These Easy Black Bean Burgers have a crispy outside, a juicy, flavorful inside and they’re topped with amazing veggies and condiments. Oh, and you can’t forget the fries on the side! These are SO delicious and filled with wholesome ingredients and packed full of protein!
This recipe was originally published in December 2017 and has been updated with text and new photos.
I want to start off by saying this recipe was adapted from this recipe from the Pioneer Woman. I have been making these for 5 years now – and while I used to follow it word by word, I’ve since made a few adjustments and added in some delicious ingredients of my own!
Funny story about this recipe – it’s one of the first ones Benjamin and I cooked together. We made them, made a side of delicious homemade fries with herbs and walked to the park right across the street from my apartment.
We scarfed them down and then played on the swings. It was a lovely time and a wonderful memory.
Since then – we make these EVERY Monday night. It’s become the most delicious tradition of my life!
Why These Burgers are my Favorite:
First off – they’re SO cost effective! You only need a handful of ingredients and WOWZA are they flavorful.
If you’re a family of 2 like Benjamin and I are, they are also SUPER easy to freeze! The recipe itself makes 4 patties but we always freeze 2 and save them for the next week.
The outside gets incredibly crisp and golden brown. The inside has a bite to it – it isn’t just mush like you might expect!
The burgers themselves are SO flavorful and super versatile! You can throw in whatever type of spice you like – I even did a Chipotle Black Bean Burger version of them once! So good!
Load it on a brioche bun with all of your favorite toppings OR if you’re like me, I do it open faced on a bed of greens! Leaves me more room for extra french fries! 😉 So let’s get into what you need to make them!
Ingredients You Need:
- Canned black beans
- Breadcrumbs
- Egg
- Spices (salt, pepper, garlic powder etc.)
- Onion
- Garlic
- Favorite Burger Toppings
Making Easy Black Bean Burgers:
The base of this recipe is so simple. Beans. Breadcrumbs. Onion. Egg. From there on, add what you want! In the past, I have added jalapeno into the mixture and I love that version. Extra spicy! We have also done a Southwestern style where I add salsa, cumin and extra cayenne. This is a very customizable recipe.
First off, DRAIN and mash the canned beans. They should look like this when they’re all done:
Next, add in the breadcrumbs, eggs and spices. Mix together. It should look like this:
If the mixture is still too wet, add more breadcrumbs until your reach a consistency that you can make patties in your hands!
These burgers don’t need to chill in the refrigerator or anything like that. They’re ready to go as soon as you have a skillet hot and ready with some butter!
And boy do they get crispy!
You can’t forget about our favorite fry sauce to smother the burger in! It’s a concotion we created that has mayonnaise, Texas Pete hot sauce and spices. It’s wonderful and will make your taste buds tingle in all the best ways.
Black Bean Burger Toppings/What to Serve Them With:
So, a burger has to have a side. Like, crispy, salty sweet potato fries. That’s what Ben and I always pair our burgers with. I love them. We bake them and then put them on broil just at the last second just to make sure they get that extra crispy crunch. My particular favorite are my Crispy Cajun Sweet Potato Fries. They’re so extra crispy! I also love my Baked Garlic Herb Fries with Avocado Ranch! But if you’re in a rush, chips will do as well.
We have added cheese to these burgers before and they’re delicious. You can also add sautéed mushrooms and onion for a cheesesteak type of vibe. Or, my personal favorite, add a fried egg! YOU WON’T REGRET ADDING A FRIED EGG! (Had to put it in caps because it’s my favorite bean burger topping ;))
These burgs are really good wrapped up in a big ole leaf of romaine lettuce. It adds an extra crunch and that leaves me extra room to eat more sweet potato fries.
But, for this recipe, we splurged and got the most delicious brioche buns! Not gonna lie, it totally beat out the lettuce.
We slathered fry sauce, spinach, fresh red onion all on top of the burger and buns. Smushed them together and it was gone before we knew it. So delicious! Guys, I can’t rave enough about this recipe. Please, do yourselves a favor and just give it a whirl.
I hope you enjoy!
Did you like this recipe? Here are a few others you might like:
Salmon Burgers with Sriracha Mayo
Black Bean Burgers
A delicious wholesome veggie burger that's crispy on the outside and juicy on the inside.
Ingredients
- 2 (15.5 oz) cans black beans, DRAINED
- 1/4 finely diced yellow onion
- 1 clove garlic, finely minced
- 1 egg
- 1 cup panko breadcrumbs
- 2 dashes hot sauce (I use Texas Pete!)
