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, corn salsa + cheddar cheese, or even chunky guacamole. For a summertime favorite, use the toppings from my caprese pesto chicken burgers. 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 (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 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 1/2 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.
I’ve made these before an we absolutely love how they turn out. I’m planning to try these as smash burgers this weekend. Let me know if you have any suggestions for changes to the recipe for cooking them this way!
Hi Ian, We are so glad you enjoy these! We haven’t tried them as smash burgers but let us know how they turn out.
I made these last night, but didn’t really care for them They were too dry even though I tried putting Russian “dressing” on my burger after the first bite. I can’t figure out what went wrong as I I followed the directions to the letter.
Maybe I blotted too much moisture out of the peppers & onions after sauting them???
That could be the reason, or they were over-cooked? Thank you for trying them and reporting back.
Hi, I’ve made these before and we loved them! Was wondering if you have any advice on how to cook these in an air fryer? We’re in a heatwave and I don’t want to run the oven. TIA!
Hi Sarah, so glad you enjoyed them! These should work well in an air fryer, although we’re unsure of the exact bake time. It should be pretty close to the times here. Let us know if you try it!
Terrific recipe! Worked like a dream. Best I’ve had and easy!
This is the best bean burger recipe I’ve used. The tip to lightly cook the beans before making the patties is clever — they stick together much better!
I’ve been trying to make bean burgers for years, but have never had any luck… these are awesome. Made exactly according to recipe, except increased spices… amazing
Can you provide the nutrient values for the Black Bean Burger. I love this burger. Thank you
Hi Debbie, 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
Delicious!! We all loved them!
These are fantastic!
These Black Bean Burgers truly are the best. The addition of the feta cheese really gives them a nice boost. My daughter doesn’t like feta, but she loves these burgers. I’ve made a lot of black bean burgers and these are “just right”!
This is a great recipe. Taste and texture spot on. Word of warning if you haven’t made this before. 30 mins prep is a bit optimistic for me. By the time you’ve gathered the ingredients chopped and saute the veg ground the flour takes me an hour. Then I leave to chill for an hour before forming the burgers. Well worth it but give yourself plenty of time.
What is nutritional value please.
Hi Judith, 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
This is a terrific black bean burger. Excellent texture and outstanding flavor. It stays together. I prepared a large batch and froze the burgers after weighing them out and placing between sheets of deli paper. Quick to prepare.
What would be the best way to make this a “spicy blackbean burger“?
Hi Kristie, feel free to try increasing the chili powder or even adding some chopped jalapenos to the burger mixture. Let us know what you try!
These are very good! I don’t have a food processor so I just mixed with the bowl and they stayed together very well. I froze these uncooked and prepared from frozen and they were still great. I’m single so it’s nice to have recipes that I can freeze into single portions and prepare as needed without compromising quality.
Omg omg omg I’ve wanted a good black bean burger for soooo long and this is it! I used salsa instead of ketchup, but that was the only change. Topped it with BBQ, picked avocado, and spinach
I had to eat two they were so good
Easy and delicious! I had some homemade black beans I wanted to use up. I’ve tried other burger recipes in the past that were lacking in texture, flavor, or both. This hit all the marks! Came together in no time (food processor ftw!) and even my husband enjoyed them. We’re not strictly vegetarian but I do try to cook plant based meals several times a week, and these will definitely be added to the rotation!
Made this recipe tonight for the first time! They were really good! Next time I will increase the spices for a spicy burger
Yum! Simple recipe and tasty results.
Really great recipe! I left out the cumin (can’t stand it) and added some jalapeño and chili. YUM.
Excellent recipe. I like the spices and flavor. I used brown rice instead of bread crumbs because I had some left over, and added grated carrots, and hemp hearts for texture. I see why burgers are baked as it makes the burgers less mushy. I also pan fried the burgers but coated the outside with panko and it added a nice crunch to the burger. Thank you for the lovely recipe.
SO good!!!
i loved it
I love making this recipe and have done so several times but I was considering do an appie night and wanted to make sliders with these. Do you have a suggestion on how the temperature and/or time would need to be adjusted?
Thank you for all your amazing recipes!
Hi Michelle, We are so happy you enjoy this recipe! If you make mini burgers you can use the same temperature, but the time may be shorter depending on the exact size you make them so just keep your eye on them.
Terrible. Beyond terrible. As a 20+ year vegetarian these are the worst burgers I’ve had.
My first time making blackbean burgers and they were absolutely delicious! I added freshmushrooms to mine! Soooo good! Thank you!
this reall is the best black bean burger. I added jalepenos and a little sourdough discard. AMAZING. We made sourdough brioche buns. This was a winner in our house.
I used this exact recipe but add some jalapenos and use red beans instead of black, turned out amazing! Thanks for sharing.
I’ve made these burgers many times as they have the best texture of any recipe I’ve tried. I love the original recipe but have made some veggie substitutions when I didn’t have the right ones in the fridge. Still worked great. Thanks for sharing this recipe.
Made these last night and they were delicious. Next time in ging to try using smashed up Doritos instead of breadcrumbs, because I feel the flavor profiles would be excellent together.
Bro this is big brain. I think in order of preference I would use salsa verde Doritos, then tapatio Doritos, then spicy nacho. I’m making these for my family tonight as nuggets because I have a toddler who likes to dip stuff.
I enjoyed the flavor of these much more than the previous black bean burger recipe I’ve used. I am not sure if I pulsed them for too long, but my mixture was extremely sticky which made it hard to form patties. They cooked well and stayed together perfectly though! My family really enjoyed the flavor of these!!
I find if I wet my hands slightly or if you put a dab of olive oil on your hands first it makes it easier to form the patties. Give it a try next time. They are great burgers aren’t they?!