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
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.
- 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
Love all your recipes. I’d like to try this with other beans – which would you recommend?
Hi Alexis, while we haven’t tried it ourselves, other readers have reported success making these with kidney beans. If using another type of bean, we still encourage you to dry them out as you do with the black beans in the instructions. Let us know what you try!
Hubby loved it.. we will definite make it sgain
★★★★★
My boys and I loved it!!
★★★★★
We made this recipe for meatless Friday and it turned out fabulously! I followed it basically to the letter. I will make it again.
It is true! These are the best black bean burger I have ever had and I have tried many. I love the one bowl recipe. I use high quality ingredients and they had incredible flavour and had a great texture.
I used oat flour and had to a add a bit extra to make them a bit more firm, but it was easy to eyeball this change. I baked them in the oven and they came out perfect!
Thanks for sharing.
★★★★★
These aren’t bad. I wasn’t expecting to like them at all. I made them into nuggets for my 9 month old. He seemed to enjoy them. They’re a great snack/meal for him. So I’ll make them again for him. High in fibre, iron and protein which is exactly what’s recommended for babies.
Me on the other hand, I like them dipped in ketchup.
★★★★
Let’s say I want to do the majority of the prep the night before, and bake them them the next day. Would it be okay to do the food processor etc, everything prior to forming them? Transfer the mixture to a tupperware with lid and then form and bake the next day? Would that likely be fine? Or do I need to form and freeze even if it’s just one night?
Hi Ariadne, we haven’t tried that so can’t say for sure. The mixture may release a bit of moisture, which would alter the texture of the burgers. But let us know if you give it a try!
These came out great and tasted amazing! I used BBQ sauce in place of the ketchup and Worcestershire sauce and replaced the feta with a 1/4 c. cheddar/mozz cheese blend.
★★★★★
how long can these be refrigerated before cooking. Looks like a great recipe. Am planning on grilling them this weekend
Hi Elaine, it would be fine to make the patties today, refrigerate, and then make this weekend. After that, see recipe Notes for freezing instructions. Enjoy!
I have made this recipe so many times. It is packed with so much flavor. Any time I make a black bean this is my go to. Check Pinterest for a picture I posted of my burger
★★★★★
I want to try this really soon! I’m going with the vegan version. Just want to let you know that there is vegan Worcestershireout there. The Kroger brand is actually vegan!!.
Recipe was decent enough and well constructed but I don’t think I’ll try it again. The latter isn’t the fault of the author, though. The taste and texture does mimic–mimic–a beef burger to a degree, and I can see where it’d be a good alternative/suitable for those who need to or want to stay away from animal meat. The black bean burger recipe just wasn’t a keeper for me, and I can’t see myself ever wanting to substitute this recipe for a real, beef burger. But, this recipe was something I had to try:) The photo shot attracted me. The process was interesting. And I was curious about how close they’d taste like beef. (In my opinion and on a scale of 1-10 with 10 being the highest, I’d rate it a 5. Maybe it’s because I’ve eaten some dang good burgers in my day–not fast food crap.) If I were starving and couldn’t get beef, using black beans as a substitute for beef would sustain me, but eating it wouldn’t be as pleasurable as what I’m accustom to now. Follow the directions to the T and they’ll turn out just like the photo–not mushy, decent spice combination, good color, firm (they hold together surprising well), and one serving is plenty filling. Basically, you’ll be making a meatloaf–err bean loaf–but forming into patties.
Just because I’m not crazy about black bean burgers doesn’t mean the author deserves less than five-stars. It takes talent to come up with edible recipes that turn out as pictured. If readers are curious about these black bean burgers, try them. If not, just keep scrolling. Just don’t expect them to taste just like a juicy, yummy, beef burger. I didn’t, but I expected them to hit the mark a little bit closer.
★★★★★
@Sherrie
A nice enough message, but clearly you have unrealistic expectations. Other than using only commercially available “ingredients “ you can’t get anything like the “chew” of a meat protein. And are those actually good for you? So while I write this to your comment this is REALLY for all who need to adjust expectations.
Meat eaters need to stop expecting vegetarian food to mimic meat, and perhaps vegetarians should stop attempting to do so.
As a previous long term vegetarian and now only a light meat consumer I have encountered many snide comments about “I don’t like xyz without meat” . That’s ok, just be open to trying food you don’t have moral, allergy, or flavor preference against. Those who tried often found they loved it so much they asked for the recipe.
