The Best Black Bean Veggie Burger
This is the best Black Bean Veggie Burger recipe ever! They are super tender, have tons of delicious flavor, and are not mushy at all. They also freeze very well so you can meal prep for healthy weeknight burgers!
Let's give a big round of applause and welcome back The Best Black Bean Burger!
These beauties first appeared on the blog back in 2012 and they still hold the title for the best damn veggie burgers in the whole world. Big claim, I know. But it's true.
When I first made them it was shortly after a camping trip I took with my sister and then 3-year-old nephew. My sister (hi, Lyndsay!) brought them camping with us and I begged her for the recipe. I've been on a bit of a meat kick these past few years but after making them again for Throw Back Thursday (love #tbt!) I've promised myself to put them into regular dinner rotation.
When my handsome man took his first bite his eyes shot open and he nearly shouted, “Holy s*** these are good!” From a man who doesn't swear much, I took it as a really good sign.
(BTW if you want to see the original black bean veggie burger pic, I've hidden it a few images below here.)
How to make the best black bean veggie burger:
The first thing you need to know is that this is a really easy recipe. Please don't forget that when you see the list of ingredients. The list is a little long, but chances are you have most of the ingredients on hand already.
Here's how you make the veggie burgers: dump everything into a bowl and mix it up.
Ok ok, that's a little simplified, but not far from the truth. You'll need to saute the onion and garlic first, then everything else goes into the bowl.
Easy, right?
The trick to making your homemade black bean veggie burgers stay together:
Have you ever made veggie burgers (or even ordered them at restaurants) and have them fall apart into a big disappointing mess? But of course, you have. It happens all the time.
Veggie burgers tend to be one of two things. 1. fall apart crumbly. 2. hard and dry as a hockey puck.
This black bean veggie burger recipe is neither of those things. They are soft and tender and full of texture AND they stay together. They're miracle veggie burgers.
You know that long list of ingredients you swore you wouldn't be intimidated by? That's what gives these a killer texture. Oats, nuts, seeds, carrots, and, of course, black beans. There's lots going on here.
What makes them stay together is a combination of three things …
And the start of the list of things that keep these veggie burgers from falling apart …
- The right amount of eggs. A lot of burgers call for an egg or two as a binder. You're going to use 4 large eggs in these babies. They give the burgers a lot of sticking power.
- Breadcrumbs. I really wanted to make these without breadcrumbs, but they just don't hold together well without them. I've reduced the amount needed to the very minimum so they do their job of holding the burgers together without drying them out.
- A rest in the fridge. That's right, these burgers need a little time to chill before they're cooked. Once they hang out in your fridge for a half hour they have no problem sticking together. I like to use this time to clean up the kitchen so there's nearly no mess when dinner is ready.
How to top your vegetarian burgers:
The sky's the limit and the world is your (vegetarian) oyster when it comes to topping your hamburger. I used to top these burgers with the more traditional lettuce, tomato, cheese, and ketchup combo. Now I've been opting for something even better …
- Balsamic caramelized onions. Yes, these are a thing. And yes, you want them. Thinly slice an onion and cook it over medium heat with some oil. When it's nice and soft drizzle some reduced balsamic vinegar over the top and let them cook for a few more minutes. Sweet, delicious, magical burger topping.
- Chipotle mayo. Because a little spice is always the answer. Put some mayonnaise (not Miracle Whip!) in a bowl with a little adobo sauce. You know that sauce that comes with canned chipotle peppers? That's adobo. Mix some of that with some mayo and you get chipotle mayo. Yum! You can get fancy and add a little squeeze of lime, some honey, and a few drops of liquid smoke if you like. Or not. It's delicious as a 2 ingredient burger topping.
Those are my favorite two toppings for this black bean veggie burger. But don't let that persuade you from topping these with your tried and true favorites. You can't go wrong here!
Now my friends, go on and take a bite of this juicy veggie burger. You know you want to!
The original picture of these Black Bean Veggie Burgers:
If you’re interested in learning a few tricks that I did to improve my food photography, check out the posts 10 Food Photography Tips for New Food Bloggers and The 10 Best Food Photography Props to Improve Your Food Photography and The Food Photography Equipment I Use.
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More healthy vegetarian recipes:
- Quinoa Ranch Cauliflower Burgers with Zucchini Coleslaw
- Chipotle Mushroom Sloppy Joes
- Easy Summertime Caprese Pizza
- Thai Noodle Salad with Feta Peanut Dressing
- Deliciously Rich Lentil Bolognese
- Spring Veggie Enchiladas with Cilantro Lime Yogurt Sauce
The Best Black Bean Veggie Burger
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Prep Time: 15 mins -
Cook Time: 8 mins
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Total Time: 23 minutes
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Yield: 10 burgers 1x -
Category: Dinner -
Cuisine: American
Description
This is the best Black Bean Veggie Burger recipe ever! They are super tender, have tons of delicious flavor, and are not mushy at all. They also freeze very well so you can meal prep for healthy weeknight burgers!
