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!
Print
The 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 finely chopped bell pepper (1/2 of a pepper)
- 1 cup 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 bread crumbs or oat flour
- 1/2 cup 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 BBQ 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 1/3 cup of mixture in each.
- 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.
Keywords: black beans, black bean burgers
I made a few substitutions as my husband and I are vegan. I used a vegan Worcestershire sauce, I used flax meal and water to replace the eggs, and I had some leftover cashew “Parmesan” so I used that in place of the feta. My substitutions may have contributed to the wet texture of the mix but I decided to bake them up anyway as I was looking for something more like a bean patty and not something trying to be meat. After baking and cooling a bit, they stay together nicely and have great flavor. They are dry crisp on the outside with a nice soft texture on the inside. Next time I may break up some rolled oats in addition to the panko I used before adding the rest of the ingredients. Thank you for the recipe!
★★★★
Wow! Just made these and they are so good. Just made one change. I used a tablespoon or so of tomato paste instead of ketchup because I had some leftover from another recipe. I will definitely be making these again.
★★★★★
I want to thank you for all the wonderful recipes you share. Also I want also to thank you for generosity in not having having huge amount of ads in your recipes that it is difficult to read them.
You are a dear and I treasure your recipes and tips.
This recipe was incredible! It’s approved by all four of my kids (toddlers and elementary schoolers who can be picky) as well as by me. This will be added to our regular rotation for sure! Thank you!
★★★★★
Can I replace the black beans with cannellini beans?
I can’t see why not. Make sure you dry them out a bit, like you would with the black beans in step 1.
Wow! These were indeed the best black bean burgers I’ve ever had. Even the picky eaters in my family loved them. I followed the recipe as written and cooked the burgers in my air fryer. They came out moist, but not at all mushy, and they were full of flavor. I’ll be making these burgers again and again. Thank you for the wonderful recipe!
★★★★★
Love this recipe! I have made it before and they’re the best home made ones ever but I was curious if I could streamline a little using my air fryer.
First I drained and rinsed my black beans. I spread them across bottom grate of air fryer and dried them at 320 for about 4 mins. I could have even done less, since they dry very quickly this way. When the patties were assembled, I laid them on rack of air fryer and did ten mins at 370. They were perfect on both sides without even having to flip them! It made five smallish patties using a half recipe.
Thank you for this amazing recipe!
Omg!!! These were amazing!!!!! Ate on good rustic Italian toast. Sauteed mushrooms onions and red peppers. Put that on top the burger and added pesto mayo. So delicious!!!!!
Made these tonight and they were delicious. I used bbq sauce instead of ketchup and added a little beet because my favorite veg burger recipe has beets in it. I was able to freeze several patties for future meals. Thank you.
★★★★★
We really liked these! I used extra garlic and bell pepper to match the amount of bell pepper + onion needed because my husband cannot have onion, and liquid smoke in place of the worcestershire sauce. Liquid smoke lent a really nice flavor! They were good, and this recipe was also easier than the previous recipe I used (that one required the food processor—I’d much rather use a fork and have less to wash). I was able to throw together a side dish while the burgers were cooking on their first side, and clean up the kitchen while they were finishing up on the second side.
3 things I’ll do differently next time: 1) dry out the beans for about 10-12 minutes instead of 15, as the final product was a tiny bit dry, 2) use the parchment paper—I forgot, and they stuck to the pan, and 3) use cheddar instead of swiss to top the burgers, which is purely personal preference. I might also try dijon mustard instead of bbq sauce or ketchup, but I did like the bbq sauce flavor!
★★★★★
Very tasty and followed the recipe as directed. Can I cook in a skillet in Levi of the oven ?
★★★★★
I still make these all the time for veg and non veg folks alike. I’ve modified it, adding extra smoked paprika (usually not my thing but it really really works here). I also have to generally bake it longer than the recipe until the outside gets finely crispy and they hold together well. If you pull them early they won’t hold together. Try it with different cheeses. Our favorite is feta + gruyere or the cheddar/gruyere melange from Trader Joes.
★★★★★
Love this recipe!!! This is the first black bean burger I have made and it is the BEST!!! I put in bbq sauce so it was a bit spicy and deeeeeeeelicious 🙂 I’ll go milder next time so the kiddos can eat them. Had on a bun with lettuce and sauteed mushrooms and onions. This morning I had in a lettuce boat with an egg (shhhhhh). Refrigerates and heats up perfectly. Not too wet and not too dry, just right. Thanks so much for my first and BEST black bean burger.
