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.
Best burger recipe bar none! I just made 4 dozen of these babies for our Canada Day cookout and I fully expect to get the rave reviews that I always get when I serve them.
I’m anxious to try this recipe but husband doesn’t like feta cheese. What would be a good substitute?
Hi Roberta, you can simply omit the feta or use another cheese that you enjoy. Mozzarella works great here!
Can you use the vegan liquid mozzarella from Miyoko’s as a sub for the cheese? Or would it add too much liquid to the mix?
Haven’t tried this one yet just want to say I use so many of your recipes and they are amazing! Thank you for the time and effort you put into everything and I appreciate you sharing and helping others!
So glad you enjoy our recipes, Jackie!
Very tasty, filling, and healthful.
“I used gluten free bread crumbs to keep the burgers GF, but any bread crumbs are great.” What is “GF”? TIA
We mean gluten free when we say GF here. Hope you enjoy the burgers if you give them a try!
I Haven’t Found a Meatless Burger Recipe Until Now. These were really good. I choose the Mediterranean flavored feta cheese. I think that added to the flavor.
Anxious to try this recipe, had planned to try them tonight, and found I didn’t have bread crumbs. Would rolled oats work in place of bread crumbs, or maybe crushed crackers?
Hi Terri, oats should work well here!
Wow, amazing! We loved the bean burgers. This is the first time making bean burgers and they were perfect, the flavor and consistency. They take time to make and going forward I will make a double batch and freeze them. Thank you, again for a great recipe!
Do you know how many calories are in one of these burgers?
Hi Diana, 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 was one of my go to freezer meals postpartum. I baked the burgers and then wrapped them in the bun and put them all back in the bun bag for a bag of burgers in the freezer. I microwaved the patty and then put the bun back on for about 10 more seconds to warm it up. Perfect filling and healthy meal when you’re too tired to remember to eat! Thank you!
You’re welcome! So glad you enjoy these!
I’m trying this recipe for the 1st time I did add some mrs Dash Italian seasoning and some Cajun seasoning. I added sugar-free barbecue sauce and topped it off with pepper jack cheese I wanted to make it a little differently.
I’ve tried to make these several times following the recipe and all of the hints and they are NOT the best black bean burgers ever. Barely palatable.
Hi Anneliz, we’re so sorry you didn’t enjoy these black bean burgers. Was there something specific about the recipe that didn’t seem to turn out right for you? We’d be happy to help troubleshoot.
I need a substitute for bell pepper, please.
Hi Susan! Some readers have swapped the green peppers for more onion or corn.
This recipe is our “go-to” burger. We make a bunch of them and pop ’em in the freezer. The only thing we add is some chopped-up fresh cilantro. Other than that, we follow the recipe exactly as written.
This is literally the BEST black bean burger recipe! It is so flavorful. Some of my family members are vegetarian and some are not, but even the meat lovers thought this was delicious and did not miss the beef! Thank you for another awesome recipe!
Hi! I very excited to try this recipe. I’d like to try replacing the eggs with mashed sweet potato- can you offer any more specifics on amounts and procedures? Thank you!
Hi Amanda, If using mashed sweet potato in place of the eggs, add it in step 2 with the rest of the remaining ingredients Place in a large bowl or in a food processor with the remaining ingredients. Enjoy!
Great recipe! If you want it to taste like beef, add Rosemary!
Chili powders vary in heat.
This is a great recipe. I made it for my wife since we ran out of our preferred store-bought brand. Amazingly, these tasted almost exactly the same. My wife was very happy.
A couple of tweaks to your recipe:
1) I cooked 1 lb. of dried black beans in the slow cooker, turning it off when the beans had lost much of their moisture. There was no need to dry them in the oven.
2) The fresh garlic bulb I had bought for this purpose was rotten, so I used a total of 1.5 Tablespoons of granulated garlic. We love garlic.
3) As a binder I used matzoh meal which is basically wheat flour. It worked perfectly.
Regarding size, I scooped them in a1/2 half measuring cup. This made 11 burgers that were a really nice size and thickness.
Thank you so much.
Waaay too spicy!!! And this comes from someone that loves spicy food. I find it hard to believe that I’m the only one with this opinion. Will definitely be looking for another recipe.
Would it work on a charcoal bbq, on the grill directly. I’m afraid they aren’t firm enough to withstand the direct grills.
Hi Lori, we prefer to grill them in a piece of aluminum foil (see recipe Notes for details). If you decide to give them a try directly on the grill, please do let us know how it goes.
Alright I know there are already a ton of comments that love this recipe but seriously… I am not a “meat substitute” type of person at all, and these are better than regular burgers. They are incredible and so easy to put together. I baked them in the oven, I am going to try the grill but I am worried they may not turn out as moist.
This is a great recipe! Thanks!
The name of this recipe does not lie! They are the best black bean burgers I have ever had! We have made these several dozen times at this point and even my hard to please five year old loves them. Highly recommend!
I love the bean burger recipe. The Worcestershire sauce gives it a little punch. With it without, love the burgers.
This was delicious and hit the spot for a burger – we are vegetarian but I shared this with extended family, I think it’s a hit for a meatless main regardless of your diet.
Can Almond Flour be used instead?
Hi JC! Yes, an equal amount of almond flour can be swapped for the breadcrumbs.
My husband and I loved this recipe for bean burgers!
One issue I had was my mixture was quite a bit more runny than yours in your video, so I figured I did not ring the sauté peppers and onions enough. I added crushed ritz whole wheats to stay together better. Cooked 10-12 minutes on each side. Thank you Sally, I so love your recipes!!
I made these burgers and man-o man are they good. After years of trying to find the best veggie burger, I believe this is the winner. I substituted jalapeno for green pepper. Yummy.
Does anyone know the calorie intake, fat, fiber, protein, all the nutrition information? I am on Weight Watchers and would like to know. thank you
Hi Cindy, 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