The BEST Vegan Black Bean Burgers! [+VIDEO]

This vegan black bean burger is bound to become your new favorite! It’s made with simple ingredients, it’s packed with flavor, easy to make and most importantly, it tastes delicious! These burgers are perfect for an easy weeknight dinner or weekend cookout. They can even be prepared in advance!

I’ve been making this vegan black bean burger recipe since I initially went vegan back in 2017. This was actually one of the very first recipes on my blog and since then I’ve experimented with a number of different variations to see if I could make it better and y’all, I’ve done just that!

So If you’ve never had a homemade black bean burger, stop what you’re doing right now and run to the store to go get these ingredients! Grab some fries to go on the side while you’re at it 😏

Ingredients You’ll Need to Make Vegan Black Bean Burgers:

• flax eggs – flax eggs are simply made from water and ground flaxseed meal. In a lot of vegetarian black bean burger recipes you’ll notice that they often use an egg. Well since that’s not an option, we’ll be substituting with a flaxseed egg to act as our binder, making sure that our burgers don’t fall apart on us!
• Black Beans – what’s a vegan black bean burger without beans?! For ease, I’ve only used canned black beans to make this recipe, but I can’t imagine why you wouldn’t be able to use soaked black beans as an alternative. You may need to add one extra flax egg if doing so to make up for the loss of the extra liquid utilized in the canned black beans.
• Breadcrumbs – for this recipe I’m using regular, plain breadcrumbs, but you can also substitute with whole wheat breadcrumbs or even panko.
• Red Onion – I love the flavor that red onion provides, but you could also substitute with a white or yellow onion if needed.
• Seasonings: Salt, Black Pepper, Garlic Powder, Onion Powder, Burger Seasoning, Chili Powder – seasonings are what’s gonna make this burger pop, so don’t feel like you’re going to over do it! I love using this combination of seasonings, but you can also feel free to customize your vegan black bean burgers by using your own seasoning blends that you enjoy.
• BBQ Sauce – I like to stick with original flavored BBQ sauces, but you can customize this recipe by using whatever you have on hand to give it a unique flavor.
• Liquid Smoke – I love adding liquid smoke to recipes like this to add a subtle smokey flavor.
• Oil – you can use any oil you prefer to cook your patties as long as it’s neutral (grapeseed oil, olive oil, vegetable oil…etc)
• Burger Buns for serving (optional) – not in the mood for bread? You could toss these on a lettuce wrap as well!
• Preferred toppings (vegan cheese, lettuce, tomato, onion…etc.) – truly make this burger your own by adding your favorite burger toppings.

How to Make Vegan Black Bean Burgers

Making these vegan black bean burgers is easy and I’m confident you’ll think so too! The first thing you’ll want to do is gather up all of your ingredients. There’s nothing worse than getting halfway through a recipe only to realize that you don’t have everything you need.

Next, begin prepping your ingredients: make the flax egg, dice your red onion, measure out your spices, open your canned black beans… etc. This will ensure that when you’re ready to begin putting everything together, it’s a smooth, seamless process.

Once all of your ingredients have been prepped, you’re ready to begin! Preheat your pan to medium heat so that it’s ready when needed.

In a large bowl add your canned black beans that have been mostly drained, along with the breadcrumbs. Stir these two together until well combined. Use a potato masher or the bak of a fork to mash the mixture until most of the beans are mashed, but not all of them. There should still be some whole beans in the mixture.

Add the seasonings, diced red onion, flax eggs, bbq sauce, and liquid smoke. Use a spoon to stir everything together until the mixture is well-combined. At this point you’re ready to start making your patties! To do so, use a 1/2 measuring cup to retrieve the black bean mixture from the bowl, then use your hands to make a patty in your desired shape/thickness.

You can opt to shape all of your patties at once, or you can make as many as you need for the moment and store the rest of the mixture in the fridge for future use so that they can be made fresh.

Add some oil to your preheated pan and transfer the vegan black bean burger patty to the pan. Cook on both sides for 3-4 minutes or until browned. Once finished cooking, remove from heat and serve immediately with your favorite burger toppings and sides. Enjoy!

Vegan Black Bean Burger FAQs

Are vegan black bean burgers gluten-free?

