The BEST Black Bean Burger is made with fresh ingredients and is totally FOOL PROOF. This healthy recipe is fast and easy for a quick dinner idea.
These black bean veggie burgers go great with just about any side dish. I love to serve them with quinoa salad, traditional potato salad, or a simple broccoli salad.
The BEST Black Bean Burger
If you’re like me, you may have tried veggie burgers in the past that were tasteless or didn’t hold together. Well, this black bean burger will be your happy relief! It’s packed full of flavor, holds together perfectly and is super easy to grill.
These amazing homemade black bean burgers have been a huge family favorite ever since I first made them over 6 years ago! They are on my go-to list of easy recipes that can be thrown together in less than 30 minutes.
My kids LOVE them, and even my meat-loving husband will happily eat these instead of a ground beef patty, which begs the question, are these healthy?
Are black bean burgers good for you?
These black bean burgers are much healthier than a traditional hamburger (especially one you might get at a restaurant). Black bean burgers are packed with fiber, vitamins, and minerals but are MUCH lower in fat and cholesterol than a traditional ground beef burger.
For example, the “Big Carl Burger” from Carl’s Junior contains 920 calories (with 58 grams of fat and 140 grams of cholesterol) where these black bean burgers contain 431 calories (with 15 grams of fat and 49 grams of cholesterol). AND, event though they are meatless, you still get about 12 grams of protein in each black bean burger patty!
Ingredients in Black Bean Burgers:
- black beans
- bell pepper
- onion
- egg
- whole wheat bread crumbs
- spices
How to make the Best Black Bean Burger:
- Rinse and drain black beans. Blot them with a paper towel to remove any extra moisture. Placethe black beans in a large bowl and mash well with a fork.
- In a food processor:Place the bell pepper, onion and garlic in a food processor and process until finely minced. Transfer mixture to a fine mesh strainer to remove the excess water. (Remove as much moisture as you can–if it’s too wet, the burger wont hold together as well.)
- Combine ingredients. Add the strained vegetable mixture to the bowl with the black beans. Add the chili powder, cumin and salt and pepper and stir to combine. Add beaten egg and mix. Stir in bread crumbs.
- Form patties. Make the mixture into 4 or 5 patties.
- Grill or bake. Grill the burgers on a well oiled grill for about 4-5 minutes on each side. Bake them at 375 degrees F on a lightly oiled baking sheet, for 10 minutes on each side.
Expert tips for perfect Black Bean Burgers:
1. How to make sure black bean burgers stick together
To insure that the black bean burgers don’t fall apart, take extra care to remove as much liquid from the pureed vegetables as possible. After pureeing the bell pepper and onion, strain the mixture really well. The egg and breadcrumbs then will work as the binder to hold the mashed black beans and veggies together.
2. If you decide to grill them, make sure your grill is well greased.
We don’t want the black bean burgers to stick to the grill when you try to flip them, so be sure to use cooking spray or oil your grill with a brush before cooking them.
3. Make black bean burgers in advance.
For a stress-free dinner, make these black bean burgers ahead of time and cover them well in the fridge before baking. They also freeze really well! I lay them flat inside a resealable freezer bag. Place a piece of parchment paper between them if you stack them.
When you’re ready to grill them you can cook them from frozen or let them come to room temperature in your fridge.
Black Bean Burger Topping Ideas:
- chipotle mayo
- lettuce
- tomatoes
- cheese
- avocado
- onion
- pickles
- jalapeños
Consider serving Black Bean Burgers with:
- Cucumber Tomato Avocado Salad
- Baked Potato Salad
- Broccoli Apple Salad
- Creamy Fruit Salad
- Other BBQ Side Dishes
You can also FOLLOW ME on FACEBOOK, TWITTER, INSTAGRAM and PINTEREST for more great recipes!
The BEST Black Bean Burger
Video
Ingredients
For the Burger:
- 15 ounce can black beans , drained and rinsed
- 1/2 green bell pepper
- 1/2 small onion
- 2 cloves garlic , peeled
- 1 large egg , beaten (*see note below)
- 2/3 cup whole wheat breadcrumbs
- 1 Tablespoon chili powder
- 1 teaspoon cumin
- salt and freshly ground black pepper , to taste
For the Chipotle Mayo Sauce:
- 1 cup mayonnaise
- 2 chipotle peppers in adobo sauce
- 1 Tablespoon adobo sauce (from a can of chipotle peppers in adobo sauce)
- 2 teaspoons lime juice
- salt and freshly ground black pepper
- hamburger buns
- desired burger toppings: lettuce, tomato, etc.
Instructions
To make the Burger:
- Place rinsed and drained black beans in a bowl. If needed, blot them with a paper towel to remove any extra moisture. Place in a large bowl and mash well with a fork.
- Place the bell pepper, onion and garlic in a food processor and process until finely minced.
- Transfer mixture to a fine mesh strainer to remove the excess water. (Remove as much moisture as you can--if it's too wet, the burger wont hold together as well.)
- Add the strained vegetable mixture to the bowl with the black beans. Add the chili powder, cumin and salt and pepper and stir to combine.
- Add beaten egg and mix. Stir in bread crumbs. Form mixture into 4 or 5 patties.
At this point you can choose to:
- Grill the burgers on a well oiled grill for about 4-5 minutes on each side.
- Bake them at 375 degrees F on a lightly oiled baking sheet, for 10 minutes on each side.
- Cook them on your stove using a grill pan, for 4-5 minutes on each side.
- Refrigerate them for later.
- Freeze them, covered, in a freezer ziplock bag for a quick weeknight dinner in the future.
For the Chipotle Mayo Sauce:
- Add all the ingredients to a food processor or blender and puree until smooth. Season with salt and pepper to taste.
- Serve burgers on a white or whole wheat bun topped with a spoonful of chipotle mayo, lettuce, tomato, cheese, avocado, or any other desired toppings! Enjoy!
- Serve with one of these healthy side dishes!
Notes
Nutrition
Have you tried this recipe?!
RATE and COMMENT below! I would love to hear your experience.
I first shared this recipe March 2016. Updated June 2019.
Karen says
I have made akaren lot of BBB’s and this is the best!!
Katie says
I made these for “Meatless Monday” during our quarantine (I always have black beans around!) and we LOVED them. I put red bell pepper in because I prefer that over green, and I added half a jalapeno for some heat as well. Made two with guacamole on a bun for dinner and froze two for a quick weeknight dinner. Definitely a new staple in my home!
Lacinda says
Will this work with Italian bread crumbs?
Lauren Allen says
Sure!
Lynn Rogers says
I’ve made these numerous times. I use quick oats instead of bread crumbs, and they come out great. Delicious and easy!
Renee says
I love the recipe. It was easy to follow and the burgers were delish!!!
Kirsten says
These really are the BEST black bean burgers! Those used to be only something made when we had almost zero groceries and not something I really looked forward to because they weren’t that filling to me or didn’t hold up well as patties. I doubled the recipe for freezer leftovers and they held up fantastic, were filling and will be on our regular menu now for sure! Thank you. One question I do have is when baking in the oven from frozen, how would you adjust the cooking time?
Kayla says
Love this recipe
Jaya says
Wow this is awesome recipe it’s so easy and tasty. My kids likes 👍 it.
Thank you
AMC says
Delicious! Had them twice in less than a week! Only change I made was a reduction of chili powder to one tsp. which was plenty for me.
Sarah says
Delicious! Full of flavor and light on the stomach! Even my pickiest eater gobbled it up.