- salt (start off with 1/4 tsp and go up) and pepper to taste
- 1/4 tsp cayenne pepper
Burger Toppings
- 4 hamburger buns (I used brioche!)
- spinach (or lettuce of choice)
- 1/2 sliced red onion
- 3 tbsp mayonnaise + a dash of hot sauce mixed together
- sliced tomato (if desired!)
Instructions
For the Black Bean Burgers:
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Drain your black beans to where they only have a TINY bit of liquid left coating them. You want them mostly drained. Pour both cans into a large bowl.
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Mash black beans with a fork or mashing tool until they are mashed with some whole bean pieces left in the mixture.
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Add in your desired spices (salt, pepper, cayenne, etc.). Mix well. Taste it to make sure you don't need to add more spice!
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Finely dice 1/4 of a yellow onion. Add to mixture.
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Mince 1 clove of garlic. Add to mixture.
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Add a dash or two of hot sauce if you're feeling extra spicy!
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Add in 1 egg. Stir all ingredients until they are well incorporated!
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Lastly, add in 1 cup of panko breadcrumbs. Stir until the mixture becomes more dry and you are able to form it into patties. If your mixture still feels too wet, ADD more breadcrumbs until you reach the desired consistency of being able to form it into patties.
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Divide the mixture in the bowl into fourths. Roll each fourth into a ball and then flatten it out into a patty.
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Add oil to a skillet. Let the skillet get hot. Add the burgers to the skillet once it is hot and cook them on each side for 4-5 minutes.
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They should be golden brown and crispy on the outside when they are done!
For the Fry Sauce (If you want it!)
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Add 3 tablespoons of mayonnaise to a bowl. Add in several dashes of hot sauce and salt and pepper. Make it as spicy or not spicy as you'd like. IT'S DELICIOUS!
Burger Assembly!
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Spread fry sauce on both sides of the bun. Add spinach and red onion on one side. Add the burger on the other. Serve immediately with the sweet potato fries and the remaining fry sauce on the side!
Recipe Notes
This recipe makes 4 burgers - if you're a family of 2 like me and Ben, wrap 2 patties in aluminum foil and freeze them!
I LOVE black bean burgers!!! I just added this recipe to my Plan to Eat meal plan!!! I’m so excited to try it, and the sweet potato fries look ah-ma-zing!
Yay! So happy you’re going to try it out! Ben and I literally eat this at least once a week (we actually ate it last night! Haha) Hope you love it, Michelle!
Michelle made these for the family tonight. So so good & outstanding with the sweet potatoe fries.
These were so easy and delicious. My husband said that he was fully satisfied without being stuffed. When you want the yum of a burger without the yucky feeling afterward, these are a go to.
Awesome recipe. I add thyme and rosemary for that extra kick of fresh herbs
Love that, Troy! Thanks for the review 🙂 So glad you love the recipe!!
My husband and I made these tonight – delicious! I’d never tried a black bean burger before but now I’m hooked. We added goat cheese too. ??
These are delicious! The flavor profile is amazing, and they crisp up so nicely in the cast iron skillet! We topped ours with lettuce from our garden, tomato, and a fried egg! The perfect meal!
Thank you so much, Kate! I’m so glad to hear you enjoyed them – that fresh garden lettuce/tomato sounds amazing as a topper!
These were amazing! I made them the past 2 nights (pattied and refrigerated them) and cooked them on the grill and in a skillet and both were amazing! They get a nice crisp outer layer, they are tender, and they hold together well which is one of my complaints about some store-bought or handmade non-meat burgers. I fried an egg and put it on top and you couldn’t go wrong with that either!
Hey Cameron – yaaaay! I love that you grilled them! Sounds so delicious!! We always do ours in a cast iron skillet as well and I love the crispy edges! The fried egg on top is AH-MAZING. So glad you enjoyed them 🙂
Can’t wait to try your recipe, Haylie! My kids surprisingly really like black bean burgers 🙂 Yours look wonderful!
Thank you so much, Katherine! 🙂 You’re so sweet!
All I have to do is see one of these burgers and I’m craving it!
Lol! They are THAT good!
These are AMAZING!! I omitted the hot sauce, cayenne and salt because of personal preference. I’ve made them twice in 3 days…we can’t get enought of them! I made them into 6 patties, instead of 4. We just add a slice of cheddar cheese and dip it in ketchup. Even my pickiest eater loves them! Thank you for such a great recipe!
Blair, YAY! This makes me so very happy 🙂 So glad you and your whole family enjoys these! They are truly one of my favorite recipes, I make them every Monday! -Haylie