Black Bean Burgers

Homemade vegetarian black bean burgers are thick, hearty, flavorful, and delicious. They are easy to make and have the best texture ever (no mushy burgers here!). Packed with plant-based protein, these veggie burgers are a healthy alternative to traditional beef hamburgers.

Make vegetarian burgers at home on the stove, in the oven, on the grill, or in the air fryer. And, serve them however you want — as patties on their own, in a burger bun, or over salad.

Why You'll Love These Black Bean Burgers

• They’re healthy vegetarian burgers. Whether you’re on a plant-based diet or simply trying to make healthy lifestyle changes by reducing the amount red meat in your diet, these black bean burgers are a great protein-packed recipe to make this summer.
• Loaded with flavor. These black bean burger patties are packed with flavor from some simple but flavorful ingredients like onion, garlic, feta, and a handful of simple seasonings and spices.
• Veggie burgers with the best texture. These black bean burgers are thick, hearty, and not mushy. To get the right texture, you’ll leave some beans partially whole — and when you take your first bite, you’ll understand why this is key!
• Serve them how you want. These black bean veggie burgers are so good that you can serve them on their own as patties, plain in a hamburger bun, on top of a salad, or bunless wrapped in lettuce. But of course you can add your favorite toppings for a traditional burger, add cheese for veggie cheeseburgers, or add bacon and avocado for a twist.

Ingredient Notes

To make this delicious Black Bean Burgers, you will need the following ingredients (full measurements in recipe card below):

• black beans - you will need 2 cans of black beans for this recipe. You can also cook 1 cup dry black beans. But you will need to prep ahead of time because dry beans need to soak overnight.
• onions and garlic - sautéed in a little vegetable oil.
• garlic
• breadcrumbs
• feta cheese
• egg
• seasoning - we added simple seasoning but that adds so much flavor: Worcestershire sauce, smoked paprika, salt, and pepper.

For assembling the burgers

• hamburger buns - if you like baking bread at home, you need to try these with our Homemade Hamburger Buns. They are so good and easy to make.
• greens - we topped these burgers with simple lettuce. We often top these burgers with Coleslaw or Cilantro Lime Slaw instead.
• sauce - ketchup or mayonnaise (or both!). You can also add in any other sauce that you like such as mustard, BBQ sauce, Creamy Cilantro Lime Dressing, Tahini Sauce, Caesar Salad Dressing, or Teriyaki Sauce.
• veggies - we added tomatoes, but you can add any other toppings that you like such as onions, pickles, or cucumbers.

How to Make the Best Black Bean Burgers

First, make the vegetarian patties.

1. Sauté aromatics. In a large skillet, heat oil over medium-high heat until sizzling hot, about 1 minute. Add onions and garlic and sauté until tender and nicely browned, about 3-4 minutes. Set aside on a plate to cool off for 5 minutes.
2. Combine ingredients. Gently pat dry the rinsed and drained black beans. Set aside 1 cup of the black beans and transfer the rest into a food processor. Add the sautéed onions along with the rest of the ingredients (breadcrumbs, feta cheese, egg, Worcestershire sauce, paprika, salt, and pepper) into the food processor. Pulse mix on and off for 1 minute until coarsely chopped. Alternatively, you can mash everything with a fork or potato masher in a large mixing bowl until evenly combined.

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3. Make the patty mixture. Transfer the bean mixture to a large mixing bowl, and add the reserved cup of black beans. Stir together until evenly distributed. This creates some texture and makes the patties a bit firmer.

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4. Shape into patties. Take ½ cup of the bean mixture at a time and use your hands to shape into 6 large patties.

Next, cook the black bean patties.

To cook, you can pan fry, grill, bake, or air fry the patties.

1. To pan fry: Heat 1 tablespoon oil in a large skillet over medium heat until sizzling, about 2 minutes. Place the patties on the skillet and cook until nicely browned and firm, about 5 minutes per side.
2. To grill: Preheat the grill on medium-high until hot. Brush some oil onto the grilling grate and place patties on top. Brush some more oil on top of the patties as well. Cook for 3-5 minutes and then carefully flip over and cook on the other side.
3. To bake: Preheat oven to 375F. Place patties on a large parchment-lined half sheet baking pan and bake for 15 minutes until nicely browned, flipping once halfway.
4. To air fry: Add patties in batches to the air fryer basket and cook at 375F for 12-15 minutes until nicely browned.

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How to Assemble Burgers

1. Prep the buns. Slice the hamburger buns and toast the slices on the grill, if desired.
2. Add toppings. On the bottom half of each hamburger bun, add a piece of lettuce and a patty on top.  a patty. Drizzle 1 to 2 tablespoons Ketchup or mayo (or both) on top of the patty, and top with a slice of tomato. Place the top half of the bun on top to assemble the hamburger.
3. Serve. Serve immediately.

How to Serve

Serve these vegetarian black bean burgers alongside some of our favorite summer sides such as:

• French Fries
• Tater Tots
• Coleslaw
• Brie Mac and Cheese
• Corn on the Cob
• Sweet Potato Wedges

More Bean Recipes

• Veggie Burger with Lima Beans
• Vegetarian Chili
• Falafel
• One Pot Red Kidney Beans
• Vegetarian Quesadillas
• One Pot Lentils

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