Black Bean Burger

Try some of our other vegetarian burgers next like this Veggie Burger or Sweet Potato Black Bean Burger.

Why We’re OBSESSED With Black Bean Burgers

1. Nutritious: High in plant-based protein and fiber, these Black Bean Burgers are a great alternative to traditional meat burgers.
2. Tasty and Customizable: Rich in flavor, they can be easily tailored with various toppings and sauces to suit different tastes.
3. Eco-Friendly: Choosing these burgers supports environmental sustainability, as plant-based diets have a lower carbon footprint than meat-based diets.

Ingredients

• Veggies: onion, red pepper, mushrooms, and garlic are the veggies employed in this burger. Not only are we adding nutrition, but these veggies also add flavor! The mushrooms add a really nice meaty texture and flavor.
• Black beans: I mean, it is a Black Bean Burger–you have to include black beans!
• Flavor additions: a myriad of seasonings and ketchup really amp up the flavor.
• Binder: Last but not least, we make sure these burgers won’t be falling apart by adding in an egg.

How To Make Black Bean Burgers

1. Preparation: Grate onion, dice bell pepper and mushrooms.
2. Food Processor: Pulse cashews, add onion, pepper, mushrooms, black beans, garlic, seasonings, ketchup, Worcestershire sauce, and egg. Mix in Panko, cheese, and rice.
3. Form Patties: Shape mixture into patties and freeze for 25-30 minutes.
4. Cook: Fry patties in oil over medium-high heat, 3-4 minutes per side.
5. Assemble: Serve on toasted buns with sauce, lettuce, avocado, tomato, and onion.

Serving Suggestions For Black Bean Burgers

• Bun Choices: Opt for brioche buns, or for a low-carb option, use lettuce wraps or low-carb tortillas in these black bean burgers.
• Veggie Toppings: Add favorites like pickles, lettuce, tomato, and red onion. Consider avocado, bacon, or jalapeño slices for variety.
• Cheese: Pepper jack cheese is great, but any cheese works. You can also skip it, as the patty already contains cheese.
• Sauce: The special burger sauce is a blend of mayo, ketchup, pickle, onion, and paprika. Alternatively, try BBQ sauce, Sriracha, mayo, mustard, ketchup, or seasoned butter.
• Serve alongside: Coleslaw, Potato Wedges, Corn Salad, Potato Salad, Baked Beans, or Pasta Salad.

More Amazing Vegetarian Meals

• Vegetarian Gyros
• Sweet Potato and Black Bean Burrito Bowls
• Healthy Tacos
• Bruschetta Pasta
• Pesto Couscous Bowls

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5 from 4 votes

Black Bean Burger

By Chelsea Lords

Black Bean Burgers are nutritious, flavorful, and simple to make! Sandwich these amazing black bean patties with your favorite hamburger bun and load them high with veggie toppings and the best burger sauce around!

Prep Time: 25 minutes minutes

Cook Time: 16 minutes minutes

Chilling Time: 30 minutes minutes

Total Time: 1 hour hour 11 minutes minutes

Servings: 9 -10 burgers

Ingredients 

USMetric

 

1x2x3x

Black Bean Burgers

• ▢ 1/2 cup dry-roasted cashews (or walnuts)
• ▢ 1/2 cup grated yellow or red onion (Note 1)
• ▢ 1/2 cup diced red pepper
• ▢ 3/4 cup chopped mushrooms (Crimini or Baby Bella)
• ▢ 2 cans (15.25 oz. EACH) black beans, drained & rinsed
• ▢ 1 tablespoon minced garlic
• ▢ 2-1/2 teaspoons EACH: chili powder, cumin, paprika
• ▢ 1/2 teaspoon each: garlic powder, fine sea salt, pepper
• ▢ 1/4 cup ketchup
• ▢ 1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
• ▢ 1 large egg
• ▢ 1-1/4 cups Panko breadcrumbs
• ▢ 1 cup grated cheese (Note 2)
• ▢ 3/4 cup cooked brown (or white) rice (Note 3)
• ▢ For serving: Burger buns (we love brioche best!), softened butter, green leaf lettuce, ripe (soft) avocado or guacamole, tomato, red onion (Note 4)
• ▢ For serving: BEST Burger Sauce (Note 5)

Instructions 

• PREP: Grate an onion on the large holes of a cheese grater. Dice a bell pepper and mushrooms (the food processor will break down further, but helps if they're diced first).
  
