Black Bean Burgers

A plate with a black bean burger with some fries in the background.

My mouthwatering Black Bean Burgers recipe is crafted with just 10 simple, wholesome ingredients. Better yet, these veggie burgers come together in mere minutes thanks to the magic of a food processor!

Course Main Course

Cuisine American

Prep Time 20

Cook Time 8

Total Time 28

Servings servings

Calories 560kcal

Author John Kanell

Equipment

Food Processor
mixing bowl
Grill pan or skillet

Ingredients

1 cup chopped bell pepper (128g)
1 cup chopped onion (128g)
2 garlic cloves chopped
2 (15 ounce/425g) cans black beans drained and rinsed
½ cup breadcrumbs 78g
2 chipotle chiles in adobo sauce diced plus 2 tablespoons of sauce
1 large egg
¾ teaspoon chili powder
¾ teaspoon ground cumin
½ teaspoon salt
¼ teaspoon ground black pepper
2 teaspoons olive oil
4 hamburger buns for serving

Toppings:

lettuce
cheese
tomato
ketchup
mustard
mayonnaise

Instructions

In a food processor, pulse the bell pepper, onion, and garlic until finely chopped, 8 to 10 times. Pour the chopped vegetables out on a paper towel-lined baking sheet. Blot with paper towels to remove excess moisture.
Blot the black beans separately on paper towels and place them in a large bowl. Mash the black beans until mostly broken up with a few whole beans remaining. Add the chopped vegetables, breadcrumbs, chipotle chiles, adobo sauce, egg, chili powder, cumin, salt, and black pepper. Stir until well combined. Shape the bean mixture into 4 even patties.
Preheat a grill or large skillet over medium-high. Oil the grill grates or add oil to the skillet and tilt the skillet to evenly coat the bottom. Cook bean patties, in batches if needed, until browned and heated through, 3 to 4 minutes on each side. If topping burgers with cheese, place 1 slice of cheese on each patty during the last minute of cooking.
Serve patties on hamburger buns with desired toppings.

Notes

Meal prep made easy! These vegetarian black bean burger patties can be shaped up to 1 day in advance and stored in the refrigerator in a parchment paper-lined airtight container or covered with plastic wrap. They can also be frozen for up to a month. I love freezing them, so all I have to do is pop them out about an hour before I plan to cook dinner.
Beat your egg before adding it to the bean mixture. It’ll mix in much more evenly that way!
Be gentle. While I’ve added binders like egg and breadcrumbs to the mix, a black bean patty will never quite hold together like a burger patty made from ground meat. Use medium heat or medium-high heat to cook them, and don’t press them down on the pan or grill.

Nutrition