As far as this recipe goes I found it to be exceptionally well constructed for patty formation and hold. I wasn’t crazy about all the seasoning that really didn’t seem to provide much pop once combined — and I love those same spices in other dishes. Maybe if you eat them plain you’d notice more….
Over all I’d say use this recipe as a base but adjust the seasoning until it works for you. I’m going to try Panko breadcrumbs and horseradish mustard next. And maybe skip the other spices and see how it does. THIS RECIPE does SMELL WONDERFUL! I just didn’t get the taste in the burger.
★★★★
Made these yesterday. It is the first time i’ve ever had a black bean burger. None of the recipes ever appealed to me until I came across yours. I followed it to the letter and formed them between 1/3 & 1/2 cup each (100 grams each to be exact). I wound up with 9 burgers. I did use the Feta cheese. I can’t begin to tell you how much we enjoyed them. Had waffle cut sweet potato fries on the side (frozen pre made). Thank you for the recipe and the many others you post for your followers.
★★★★★
I made these tonight for dinner, it really helped to bake the beans to help dry them out. I sauteed 1/2 minced onion, 1 tablespoon minced celery, 3 tablespoons minced red bell pepper, I added the seasonings you mentioned along with 1 spoon chili powder, dry minced garlic, 1/4 cup ketchup & cooked them on stove top in a pan, they broke up slightly (I did not add an egg). These were tasty! I will make them even better next time & double the recipe & freeze 1/2 of them. We are trying to eat more veggies & get healthier! thanks for the recipe.
This recipe looks delicious and I’m going to make this weekend. Do you have any nutritional information available on these burgers? I’m looking for protein, fiber and fat.
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
My favourite burger recipe! Wonderful.
★★★★★
Terrific black bean burgers! These are the best that I have ever made too. Thanks for the recipe!
★★★★★
Hey your receipe sounds really nice! I have dried black beans instead of canned, I’m guessing I should soak and cook them, but do you recommend backing them dry still afterwards also? Looking forward to tasting these nice burgers!
Hi Rhune, correct! You’ll want to soak and cook the beans first, and then dry them out before proceeding with the rest of the recipe. Hope you enjoy the burgers!
Very tempting n easy to make recipe of black bean burger. Delight for vegetarians like me. Looking forward for veg salads n dishes
★★★★★
It was good but it wasn’t my absolute favorite. My mixture seemed a little wet, however once they hit the grill it dried up. I basically doubled 1/3c for each patty, we had 5 total. I think all the toppings we used in our burger helped the flavors. Nice change since I’m trying to incorporate more vegetarian meals.
★★★★
These burgers are amazing!!! I didn’t have any bread crumbs so I used zatarains fish fry seasoning. And that small change made a huge difference it made the burgers even better
I LOVE this recipe! It has become a go-to, knocking out all other burgers haha! Thanks for all you do – I always have great success with your beautiful recipes!
★★★★★
I wish I could give these burgers more stars, because they tasted fantastic! I’m not sure what I sdid wrong, but they were so incredibly mushy!
★★
Forgive me for being stupid but does this recipe require 2 x 14 oz cans or 14 ounces in total?
Thank you.
Hi Francesca, 2 cans!
Fantastic! Worth the work. I made them into sliders for a party. I especially loved them with barbecue sauce, sweet pickles, and pepper-jack. Perfect for freezing for easy meals.
★★★★★
how many calories are these burgers?
Hi Rita, 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
Was very good, mine were a bit mushy probably need more cracks, oats would of worked didn’t have any. Flavor so good
I made this recipe exactly as directed and it came out fantastic. I made it starting with dried beans and cooking them first in my Instant Pot and proceeded with the recipe from there. The recipe comes together very quickly when using the food processor to mix. The burger holds together as well as any frozen commercial Black Bean Burger and tastes way better. They freeze excellently and reheat easily. Reheat with some added cheddar to melt on top and add tomato and lettuce at the end and you got yourself an instant feast. This burger recipe is in my regular cooking rotation.
★★★★★
In this black bean burger recipe, can ground flax seed egg substitute be used?
Hi Evelyn, we haven’t tried it, but it should be fine!
I LOVE this recipe! The flavors are spot on. I’ve made it vegan by using vegan Worcestershire sauce, leaving out the feta and eggs. Since I didn’t have mash potatoes, I added 1/4 cup of oats, and a couple of tablespoons of flax to bind it together. It came together beautifully. I can’t wait to make it again.
★★★★★
Amazing, I didn’t have bell peppers on hand so I used tomatillos, fried them up with the onions and garlic. Delicious. But this recipe is literally the best black bean burger I’ve ever had.
★★★★★