★★★★★
Hi Sally! I would love to make this recipe but can only get dried (packaged) black beans where I live. What adjustments will I need to make to the recipe?
Hi Ronit, If using dried beans, follow the soaking instructions to soften them up before using. You’ll cook the beans as you usually do, then dry them out in the oven before using (per our instructions in this recipe). There’s roughly 1 and 1/2 cups of black beans in a can, so you’ll need about 3 cups total. Hope you enjoy these burgers!
WOW Best black bean burger thus far. No adjustments to recipe and baked. Perfect with potato wedges coated with ranch spice and guacamole for dipping and topping burgers.
Great burger all around; flavor, texture,nutrition, cost, easy to prepare! I can’t wait to try it with different toppings and sides.
★★★★★
Doesn’t hold together.
★★
Hi James! Did you make any changes to the recipe? Happy to help troubleshoot!
Tried today but added quinoa…. Amazing! Thanks for sharing!
Mix 1 heaped tablespoon of ground flax seed with 4 or 5 tablespoons of water and leave for 5 minutes until it starts to ‘gel’ then use as a replacement for the eggs to bind the bean mixture.
★★★★★
The BEST black bean I ever ate!!! Seriously, I will make this burger over & over for my friends & family!!! They love it!!! My hubby grills them & honestly the char is the BEST!!! I put chipotle bbq sauce on top & omg delicious
★★★★★
I want to try this! For making in bulk and freezing, do you suggest freezing the raw patties, or baking them as directed before freezing?
Either way works! It really depends on how you’d prefer to prepare them from frozen. See recipe Notes for full freezing details.
I froze them raw (separated with parchment paper)….worked great
My husband and I love this recipe so much and have made it multiple times. we always double the batch and freeze leftovers for lazy days we dont want to cook! So good
Fortunately, you can find vegan Worcestshire sauce in markets and online.
Flax seed or chia seed also make a good replacement for eggs.
★★★★★
Deliscous…..the meat lover in the family loved them also.
★★★★★
These were great burgers. I did find that my mixture was a bit wet, so I added more breadcrumbs (panko) and just upped the temperature oven a bit. They turned out just fine. Will make again!
★★★★
How much did you up the temperature?
This was a great burger. We halved the recipe since I only had 1 can of black beans. I can see that they are “softer”, but I liked the texted and I think a little longer in the oven might help. I heated up the leftovers in my air fryer the next day and they were great.
★★★★★
My family loves these! They are so delicious, and the recipe is easy to follow.
This recipe was excellent! I made two minor changes; increased smoked paprika to 1/2 tsp (because I love it) and added 4 lg chopped cremini mushrooms (because they add umami and I needed to use them up). My breadcrumbs were Panko, my pinch of salt was a 1/2 tsp and I made the non vegan version with ketchup. Served with pepper jack and lettuce, tomato, red onion, ketchup, mustard and Mayo (my favorite burger toppings). No issue with mixture holding together (I chilled them for 30 minutes due to timing of dinner). I did pan fry them since my oven and air fryer were busy with other tasks. I will make this again and again! Thank you for the great recipe staple!
★★★★★
This recipe was a hit with my family.
★★★★★
These are seriously the best black bean burgers I’ve ever eaten. They were easier than I expected. I cook my beans in the instapot and freeze them in advance, which made for a very inexpensive crowd pleaser. I’m making a double batch next time so I have leftovers to freeze.
★★★★★
I made this recipe with a few substitutions. I used oat flour ground fresh from groats. and instead of Worcestershire used soy sauce and ketchup. After blotting beans twice before baking and blotting the sautéd garlic, peppers and onion twice, the mixture was still too wet. I added 1/2 cup fresh ground from wheat berries flour. After baking, these had a flavor more like bread than meat. Later in a cast iron skillet with a few drops of olive oil the patties were charred on each side and a slice of cheddar or American melted on top as I did the charring. Greatly improved the flavor and made a pretty good tasting burger. My previous review was a 3 star with the charring it’s a 4 star.
★★★★
I don’t think you can really rate a recipe (or critique it) when you make your own changes. The 3/4 stars are for YOUR recipe, not THIS recipe. I appreciate people’s comments and ratings, but think it’s so annoying to see folks comment that they didn’t like something when they didn’t follow the given recipe.