These homemade black bean burgers are seriously a game changer. Like, forget craving beef burgers, you will legit want to make these for the sake of eating them over and over again.
My biggest complain with average black bean burgers is the texture. They either become mushy or fall apart on the grill. NOT THESE. This black bean burger recipe holds together (!!), whether grilled outside or cooked on a stove top, and is packed with flavor from atypical ingredients such as feta cheese and cashews.
What is a Black Bean Burger made of?
- Vegetables: onions, poblano pepper, garlic cloves, and vegetable oil.
- Black beans: of course! They are the star of this recipe and have so many nutritional benefits.
- Seasonings: chipotle chili in adobo sauce… do you need anything else?
- Cashews: cashews help thicken up the patties and prevent them from falling apart. Trust me on this one!
- Feta: this is my kind of cheese. It helps make the patties firm, creates the best texture, and adds a little bit of saltiness
- 1 whole egg: an egg also helps to bind the patties and adds a bit more protein!
Are black bean burgers healthy?
Absolutely! The benefits of black beans (canned or dried) are many! This recipe is much more nutritious than your average beef burger. Black beans are a source of plant-based protein as well as fiber. The cashews and onions provide nutritional benefits as well. You definitely won’t feel hungry after eating these.
How to freeze burgers
Yesss, these are perfect for freezing! Simply complete the instructions below until you form the individual burger patties, then place in a single layer on a baking sheet and freeze until solid – about 1-2 hours.
Once frozen, store in an airtight freezer safe container. Black bean patties will last 3 months.
To cook from frozen: allow black bean burgers to thaw at room temperature for 1 hour or in a refrigerator overnight, then cook as directed.
Tips for making the best black bean burgers of your LIFE!
I realize that’s a bold statement, but it’s true! This is the best black bean burger recipe we’ve ever tried. While the prep work takes longer than a traditional beef burger, these black bean burgers are healthier, not at all mushy, and hold together better than any other veggie burger we’ve made!
- Dry out the beans by baking them first! Removing that excess moisture will help firm up the black bean patties when cooking! Bake for 20 minutes at 350F, or until the skins burst.
- Sauté aromatics. For this black bean burger recipe, we’re using garlic, onion, poblano pepper, and a chipotle chili. There’s a reason chipotle black bean burgers are such a classic! The combination of black beans and chipotle chiles in adobo result in the BEST smoky flavor.
- Use a mix of finely processed and coarsely processed black beans. Once they come out of the oven (from drying), transfer to a food processor and pulse a few times. You’re looking for a mix of textures — some small pieces, some larger. This will create an epic texture for the black bean burgers! You can also use a fork to smash the beans if you’d rather not dirty up a food processor!
- Bump up the flavor with additional sauce by using liquid from the chipotle pepper in adobo and adding in feta or cotija cheese and crushed cashews. FLAVOR EXPLOSION.
- Make sure to use panko breadcrumbs instead of traditional breadcrumbs. Again, this comes down to texture, which we want more of!
How to shape and cook black bean burgers
Once the burger patty mixture is ready, form black bean burgers into rounds the same size as the burger buns you’re using. Veggie burgers will not shrink the way that traditional beef burgers do. Place patties on a baking sheet or tray, then brush the top of each lightly with olive oil.
When grill or stove top is hot, place burgers oiled side down and cook, undisturbed for 3-5 minutes. Lightly oil the other side, then flip and cook an additional 3-5 minutes more. This is a good time to top with cheese slices, if using!
These black bean burgers will for sure be the star of your summer cookout and you shouldn’t wait one second longer to make them. They are the best veggie burger and you need them in your life ASAP!
If you make this Black Bean Burger recipe, please let me know by leaving a rating and review below!
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Looking for more vegetarian options? Check out the following recipes!
