Black Bean Burger Recipe
This black bean burger recipe truly results in the best homemade black bean burgers I've ever eaten. They're hearty, smoky, and packed with flavor - spiced black beans with sautéed peppers, onion, and garlic, held together with breadcrumbs and an egg, finished with crumbled feta and a hit of barbecue sauce for a subtle smoky undertone.
I recommend shaping them into thin smash-style patties and pan-frying until crispy on both sides with those gorgeous oozy bits of feta. Perfect for summer barbecues, weeknight dinners, or meal prep.
If you love Mexican-inspired meals, try my Mexican stuffed sweet potatoes, crispy black bean tacos, or these smoky lentil enchiladas. For more bean recipes, my cheesy black bean bake and black bean casserole are both reader favorites.
Why You'll Love This Recipe
I've simplified this recipe significantly from the original version. The old recipe used two tins of beans, a cup and a half of breadcrumbs, two eggs, and needed a 3-hour chill time. It also made relatively thick patties which could cause the outer edges of the patties to dry out before the inside had cooked through.
This version uses one tin, half a cup of breadcrumbs, one egg, and only needs 30 minutes in the fridge for the smash-burger patties to firm up before frying (or grilling, or baking!).
We've got sauteed veggies to remove as much moisture as possible, smoky seasonings and a hit of barbecue sauce (so good!), along with tangy feta that compliments the black beans perfectly. I make a batch and freeze them - then grill straight from frozen all summer long.
Ingredient Notes
Here are some notes on the key ingredients. The full quantities are in the recipe card at the bottom of this page.
- Black beans: Canned, cooked beans ideally. Pat them as dry as possible on a clean tea towel before mashing - excess moisture is the number one reason veggie burgers fall apart. You could go so far as to spread the black beans on a baking tray and bake for 10 minutes to really dry them out - it's an additional step I've not found necessary for the smash-burger style patties, but can be effective at giving you really firm patties.
- Green bell pepper, red onion, and garlic: These get blitzed in a food processor until finely chopped (I use this food processor), then sautéed for 4-5 minutes. Cooking them first removes moisture and gives a sweeter, more mellow flavor than raw vegetables.
- Spices - cumin, garlic powder, onion powder, smoked paprika, oregano, chili powder: A warm, smoky, Tex-Mex spice blend. This is where the flavor comes from. Don't reduce the quantities - the beans need that bold punch of seasoning.
- Barbecue sauce: It's a subtle addition that adds smoky sweetness and helps bind the mixture. You won't taste "barbecue" specifically - it just makes everything taste richer and more complex, giving the burgers these amazing smoky undertones.
- Breadcrumbs: The binder that holds everything together. Panko or regular breadcrumbs both work.
- Egg: This also helps to bind the mixture. For a vegan version, use a flax egg (1 tablespoon ground flaxseed + 3 tablespoons water, left to gel for 5 minutes).
- Feta: Fresh feta, crumbled and mixed in. It adds salty, tangy pockets of creaminess throughout the burger which are honestly divine. I also top the burgers with melty american cheese. Omit for a vegan version.
How to Make This Black Bean Burger Recipe
Here's an outline on making this recipe - scroll down to the recipe card for the exact ingredient quantities and instructions.
Step 1: Process and Sauté the Vegetables
Peel the onion and garlic and deseed the pepper. Roughly chop them, then place in a food processor and blitz until chopped into very small pieces (I like to get them very fine, so the bottom section turns almost into a paste.
No chunk of veggie in the burgers, please). Heat the olive oil in a pan and sauté the blitzed vegetables for 4-5 minutes until soft and fragrant.
Step 2: Prepare the Black Beans
Drain and rinse the black beans. Place them on a clean tea towel and pat to get them as dry as possible (optionally, you could bake the black beans at 180C|365F for 10 minutes to really dry them out). Transfer to a large mixing bowl and mash the beans.
Step 3: Mix the Burger Dough
Add the sautéed vegetable mix to the mashed beans along with all the seasonings, the whisked egg, barbecue sauce, crumbled feta, and breadcrumbs. Mix until thoroughly combined.
Step 4: Shape and Chill
Form the mixture into patties using a large ice cream scoop of the black bean mixture each time - you should get about 6 patties. Shape them as smash-style patties, wider and thinner rather than thick and chunky.
Place each patty on an individual square of baking paper and refrigerate for a minimum of 30 minutes, or overnight if you prefer. This helps the patties firm up and less likely to fall apart when cooked.
Step 5: Fry
Heat oil in a pan and fry the patties until browned and crispy on both sides. Alternatively, you could grill them for approximately 6-8 minutes, flipping halfway through.
Step 6: Serve
Serve in buns with your favorite toppings - american cheese, lettuce, tomato, red onion, avocado, pickles, and hot sauce are all great options.
Expert Tips for the Best Black Bean Burgers
- Dry the beans thoroughly: This is the single most important step. Wet beans = soggy burgers that fall apart. Spread them on a clean tea towel and pat firmly. Bake them for 10 minutes to really dry the beans out if you want to put in maximum effort.
- Sauté the vegetables: Cooking the blitzed veg removes moisture through evaporation, which is much more reliable than the old sieving method. It also gives a sweeter, more mellow flavor.