Because of the breadcrumbs, this recipe is not gluten free, but can be made gluten free by using gluten free breadcrumbs instead of regular ones, as well as using a gluten free burger bun.

Can this recipe be made in advance?

Yes, the recipe can be made ahead of time. Prepare the mixture as instructed below and place it in an airtight container in the fridge. The next day simply prepare the patties and cook them.

Can I cook these black bean burgers on the grill?

Yes! You can absolutely cook these burgers on the grill. They hold up quite nice!

Can I freeze this recipe?

I haven’t tried freezing them yet, but will do so and report back soon!

I don’t have flaxseed meal, can I substitute with another egg replacement?

I haven’t tried another egg substitute personally, but I think substituting with a chia seed egg or vegan egg replacement like JUST Egg would work in a pinch.

How long do black bean burgers keep?

These vegan black bean burgers can keep for up to 5 days in the fridge when stored in an air tight container.

What can I serve along with black bean burgers?

I’m so glad you asked! You can always serve these burgers alongside some fries, but you could also make a spread with the following recipes:

• Classic Southern Vegan Potato Salad
• 4 Cheese Baked Mac and Cheese
• Easy Avocado Black Bean Corn Salad
• Easy Spicy Mayo Grilled Corn
• Grilled Vegetable Skewers
• Easy Vegan Coleslaw
• Easy Vegan BBQ Baked Beans

I know you’ll love these delicious vegan black bean burgers! They’re full of flavor, easy to make and don’t disappoint when it comes to flavor! Give this recipe a try and let me know what you think in the comments below!

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Recipe and photos were updated on 3/24/24. Originally published on 7/17/2017.

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5 from 10 votes

The BEST Vegan Black Bean Burgers! [+VIDEO]

A savory, seasoned black bean burger made with simple ingredients and bursting with flavor!

Course Main Course

Cuisine American

Keyword Black Beans, Burger, Grill

Prep Time 24 minutes minutes

Cook Time 22 minutes minutes

Total Time 46 minutes minutes

Servings 6 Burgers

Ingredients

• 2 flax eggs (2 tbsp flaxseed meal +5 tbsp water)
• 2 15 oz cans Black Beans (drained, not rinsed)
• 1 Cup Breadcrumbs
• ½ Red Onion chopped
• Salt to taste
• Black Pepper to taste
• 1 tbsp Garlic Powder
• 1 tbsp Onion Powder
• 1 tbsp Burger Seasoning (or preferred all-purpose seasoning)
• 1 tsp Chili Powder
• ⅓ cup BBQ Sauce of choice
• 6-8 drops Liquid Smoke
• 1-2 Tbsp Oil (for cooking patties)
• Burger Buns for serving (optional)
• Preferred toppings (vegan cheese, lettuce, tomato, onion…etc.)

Instructions

• Mix together water and flaxseed meal and set aside to thicken.
  2 flax eggs
• Transfer the black beans to a large mixing bowl along with the breadcrumbs. Stir to combine.
  2 15 oz cans Black Beans, 1 Cup Breadcrumbs
• Use a potato masher or the back of a fork to mash the beans. There should still be a few whole black beans visible.
• To the same bowl add all seasonings, red onions, bbq sauce, flax egg, and liquid smoke. Stir to combine.
  ½ Red Onion, Salt, Black Pepper, 1 tbsp Garlic Powder, 1 tbsp Onion Powder, 1 tbsp Burger Seasoning, 1 tsp Chili Powder, ⅓ cup BBQ Sauce, 6-8 drops Liquid Smoke, 2 flax eggs
• Add some oil to a pan on medium heat.
  1-2 Tbsp Oil
• Once warm, use a ½ measuring cup to retrieve some of the mixture from the bowl and use the palms of your hands to make a patty of your desired size.
• Transfer the patty to the heated pan and cook on both sides until browned. Repeat as necessary until all burgers have been cooked.
• After the patties are finished cooking, remove from heat immediately, dress them with your favorite burger toppings and serve immediately. Enjoy!
  Burger Buns, Preferred toppings (vegan cheese, lettuce, tomato, onion…etc.)

Video

Original photo: