Easy firm Vegan Black Bean Burgers made in 1 bowl, no chopping required and no dirtying the food processor. These healthy vegetarian black bean burgers require just a few pantry staples couldn't be simpler! Packed with protein and fiber, and way better than boxed. Kids love these and they freeze great!
Thou hath no fury like a burger that won't stick together. These extra easy black bean burgers are freaking FIRM. Just like my Sweet Potato Black Bean Burgers and Chickpea Burgers, except you don't have to chop a thing.
We've all spent hours prepping veggie burgers...no longer! When whipping out the food processor sounds as fun as folding your cousin's laundry, rely on this perfect easy bean burger recipe made in a one bowl.
Ingredients
- Canned black beans: the foundation of our homemade black bean burgers. I like canned for convenience (be sure to drain and rinse), but you could also cook your own dried beans and use about 2 ½ cups.
- Panko breadcrumbs: breadcrumbs help the burgers bind together and create a nice firm texture. You can use gluten free panko if needed! Regular or Italian-style is great.
- Flax: ground flaxseed is our egg substitute to help the patties stick together so they don't fall apart when you cook them.
- Sriracha: for flavor and a bit of heat!
- Spices: For those times when you could think of nothing worse than chopping an onion. Lots of yummy spices including onion powder, garlic powder, cumin, chili powder, and smoked paprika are what add mega flavor.
See recipe card below for full ingredient list.
Substitutions and dietary modifications
- Gluten free: Simply use gluten free breadcrumbs and buns
- Beans: You can certainly make these with cannelini beans as well.
- Spice level: Bump up the spices or tone them down if you're looking for spicier or more mild burgers!
How to make vegan burgers from scratch
- First, make a flax egg to help bind the burgers. A black bean burger without egg is possible!
- Then mash the beans in a mixing bowl. Add breadcrumbs, spices, and flax egg.
- Form into 6 patties. Pan fry on a skillet in a bit of olive oil (my favorite) or bake in the oven.
- Enjoy on a bun with toppings! I love lettuce, tomato, onion and guacamole. Plus sweet potato fries, duh.
Why do black bean burgers fall apart?
If you don't have enough binder (think flour, breadcrumbs, ground nuts, flax eggs, etc.) your burgers will likely crumble when you cook them. This recipe is chock full of binding agents for a nice firm end result!
I've found that if I freeze the uncooked patties for 20 minutes prior to cooking, they hold together extra well.
Can you grill these?
Yes, you should be able to throw these bad boys on the grill! Just be sure the grates are well greased.
Storage tips
Store leftover burgers in the fridge for up to 4 days.
How to freeze
Of course! To freeze veggie burgers, place cooked burgers on a parchment lined baking sheet. Transfer baking sheet to the freezer and allow them to freeze for about 45 minutes.
Place burgers in a freezer safe bag and freeze for up to 3 months. Let them thaw overnight in the fridge then give them a quick sear in the skillet. Dinner is served!
Please let me know how this vegan black bean burger recipe turns out for you by leaving a star rating and/or comment! I hope you adore it as much as I do.
And can we all agree that chopping onions without contacts in is equally as bad or worse than putting the big fitted sheet back on your bed?!
Print
Super Firm Easy Vegan Black Bean Burgers (No Chopping!)
- Prep Time: 10 mins
- Cook Time: 15 mins
- Total Time: 25 mins
- Yield: 6 burgers
- Category: Main Meals
- Method: Stovetop
- Cuisine: American
- Diet: Vegan
Description
Easy Vegan Black Bean Burgers, no chopping required! Super firm, packed with flavor, and way better than boxed. Gluten free option!
Ingredients
- 2 tbsp ground flaxseed + 3 tbsp water
- 2-14.5oz cans black beans, drained and rinsed
- 1 cup Panko breadcrumbs
- 2 tsp onion powder
- 1 tsp garlic powder
- 2 tsp cumin
- 2 tsp chili powder
- 1 tsp smoked paprika
- ½ tsp kosher salt
- ½ tsp ground black pepper
- 2 tbsp sriracha
- Oil/cooking spray, for cooking
Instructions
- Place flax and water in a small bowl. Set aside to thicken.
- Place beans in a large bowl. Mash with a potato masher or fork until most beans are broken up, leaving some whole beans in tact. Add breadcrumbs, onion powder, garlic powder, cumin, chili powder, smoked paprika, salt, pepper, sriracha, and flax mixture. Stir until well combined.