- Deconstructed falafel sandwich with smashed chickpeas
- Vegan roasted vegetable salad
- Roasted butternut squash with za’atar and lemon tahini sauce
- Avocado salad with tomatoes
- Simple tomato confit with garlic and shallots
Ultimate Black Bean Burgers
Ingredients
For the patties:
- 2 (15 oz) cans black beans rinsed and drained
- 4 Tbsp vegetable oil divided
- 1 medium sweet onion (about 1 cup) finely chopped
- 1 poblano pepper (about 1 cup) finely chopped
- 3 cloves garlic minced
- 1 chipotle chili in adobo sauce finely chopped, plus 1 tsp sauce
- ¾ cup roasted cashews
- ½ cup finely crumbled feta or cotija cheese
- 2 Tbsp mayonnaise
- 1 whole egg
- ¾ cup panko bread crumbs
- Kosher salt
- Freshly ground black pepper
For serving
- Cheese such as pepper jack, cheddar, muenster, or Swiss
- 6-8 whole wheat hamburger buns toasted
- Tzatziki
- Caramelized onions
- Avocado
- Micro greens
- Condiments such as chipotle mayonnaise, ketchup, mustard, or mayonnaise
Instructions
- Adjust oven rack to center position and preheat oven to 350°F. Spread black beans in a single layer on a foil-lined rimmed baking sheet. Place in oven and roast until beans are mostly split open and outer skins are beginning to get crunchy, about 20 minutes. Remove from oven and allow to cool slightly.
- While beans roast, heat 2 tablespoons oil in a medium skillet over medium-high heat until shimmering. Add onion and poblano and cook, stirring frequently, until softened, about 5 minutes. Add garlic and cook, stirring constantly, until fragrant, about 2 minutes. Add chipotle chili and sauce and cook, stirring, until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Transfer mixture to a large bowl.
- Place cashews in the bowl of a food processor and pulse until chopped into pieces no larger than 1/3-inch, about 12 short pulses. Add to bowl with onions and peppers.
- When beans are slightly cooled, transfer to food processor. Add cheese. Pulse until beans are roughly chopped (the largest pieces should be about 1/3 of a full bean in size). Transfer to bowl with onion/pepper mixture. Add mayonnaise, egg, and bread crumbs and season with salt and pepper. Fold together gently but thoroughly with hands. Patty mixture can be stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to three days at this stage.
- To cook on the grill: Light 2/3 chimney full of charcoal. When all the charcoal is lit and covered with gray ash, pour out and arrange the coals on one side of the charcoal grate. Set cooking grate in place, cover grill and allow to preheat for 5 minutes. Alternatively, set half the burners on a gas grill to the medium-high setting, cover, and preheat for 10 minutes. Clean and oil the grilling grate. Form bean mixture into 6 to 8 patties as wide as your burger buns and brush top sides with oil. Place on hot side of grill oiled-side down and cook without moving until first side is well browned, 3 to 5 minutes. Brush tops of burgers with oil. Carefully flip and continue cooking until second side is browned, 3 to 5 minutes longer, topping with cheese if desired.
- To cook indoors: Form bean mixture into 6 to 8 patties as wide as your burger buns. Heat 1 tablespoon oil in a large non-stick or cast iron skillet over medium heat until shimmering. Add 4 patties and cook, swirling pan occasionally, until well browned and crisp on first side, about 5 minutes. Carefully flip and cook until second side is browned, about 5 minutes longer, adding cheese if desired. If cooking more than 4 burgers, cook in batches, keeping cooked burgers on a rack set in a rimmed baking sheet in a 200°F oven while second batch cooks.
- Spread top and bottom buns with chipotle mayonnaise or other condiments as desired. Add toppings to top or bottom bun as desired. Place patties on bottom buns, close burgers, and serve immediately.
Notes
- Nutrition facts calculated for black bean patties only.
- Patty mixture can be made up to 3 days ahead. Form black bean burgers before cooking.
- To freeze, place burgers on a rimmed baking sheet and freeze until solid, about 2-3 hours. Transfer frozen patties to a freezer-safe container. Will last up to 3 months. Thaw for 1 hour at room temperature before cooking.
Nutrition
*Recipe from Kenji Lopez of Serious Eats.
Love this recipe!! Perfect black bean patties. The pop up on this site to get date night blah blah… something makes this unreadable on my phone, you can’t close the pop up. Very sucky design.
I love the effort and research you put into this
Hi Carla — apologize for the issue with the pop-up. Trying to address that quickly. But so glad you love these black bean burgers as much as we do! They’re the absolute best ever!! xo, Ari