These Black Bean Burgers are super easy to make, packed with healthy ingredients like creamy black beans, smoky chipotle peppers, and crunchy sunflower seeds, and they're naturally gluten-free and vegan. And, yes, you can grill them! Truly, this is the only black bean burger recipe you'll ever need!
Fire up your grills, it's burger time!
Listen up, friends. I know that the perfect veggie burger can be an elusive thing, but I've been around the block enough times that I feel 100% validated in making this statement: These are THE BEST black bean burgers you'll ever eat.
Not only are they packed with flavor (you gotta love those smoky chipotle peppers!), but they're made with only real food ingredients and things you've probably already got on hand. If you've got a food processor, let it do all the heavy lifting. Your black bean burgers will be a cinch to pull together!
These burgs are also freezer-friendly, so they're perfect for bulk prep. And, you guys, you can actually GRILL them, and they won't fall apart. That last one is the holy grail, I know. But stick with me, and I'll show you how.
I love 'em on a toasted bun, piled high with spicy pickled onions (our recipe is so easy!), or, if I'm not feeling the bun (we all have those days, right?!), I use them to make a veggie burger in a bowl.
Alright, are you ready for this?!
Let's make black bean burgers together!
Step 1: make your flax "egg"
Mix ground flax seed together with some warm water, and it'll thicken and turn into a gel that will help bind your veggie burgers together.
Set it aside while you're getting everything else ready.
Step 2: grind your oats
Put the oats into the bowl of your food processor and pulse until you've got a coarse oat flour. You can also just buy a bag of oat flour if you don't have a food processor.
Transfer the oat flour into a bowl so your food processor is ready for the next step.
Step 3: pulse your beans
Add 2 cups of the black beans to the same food processor bowl (don't bother rinsing it out or anything), along with the chipotle pepper (or peppers if you like it hot hot hot).
Pulse the beans and chipotle together a few times, then run the food processor until you've got a fairly smooth looking bean paste.
Add the remaining beans to the food processor and pulse just a few times to combine. You want these to add some texture here, so some should be a bit broken up and some should be whole.
Step 4: mix it up
Scrape the bean mixture into the bowl with the oat flour. Add the carrots, onion, sunflower seeds, garlic, cilantro, soy sauce, olive oil, spices, and your flax egg.
Give the mixture a good stir.
Step 5: form your patties
Form the veggie burger mixture into 12 equal patties. I find clean, wet hands are best for this job.
Transfer the patties to a baking sheet lined with parchment paper that's been brushed with a bit of olive oil. Lightly brush the tops of the black bean burgers with olive oil as well.
Step 6: bake your black bean burgers
Bake your burgers! You'll be baking 'em for about 30 minutes, until they're nicely golden brown.
Tips for the Best Black Bean Burgers 🍔
Use wet hands. I know it sounds weird, but if your hands are just a little bit damp when you form the patties, the burger mixture won't stick as much.
Smash them together. Compacting the mixture by patting and squeezing will help your burgers stay together. Even on the baking sheet, you can use your spatula to press down on the tops and push in the sides before you put them in the oven.
Don't skimp on oil. A little bit of oil will help crisp up the exterior, making your chipotle black bean burgers extra delicious.
Taste and adjust. Because there's no egg in this recipe, you can taste and adjust the seasonings before cooking. Add more chipotle for spicy black bean burgers, throw in another pinch of salt - have it your way!
How to grill black bean burgers 🔥
It's totally possible to throw these homemade black bean burgers on the grill. Here's the thing: you have to bake them first. Otherwise they will fall apart on the grill and make a mess and you will be sad.
If you want to grill your veggie burgs, reduce the baking time by 5 minutes. Allow the burgers to cool slightly, brush with a bit of oil, and finish them on the grill. You can also grill previously-frozen burgers.
How to Freeze Black Bean Burgers ❄️
If you're going to freeze the black bean burger patties, let them cool completely on a wire rack before you transfer them into an airtight container or reusable freezer bag.
Sometimes I also cut up the parchment paper I baked them on and separate the burgers with little squares of parchment, but that's not necessary.
Spicy Black Bean Burger Recipe
Ingredients
- 3 tablespoon ground flaxseed
- ⅓ cup warm water
- ¾ cup rolled oats use gluten-free oats if you like
- 3 cups black beans soaked and cooked or canned is fine
- 1-2 chipotle peppers in adobo sauce
- 1 cup grated carrot
- ⅓ cup chopped cilantro
- 2 large cloves garlic crushed or finely minced
- ½ cup finely chopped yellow onion
- ½ cup sunflower seeds
- 1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
- 2 tablespoon liquid aminos or tamari or soy sauce
- 1 teaspoon dried oregano
- 1 teaspoon ground cumin
- ½ teaspoon sea salt
- freshly ground black pepper
Instructions
- Preheat your oven to 350°F / 180°C. Line a large baking sheet with parchment paper or a silpat, and brush with olive oil. Set aside.