- Form into 6 tightly packed patties. You can refrigerate them until you are ready to cook or cook them right away.
- Warm a skillet over medium heat. Once hot, add a drizzle of oil. The oil is ready when a drop of water sizzles. Cook burgers for about 6 minutes per side, or until golden brown. If baking, bake at 350F on a parchment paper lined baking sheet for about 10-12 minutes per side.
- Serve on a bun with yummy toppings!
Photos by The Nutritious Kitchen.
Laura says
One of the best and easiest black bean recipes I have tried so far! I caramelized onion in the pan first and then cooked the patties in that oil! Served it on a lettuce boat with sriracha Cole slaw! Yummmy! I wish I could post a picture!
Alexis Joseph says
Mmmm caramelized onions sound FANTASTIC! Thanks a ton, Laura!
Jonthan Holmes says
I tried this with black beans and would like to use another bean. Would this work on any other kind of beans?
Alexis Joseph says
I think chickpeas or a white bean would work just fine!
Laura Smith says
I made these tonight for 4th of July & they turned out great. I made a few substitutes: diced 2 pieces multi-grain bread for breadcrumbs; used no-salt seasoning instead of salt; and added my own hot pepper puree instead of sriracha. I formed them square to eat on bread instead of a bun and baked them on parchment paper @ 375 degrees - maybe 20 min on first side and 5 on the other. I turned them very carefully and they held together well. We ate one on multi-grain bread with mustard, avocado, sun dried tomatoes, red onion, mushrooms & lettuce. We each ate a second one, but without more bread_ and we had two left over for another time. They were just what I wanted. Thanks!
Alexis Joseph says
Love your modifications, they sound amazing! Thanks so much for the review, Laura.
Prithi says
I love the recipe as it is but I also tried subbing in chickpeas instead of black beans. I changed the spices a little, as well, using cumin, coriander, garlic, onion powder, parsley, and cayenne for a quick and easy falafel burger!
Alexis Joseph says
Oh wow, I love that! I'm going to have to try your version next 🙂
Kate G says
Super yummy! We cooked ours on the grill and they turned out great!
Alexis Joseph says
Ohhhh awesome news that they work on the grill!
Janie Rose says
Really impressed, some of the best I’ve tasted & super easy to make.
Alexis Joseph says
Heck yes!!
Ellie says
These were delicious! Definitely have a major kick to them so be prepared! Stuck together great and tasted even better.
Alexis Joseph says
Yay! Thanks for letting me know, Ellie 🙂
Ty Kelley says
these were amazing
Alexis Joseph says
Thanks a ton, Ty!
Ivanna says
Just tried these tonight and they taste great! I had to add a little seasoning, and I think the amount of beans is way more than necessary for 6 patties.
Alexis Joseph says
Awesome! I make 6 hefty patties but you can totally make more.
Lexi Stromberg says
So easy and delicious! One of the best veggie burgers I’ve had!
Alexis Joseph says
I'm SO glad you liked them, Lexi! Thanks a ton for the review 🙂
Bridgette says
SO GOOD. Held up amazingly and such good flavor. Could literally eat this every day. Can't wait to add it to my reg meal prep rotation!!
Alexis Joseph says
Wahoooo!
Lynn says
When did you update/modify the recipe? I had printed it a few years ago and wanted to check on something and noticed ingredient amounts have changed (and even one now gone - vegan worcestershire sauce).
Please indicate that a recipe has been updated! Makes it easier for all of us 🙂
Alexis Joseph says
Hey Lynn, it was updated probably a year or two ago.
Andrea says
So glad to see this comment...I thought I was going crazy! These are my favorite black bean burgers but I miss the worcestershire sauce. I feel like that was an important part of this recipe. Can you remind us how much was used in the original recipe (which I've lost)?
Thank you
Alexis Joseph says
I edited this to make it a simpler recipe, sorry about that! I don't recall the original amount but I'm guessing it was around a tablespoon.
Marie says
These were great! They can get a little crumbly if handled too much. My advice is put them on the griddle, set a timer for 7 minutes, flip, set a timer for 5. Then serve. Don't fuss with them and they're perfect. I made them completely salt free because my in-laws who are on a strict salt-free diet were here. They're were still so flavorful! I had mine sans bun with a good tangy sauce on top and it was perfect. Thanks for a good, quick, VEGAN black bean burger that holds up just fine with omnivores 🙂
Alexis Joseph says
Heck yes! I appreciate your thoughtful comment, Marie. Love that they're omnivore-approved!
