This Black Bean Burgers recipe features smoky flavors and can be cooked in the oven or on grill! These vegan burgers are loaded with simple ingredients and easy to make.
Hello veggie lovers!
Since summer has officially started, and the next grilling holiday is just around the corner, I thought it was a perfect time to bring a new vegan ‘smoky’ black bean burger to the recipe collection.
It’s an uncomplicated mix of ingredients that’s big on flavor!
Black Bean Burgers
I heart versatility, and these black bean burgers offer just that…
- Make them with quinoa or brown rice. Use your favorite or what you have on hand. For myself, quinoa is king because it’s magical for my digestive system!
- Use flaxseed meal or panko / breadcrumbs. The former is the healthiest and gluten-free option, but panko is soo good too!
- They can be made oil-free. Depending on how you cook your burgers, they can be oil-free.
- Saute onions for depth of flavor. Onions can be used raw for quickness and ease, or sauteed for even more flavor (which I highly recommend!).
Texture and flavor wise, these smoky black bean burgers are tender with a nice mouth feel. The spices include smoked paprika, along with a hint of oregano and/or cumin. And the sweet, tangy glaze adds the final touch and punch of flavor!
How To Make Vegan Black Bean Burgers
1. Start with sauteing the onion.
2. Once done add them the bowl of a food processor (shown above), along with the black beans, quinoa/rice, flaxseed meal, spices & herbs, and process in short pulses until partially blended (shown below).
3. Once pureed, move the mixture to a large mixing bowl. Mix together well with your hands or spatula, making one big packed mound in the bowl.
4. Divide the mixture as evenly as you can and form firmly packed balls. The black bean burger recipe will yield 4 jumbo, 6 regular, or 8 slider sized patties.
5. Flatten each ball into 3/4 – 1 inch thick patties. Make sure to smooth any cracks along the edges after flattening – usually pinching it together is all it takes.
6. Cook black bean patties with your preferred method, either on the grill, in the oven or on the stovetop. I baked mine in the oven for an oil-free burger.
7. When done, brush the balsamic glaze over the top and along the sides of each patty.
Now, you’re ready to assemble your black bean burgers with any – and all – of the ‘fixins’ you like!
I served mine with the classics:
- sliced tomato
- red onion
- leafy greens
- creamy vegan Garlic Aioli spread.
Simply delicious!
I hope you LOVE these black bean burgers! They’re:
- Minimal ingredients
- Low-fat
- High-fiber
- Totally satisfying
- Perfectly grillable
- And of course, delicious!
What To Serve Alongside Your Burger
Pair your black bean burgers with these:
- Crispy Baked Potato Chips
- Classic Vegan Potato Salad
- Vegan Coleslaw
- Baked Sweet Potatoe Wedges
- or these fan-favorite Healthy Baked Beans!
If you try this easy black bean burger recipe, please let me know! Leave a comment and rate it below. I love to hear what you think, or any changes you make.
PrintSMOKY BLACK BEAN BURGER
Simple and delicious, these smoky black bean burgers can be made in the oven, on the stovetop or grilled to perfection.
- Prep Time: 15 min
- Cook Time: 30 min
- Total Time: 45 minutes
- Yield: Makes 4 jumbo patties 1x
- Category: Entree
- Cuisine: Vegan
Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon olive oil or 2 tablespoons water (for water saute)
- 1 small onion (about 1 cup), chopped
- 1 1/2 cups cooked quinoa (packed) or brown rice*
- 2 cans (15 oz.) black beans, drained and rinsed
- 1/2 cup flaxseed meal or panko/bread crumbs
- 1 1/2 teaspoons smoked paprika
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1 teaspoon oregano or cumin (or 3/4 teaspoon both)
- 1/2 mineral salt, or to taste
Glaze
- 1 tablespoon balsamic or apple cider vinegar
- 1 tablespoon pure maple syrup
- 1 teaspoon tamari, coconut aminos of soy sauce
- 1 teaspoon tomato paste
- 1/2 – 1 teaspoon sriracha or hot sauce of choice
To serve
- hamburger buns
- leafy greens
- sliced red onion
- tomato slices
- Garlic Aioli
Instructions
Saute: In a small pan or skillet, heat oil/water over medium heat, add onion and saute for about 5 – 7 minutes, onions should be tender and slightly golden on the edges. Let onions cool a bit before moving to the food processor.
