Smashing a Black Bean Burger is my favorite way to enjoy this classic veggie patty! Easy to put together and great for making in bulk for burger meal prepping!
So far this is my third scratch made burger patty recipe on this site, and it’s so good I don’t intend to stop! Like I always say, I do love a good Beyond or Impossible Burger, but I’ve grown to love good old fashioned veggie burgers even more recently!
And these are probably my favorite right now because they are the easiest to make! Plus I’m really into beans at the moment so this is combining two of my favorite foods!
This Black Bean Burger Recipe also makes about 1 pound worth, and I recommend doing 2 oz. patties, so that’s 8 burgers!
ingredients for a Vegan Black bean Burger
- Black Beans – I’m using canned beans, but fresh will work too. If you use low sodium canned beans you will likely have to adjust the salt since I used regular canned black beans.
- Flavorings – Soy Sauce, Miso Paste, Vegan Mayo, will be our wet flavorings. Onion and Garlic Powder, Smoked Paprika, Nutritional Yeast will be the dry seasonings. You can also add anything you like, I tried some out with Cumin and Cayenne and they were fantastic!
- Binders – I’ll be using a Flax Egg, Cornstarch and Instant Potato Flakes for the binders. You can also use Breadcrumbs if you like instead of the Potato Flakes.
How to make a soy and gluten free Black Bean Burger?
For Soy and Gluten Free, swap the Soy Sauce for Coconut Aminos, and the Miso Paste for more Nutritional Yeast. I used Potato Flakes and Cornstarch, so it’s naturally GF on that end too.
how to make a Vegan Black Bean Burger
Drain and Wash the Black Beans. Pat them dry with a paper towel or clean kitchen towel. Arrange the beans in a single layer on a parchment lined baking sheet. Bake for 20 Minutes.
While beans cool, combine the Ground Flax and Water to make the Flax Egg.
Once the beans are cooled and the flax egg thickens (about 10 minutes) add the beans, the flax egg, and the rest of the ingredients to a food processor, and pulse / blend until it’s smooth but still has some chunky bits. Don’t over process so it’s totally smooth! Taste for seasoning and adjust as needed.
Heat up a non-stick or well seasoned skillet over medium heat. Add your burger buns and toast them until slightly golden brown.
Grab a 2 oz (56g) sized chunk of the black bean mixture and roll it into a ball.
Add a little cooking oil to the skillet, and then add the black bean ball. Cover with a small piece parchment paper or burger paper, and then smash with a flat spatula or burger press.
Season with salt and pepper if desired, spray with some cooking spray and cook for 2 – 3 minutes or until a nice brown crust develops. Then flip it, add a slice of Vegan American Cheese, squirt a little water in the pan, cover to steam and melt the cheese.
Then assemble your burger however you like! I personally like doing a double cheeseburger with lettuce, tomato, pickles and some chipotle mayo (or my Creamy Jalapeño Sauce) and enjoy!
storage
Store in the fridge for up to 1 week or freeze for later!
how to freeze veggie burgers
NOTE: I didn’t film the freezing section with my Black Bean Burgers, but you can do the same thing I do in my Veggie Burger Recipe. So I’ve included that below.
To freeze these for later, simply smash 2 oz. balls into patties. I like to use some Burger Paper, but Parchment will work too. Use a Burger Press or Stiff Spatula.
Add the patties to a baking sheet and flash freeze for 1 – 2 hours. Then add them to a freezer safe bag or container. Store for up to 6 months.
Cook from frozen in a preheated pan over medium heat for about 3 minutes per side, or until browned and cooked through.
How to avoid Mushy Black bean burgers
First, I should note that these won’t be as firm as an Impossible or Beyond Burger, they will be softer for sure, but I ate a bunch of Black Bean Burgers at highly rated vegan restaurants (for research) and this is similar if not firmer than what I had. Here’s some tips to help!
