These Black Bean Burgers are a delicious and flavourful meatless option that the whole family will love! Serve these burgers up on a bun or have them with a salad for a lighter option for lunch or dinner! {Vegetarian & gluten-free}
So I never thought it would be possible to have a love affair with a bean burger, but it totally happened.
I officially fell in love with these Black Bean Burgers.
Now I’ve always enjoyed a good burger, but whenever I’ve had veggie burgers in the past, they were all kinda just “meh.”
Definitely nothing to get excited about.
But lately, I’ve been trying to come up with healthy recipes that the whole family can eat, including our 14-month old, so I decided to experiment with these veggie burgers.
And I am SO glad I did.
They were a hit with everyone in the family and will definitely be making a reappearance on our menu.
Like every week.
They were THAT good.
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What is so special about these vegetarian bean burgers, anyways?
Well, in my opinion, it’s the way that they’re flavoured up. These are no bland and boring bean burgers.
There is flavour oozing out of each bite.
Not to mention they are loaded with protein, fibre and iron from the beans, and the veggies add that additional dose of nutrients.
Plus, they are a great recipe for the whole family and are relatively easy to make!
If you’re looking for more vegetarian burger recipes, be sure to also check out these Chickpea Veggie Burgers!
How to Make Black Bean Burgers
This particular recipe is best made in the oven, as I’m not sure how well they would stay together on the grill. Don’t worry, baking rather than grilling these burgers definitely doesn’t compromise on taste!
This first step is really important.
First, you’re going to preheat oven to 325 degrees F.
Rinse and drain the beans and spread them out on a baking sheet in a single layer. Blot them gently with a paper towel to get rid of the extra moisture. Bake the beans in the oven for 15 minutes to help them dry out.
Meanwhile, heat the olive oil in a pan over medium high heat. Cook the pepper, onion and garlic for about 5 minutes or until softened and fragrant.
Combine all of the ingredients, including the beans, in a food processor and lightly pulse until combined, but still slightly chunky. You don’t want the consistency to turn completely into mush.
Adjust the temperature of the oven to 375 degrees F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper for easy clean up. Using your hands, form the bean mixture into 8 patties and place on the parchment paper, leaving about an inch between each patty.
Bake for 20-25 minutes. Allow to cool on the baking sheet for at least 10-15 minutes, which will give them time to firm up.
Special Tips
There are a few important tips to follow when making these burgers to ensure that they turn out EXTRA tasty.
- Sauté the veggies: I recommend sautéing the onion, garlic and bell pepper in a bit of olive oil before blending them with the rest of the mixture. It helps to bring out that amazing flavour that amps up the overall taste of the burgers.
- Dry out those beans: Once you’ve drained the beans and rinsed them, blot most of the moisture out of them with a paper towel and spread them out on a baking sheet in a single layer and bake them for 15 minutes. This helps to dry them out so that the burger has a firmer, less mushy consistency. Don’t skip this step!! We want to minimize the moisture in those beans.
- Adjust consistency accordingly: When you’re combining all of the ingredients for the burgers in the food processor, lightly pulse the mixture until it’s just combined and still a bit chunky. We don’t want it to turn to complete mush.
Expert tip: If you find that the consistency is too mushy, add some almond flour or bread crumbs to the mixture gradually. If the consistency is too soft to form burgers, I generally like to start by adding about a quarter cup and increasing from there until desired consistency is reached.
- Allow burgers to cool on baking sheet: Finally, you may notice that the burgers are a bit soft when they first come out of the oven. Don’t worry — this is totally normal! Leave them be and allow them to cool for about 10-15 minutes. During this time, they will firm up.
Serving Suggestions
The amazing thing about these meatless burgers is that there are so many ways to serve them up!
Here are some of our favourite ways:
- On a crusty bun topped with lettuce, tomato, red onion, avocado and a drizzle of BBQ sauce. Yum.
- On a salad topped with this avocado green goddess dressing
- In a lettuce wrap. Try Bibb, Boston or romaine lettuce!
- Packed in a pita with veggies and roasted garlic spread or sweet potato hummus
- Alongside this sweet potato kale bowl
So delicious!
Storage Guidelines
You can store these burgers in an air-tight container in the fridge for up to four days.
Can you Freeze Veggie Burgers?
Yes! You can either freeze them on a parchment paper-lined baking sheet before baking and then transfer them to a container or Ziploc bag once frozen OR you can also freeze the burgers after you’ve cooked them.
To reheat from a cooked state, place on baking sheet and bake for 20-30 minutes at 350 degrees F or until heated through. Alternatively you can place them in the microwave for a couple of minutes or until warmed through.
The amazing thing about this recipe is that it makes 8 burgers, so it’s perfect for meal prepping!
Serve one half of the burgers for dinner one night and freeze the rest for later!
Or freeze the whole batch and keep them on hand for a quick and healthy lunch!
I’m pretty sure I could eat these burgers everyday.
Looking for other black bean recipes? Check out these:
- Vegan Black Bean Tostadas
- Black Bean & Brown Rice Meal Prep Bowls
- Black Bean Stuffed Sweet Potatoes with Avocado Creme
- Vegan 3-Bean Chili
Did you make this recipe? Scroll down to leave a rating and review!
Black Bean Burgers
Ingredients
- 2 14 oz cans no salt-added black beans, drained and rinsed
- 2 teaspoons extra virgin olive oil
- 1 small finely chopped bell pepper
- 1 small chopped yellow onion
- 3 garlic cloves minced (about 1 tbsp)
- 1 1/2 teaspoons ground cumin
- 1 teaspoon chili powder
- 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1/4 teaspoon smoked paprika
- 1/8 teaspoon cayenne pepper
- 1 large egg
- 1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
- 2 tablespoons BBQ sauce
- Handful of fresh cilantro about 1/2 cup
- 1/2 teaspoon each salt and pepper
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 325 degrees F.
- Rinse and drain the beans and spread them out on a baking sheet in a single layer. Blot them gently with a paper towel to get rid of the extra moisture. Bake in the oven for 15 minutes to help them dry out.
- Meanwhile, heat the olive oil in a pan over medium high heat. Cook the pepper, onion and garlic for about 5 minutes or until softened and fragrant.
- Combine all of the ingredients, including the beans, in a food processor and lightly pulse until combined, but still slightly chunky. You don't want the consistency to turn completely into mush.
- Adjust the temperature of the oven to 375 degrees F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Form the bean mixture into 8 evenly sized patties and place on the parchment paper, leaving about an inch between each patty.
- Bake for 20-25 minutes. Allow to cool on the baking sheet for at least 10-15 minutes, which will give them time to firm up.
- Serve in a bun, in a lettuce wrap or along with a salad!
Notes
Nutrition
Recipe adapted from Sally’s Baking Addiction
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This looks super tasty!! I can’t wait to give it a try! It’s all delicious ingredients :)
Thanks Roslia! We love these burgers! Hope you enjoy the recipe as well if you give it a try!