Glaze: Next, prepare the glaze. In a small bowl, combine the vinegar, maple syrup, tamari, tomato paste and sriracha. Mix well, and set aside to let the flavors mingle. Taste again, adding more of any ingredient to suit your taste.
Process: Using a food processor, add slightly cooled onions, quinoa/rice, black beans, flaxseed meal and spices/herbs. Pulse for 5 – 6 seconds at a time, until about half the mixture is combined. Be careful not to over process, you want some chunkiness from the beans and onions.
Mix: Place mixture in a mixing bowl. You’ll notice once you remove the mixture, the underneath part will be more processed than the top. Using your hands or spatula, mix together well.
Patties: Form 4 round jumbo balls, making sure to pack the balls together well. Flatten each ball into a patty, about 3/4 inch thick, and smooth any cracks along the edges. Place on prepared baking sheet. Alternately, you can make 6 regular sized patties or 8 sliders.
HOW TO COOK
Oven: Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line a baking sheet with silpat, parchment paper, or lightly grease with oil. Place baking sheet in preheated oven and bake for 12 – 15 minutes. Using a spatula, gently flip patties and bake another 12 – 15 minutes. Brush tip and sides with balsamic glaze. Let cool a few minutes before serving.
Stovetop: Heat 1 tablespoon oil over medium-high heat, add patties and cook 5 minutes, or until lightly browned. Carefully flip patties and cook another 5 minutes. Remove, brush with balsamic glaze.
Grill: Preheat grill to medium-high heat, on greased grill, place patties and cook 5 minutes, carefully flip and cook another 5 minutes, or until lightly browned and/or charred. Remove, brush with balsamic glaze.
Serve with fixins of choice and enjoy!
Makes 4 jumbo or 6 regular patties, or 8 sliders.
Store leftovers in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to a week, or in the freezer for up to 2 months (thaw before cooking).
Pair your burgers with these Homemade Baked Potato Chips, Vegan Coleslaw, Classic Potato Salad or Healthy Baked Beans!
NOTES:
*If using brown rice, but don’t feel like cooking it, you can use packaged precooked rice for ease. Use one whole package (5.5 – 5.8 oz) for this recipe, no need to heat first. It’s what I started with and had great results.
For the sauteed onions, you can skip this step and just add the raw onions to the food processor. I started my recipe testing this way, but decided I preferred the flavor of the sauteed onions. Both ways are good, and this option is totally up to you.
Make the patties ahead of time, storing in the refrigerator until ready to cook.
Nutrition information is calculated using quinoa, flaxseed meal and no added oils.
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Laker says
When you say freeze leftovers, do you mean before or after cooking?
Julie | The Simple Veganista says
Great question! You can freeze both before and after cooking. If cooking from frozen, it’ll need a little extra time to cook through. I’ll update the recipe to include this info.
Allison says
Do you think you could do this recipe with a potato masher instead of a food processor? I love this recipe but my processor has met his end…
★★★★★
Julie | The Simple Veganista says
Yes, it should work well enough, just be sure to pack them well when shaping! Enjoy :)
Missy A says
Just made these. THANK YOUUUU!! They are ridiculously easy to make and very tasty! I did double the herbs & added a little pink salt. You can do so many things with this base, I could’ve added corn or peppers…thanks so much!
Sid says
Thanks for the great recipe! I was looking for something to use up black beans & quinoa in the patry and found this. I made a few tweaks:
-doubled all spices & salt
-omitted tomato paste and hot sauce from the glaze, and used 2 tbsp of ketchup instead
The result was amazing…. my omni family relatives came for seconds, which speaks for itself.
It might be helpful to someone that I used 200 g of dried black beans in place of the 2 15 oz cans, soaked them overnight & cooked. (Also soaked quinoa; I read that it’s not really necessary, I guess I developed a habit of soaking both legumes and grains.) I used panko breadcrumbs (my plan was to make flaxseed meal, but in the plastic bag where I was storing them I saw white fibers forming, presumably from some kind of pantry moth or something :( ).