- Combine the ground flax and ⅓ cup water in a small bowl. Set aside for about 10 min while it firms up into a gel.3 tablespoon ground flaxseed, ⅓ cup warm water
- Place the oats in the bowl of a food processor and process into a flour. Remove the oat flour and place into a large bowl.¾ cup rolled oats
- Now put 2 cups of the black beans into the food processor, together with the chipotle peppers. Pulse a few times, then run the food processor until they are well combined and the beans have a bit of a paste-like consistency.3 cups black beans, 1-2 chipotle peppers in adobo sauce
- Add the remaining 1 cup of black beans, and pulse a few times to combine. You want the beans to be a bit broken up, but still have some texture to them.
- Scrape the bean / chipotle mixture into the large bowl with the oat flour, and then add all remaining ingredients together with the gelled flax seed mixture.1 cup grated carrot, ⅓ cup chopped cilantro , 2 large cloves garlic, ½ cup finely chopped yellow onion, ½ cup sunflower seeds, 2 tablespoon liquid aminos, 1 teaspoon dried oregano, 1 teaspoon ground cumin, ½ teaspoon sea salt, freshly ground black pepper
- Use a wooden spoon or your clean hands to mix everything together until well combined.
- Using your hands, form the mixture into 12 patties - wet hands help make this easier.
- Place the patties onto the prepared baking sheet, and brush the tops with a bit of olive oil.1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
- Bake for 15 minutes, then remove the tray from the oven and very carefully turn the patties over. Bake for an additional 15 - 20minutes, until they are nicely browned.
- Remove from the oven and enjoy them hot!
Notes
- Nutrition values are an estimate only.
- To freeze the veggie burgers cool completely on a wire wrack before transferring to a freezer container or freezer bag.
- To grill the burgers reduce baking time by 5 minutes. Brush cooled patties with a bit of oil before grilling.
Carla @ Foodie Digital says
I made these on the weekend for meal prep and the flavor was so good! They had great texture and were not too squishy which can often be the case with bean burgers. I used the food processor for all of the chopping (carrots, onion, garlic) since the food processor was out and I did not feel like chopping. Will be making again!
Katie Trant says
It's been too long since I've made these, thanks for the reminder, Carla! Love the idea of using the food processor for all the chopping, that's brilliant.
Yvrshan says
I have made these a dozen or so times and like that I can multiply the recipe so easily to feed a crowd or freeze extras for later. Very easy to adapt around allergies and preferences. The best black bean burger recipe I’ve tried.
Katie Trant says
Yay! Thank you for the lovey comment 🙂 I'm so glad you enjoyed these as much as we do!
Anna says
Could these burgers be cooked in an air fryer?
Katie Trant says
I'm sure they could, but I have not tested this technique. If you try it out, please let us know in the comments.
Jenny says
First time making a bean burger and I thought it turned out delicious! There was just the right amount of spice from the adobe peppers. I had it with a pickled side dish. Thank you for opening my eyes to try something new.
Katie Trant says
Yay! So glad you liked this. What was the pickled side dish?
ruth says
These are very good and the recipe is versatile. I changed a few of things for our family preferences. I used garlic and onion powder as a family member does not like chunks of onion. We also have a person with a sunflower allergy and chopped walnuts made a good replacement for the sunflower seeds. I found them too salty with 2 chipotle peppers, 2 tbsp of soy sauce plus added salt. I added a 4th cup of beans and the flavour balance was perfect. Thank you for the recipe!
Erin Moore says
Can you freeze the veggie Berger's first before you cook them?
Katie Trant says
You know, I've never tried that so I have no idea how they'd turn out if you did. My sense is that they may fall apart when thawing so I'd personally hesitate to go that route, but don't let that stop you from trying. And if you do, please let us know how they turn out!
Kathryn says
I love a good veggie burger and the flavours and texture of these ones looks absolutely perfect. Such a good thing to have on hand too for those days when life just seems too busy to think about eating.
themuffinmyth says
Thanks Kathryn. I do really like the texture of these - the sunflower seeds at a nice crunch, and they hold together well. And yes, they are exactly the sort of thing to have on hand for times like those. Times like these, as it were 🙂
Move Eat Create says
Chipotle and black beans are such a match made in heaven!
themuffinmyth says
They really are, aren't they?!
Deena Kakaya says
As I sensed from the time we connected, you are a girl after my own heart. I have a similar bean and chipotle recipe on my site and I've found that it's a recipe popular with men! Yum x
themuffinmyth says
Chipotle and black bean really is a perfect match, isn't it?
Deena Kakaya says
Most definitely x