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5.0 from 630 votes

Best Black Bean Burger

Hands down, this black bean burger recipe is the best one I've tried. The patties are hearty, well-charred, and packed with bold flavor. They're delicious with classic burger fixings like ketchup and mustard, but if you ask me, a slather of chipotle mayo or a scoop of guacamole really takes them to the next level.

Prep Time
10 mins
Cook Time
10 mins
Servings: 6
Course: Main Course
Cuisine: American

Ingredients

  • 3 cups cooked black beans drained and rinsed
  • ⅓ cup grated yellow onion* (about ½ medium)
  • 2 garlic cloves minced
  • 2 chipotle peppers from a can of chipotles in adobo diced
  • 2 tablespoons adobo sauce
  • 1 tablespoon tamari
  • 1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar
  • 1 teaspoon ground cumin
  • ½ teaspoon sea salt
  • ½ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
  • 1 large egg**
  • 1 cup Panko bread crumbs
  • extra-virgin olive oil for brushing
  • cooking spray if grilling
  • hamburger buns for serving
  • Desired fixings for serving

Instructions

    Cup of Yum
  1. In a large bowl, combine the beans, onion, garlic, chipotles, adobo sauce, tamari, balsamic, cumin, salt, and pepper. Use a potato masher to mash until the mixture holds together but still has some visible chunks of black beans. Add the egg and use a spatula to fold until combined. Then, fold in the panko.
  2. Use your hands to form the mixture into 6 patties. The mixture should be cohesive and a little wet. If it’s too wet to handle, chill in the fridge for 20 minutes to firm up or mash your beans a little bit more.
  3. Heat a cast-iron skillet over medium heat. Brush with a little oil and cook the burgers for about 5 minutes per side, until charred on both sides, turning the heat down as necessary. The exact timing will depend on the heat of your stove and cookware.
  4. Alternatively, preheat an outdoor grill to 400°F. Lightly brush the patties with olive oil, spray the grill grates, and grill for 8 minutes on the first side and 4 minutes on the second side.
  5. Serve with hamburger buns and desired fixings.

Notes

  • *Grate the onion on the large holes of a box grater. As you grate it, the onion will release a lot of liquid. That's normal! Add the wet onion pulp to the black bean mixture, leaving excess liquid behind on your work surface.
  • **These can be made vegan by replacing the egg with a "flax egg" (mix 1 tablespoon ground flaxseed with 2.5 tablespoons warm water and set aside for 5 minutes to thicken). The vegan burgers are cohesive and they cook/grill well, but they're not as firm in the middle as the egg version. I recommend increasing the cooking time slightly on the grill - I do 8 minutes on the first side and 6 minutes on the second side. They're tasty, but my Best Veggie Burger is still my favorite vegan burger.
  • If you're looking for a gluten-free veggie burger try my Quinoa Burger.