Once again, thanks for the recipe :)
★★★★★
Allie says
I have tried bean burger recipes in the past and have never been all that impressed…but I am now. Stayed together perfectly, baked perfectly, absolutely delicious and nutritious. Doubled the recipe (for myself, two older teens, and two young adults) and was quite lucky to have four patties leftover. Wake up every morning and can’t wait until lunch to enjoy my bean burger on a whole wheat bun with aioli and red onions. Added benefit? Filled to satisfaction with no munchies before dinner! Thank you, Julie, for sharing your great recipe. It might not yet convince me to give up my fish and poultry…but it’s got me thinking!
★★★★★
Anna says
I’ve made MANY black bean burgers during the years. They’ve all been bland and impossible to shape well, and they’ve tasted like black beans (which I don’t mind, but hubby does). This recipe, however, makes the BEST black blean burgers I’ve ever eaten!!! I’m blown away! And the best thing: hubby feels the same way! He’d eaten one when I told him it’s made of black beans. He stopped chewing and went quiet, then he said he was really really impressed!
Thank you so much for sharing this recipe!
★★★★★
Jade says
I’ve been looking for a black bean quinoa pattie recipe after trying a vegan gluten free one at a cafe. I omitted the garlic powder (didn’t have any) and flaxseed meal (can’t tolerate) and used oat flour instead of panko/breadcrumbs (didn’t have any). I added extra paprika. These were delicious! I made them into mini patties. I loved the glaze too – next time I might add slightly less maple syrup as I like mine more savoury. Thank you so much for this recipe!
★★★★★
Julie | The Simple Veganista says
Fabulous, I’m so glad they turned out so well with your adaptations! Makes my day! Cheers :)
Carrie says
Tasty! I love smoked paprika. For us it made 12. Not being vegan, I might add an egg next time but still they held together remarkably well even without it. We made it with the quinoa and flaxseed meal, and baked it in the oven.
Julie | The Simple Veganista says
Yay, so glad they turned out well and you liked these. Definitely make them your own adding whatever you like. Thank you so much for taking a moment to comment. Cheers :)
Julie | The Simple Veganista says
Fabulous, so glad this worked out for you! I need to put this on a pizza soon myself. Sounds delicious! Cheers :)
Melanie says
I made these last night, following the recipe exactly, and they where are delicious! The burgers held together well through cooking. The only thing I would do differently next time is to make a slightly bigger batch of the glaze. I made 6 patties instead of 4, and since there’s a greater surface area, a little bit more glaze for fuller coverage would have been great.
Brandon says
This was supremely amazing! Thank you for another great recipe. ?
Marlo says
Are the nutritional facts and calories only for the patties ir for the entire burger (with buns, tomatoes,…)?
Julie | The Simple Veganista says
Yes, the calories are just for 1 jumbo patty, no extras. If you make 8 sliders, you’ll cut the calories in half.
Matilda says
Julie, Your recipe has inspired me to try black beans in a burger again, although I think I will add barley instead of rice as I’ve never been much of a rice eater. I will let you know how it comes out. Thank you for your recipes, I love the Cashew garlic Aioli sauce, I use it almost on everything. Matilda
Julie | The Simple Veganista says
Wonderful Matilda! I’m not much for rice either, it seems a lot recipes use it. Barley sounds delicious. I never thought of using it, but of course it will amazing. I expect it will add a nice texture and nuttiness. I think you’ve just inspired me too! Please do let me know.
I’m glad you love the aioli. Makes my day! Cheers :)
Vicky says
Hi Julie, I have just made this recipe and they’re in my fridge ready to cook. They look delicious and have stuck together unlike other veggie burgers I’ve tried. Now just can’t wait to taste them!! Quick question (sorry if it’s a silly one) – when you say they can be frozen do you mean freeze leftovers after cooking or you can freeze the mixture in patty shapes before? I just wondered if they’d fall apart if frozen before cooking but wasn’t sure. Thanks in advance – hope they taste as good as they look!!
Julie | The Simple Veganista says
Hi Vicky, it’s a great question, and you can do both! If packed well enough, like it sounds like you’ve done, they will hold their shape if you put them in the freezer before cooking.
Enjoy, and we would love to know if the taste was spot on for you! :)