- Go thin, not thick: Smash-style thin patties hold together better than thick burgers, crisp up faster on both sides, and are much easier to eat in a bun. Don't try to make them 2 inches thick - wide and thin is the way forward here.
- Chill before frying: The 30-minute rest in the fridge firms the mixture up and makes the patties much easier to handle. Overnight is even better if you have time, but I often just pop them in the fridge while I get cleared up and prep my toppings and sides, and this works perfectly fine.
- Don't flip too early: Let the patties develop a proper crust on the first side before flipping. If you flip too early, they'll break. Wait until the underside is golden and holds together.
- Use baking paper squares: Placing each patty on its own square of baking paper makes them much easier to handle and prevents them sticking to each other in the fridge.
What to Serve with Black Bean Burgers
Build your burgers with your favorite toppings and serve alongside:
- Sweet potato wedges or regular fries
- A crunchy coleslaw with lime dressing
- A simple green salad with lemon vinaigrette
- Corn on the cob for a full BBQ spread
Favorite burger toppings: lettuce, tomato, red onion, avocado, pickles, hot sauce, chipotle mayo, or a spicy mayo.
Storage and Meal Prep
- Refrigerator: Store cooked burgers in an airtight container for up to 5 days.
- Freezer: Freeze uncooked patties between squares of baking paper in a freezer-safe container for up to 3 months. Cook from frozen, adding a few extra minutes to the frying time.
- Reheat: Warm in a pan for the crispiest result, or in the oven at 180°C for 10-15 minutes.
- Meal prep: These are brilliant for batch cooking. Make a double batch of patties on Sunday, freeze them, and fry from frozen for quick weeknight dinners.
FAQs
Usually one of three things: the beans were too wet (pat them very dry), the mixture was too loose (add a tablespoon more breadcrumbs), or you didn't chill them long enough before cooking. The 30-minute rest is essential for firming them up.
Yes! To bake, place on a lined baking sheet at 190°C for 10 minutes each side. To grill, place on greased foil on medium-high heat for about 8 minutes per side. Pan-frying gives the crispiest result.
Omit the feta and swap the egg for a flax egg (1 tablespoon ground flaxseed + 3 tablespoons water, left to gel for 5 minutes). The barbecue sauce and everything else are already vegan.
Black beans have the best texture for burgers - they mash well and hold their shape when cooked. Kidney beans or pinto beans would also work but may give a slightly softer patty.
About 6 thin smash-style patties using half a cup of mixture each.
Black Bean Burger Recipe
Ingredients
- 400 g canned black beans drained and rinsed
- 1 green bell pepper
- 1 small red onion
- 2 garlic cloves
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 teaspoon ground cumin
- 0.5 teaspoon garlic powder
- 0.5 teaspoon onion powder
- 1 teaspoon smoked paprika
- 0.5 teaspoon dried oregano
- 0.5 teaspoon chili powder
- 2 tablespoon barbecue sauce
- ½ cup bread crumbs
- 1 egg lightly whisked
- 40 g feta crumbled.
- oil for frying (2-3 tbsp)
Equipment
- 1 Food processor (I use a Ninja Express Chopper)
Method
- Peel the onion and garlic and de-seed the pepper, and chop roughly. Place your onion, green pepper, and garlic in a food processor and blitz until chopped into very small pieces.1 small red onion, 2 garlic cloves, 1 green bell pepper
- Heat the olive oil in a pan and add the vegetables, sauteing for 4-5 minutes until soft and fragrant.1 tbsp olive oil
- Meanwhile, drain and rinse the canned black beans. Place them on a clean tea towel and pat to get the black beans as dry as possible.400 g canned black beans
- Add the black beans to a large mixing bowl and mash them until you have a thick, chunky texture.
- Add the vegetable mix to the black beans along with the seasonings, egg, barbecue sauce, feta, and breadcrumbs.1 tsp ground cumin, 0.5 tsp garlic powder, 0.5 tsp onion powder, 1 tsp smoked paprika, 0.5 tsp dried oregano, 0.5 tsp chili powder, 2 tbsp barbecue sauce, ½ cup bread crumbs, 1 egg, 40 g feta
- Mix the black bean burger dough until thoroughly combined.
- Form the mixture into patties, using about ½ cup of the mixture each. Make the black bean burgers smash patties so they're wider and thinner, rather than a chunkier patty. You should get about 6 patties.
- Place the patties on individual squares of baking paper and refrigerate for a minimum of 30 minutes, or overnight if you prefer.
- Heat the oil in a pan and fry the patties until browned and crispy on both sides.oil for frying
- Serve with your favorite toppings and enjoy!
Hi, this sounds delicious and we'll be having it next week, thank you. Just wanted to say do you mean the garlic in step 1? I'm sure you do but I thinI you've doubled up the onion. Cheers!
Thanks for catching this Gill! Yes, I meant garlic - I'll amend the recipe now 🙂
Super flavorful black bean burger! Held together pretty well during cooking too. This recipe made me 5 good sized patties which I stored in the freezer and cooked throughout the week! Found this recipe on tik tok where commenters are going CRAZY over the egg and cheese. Vegetarian means no MEAT, eggs and cheese are fine!!
So glad you enjoyed it Hannah!!