (whole or ground) in place of the breadcrumbs. Rolled oats would probably be your best bet, but let us know what you try!
These delicious black bean burgers have become a nearly weekly go to meal. Sometimes as an actual burger with melted cheese, avocado, grilled onions and a combo sauce of Mayo, ketchup and mustard. I usually make enough, meaning a whole batch, at one time so that I can freeze or refrigerate the leftover cooked burgers. They can be heated up in the microwave and used again and many times I just put one over a salad with some of the same toppings as aforementioned, with the addition of other salad vegetables.
For breakfast I sometimes break one into small pieces and add to scrambled eggs. What more can I say…I’m addicted!
How do I keep them from sticking to my hands while forming them? The first two were easy to form but the rest just wanted to stick to my hands.
Hi Ben, this is inevitable, though lightly greasing your hands with oil before starting will help!
I used a fishcake ring to put the mix in. Perfect
You can lightly dampen your hands with water.
I did not have black beans, so I used great northern beans. My husband said these were the best veggie burgers he has had. Baking them is magical; I have made veggie burgers on the stovetop, and it gets messy. Baking them on parchment paper gives them a great, firm texture.
I made these last night and was thrilled I had an extra for lunch today. I put added some chipolte powder because I love the spice but that was the only change. I opted for the oven cooking method but now I can’t wait to throw these on the grill this summer. Great flavor and not mushy. Yum.
I have done my third batch of burgers for the grandkids and myself. Smiles all around. So happy that the kids enjoy them. It is not easy to get them to consider a non-meat burger. Great job!
I even got my Husband to say Yummy !! It worked wonderfully and so tasty . Thank you
Delicious! We all loved it!
These truly are the best! Is there a way to get the nutritional breakdown?
We don’t usually include nutrition information as it can vary between different brands of the same ingredients. Plus, many recipes have ingredient substitutions or optional ingredients listed. However, there are many handy online calculators where you can plug in and customize your exact ingredients/brands. Readers have found this one especially helpful: https://www.verywellfit.com/recipe-nutrition-analyzer-4157076
I’m not kidding when I say it’s recipes like this that make me think “hmm, maybe I could be a vegetarian”. These burgers SLAAAAAP. I usually make guacamole, get a spicy jalapeno cheddar cheese and a chipotle sauce for toppings and that’s it. You don’t need much. I was also thinking about using this same recipe to make meat balls too. SO GOOD!
Omg!!! Best ever !!! Easy and better than frozen. Highly recommend
Really great bean burgers. Hendersons Relish is a vegan alternative to Worcester Sauce, it tastes almost exactly the same. Don’t know how easy it is to “sauce” in the USA though.
My local health food store sells vegan Worcestershire Sauce. I’ve seen it in many health food stores.It lasts a very long time once opened.It’s worth keeping around. It doesn’t need to be omitted. One can always request it to be carried or find it on line.
I’ve made several different black bean burgers recipes and this by far was the best. Cooking the beans in the oven made a big difference. The burger held together well and was delicious. I used one Tbsp avocado Mayo and one Tbsp ketchup. Thank you for all your helpful tips!
This recipe is easy and great. I am cutting back on meat, but do not want to buy that stuff in the store that you do not know what’s in it. The food processor and an ice cream scooper with the little button made it easy. I served them on home made corn tortillas with no gluten and made them crispy. A little salsa made it really good.
Thanks
Hi. This looks great. Do you know the nutrition stats for just the burger?
Hi Amy, We don’t usually include nutrition information as it can vary between different brands of the same ingredients. Plus, many recipes have ingredient substitutions or optional ingredients listed. However, there are many handy online calculators where you can plug in and customize your exact ingredients/brands. Readers have found this one especially helpful: https://www.verywellfit.com/recipe-nutrition-analyzer-4157076
Instead of bbq, ketchup or mayo, do you think mashed avocado would work? I use it to sub mayo in my tuna salad (with a splash of olive oil) and it’s great!! I’m just not sure how it would hold up to baking/cooking. I read all the comments (most of which were helpful) and hadn’t seen that anyone had yet tried that substitution, so basically only brainstorming. I have to eat by the candida diet for my finicky gut. Boy can it be challenging at times !!
I love avocado and also use it in place of mayo as a condiment, but I wouldn’t add it to a mixture that you’re going to cook.