These homemade black bean burgers are easy to make with a food processor and can be pan-fried or grilled. The patties hold their shape when cooked and won’t dry out or crumble apart.
Finally, a Black Bean Burger That Doesn’t Crumble to Pieces as It Cooks!
These black bean burgers are hearty, a little spicy, and sturdy enough to survive a generous pile of toppings without crumbling apart mid-bite.
I used canned black beans to keep this recipe weeknight-friendly, and a combination of mayo and eggs keeps the patties perfectly moist while helping everything hold together like a burger should. Cumin, oregano, onion, and fresh cilantro add major flavor to the patties, and the spicy sriracha mayo on top adds a kiss of heat that offsets the black bean patties perfectly.
If you’ve been settling for frozen black bean burgers from the grocery store and have given up hope of ever finding a good vegetarian alternative to your favorite hamburger, this easy recipe is about to change the grilling game for you.
Enjoy!
P.S. If you love veggie burgers, be sure to make my portobello mushroom burgers next!
Heidi’s Tips for Recipe Success
Adding the beans in stages creates a firmer, “meatier” texture. It took me the longest time to get this recipe just right, because my burger patties kept having an unpleasantly mushy texture. A lightbulb went on, and I realized it was because I was pulsing both cans of black beans at the very beginning before adding the seasonings and aromatics. Now I wait to add the second can of beans until the very end so that the burger mixture retains a little texture.
A little mayo adds moisture and helps bind everything together. Ground beef is fairly fatty, and that’s a huge reason why traditional burger patties hold their shape so well. I found that adding 2 tablespoons of mayo to the black bean mixture adds just enough fat to bind the patties together and make them grillable.
Brushing the patties with oil prevents sticking. Black bean burgers are more prone to sticking than beef burgers, so you need to oil the grill grates and the patties to ensure a clean flip.
What’s in This Recipe?
The full recipe, with amounts, can be found in the recipe card below.
- Canned black beans — Drain and rinse your beans before adding them to the food processor. You can also make this recipe with dried beans that you’ve cooked yourself, but I prefer using canned to keep this a 30-minute recipe.
- Mayo + eggs — Add moisture and act as the glue that holds the patties together.
- Breadcrumbs — Use dry breadcrumbs from a box. I used regular, but panko should work too.
- Aromatics — Finely chop the onion, bell pepper, and garlic so there are no big chunks in your patties.
- Seasonings — Ground cumin, dried oregano, and a pinch of cayenne add lots of flavor to the burgers.
- Burger toppings — I kept things simple with lettuce, sliced tomato, and red onion, plus a schmear of spicy mayo (which I made by whisking a little sriracha into some mayonnaise).
How to Cook Black Bean Burgers
- Make the patty mixture. A food processor cuts back the prep time to about 5 minutes! I found that pulsing the ingredients in stages creates a meatier, firmer burger patty. First pulse one can of black beans with the fresh aromatics, seasonings, eggs, mayo, and breadcrumbs — you’re looking for a chunky puree to form. Then, add the second can of black beans and pulse just until combined but still fairly chunky.
- Shape the patties. This recipe yields 4 thick burgers, so do your best to evenly divide the mixture and shape into 4-inch wide patties.
- Pick your cooking method! I’ve successfully grilled these black bean veggie burgers several times, but on busy weeknights when I don’t feel like firing up the grill I’ll just cook them in a skillet.
Heidi’s Tip: You’ll know your burgers are done when the outside has crisped up and the edges have browned.
- Assemble your burgers. I always toast my buns before layering on the black bean patties, sriracha mayo, and toppings. This prevents the buns from turning soggy as they soak up the mayo.
If you make this recipe, please let me know! Leave a ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ rating below, leave a comment to tell us what you think, and tag me on Instagram @foodiecrush.
Black Bean Burger Recipe
Ingredients
Black Bean Patties
- 2 (14-ounce) cans black beans , drained and rinsed
- 2 tablespoons mayonnaise
- 2 eggs
- ¾ cup plain dry breadcrumbs
- ¼ cup finely chopped onion
- ¼ cup finely chopped red bell pepper
- 2 garlic cloves , pressed or finely minced
- 2 teaspoons ground cumin
- 1 teaspoon dried oregano
- small pinch of cayenne
- ¼ cup finely chopped cilantro
- 2 tablespoons vegetable oil , divided
- 1 tablespoon butter , divided
For Serving
- 3 tablespoons mayonnaise
- 2 tablespoons sriracha
- 4 hamburger buns
- lettuce, sliced tomato, and sliced red onion
Instructions
- Pulse the bean mixture and form the patties. Add one can of drained and rinsed black beans to a food processor along with 2 tablespoons mayonnaise, 2 eggs, ¾ cup plain dry breadcrumbs, ¼ cup finely chopped onion, 1¼ cup finely chopped red bell pepper, 2 garlic cloves, 2 teaspoons ground cumin, 11 teaspoon dried oregano, and a small pinch of cayenne. Pulse until a coarse, chunky puree forms. Add the other can of beans to the processor with ¼ cup finely chopped cilantro and pulse 4-5 times until mixed, but the beans stay chunky. Form the mixture into four 4-inch wide patties on four pieces of parchment paper squares, pressing firmly so they hold together.
- Stovetop method: Pan-fry the patties until crisp and browned. Heat 1 tablespoon vegetable oil with ½ tablespoon butter in a 12-inch non-stick skillet over medium. Add the patties and cook for about 2 ½ minutes per side, covered with a lid, until the outsides are well crisped and lightly browned for a total of about 8 minutes. If the patties are browning quickly, turn the heat to low during the last 2 minutes of cooking. Flip the patties carefully so they stay formed.
- Outdoor grill method: Grill the patties over medium heat. Prepare the grill for direct cooking over medium heat, targeting 350°F to 375°F. Brush the cooking grates very clean and oil them well — this is especially important with bean burgers as they are more prone to sticking than meat. Lightly brush the outside of each patty with vegetable oil. Place the patties on the grill, cover, and cook for 2-3 minutes per side, turning carefully with a wide spatula. Toast the buns directly on the grill during the last minute of cooking.
- Make the sriracha mayo. In a small bowl, stir together 3 tablespoons mayonnaise with 2 tablespoons sriracha until smooth.
- Build the burgers and serve. Spread the sriracha mayo generously on both sides of each toasted bun. Add a burger patty and top with lettuce, tomato, and sliced onion. Serve immediately.
Nutrition
FAQs
If you over-processed the bean mixture so it was more of a paste versus a chunky mixture, that could be the culprit. My patties also fell apart when I didn’t drain my beans thoroughly enough (excess moisture makes veggie burgers fall apart).
Yes, if you don’t own a food processor I suggest using a potato masher so you can really mash up the beans. A fork and some upper body strength would theoretically also work, but you’d really need to attack those beans to get them to the right consistency.
But of course! The burger patties are slightly spicy and if you grill them they turn out a little smoky too. You can melt a slice of cheese on top to make black bean cheeseburgers, add avocado or guacamole for a Tex-Mex flavor, swap out the red onion for pickled onions or pickled jalapeños, whatever you want.
What to Serve With Black Bean Burgers
More Vegetarian Dinners for Summer Nights
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