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 loved this recipe! I tried cooking the burgers in the oven and one in the frying pan. Both ways turned out great. My partner (who is a total carnivore and suspisious of meat-free burgers) also liked them! Thanks for this 🙂
★★★★★
My husband and I both thought these patties tasted great! I used half black beans and half chickpeas. So good!
★★★★
Liz – personally I used dried beans and baked them after and they ended up far too dry, impossible to mash, so maybe it’s a good idea to just pat them dry, or maybe bake for much less time. They were really good other than that! That’s definitely what I’ll be trying next time. Just my experience though , hope it works for you!
★★★★★
Made these tonight and they were a hit! Really liked them because they were not mushy like other recipes. I added a jalapeno to the pepper and onion because we like it hot – it wasn’t a very hot one though, but it was tasty. With the food processor i was able to control how fine I wanted it (not too fine) then put it in a bowl to mix in the eggs and bread crumbs.
I made 9 burgers using the 1/3 cup measure. We each ate 1 and froze 7. I calculated it out to be 138 cal and a little over 115 mg sodium.
Can’t wait to try these on my vegetarian granddaughter!
★★★★★
Really great recipe! If you want a vegetarian option, you could sub black vinegar for the Worcestershire (for those who don’t eat fish). The Kong Yen Brand from Taiwan smells and tastes VERY similar!
★★★★★
Unfortunately these did not work for me 🙁 I think baking the beans made them too dry, and I used almond flour instead of breadcrumbs. I do NOT recommend the almond flour! I will try again sometime and hopefully will have a better outcome.
Wow. Just wow. This recipe is amazing. My 16 year old daughter decided to try the vegetarian lifestyle. That has meant a huge adjustment for my meat loving husband. I decided to look for the best burger alternative and read the reviews of this recipe. All the reviews I read were spot on- this recipe is absolutely delicious and my red meat loving husband raves about how delicious it was and wanted more. I doubled the recipe and did add in some finely chopped baby portabellas, going to freeze the extras so my daughter has healthy vegetarian option whenever she wants. Thank you Sally! Have loved some of your other recipes (gluten free) and can’t wait to try some of the others!
Daughter is a picky eater these were perfect.
★★★★★
Great recipe! My kids are vegan, so I added sweet potato instead of eggs and used a little vegan garlic aioli to add flavor and bind them together. Worked out great!
★★★★★
These really are amazing! My dad, who is a dedicated meat lover wolfed one down. He couldn’t believe it was veggie! Success in our house!
★★★★★
I make them every Thursday some for dinner, and the rest last for a couple of days as a go to lunch or dinner. Absolutely love them.
Is it better to stir, or pulse everything together?
★★★★★
Personal preference! When I make them I usually stir the mixture together by hand.
These were so good! Best I’ve made!
Thanks for the great recipe.
★★★★★
These are fantastic, also good cold in rolls or sandwiches, with your favourite relish and mayo. Also switched the specs for tikka powder and the ketchup for mango chutney, WOW LOVELY!
★★★★★
These are fabulous! I made them with a container of black beans and a container of chickpeas because I didn’t have enough black beans on hand. I also left out the garlic powder since mine was all clumped together when I went to retrieve it. I cooked 4 patties, ate 1, and then froze the other 4 patties. I think the Worcestershire sauce and the BBQ sauce (Stubbs Sweet Heat) put these over the top. I’ve made a variety of veggie burgers before, but these are my new favorite. I think my husband is going to love them too.
★★★★★
Wow! I made these last night and they really were”The Best Black Bean Burgers I’ve Ever Had”!!! We were skeptical because the last time we tried a black bean burger it was blah and mushy. This was neither! My husband grilled them on a Teflon grill mat and they were perfect…absolutely delicious! Wouldn’t change a thing…your recipes are always spot on!!!
★★★★★
These are the best black bean burgers! Reasonable on time commitment, delicious, and they freeze well.
★★★★★
I made a batch of your black bean burger patties on Sunday and froze them. I haven’t had them in a burger yet, but I did have one as a base and topped with an egg that was poached in marinara sauce and marinara sauce of course. It was good; the patty was very flavourful.
I used dried beans and cooked them the day before and then refrigerated them until ready for use (1-2days). This lets the beans dry a little so they are not mushy. After cooking per the package I put them through the food processor on pulse until chopped. I fried mine in a no stick pan for 6 min on each side (about 3/4inch thick).I used only the spices I like. The texture was good. I used the spices I like. They were very good.
These black bean burgers are Fabulous. I have been a vegetarian for 43 +years and tried and made many different black bean burgers but these are the best I have ever made or tasted!
As Always, thank you!
Cheryl
★★★★★
Loved these burgers….can’t believe how well they stayed together….they were a little dry for my liking so I’d probably try without drying out the beans so much. Will recommend to my friends!
★★★★★
Great recipe!!! I added a bbq seasoning to the beans as I dried them to add some extra flavor andnit was delicious.
★★★★★
Incredible
★★★★★
These are the best black beans ever!! I used barbecue sauce to give it a more smokey flavor, and it was delicious! They were easy to make, and an absolute hit for my family. I will be making these again.
★★★★★
Love these .me and my family been looking for a good Recipe and this one by far is the best . Thank so much
★★★★★
Didn’t have any black beans so used kidney beans. All other ingredients as stated in the recipe except I used more breadcrumbs. They were delicious.
★★★★★
My daughter made a gluten free vegan version of these for our 4th of July party. She subbed in some nutritional yeast for the cheese, used flax eggs for the eggs, and used coconut aminos for worchestershire sauce. These were the BEST bean burgers we have ever had! The texture is perfect. Will definitely be making these again.
★★★★★
YUMMO.
★★★★★
This recipe is delicious and will go into my keeper file.
★★★★★
Ooh…Sally. I beg of you. If we’re supposed to line our baking sheets with parchment paper, please say so in the printable recipe. I just ruined an entire batch of burgers by lining with foil. Some of us old timey cooks only think of foil when we think “lined”. It just made them stick and fall apart. Super dry crumbles. Thanks!