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
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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.
Lauryn says
Can you used black beans cooked from dry instead of canned?
Lauren Allen says
Yes, sure!
ndog says
This was excellent – and very simple to prepare. Only addition is a drizzle of olive oil on top. I paired it with a bean burger patty (sans bread). Wonderful healthy dinner.
EMC says
Excellent, quick and easy. I also added carrots and red pepper (didn’t have green) and a little olive oil in the mix (only b/c I used GF breadcrumbs which tend to absorb differently than regular). The flavor was surprising, much better than I anticipated. I’d recommend and I’d def make again! I am thinking I’ll add a little chopped spinach next time.
I didn’t make the adobe mayo, but I am sure it’s just as amazing as the bean burger.
Patrick says
I’ve made this several times, and it is very good. The chipotle mayo is especially nice! In my kitchen, however, the cooking times stated here are way off. When cooking in the oven, the patties take closer to 50 minutes total. I cook them 12 minutes per side, then keep going, turning every 10 minutes until they feel firm to the touch. It is possible that I’m not removing enough moisture from the mixture before making the patties, but I do spread out and blot the beans and squeeze the veggies out in a sieve.
But to reiterate: the results are very good and worth the wait!
Jacquelyn says
I just made this! Turned out amazing, paired it with homemade big mac sauce deeelish. Thanks for sharing!
Susan says
Have you tried making meatballs from this recipe? If so, did you need too make any adjustments? Sounds like a recipe O want to try.
Lauren Allen says
I haven’t, but that should work fine!
Fran says
These where ok but lacked a little in flavour. I think next time I’d add more garlic or maybe spices or Worcestershire sauce. But I liked the base recipe and husband was happy with new food