Black Bean Burgers

Erin Alderson

Gluten-Free Black Bean Burgers | @naturallyella

I’m not bashful about my favorite vegetarian burger recipe but I think it’s important to keep a few extra recipes in my back pocket for those times I don’t have all the ingredients on hand. These have been my favorite black bean burgers through the years. I use an extra step of baking the black bean burgers before frying or grilling which helps create a crisp outside (and a burger that grills a bit easier than others). If you have trouble grilling burgers, I recommend picking up a grill pan. It’s easier to grill the burger but still gives you that good grilled taste.

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Gluten-Free Black Bean Burgers | @naturallyella

Black Bean Burger

★★★ 2.3 from 3 reviews
  • Author: Erin Alderson
  • Prep Time: 10 minutes
  • Cook Time: 20 minutes
  • Total Time: 30 minutes
  • Yield: 4 servings
  • Category: Main Course
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Description

This easy and filling black bean burger is the perfect vegetable burger to make ahead, freeze, and grill up whenever you need a quick meal. 

Ingredients

  • 1 clove garlic
  • 1/2 cup diced carrot
  • 1/2 cup diced red onion
  • 1/4 cup diced red pepper
  • 3 tablespoons minced jalapeño
  • 1/2 cup rolled oats
  • 1 3/4 cup black beans (or 1, 15 oz can- drained and rinsed)
  • 3/4 teaspoon cumin
  • 1/2 teaspoon smoked paprika
  • 1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
  • 1/4 teaspoon salt
  • 1/4 teaspoon black pepper
  • 1 large egg white

Instructions

  1. In a food processor, pulse garlic until minced. Add in the carrot, onion, red pepper, and jalapeño. Pulse a few more times until everything is in fine pieces. Add in the oats and pulse until the mixture is combined and the oats are broken down.
  2. Add in the black beans, spices, and egg white. Pulse a few more times until the mixture comes together but there are still small pieces of black beans. Let rest for 20 minutes.
  3. Heat oven to 375˚ and line a sheet tray with parchment. Wet hands and divide patties into 4 balls. Press into 1/2″ thick patties and place on the sheet tray. Back for 14 minutes, carefully flipping halfway through.
  4. Finish the burgers by searing for 3 to 4 minutes in a pan with a bit of oil or on a grill that has been oiled well.

Notes

Tips & Tricks: Don’t puree the beans- there should still be small pieces of black bean visible. A few people have made this and ended up with a loose dough- make sure you drain the beans well. 

Stock up: get the pantry ingredients you will need: oats, black beans, cumin

Nutrition: see the information.

Nutrition

  • Calories: 159
  • Sugar: 2.6
  • Sodium: 318
  • Fat: 1.2
  • Carbohydrates: 29.4
  • Fiber: 9.6
  • Protein: 9.4
  • Cholesterol: 0

Black Bean Burgers

variations

This is a solid base of a burger that is good as written above but can easily be upped in the flavor department. These black bean burgers also work really well for quite a few different toppings. This particular version I used chipotle mayo, pickled onions, and avocado but I also love this burger with a sweet corn relish or grilled zucchini.

Herbs: If you have them, fresh herbs are a nice addition. Cilantro, parsley, or basil work best depending on the flavors you want your burger to have. Add 1/4 cup or so of fresh herbs to the mixture before the final pulse.

Vegetables: If you want to swap around the carrots and peppers I recommend using sweet corn, beets, or roots vegetables (like parsnips or turnips). You can also grill/roast the vegetables ahead of time to add an extra layer of flavor.

Seeds: I like a bit of crunch in my burgers and if you’re with me, trying adding 1/2 cup of nuts or seeds like sunflower, pepitas, or pecans.

Explore Black Beans

Black Beans

Black beans are one of the legumes we always have on hand. It’s my go-to taco and quesadilla filling as well as the perfect topping for grain bowls. I usually cook up a big batch on the weekend then freeze to use for a couple of weeks, thawing as I need beans.

Black Bean and Guac Burrito
Black Bean Taquitos
Black Bean Bowl with Freekeh
See all Black Bean Recipes >

Black Bean Burgers | @naturallyella

Recipe first published on June 10th, 2010. Last updated on June 28th, 2016. Looking for the old version of the recipe? Find it here.