| vegetarian + gluten-free + dairy-free option |
Ingredients
- 1 teaspoon avocado oil
- 1 onion, minced
- 3 garlic cloves, minced
- 1–19 ounce can black beans, drained
- 2 cups quick rolled oats (gluten-free, if needed)
- 1 1/2 cups grated carrot
- 1 cup breadcrumbs (gluten-free, if needed)
- 1 cup roasted sunflower seeds, chopped
- 1/2 cup roasted almonds, chopped
- 1/2 cup soy sauce (gluten-free, if needed)
- 1/4 cup parsley or cilantro, chopped
- 2 tablespoons sesame oil
- 1 tablespoon each: cumin, chili powder, and oregano
- 4 large eggs
- Optional: 1/2 cup feta cheese
Instructions
- Saute onion and garlic in the vegetable oil for 2 minutes. Add to a large bowl.
- Add all other ingredients and mix well.
- Heat a splash of oil in a pan. Add veggie patties, making sure not to crowd the pan. Cook until patties are brown on both sides.
- Serve on hamburger buns with lettuce, tomato, pickles and all the condiments you like.
- Enjoy!
Notes
Patties can be frozen, uncooked, between sheets of parchment paper.
Adapted from a recipe in the cookbook Whitewater Cooks.
Sooooo good! I was a little worried at first about how wet the mixture was after combining all the ingredients, so I added a bit of extra breadcrumbs to help them bind – however I’m sure if I had let them sit in the fridge for 30 mins like the description said, they would have been fine without the extra crumbs, but I was too hungry to wait. Also I didn’t have enough soy sauce so I substituted for Worcestershire sauce. The texture and flavour of these burgers are just amazing
★★★★★
The wait really does help them to bind. But good call on the breadcrumbs for a quick fix!
I love meat, but these really are as good as you say they are! It is also a sneaky way to get in a few veggies!
★★★★★
I’m so happy to hear that!
Would like to try this recipe but was wondering what can be substituted for the soy sauce?
If it’s an allergy you could substitute coco aminos. It has a similar flavor profile. 🙂
I loved these and I even forgot the cilantro . I like that there is a freezer option as well . Thanks for sharing!
★★★★★
I’m so happy to hear you like them!
I’m so happy I found your recipe! Even my boyfriend who will eat veggie burgers but only reluctantly loved these. They’re a keeper!
★★★★★
Really? That’s so great!!!
The caramelized onions in the burger had me DROOOOOOLING! What would be a good substitute for the eggs though? I’m vegan, so I want to try using flax seeds, chia seeds, or even rolled oats!
I was wondering that myself! I haven’t tried it with a flax egg and am super curious if it would work. If you give it a try would you let me know?
Can I use regular oats instead of quick? I can blitz them in my Vitamis for a second or two if necessary. These sound delicious, but I’m not going to buy quick oats just for this. Thanks for putting the breadcrumbs in the recipe, I was very confused.
Absolutely you can! The original recipe calls for regular oats. I usually have quick oats on hand so I use those. Both work!
You reference breadcrumbs in description but only breadcrumbs are listed. Confused.
I forgot to add the edit into the recipe! Thank you for letting me know about that. It’s now been updated to include the 1 cup of breadcrumbs. 🙂
I have made the patties and want to know if I can cook these in the oven in a big pan with sides and a bit of oil?
Hi Janice,
I’ve haven’t tried making them that way before so I can’t say for sure. I imagine that it would work to bake them, but they might not get as crispy on the outside. Maybe try broiling them for a few minutes at the end if you think they need it.
If the oven method works well for you I’d love to hear so I can make a note of it for other readers. 🙂
I made the batch of veggie burgers up and rolled them in balls and stored them in a big bowl covered in the fridge overnight. I floured them and placed them in a heavy cast iron pan with oil just browned slightly on both sides and covered them with tin foil and placed them on the top rack of my 450 degree oven to finish cooking as I was cooking roasted potatoes in the oven. Cooked them till they were very hot. They were very tasty. I think next time I will just cook them in the oven. Served with a garden salad, roasted potatoes and garnished the burgers with baby spinach, tomatoe, dill pickle and condiments.
★★★★★
Hi! When taking them camping, were thy cooked beforehand, or taken uncooked and prepared there (if so how we’re they prepared…over a grate in a fire pit, or in a pan?) going camping next week and would love to try this out! We will be beach camping and have a basic fire put at our site to use. Any tips would be appreciated!
Thanks, Alison
Hi Alison,
So when I took these camping (have done it a couple times now) I pre-formed the patties and stored them in a ziploc bag between layers of parchment paper. They are really soft and delicate before they’re cooked so you might need to re-form them a little before cooking them.
As far as cooking goes you’re going to want to cook these in a pan. I think they would likely fall apart on the grill. They can definitely be done in a pan over the fire though!
Hope you have an awesome time camping. I’m a little bit jealous right now ?
Take the whole mixture in s seal .lock bag and form them when you get there. Works for me
That’s a great idea!
This looks very yummy! So many great flavors!
Seriously the best veggie burger I’ve tried!