Black Bean Burgers are flavorful and easy to make. Serve these delicious patties on your preferred burger buns with veggie toppings and a great sauce!
Try some other vegetarian burgers next like Veggie Burger or Sweet Potato Black Bean Burger.
The Best Black Bean Burgers
I host the 4th of July every year, and besides Halloween, it’s my favorite holiday. Firing up the grill and making the best burgers is a must.
But with a few vegetarians in the family, I set out to make a great veggie burger. After lots of testing (and some flops—it’s tricky to get the right mix for a sturdy burger), I finally got it right.
Let’s just say next year, I’ll be making twice as many because they were almost as popular as the regular burgers!
Ingredients
- Cashews or Walnuts: Look for plain, dry-roasted nuts.
- Onion & Red Pepper: Grate the onion so it blends in better.
- Mushrooms: Chop finely or pulse in a food processor for even texture.
- Black Beans: Drain and rinse before using.
- Garlic & Spices: Adjust the spices to your taste.
- Ketchup & Worcestershire Sauce: Use a good-quality ketchup for the best flavor.
- Egg: Helps brings everything together.
- Panko: If the mixture is too soft, add more Panko.
- Shredded Cheese: Monterey Jack, Pepper Jack, or Cheddar work best.
- Cooked Rice: Leftover rice works great; microwave for 1 min to soften.
Quick Tip
If you’d rather use homemade black beans, keep in mind that a can holds 15 ounces, which is about 1-1/2 cups.
How To Make Black Bean Burgers
- Chop Ingredients: Pulse cashews until roughly chopped. Scrape the sides to mix evenly.
- Add Wet Ingredients: Stir between pulses to blend everything well.
- Dry Ingredients: Don’t over-mix—some texture helps the burgers stay firm.
- Shape Patties: Make them a little wider than the buns since they shrink when cooked.
- Chill Patties: Freeze until firm. This keeps them from falling apart while cooking.
- Cook Burgers: Leave space in the pan so they crisp up.
- Assemble & Serve: Warm buns help everything stay together.
Serving Suggestions For Black Bean Burgers
- Buns: Use brioche, lettuce wraps, or low-carb tortillas.
- Toppings: Add pickles, lettuce, tomato, and red onion. Try avocado or bacon for extra flavor.
- Cheese: Pepper Jack works well, but any cheese is fine.
- Sauce: The burger sauce is a mix of mayo, ketchup, pickle, onion, and paprika. Other options: BBQ sauce, mustard, or seasoned butter.
- Sides: Serve with Coleslaw, Potato Wedges, Corn Salad, Potato Salad, Baked Beans, or Pasta Salad.
Storage
Storage: Freezing and Reheating
- Freeze: Place cooked/cooled or uncooked patties with parchment paper between them in a freezer-safe container. Freeze for up to 3 months.
- Thaw uncooked patties: Thaw black bean burgers patties in the fridge overnight and cook as per recipe, or cook directly from frozen, adding 2-3 mins extra per side.
More Meatless Meals
- Vegetarian Gyros ready in 30 mins
- Sweet Potato and Black Bean Burrito Bowls with the best creamy sauce
- Healthy Tacos filled with black beans
- Bruschetta Pasta easy dinner
- Pesto Couscous Bowls with beans
Black Bean Burger
Black Bean Burgers are easy, nutritious, and packed with flavor! Serve these tasty patties on your favorite bun with fresh veggie toppings and a delicious burger sauce.
Equipment
- Food processor 12-cup
Ingredients
Black Bean Burgers
- 1/2 cup dry roasted cashews or walnuts
- 1/2 cup grated yellow onion or red onion, see note 1
- 1/2 cup diced red pepper
- 3/4 cup chopped Crimini mushrooms or Baby Bella
- 2 (15.25-ounce) cans black beans drained & rinsed
- 1 tablespoon minced garlic
- 2-1/2 teaspoons chili powder
- 2-1/2 teaspoons cumin
- 2-1/2 teaspoons paprika
- 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 teaspoon pepper
- 1/4 cup ketchup
- 1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
- 1 large egg
- 1-1/4 cups Panko breadcrumbs
- 1 cup shredded cheese see note 2
- 3/4 cup cooked brown rice or white rice, see note 3
- Toppings as desired see note 4
- Burger sauce see note 5
Instructions
- Grate an onion on the large holes of a cheese grater. Dice a bell pepper and mushrooms. Add cashews to a large food processor. Pulse 10 times, just until coarsely chopped. Add red onion, red pepper, mushrooms, black beans, garlic, chili powder, paprika, cumin, garlic powder, salt, and pepper. Pulse 5 times, scrape the sides, then pulse another 5 times. Repeat until well mixed.
- Add ketchup, Worcestershire sauce, and egg to the processor. Pulse about 10 times, scraping and stirring in between pulses to fully combine.
- Add Panko breadcrumbs and cheese. Pulse about 10 more times, stirring in between. Finally, add cooked rice. Pulse 3 times, scrape the edges, and pulse 3 more times—just enough to incorporate without breaking down the rice. Adjust consistency with extra Panko if too wet, or pulse longer if crumbly.
- Scoop the mixture using a 1/2-cup measuring cup and drop it onto a parchment or foil-lined sheet pan to form 9 mounds. Divide any remaining mixture evenly among the mounds. Lightly spray your hands with cooking oil and shape each mound into a patty by pressing it down. Each patty should be about 3/4-inch thick and 4 inches wide, or slightly wider than the buns. Place the shaped patties in the freezer for 25–30 minutes, until firm enough to be lifted gently with a metal spatula.
- Heat a drizzle of oil, about 2 tablespoons, over medium-high heat. Once oil is hot, add 3 patties straight from the freezer to the pan and cook until browned, golden, and crispy, about 3–4 minutes. Carefully flip then cook the other side for another 3–4 minutes or until deeply golden. Transfer to a paper-towel lined plate. Cook the next batch following the same method. Don't crowd the pan with too many burgers at a time.
- To make a homemade burger sauce, see note 5. Toast the bun. Layer the burger with lettuce, veggie patty, avocado, tomato, and onion. Add mayo or burger sauce to the top bun. Sandwich together and enjoy promptly.
Video
Recipe Notes
Note 1: I like to grab 1 large onion and cut it in half. I use one half as a topping for the burger and the other half is grated for the patties.
Note 2: I like Monterey Jack, Pepper Jack, or sharp Cheddar best.
Note 3: Any cooked and leftover grain will work. To keep things as easy as possible, I use this pre-cooked rice and microwave it for 1 minute. One container is the perfect amount here.
Note 4: For toppings, I love to use brioche buns, softened butter, green leaf lettuce, ripe avocado or guacamole, tomato, red onion, and a slice of cheese melted onto the patty.
Note 5: To make the homemade burger sauce combine 1/2 cup good quality full-fat mayo, 2 tablespoons ketchup, 1 tablespoon finely grated onion, 1 tablespoon sweet pickle relish, 1 teaspoon paprika, and 1/4 teaspoon salt. Stir until combined and smooth.
Nutrition: The nutrition facts are for the patty only; the bun and toppings will greatly vary.
Storage: To freeze, layer cooked or uncooked patties with parchment between them in a freezer-safe container for up to 3 months. Thaw in the fridge overnight or cook from frozen, adding 2-3 extra minutes per side.
Nutrition
Serving: 1serving | Calories: 288kcal | Carbohydrates: 39.2g | Protein: 12.9g | Fat: 9.2g | Cholesterol: 31.8mg | Sodium: 581.8mg | Fiber: 7.4g | Sugar: 3.9g
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Can’t wait to try! Any replacement to make it nut free or should I just eliminate?
I hope you love them! Honestly the nuts are pretty important to structure (and flavor); I’m not sure what to replace with (I haven’t tested it without them), but maybe more Panko?
These look fantastic. I want to try
I hope you enjoy! 🙂
I made these burgers today and they were amazing! As we quarantine and change our way of living, it includes the way we eat. Thank you for this Healthy alternative! I’m not a mushroom person at all, and I started to leave them out. However, I wanted to try the recipe exactly to the T. I was not disappointed, at all! The sauce is the cherry on top! Another great one Chelsea! Thank you!????
This look so pretty! I mean how on earth did you get is so perfect! Way to go you! I have to try this. YUM!
Ahh thank you soo much! You seriously have to, it’s soooo delicious!!
These look absolutely incredible!!! Cannot wait to try them 🙂
Hope you love them! 🙂
love that this is made from scratch since I’ve never really trusted or even liked other vegetable burgers, but I trust the ingredients here so much better, thank you
You bet! Hope you love these 🙂