- Bake all the water out of the Black Beans, if they don’t seem dried out after baking throw them back in for 5 more minutes.
- Don’t Over Process the mixture so that it’s totally smooth.
- You can also bake the patties for about 20 minutes at 350 F before cooking them in the pan.
- You could also coat them in panko and shallow fry them. I did this in my tests and it was great!
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Vegan Black Bean Burger
Burger Patties
- 2 (15 oz) Cans of Black Beans (See Notes)
- 1 Tbsp Ground Flax + 2 Tbsp Water (Flax Egg)
- 1 tsp Miso Paste
- 2 Tbsp Soy Sauce
- 2 Tbsp Vegan Mayo
- 1/2 cup Instant Potato Flakes (or Bread Crumbs, Oat Flour)
- 2 Tbsp Cornstarch
- 2 tsp Onion Powder
- 2 tsp Garlic Powder
- 2 tsp Smoked Paprika
- 2 Tbsp Nutritional Yeast
- 1 tsp Ground Cumin (optional)
- 1 tsp Cayenne or Chipotle Powder (optional)
- Salt & Pepper
Burger Mixture
Preheat oven to 350 F / 175 C
Drain and Wash the Black Beans. Pat them dry with a paper towel or clean kitchen towel.
Arrange the beans in a single layer on a parchment lined baking sheet. Bake at 350 F / 175 C for 20 Minutes. Remove from oven and allow to cool.
While beans cool, combine the Ground Flax and Water to make the Flax Egg.
Once the beans are cooled and the flax egg thickens (about 10 minutes) add the beans, the flax egg, and the rest of the ingredients to a food processor, and pulse / blend until it’s smooth but still has some chunky bits. Do not blend until it’s totally smooth. Taste for seasoning and adjust as needed.
Take a bit of the mixture and make sure that you can smash it into a ball or patty, if it’s too dry add a tablespoon of water to the mixture at a time until it will hold it’s shape. Likewise if it’s too wet, add more potato flakes or breadcrumbs.
Make sure you can form the mixture into a patty that will hold it’s shape before adding to a pan, otherwise it may fall apart.
Black Bean Burger
Heat up a non-stick or well seasoned skillet over medium heat. Add your burger buns and toast them until slightly golden brown, remove from heat to a wire rack lined baking sheet (so it doesn’t steam and get soft).
Grab a 2 oz (56g) sized chunk of the black bean mixture and roll it into a ball.
Add a little cooking oil to the skillet, and then add the black bean ball. Cover with a small piece parchment paper or burger paper, and then smash with a flat spatula or burger press.
Season with salt and pepper if desired, spray with some cooking spray and cook for 2 – 3 minutes or until a nice brown crust develops. Then flip it, spray with some more oil if you like, and add a slice of Vegan American Cheese, squirt a little water in the pan, cover to steam and melt the cheese.
Then assemble your burger however you like! I personally like doing a double cheeseburger with lettuce, tomato, pickles and some chipotle mayo (or my Creamy Jalapeño Sauce) and enjoy!
This recipe should make 8 (2 oz) patties. You can store the mixture in the fridge for up to a week and make a patty whenever you like! Or make 1 for 8 friends, either way!
Black Beans – I used regular canned black beans for this recipe, if you use low sodium you may need to add more salt to the mixture.
How to Avoid Mushy Black Bean Burgers
First, I should note that these won’t be as firm as an Impossible or Beyond Burger, they will be softer for sure, but I ate a bunch of Black Bean Burgers at highly rated vegan restaurants (for research) and this is similar if not firmer than what I had. Here’s some tips to help!
-
- Bake all the water out of the Black Beans, if they don’t seem dried out after baking throw them back in for 5 more minutes.
- Don’t Over Process the mixture so that it’s totally smooth.
- You can also bake the patties for about 20 minutes at 350 F before cooking them in the pan.
- You could also coat them in panko and shallow fry them. I did this in my tests and it was great!
