Black Bean Burgers

Published July 17, 2022

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Easy Black Bean Burgers! A healthier option to ground beef burgers that are made with nutritious black beans, fresh veggies, hearty oats and earthy spices. They are perfectly delicious and make for an excellent meatless meal.

Our Favorite Vegetarian Black Bean Burger!

When we think of vegetarian burgers we often think of those mediocre, flavorless or dry burgers we’ve had that left us wishing we had made a different meal choice.

These black bean burgers will actually leave you wondering why you haven’t had black bean burgers on regular rotation on your dinner menu for years. And you’ll love that the food processor does most of the work!

The great thing about these is that they don’t weigh you down the way a greasy hamburger does. It’s something you can feel good about eating.

This black bean burger isn’t dry, it has plenty of flavor and even some richness to it (thanks to the mayo and egg yolks), and the oats and peppers give it a bit of texture. Believe it or not even my kids love these.

They’re best served shortly after they’ve been freshly pan fried and those exterior edges are nice and crisp, though it makes a batch of six and extras will reheat decently well (with a bit of olive oil just in the microwave) when you need a quick lunch.

Our favorite way to eat them is actually bun-less with a small mound of tasty toppings (like cheese, avocado, tomatoes, and salsa), but just like with a regular hamburger you can serve them up however you’d like.

Black Bean Burger Recipe Ingredients

2 (15 oz) cans black beans, drained, rinsed and dabbed dry with paper towels
1/2 medium red bell pepper, seeded, chopped into large chunks
1 large garlic clove, peeled and crushed
2 green onions, ends trimmed and discarded, remaining chopped into 2-inch pieces
3/4 cup rolled oats
1/4 cup cilantro (mostly leaves)
2 egg yolks
2 Tbsp mayonnaise
1 tsp smoked paprika
1 tsp ground cumin
1/2 tsp chili powder
1/2 tsp ground coriander
1/2 tsp each salt and black pepper, then more to taste
2 Tbsp olive oil, divided

How to Make Black Bean Burgers

Rinse and dry black beans: Rinse black beans in a sieve or colander then drain well. Pour onto a baking sheet lined with two layers of paper towels.
Spread out then dab and gently rub dry with more paper towels. Set aside to dry for a few minutes while you prep other ingredients.
Pulse ingredients in a food processor: Place bell pepper and garlic in a food processor. Pulse in 1-second bursts until just coarsely chopped about 10 times.
Add oats, green onions, cilantro, paprika, cumin, coriander, salt, and pepper. Pulse in 1-second bursts just until mixture is coarsely minced about 10 to 15 times.
Pour in egg yolks and mayonnaise and pulse until combined, about 5 quick times.
Roughly processes black beans: Add black beans then pulse just a few times until about half the black beans are roughly mashed and there are some whole black beans still, about 10 to 15 times. Fold mixture with a spatula to evenly combined, while adding more salt to taste as needed.
Shape into patties on parchment paper: Scoop mixture out 1/2 cup at a time and drop on to a large sheet of parchment paper spacing each a few inches apart (you should get 6 patties). Compress and flatten mixture into a patty about 3 1/2 to 4-inches wide.
Cut the parchment into individual squares around patties.
Preheat 1 Tbsp olive oil in a 12-inch non-stick skillet over medium heat.
Pan fry black bean burgers in batches: Carefully add 3 patties to the pan and peel the parchment paper away.
Cook about 3 to 4 minutes per side until nicely golden brown on bottom. Transfer to a plate.
Repeat cooking process with remaining 1 Tbsp oil and 3 black bean burger patties.
Serve plain or in buns with desired toppings.

Making Vegan Black Bean Burgers

I’ve also made these vegan as well. They just don’t hold together quite as well because the addition of egg yolks and eggs in the mayonnaise act as a great binder, so it may be best to go with a bun-less option if making them vegan. Preferably serve on a plate with toppings over it.
To make vegan omit the egg yolks and replace with 2 tsp ground flax seed.
Replace regular mayonnaise with vegan mayonnaise.
Use vegan cheese or don’t serve with cheese over them.

Helpful Tips and Reheating

Dry ingredients well before adding to the food processor. This includes the black beans and any vegetables otherwise burgers will be mushy and won’t hold together.
Be careful not to over-process the mixture so it has some texture.
Don’t skip using the parchment paper or the mixture will be too sticky to work with. There’s a bit of moisture to the mixture because we don’t want a dry black bean burger.
Fry the burger mixture up shortly after preparing, don’t store it in the fridge and fry later. I’ve tried this and the burgers don’t hold together well. Just cook all of the mixture and store extras in the fridge.
When reheating from the fridge I just place on a plate, drizzle top with a little olive oil (because of all the starches they’ll dry out a little in the fridge and need a bit more oil), then reheat for about 40 seconds or until warmed through.

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