Hope says
Wow, these were great. I did not have black beans, so I used Great Northern beans. You saved lunch today. I doubled the flax seed on accident, and these held together well.
Alexis Joseph says
Great to know! Thanks for the review, Hope!
Kendall Wimberley says
I used this recipe to make ~100 veggie burgers for a club event at my university! Everyone loved them!!! So simple but tasty 🙂
Alexis Joseph says
Oh wow! That is so impressive! Thanks for letting me know, Kendall!
Sarah says
This recipe is so easy to make and the burgers came out delicious! Super simple ingredients and they stuck together perfectly without falling apart or being too sticky to handle. Definitely will make again??
Alexis says
Thanks a ton for the feedback, Sarah! 🙂
Carla Freeman says
This was very tasty. I used mixed greens, vegan mayo and vegan cheddar cheese as a topping. I will be making again. Thank you for sharing!
Alexis says
I'm so glad you liked them, Carla!
Christa Claridge says
Just made this for myself and my daughter, who is totally new to this vegan thing. She absolutely loved it and said she would prefer this burger over a meat burger! I drained and rinsed the beans, and baked them at 325 for 15 minutes. I substituted the onion powder with dried chopped onion and the garlic powder with chopped garlic. I had no sriracha, so I used a little hot sauce instead. Other than that, I pretty much went with this recipe and the burgers were firm and delicious, cooked on the grill.
Alexis says
How awesome! Thanks a ton for such great feedback 🙂
Kori says
These are foolproof & amazing! The best homemade bean burgers I’ve made.
Alexis says
Yayyyy I'm so glad you liked them!!
debbyseven says
I've tried many black been burger recipes. This one is similar except for the flax seed which I prefer. It adds to the texture. I know some posts are over 2 years old, but it you're getting mushy burgers, do the following: (1) blot the beans with paper towels to remove all the moisture and (2) bake the burgers. Do not fry (yuck). You'll save a billion calories if you bake them (exaggerated for emphasis). Bake them on parchment paper at 350 degrees for 12 min. Flip, and bake them for another 10-12 min. You will NOT have mushy burgers. Also, cut up the parchment paper to use between each burger and freeze them. Microwave 1.5 to 2 minutes before using them.
Punam Paul says
Beautiful and appealing photo and nutritious burger. Do I have to still wait preparing this? Going to kitchen. My Son lovers burgers and I found his today's dish.
Harm says
This has been my go-to recipe for over a year now since it binds together better than other ones I've tried and the flavor is phenomenal.
I use a can of chickpeas and kidney beans now since I prefer the texture over black beans.
Jose Espericueta says
Nice! Thanks for the recipe. Amazing flavor. I followed it to the letter except for the Worcestershire sauce, which I didn't have. I used 'beef bouillon' (the better than bouillon, vegetarian kind). It seemed to work. I did think that the inside of the burgers was a little soft, but still really good. I might like to try baking them next time.
Alexis says
Thanks so much for the feedback, Jose!
Nicole says
Hi there! I would love to make this recipe for a group of vegan friends. Is there a way I can replace the flax egg with a chia egg? If so, what would be the correct proportions? Thank you so much!
Alexis says
Hey there! Flax is vegan but if you want to use chia it should be the same amount. Enjoy!
[email protected] says
This is by far my absolute favorite veggie burger recipe. Great flavor and texture which are so necessary and yet so hard to find. Thank you so much for sharing!
Alexis says
Thank you so much Lyn!!
Ewa says
This was my first attempt at a homemade burger. We were amazed!!! I will NEVER buy frozen burgers again. There was really littlet effort in making these and they were just delicious. My meat eating, bean hating husband was also super impressed. My 10 year old said I should only make these after just one bite. Thanks for the recipe! By the way, we had your amazing lasagna last night. I will definitely be trying more of your recipes.
Marlene says
It was good. Make sure allow time for the prep work. The flex egg worked well for a binder. I added diced onion instead of powder. Next time I will add fresh garlic instead of garlicmpowder. I added Soy Sauce for favor. I ended up using a little more Panko as it needed more to form the burgers. My nonvegeterian tried a bite and said it was Swanson’s nicely. I will be a Cheddar cheese on top.mmi am going to grill mushrooms, onions, green pepper onomatopoeia. Lettuce and then tomatoes.
