These vegan black bean burgers offer the best combination of texture and veggies! Top them with creamy avocado whip for the healthiest, heartiest, tastiest bean burger recipe!
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Doesn't everyone need a good black bean burger recipe?
Black beans hold the crown when it comes to vegetarian burger options. If you're going to find a veggie burger at a restaurant, chances are it's based on black beans.
I realized recently that I spend so much time enjoying my favorite walnut burger that I haven't developed any other burgers for the blog. It's high time we have a black bean burger recipe to rally around!
Ingredients
- Flaxseed meal
- Olive oil
- Red bell pepper
- Onion
- Garlic
- Black beans
- Breadcrumbs
- Ketchup
- Worcestershire sauce
- Cumin
- Salt & pepper
- Corn
How to make black bean burgers
- In a small bowl, combine flaxseed meal and water. Let rest in the refrigerator for 15 minutes until it has thickened.
- Preheat the oven to 400ºF. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper and set aside.
- Heat olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add the red bell pepper, onion, and garlic. Cook until softened, 5-7 minutes.
- In the bowl of a food processor, add half the black beans, all of the bell pepper mixture, breadcrumbs, flax egg, ketchup, worcestershire sauce, cumin, salt, and pepper. Process until well incorporated. It's ok if there are still a few chunks.
- Transfer the mixture to a bowl and stir in the rest of the beans and corn. If the mixture is still very wet and sticky, stir in a few more breadcrumbs at a time until you're able to handle it.
- Using your hands, form the mixture into 8 flat, even patties. Place the patties on the prepared baking sheet. Bake 20 minutes, flipping once halfway through, until the patties are firm and browned.
Top tips
How to make a flax egg
In a small bowl, combine 1 tablespoon flaxseed meal with 3 tablespoons water. Let sit in the refrigerator for 15 minutes before using. You can go here to read more about flax eggs.
If you don't have flaxseed meal you could do the same thing with chia seeds. If you don't need your burger to be vegan you could substitute an egg.
How to form bean burger patties
You can watch the video to see exactly how I do this, but basically grab a ball of the bean mixture and use both hands to shape it into a patty. I like to use the tips of the fingers on my right hand to press into the middle of the ball and the inside of those fingers to form the edges of the patty.
Once it is partially flattened you can lay it in your hand and use the other hand to flatten and shape it some more.
How to make avocado whip
The avocado I'm using is a simple mixture of creamy avocado, lime, salt, and pepper. You could also add a little garlic powder or substitute the salt for garlic salt if you'd like.
You can use a food processor or immersion blender (affiliate links) to get the super smooth avocado, or mash by hand for a slightly chunkier spread. Be sure to choose perfectly ripe avocados for the best whip.
Tips for customizing black bean burgers
- Substitute one regular egg for the flax egg if not making the burgers vegan
- Substitute gluten free breadcrumbs for the panko to make these gluten free veggie burgers
- Play around with the spices to taste (consider adding chili powder!)
- If you don't have a food processor you can mash the beans by hand, chop the veggies small, and stir to combine
- If you don't want to bake them you can pan fry the burgers in a little oil over medium heat until brown and crisped on each side. The burgers will be a little more soft and fragile than baking.
- If you don't like black beans, try my lentil burgers or walnut burgers
FAQ
Most worcestershire sauce is made with anchovies, which means it is not vegan or vegetarian. However, it is possible to find a vegan version of worcestershire sauce, usually in the natural and organic aisle of the grocery store.
I would not recommend grilling these burgers, but if you'd like to try I would suggest laying out a sheet of aluminum foil to grill them on rather than putting them right on the grill.
These burgers are filled with beans, veggies, flax seed, breadcrumbs, and spices. They have lots of protein, fiber and nutrients, so I would definitely call them healthy!
These black bean burgers are held together with a flax egg and breadcrumbs. If you're not looking to make these vegan you could use one regular egg in place of the flax egg.
What to serve with black bean burgers
- Potato Wedges
- Oven Roasted Rosemary Potatoes
- Vegan Orzo Pasta Salad
- Creamy No Mayo Coleslaw
- Homemade Veggie Nuggets
More black bean recipes
- Black Bean Patties
- Oven Roasted Corn and Black Bean Salsa
- Crispy Baked Black Bean Tacos
- Stacked Veggie Enchiladas
- Black Bean and Butternut Squash Quesadillas
If you make this recipe, be sure to rate it, leave a comment, or tag #theliveinkitchen on Instagram!
Recipe
Black Bean Burger with Avocado Whip
Ingredients
Black Bean Burger
- 1 tablespoon flaxseed meal
- 3 tablespoons water
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- ½ red bell pepper, diced
- ½ cup yellow onion, diced
- 3 cloves garlic, minced
- 2 15 ounce cans black beans, rinsed, drained, and patted dry with a towel
- ½ cup panko breadcrumbs, plus more as needed
- 2 tablespoons ketchup
- 1 tablespoon vegan worcestershire sauce
- 1 teaspoon cumin
- ½ teaspoon coarse kosher salt
- ½ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
- ½ cup frozen corn, thawed
Avocado Whip
- 4 ripe avocados
- Juice of 2 limes
- Coarse kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
Instructions
Black Bean Burgers
- In a small bowl, combine flaxseed meal and water. Let rest in the refrigerator for 15 minutes until it has thickened.
- Preheat the oven to 400ºF. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper and set aside.
- Heat olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add the red bell pepper, onion, and garlic. Cook until softened, 5-7 minutes.
- In the bowl of a food processor, add half the black beans, all of the bell pepper mixture, breadcrumbs, flax egg, ketchup, worcestershire sauce, cumin, salt, and pepper. Process until well incorporated. It's ok if there are still a few chunks.
- Transfer the mixture to a bowl and stir in the rest of the beans and corn. If the mixture is still very wet and sticky, stir in a few more breadcrumbs at a time until you're able to handle it.
- Using your hands, form the mixture into 8 flat, even patties. Place the patties on the prepared baking sheet. Bake 20 minutes, flipping once halfway through, until the patties are firm and browned.
Avocado Whip
- While the burgers are baking, prepare the avocado whip by placing all ingredients in the bowl of a food processor. Let the processor run until the avocado is smooth and whipped. Alternatively you could blitz the avocados with an immersion blender to get that perfectly smooth look, or mash them by hand for a chunkier spread.
- Spread avocado whip on the bottom of a burger bun. Top with a leaf of lettuce, then add a burger, tomato, onion, ketchup, mustard, or any other toppings you enjoy and the top of the bun.
Sandra says
Can you freeze these before cooking? Thanks
Lindsay Moe says
I think they would freeze beautifully both before and after cooking. If freezing before cooking, I would make sure they are not touching each other and are separated by parchment paper to prevent sticking.
Louise says
Really delicious and not hard to make. The mixture was quite soggy when it went in the oven, however, it crisped up during cooking and they were very tasty.
Did wonder if you could freeze them and if you can would you do that before or after cooking - anybody know?
Lindsay Moe says
I like to freeze after cooking. Then you can either just microwave, pan fry, or put in a hot oven until thawed. They should keep really well!
Kim says
This turned out good, lots of flavor