My whole family loves these black bean burgers. The burgers taste great and are so easy to make. In fact, they only take 10 minutes to prep, before they are cooking in your skillet! The ingredient list is simple and makes these bean burgers gluten-free and vegan!
Key Ingredients
Black beans: Unless I have a batch of cooked black beans in the fridge already, I use canned black beans for this recipe. Green onions, garlic, and spices: Green onions and garlic add fresh flavor, while chili powder and smoked paprika make these taste a little smoky. Walnuts Add meatiness and texture to vegetarian burger patties (we use them for these veggie burgers, too). You can substitute other nuts or sunflower seeds for the walnuts. Rolled oats: Instead of breadcrumbs, we use rolled oats to make these black bean burgers. They do a great job absorbing excess moisture and adding a nice texture. For gluten-free burgers, make sure the oats are certified GF. Tamari: Seasons our burgers and adds umami. For gluten-free and vegan burgers, ensure that the tamari is certified as gluten-free and vegan (not all are). Maple syrup and red wine vinegar: Make these burgers taste better than most bean burgers I’ve tried. The maple syrup sweetens things up slightly and adds more umami, while the vinegar cuts through any heaviness from the black beans. These truly make a difference in flavor!
For black bean burgers with vegetables added, see this veggie burger recipe (they take more time to make but are so worth it).
How to Make Black Bean Burgers
You can make these burgers in a food processor or by hand. I prefer the food processor because it creates a better texture and helps the burgers hold together. See the photo below showing the texture of our burgers when you use a food processor to make them. I’ll walk through how to make these in a food processor, but tips for making them by hand are in the recipe below. To make black bean burgers, add garlic to your food processor and pulse until it’s finely chopped. Then, add the scallions and do the same. Next, add the oats, walnuts, spices, tamari, maple syrup, and vinegar. Pulse until the mixture looks like fine breadcrumbs. Finally, add most of your black beans and pulse until mostly smooth. Transfer the mixture to a bowl and stir the remaining beans before forming them into patties. From there, you can cook your black bean burgers however you like. I prefer to cook them in oil in a skillet since it adds a nice golden brown exterior, but you can bake them.
Storing Black Bean Burgers
Cooked black bean burgers last in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 3 days, or freeze them for up to 3 months. To freeze the bean burgers, cook them, cool them, and then wrap them individually in foil and place them into a freezer-safe container or bag. To reheat the frozen patties, bake at 350°F for 15 to 20 minutes or until heated through. Or reheat the frozen patties over medium-low heat in a skillet for 5 to 10 minutes per side or until heated through. You can refrigerate the uncooked black bean burger mixture for up to 24 hours before forming and cooking the patties. (I prefer freezing cooked patties.)
What to Serve with Black Bean Burgers
I love serving these black bean burgers on buns with some homemade mayo (traditional or vegan mayo), greens, and sliced tomato. You can also skip the bun and add it to salads. I make this kale salad a lot. You can also add some of my favorite sides to your plate. Try baked French fries, sweet potato fries, or homemade dill pickles. I also love this herby potato salad, this delicious corn salad, and our popular broccoli slaw. 2 medium cloves garlic 2 green onions, ends trimmed and roughly chopped 1/4 cup (30g) walnuts 1/2 cup (50g) old fashioned rolled oats 1/2 teaspoon chili powder 1/2 teaspoon smoked paprika 1 tablespoon light soy sauce or tamari 1 tablespoon red wine vinegar 1 teaspoon maple syrup 1 tablespoon oil for cooking 2Add the garlic to the food processor bowl and pulse until very finely chopped. Add the scallions and pulse until they are also finely chopped. 3Scrape down the sides, then add the oats, walnuts, chili powder, smoked paprika, tamari, red wine vinegar, and maple syrup to the food processor. Process the mixture until it resembles fine breadcrumbs. 4Measure out 1/2 cup of the rinsed black beans and set them aside. Then, add the rest of the black beans to the food processor. Pulse until mostly smooth (watch our video for reference). 5Scrape the mixture into a bowl and fold in the reserved 1/2 cup of beans. Set the mixture aside for 5 minutes so that the oats absorb any excess moisture. 2Form each portion into a round burger patty, firmly molding and pressing the mixture together so it does not fall apart. 3Place a skillet over medium-low heat and add oil (about one tablespoon for four burgers). 4Place the burger patties in the heated skillet. Cook until heated through, firm, and browned, 4 to 6 minutes per side. Gently press any loose bits back into the patties as you flip them.