This was my first attempt at black bean burgers. Thank Younfor an easy recipe. I will be freezing a few for a quick meal. It will be inter sting to see if my Hubby notices that they were made fresh instead of a frozen veggie burger.
Pinky Patel says
Wow! These burgers re SO DELICIOUS! Thank you for sharing this recipe. I made it without garlic powder and onion powder, and replaced the worcestershire sauce with soy sauce.
Alexis says
Yayyy I love your substitutions! So glad you liked them.
Eli says
All I can say is Wow! I've tired so many black beans burgers and these are far by the best, and the best part is they're so quick and easy to make!
Alexis says
Yay! I'm so glad!
Laura says
I put off making Veggie Burgers because the recipes so often look time consuming. Thanks for this super quick and easy recipe- it will be my go to from now on. I had some hummus that was expiring and used that in place of some of the beans. Came out great. Yum!
Brad Paul Lloyd says
I just made this - super easy!! I put two in the fridge to make tomorrow night and I froze 4 (raw) to take with us camping next week. I'll let you know how they cook up!
Raksha Kamat says
Addition of flaxseed makes this burger a healthy one.
Super beautiful clicks.
carol says
Finally a burger that stays together! I did not have any gluten-free breadcrumbs, so I used GoGoQuinoa's Flakes of Quinoa. I also used Coconut Soy Substitute.
Linda says
soooo yummy! and crispy!
Alexis says
Just the way we like 'em 🙂
Kristy says
Hi! I have just made a batch and they are AMAZING! I wondering whether they freeze okay? (uncooked of course) I am currently making a meal-prep 30 day challenge for my mamma and she would love these! <3
Alison says
Can you use blended up oats instead of bread crumbs?
Alexis says
I haven't tried it, but it sounds like a possibility! The texture may be different.
Jodie says
Will these still hold together if baked instead of fried?
Alexis says
I haven't tried it, sorry!
Cliff says
Made these tonight. Love them. Thank you for the recipe. First veggie burger (of many) I've attempted that actually held together. My search is at an end 🙂
Alexis says
Heck yes! Can we get an AMEN for burgs that stick together?!
Brenda says
These are soooo good! Made this past weekend for Memorial Day and again for dinner tonight. Best easy black bean burger recipe ever. Thanks again for sharing it!
Megan says
These are probably one of the first veggie burgers I've seen that actually looks like a burger! Sounds so good too. I'll def be making soooon!
Liz @ I Heart Vegetables says
These look awesome!!! I don't usually make my own veggie burgers because they always end up so crumbly! I can't wait to try these!
Lauren @ The Bikini Experiment says
Actually meant to leave 5 stars. Veggie burgers that hold together are 5 star worthy! xo Lauren
Lauren @ The Bikini Experiment says
Sending this recipe to my mother. She is always on the look out for a veggie burger that actually holds together.
Lauren says
Not getting the veggie patty to be firm is so annoying so this is good news these are firm burgs!
I had the most amazing vegan burger in Japan. It was dripping in toppings and the patty was super firm, although I do think it was made out of some weird soy meat - oh well, yolo.
And putting the top sheet on is the worst. I hate doing that ha!
Rebecca Lwin says
Perfect, Alexis!! No chopping?? No pre-cooking?? I totally need these in my life! xxx
Jaymie says
Hey lil' mama!
Was making these for dinner(as we speak) how much chili powder(it's not in ingredient list)? And when does the flax/water mixture come into play? Hahahah..mine are currently cooking and I look over and my mixture is still on the counter! Bahahahha! Smells delish!
Beverley Knight says
OMW. These are so good. Our family loves the burgers and we'll be making them again.
Alexis Joseph says
Yesss! That is awesome news. Thanks for telling me, Beverley!
Alexis Joseph says
Hey again Bev! If you'd be so kind as to leave a star-rating, I'd really appreciate it! It's super helpful for other readers. Thanks again!
Beverley Knight says
Perfect burgers!
Alexis Joseph says
Thank you, Beverley!
Caitlyn @SoDamnGood says
Cant wait to try these babes!
Victoria says
An easy veggie burger? Yes please! Plussss you made it look so dreamy, which is SO hard with veggie burgers!
Kelly @ Eat the Gains says
Crumbly veggie burgers are the worst! Looking forward to trying these!
Dietitian Jess says
Saving this to send to my little sister- this fall she moves into her apt for college and needs easy and delicious vegetarian recipes!
Gail Martin says
Do you freeze them before you cook them or after?