Black Bean Veggie Burger – Truly the best ever!
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These black bean veggie burgers are by far the best. They’re hearty, flavorful, and loaded with ingredients like black beans, rolled oats, carrots, sunflower seeds, almonds, and eggs. They’re easy to make, they freeze well, and they’re ready in just 20 minutes!
After spending 14 years as a vegetarian, I’ve eaten my fair share of veggie burgers—good ones, bad ones, and a whole lot of forgettable ones. That experience is exactly why I can confidently say these black bean veggie burgers are the best I’ve tasted. They’re thick, hearty, and satisfying, with a texture that actually holds together and never veers into mushy territory.
Texture is where most homemade veggie burgers fall short, so this recipe has been tweaked and tested over the years to get it just right. Black beans form the sturdy base, while rolled oats and a few breadcrumbs give the patties structure and help them stay intact. Roasted sunflower seeds and almonds add substance and a subtle nuttiness, and a splash of soy sauce brings in that savory, umami depth. Eggs tie everything together, giving the patties a firm, meaty bite without drying them out.
This is an easy, reliable recipe I come back to again and again. The patties freeze beautifully, making them perfect for quick weeknight dinners, and they’re versatile enough to dress up however you like. Don’t let the ingredient list scare you off—everything here is straightforward, familiar, and chosen very intentionally to create a veggie burger that actually delivers.
Tips for making the best black bean veggie burgers
In my experience, veggie burgers are tricky and tend to fall into one of two categories: they either end up in a crumbly mess on my plate, or they turn out as hard as a hockey puck. These black bean burger patties are neither, and here are three reasons why:
- I use four (yes, four) eggs! Most veggie burger recipes call for an egg or two but with four eggs these burger patties have a lot of sticking power and a great texture.
- A minimal amount of breadcrumbs helps to bind all the ingredients together without drying them out. I tried omitting them, but a little bit really does help.
Black bean veggie burger toppings
You can take these black bean veggie burgers in so many different directions, depending on what toppings you choose. You can go minimal with traditional burger toppings, or get creative. The sky’s the limit!
If you’re looking for inspiration, here are a few of our favorite topping combinations:
- Caramelized onions are easy to make, sweet, and delicious.
- Give them a creamy, spicy kick with a smear of our chipotle mayo! It’s easy to mix up with a few ingredients, and the extras make a tasty dip for sweet potato fries!
- Keep it classic with some ketchup, mustard, lettuce, sliced red onion, tomato, and your favorite cheese!
- Give it an extra boost with some hummus or a dollop of our easy guacamole!
Black Bean Veggie Burger – Truly the best ever!
Ingredients
- 1 teaspoon avocado oil
- 1 medium onion (minced)
- 3 cloves garlic (minced)
- 19 ounce can black beans (drained)
- 2 cups quick rolled oats
- 1 ½ cups grated carrot
- 1 cup breadcrumbs
- 1 cup roasted sunflower seeds (chopped)
- ½ cup roasted almonds (chopped)
- ½ cup soy sauce
- ¼ cup parsley or cilantro (chopped)
- 2 tablespoons sesame oil
- 1 tablespoon EACH: cumin, chili powder, and oregano
- 4 large eggs
- Optional: ½ cup feta cheese
Instructions
- Saute the onion and garlic in the oil for 2 minutes. Add the sauteed veggies to a large bowl then add all other ingredients and mix well.1 teaspoon avocado oil, 1 medium onion, 3 cloves garlic
- Form into 10 thick patties and place them on a baking sheet or platter in a single layer.19 ounce can black beans, 2 cups quick rolled oats, 1 ½ cups grated carrot, 1 cup breadcrumbs, 1 cup roasted sunflower seeds, ½ cup roasted almonds, ½ cup soy sauce, ¼ cup parsley or cilantro, 2 tablespoons sesame oil, 1 tablespoon EACH: cumin, chili powder, and oregano, 4 large eggs, Optional: ½ cup feta cheese
- Heat a splash of oil in a pan. Add the black bean patties (as many as you're able to fit into a pan), making sure not to crowd the pan. Cook until the patties are golden on both sides and warm all the way through. Serve on hamburger buns with lettuce, tomato, pickles, and all the condiments you like.
Notes
Nutrition
We have thoroughly tested this recipe for accuracy. However, individual results may vary. See our full recipe disclosure here.
More tasty vegetarian recipes
For more inspiration, check out all of my burger recipes!
Hi, i cannot eat oats, gf or otherwise or soy sauce. Could I use cooked brown rice and chilli sauce instead?
I haven’t tried either of those substitutions so I can’t say for sure, but I think cooked brown rice is a good idea. We often use almond flour in place of oats in our regular burgers, so that could work, too. Cocoa aminos is a great substitute for soy sauce!
The beans are not mashed?
Nope!
If you are using eggs what the point of a veggie burger?
Hi Sal, eggs are part of a vegetarian diet. However, if you are vegan, you’ll need to use a different binder.
How much mix do I use for each burger? Could not find this detail anywhere in instructions.
TIA!
I’m sorry but we’ve never measured the exact amount in each burger. This recipe makes 10 thick burger patties.
Hello! This recipe looks delicious, but my son is allergic to tree nuts. Why would you use in place of the almonds? Thanks!
I suspect that most nuts would work. You could also use extra sunflower seeds instead of the almonds. 🙂
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!
Really? That’s so great!!!
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!
Seriously the best veggie burger I’ve tried!