• FOOD PROCESSOR: Add 1/2 cup cashews to a large (12-cup) food processor and pulse 10 times or until coarsely chopped (no smaller). Add in red onion, red pepper, mushrooms, black beans, 1 tbsp. garlic, 2-1/2 tsp each of chili powder, paprika, and cumin, 1/2 teaspoon each of garlic powder, salt, and pepper. Pulse 5 times. Scrape down the sides, stirring ingredients, and pulse another 5 times. Scrape sides and pulse 5 more times. Ingredients should be well incorporated. Add in 1/4 cup ketchup, 1 tbsp. Worcestershire sauce, and 1 egg. Pulse to combine, stirring in between, about 10 pulses. Add in 1-1/4 cup Panko, and 1 cup cheese. Pulse to combine, stirring in between about 10 more pulses. Finally, add cooked 3/4 cup rice. Pulse 3 times, scrape edges and stir and pulse 3 more times (we're only pulsing to incorporate the rice--we don't want to break it down or you'll get gummy burgers!). (Trouble-shooting: crumbly patties? Pulse longer. Overly wet? Add some more Panko!)
  
• FORM PATTIES: Pack a 1/2-cup measuring cup with the mixture and plop onto a parchment-paper or foil-lined sheet pan. Repeat to get 9-10 mounds of the mixture. (Divide any remaining mixture from food processor among the mounds to evenly disperse.) Lightly spritz your hands with cooking oil spray and then shape each mound into a patty by pressing it down on the sheet pan and shaping it with your hands. Each patty should be about 3/4-inch thick and about 4 inches wide (or slightly wider than the width of the buns). Place shaped patties in the freezer for 25-30 minutes or until firm enough to gently pick up off the tray with a metal spatula.
  
• COOK ON STOVETOP: Heat a drizzle of oil (about 2 tbsp) 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.
  
• SAUCE: Combine all of the sauce ingredients in a small bowl. Stir until combined and smooth. Taste and adjust seasonings to personal preference.
• ASSEMBLE: Toast buns (Note 6). Place the bottom of the bun on a plate and add mayo or burger sauce. Layer 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: Onion: I like to grab 1 large onion and cut it in half; half for thinly slicing to top the burger with and the other 1/2 to grate for the patties. Grate 1/2 of the onion on the large holes of a cheese grater. Gently pack in measuring cup to get 1/2 cup.

Note 2: Cheese: We like Monterey Jack, Pepper-Jack, or Sharp Cheddar best. Grate on large holes of a cheese grater and loosely pack to get 1 cup.

Note 3: Rice: Any cooked and leftover grain will work. To keep things as easy as possible, I use this already cooked rice and microwave it for 1 minute. (One container is the perfect amount here!)

Note 4: Toppings: We love a good ripe avocado on these burgers. Can't find a ripe avocado? We love having these perfectly ripe avocado minis on hand. Grab the pack that lists "Hass avocados" only in the ingredients instead of getting the guacamole blends. If you'd like to add cheese to your burgers, add a slice of cheese as soon as you flip the patty. Cover the pan with a lid to help the cheese melt. Once the cheese is nicely melted, the patty should be cooked.

Note 5: BEST burger sauce: This sauce uses ingredients from the patties so it's easy to whip together! Combine: 1/2 cup good quality full-fat mayonnaise (109g), 2 tablespoons ketchup, (40g) 1 tablespoon finely grated onion (12g), 1 tablespoon sweet pickle relish (15g), 1 teaspoon paprika, and 1/4 teaspoon salt. Stir until combined and smooth.

Note 6: Toast the buns: This adds tons of flavor and keeps the buns from getting soggy too quickly. Spread softened butter generously on the insides of the bun. Place them (butter side facing down) on a large pan or grill over medium heat. Toast buns about 30 seconds to a minute or until golden brown. Remove from heat (subsequent batches will be quicker as the pan continues to get hotter!)

Nutrition facts are for the patty only; the bun and toppings will greatly vary.

Nutrition

Serving: 1serving | Calories: 288kcal | Carbohydrates: 39.2g | Protein: 12.9g | Fat: 9.2g | Cholesterol: 31.7mg | Sodium: 581.8mg | Fiber: 7.4g | Sugar: 3.9g

Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.

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