Black Bean Burgers – Taking the BBQ Back

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Possibly the toughest recipe any vegan or vegetarian to tackle is a black bean burger recipe.
It doesn’t sound like it should be a difficult recipe, and yet every vegetarian cook knows the deception of a food processor full of black bean sludge that can’t be made into a burger patty.
And if you don’t make the veggie burgers yourself, you’re stuck with frozen patties, and those just don’t make the cut.
Sure, there are plenty of other options at the BBQ – potato salad, grilled veg kebabs, halloumi cheese, salted corn, garlic bread, baked potatoes, – but I have always found veggie burgers subpar (don’t get me started on soy sausages).
So it became a mission of HurryTheFoodUp to create the best veggie burger recipe. A veggie burger that we’ll truly look forward to having on the barbie.
(That’s thanks to all the delicious ingredients like cumin, paprika and sun-dried tomatoes.)
And so, here it is. A wonderful black bean veggie burger. That doesn’t fall apart!
It holds together really well, and no longer will your vegan BBQ option be the laughing stock of the party as they slip through the grill to slowly reduce to ash in the coals at the bottom.
If you’ve ever wondered how to make black bean burgers, this is the recipe for you!




Vegan black bean burgers?
During the several (many) test runs of this black bean burger recipe, one of the iterations came about when I’d run out of eggs.
I hadn’t noticed until I had a full mixing bowl and a ravenous hunger, so I was determined to make the mix work, with or without the egg. And it did!
It was quite simple, truth be told. I opted for a ‘flax egg’ – quick and fantastic as a binder. Flax is a good source of omega 3, too.
Just mix 1 tablespoon of flax seeds with 3 tablespoons of hot water, stir, and let settle for a minute or two. You have a flax egg. That was it, and the results were perfect.
Egg is/was the only non-vegan item in this recipe, so simply replace them with the flax eggs and you’re sorted – you have made your veggie burger recipe into a vegan burger recipe.


These black bean patties are an excellent source of protein
With or without the eggs, these burgers are an excellent source of protein – one of the biggest worries for vegans or vegetarians (and we should know, we’ve done countless research surveys on the topic!).
The star of this recipe, black beans, are an incredible source of plant based protein. In fact just one cup of black beans contains 15g of protein!
You can find out exactly how much protein you need in our High Protein Vegetarian Meal Plan.
So this vegan black bean burger recipe is a fabulous source of protein in your vegan diet. If being high in protein wasn’t enough, black beans are also a fantastic source of fibre.
Fibre can help to keep hunger at bay and regulate blood sugar levels, but many of us just don’t get enough of the stuff.
These veggie burgers pack in 4g per serving, and this article from Harvard has some great tips on increasing your fibre intake in other ways too.
Enjoy your vegetarian barbeque!

Easy black bean burger recipe FAQs
How long will these veggie burgers keep in the fridge?
After cooking, the patties will keep for around 2 days in the fridge.
How do I freeze bean burger patties?
We’ve not actually tried freezing these meatless burger patties yet, but would recommend wrapping in foil and freezing for up to 3 months.
If you plan to freeze the mixture before cooking, make sure to place something like parchment paper between each patty to stop them from sticking.
Can I make the patties ahead of time?
Definitely! You can make your patties and store them in the fridge up to 1 day before you plan to cook them – perfect for making ahead of a BBQ.
Can I bake them instead?
We haven’t tried baking this black bean veggie burger recipe yet, but if you do want to try we would recommend cooking at around 200°C/390°F for 15-20 mins, and cook for longer if needed.
What goes with black bean veggie burgers?
You can serve these up as you would any burger – with your favourite bun, veggies and condiments. We went for the traditional sesame bun, sliced tomato, salad and burger sauce – delicious!
Check out our favorite vegetarian barbeque recipes, if you need some inspiration!
What our readers are saying
This is the BEST black bean burger recipe I have ever tried! I never get on food sites and leaves comments but I just had to this time! Bravo!! And thank you!!!
Amy ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
This is my go to black bean burger recipe because they are easy to make and tasty too. Thanks for making life as a vegan easy . If you haven’t made these yet go for it…they are yum.
Anne-Marie Boyle ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
This is, by far, the BEST veggie burger I’ve had. I’m a meat eater but I’ll always have these on hand! Have shared it with many friends.
Danielle Lennon ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

And a final note: our new ebook is out! Breakfast in Six is full of exclusive vegan and vegetarian recipes (we take care of gluten-free and high-protein too) that have never been seen on our site. They’re really quick and use only six or less ingredients. It’s time to take breakfast up a level.
Ingredients
- ¼ cup rolled oats
- 1 eggs (use ‘flax’ eggs to make vegan. One flax egg = 1 tbsp flax seeds mixed with 3 tbsp hot water and stirred)
- ½ can black beans (1 regular can = 15oz = 425g)
- ½ tsp salt
- 1 tsp cumin, ground
- 1 tsp paprika powder
- ½ small red onion
- 1 tsp olive oil
- ¼ cup sun-dried tomatoes in oil
- ¼ cup dried breadcrumbs
For Assembling
- 4 slices cheddar cheese
- 4 burger buns
- 1 handful arugula/rocket
- 2 tomatoes
Sauce
- 1 avocado
- 3 tbsp low fat Greek Yogurt
Instructions
- Rinse and drain the black beans. Add to a food processor. Alternatively, crush the beans with a fork/masher.½ can black beans
- Dice the red onion and sundried tomatoes and add to the food processor/bowl.½ small red onion, ¼ cup sun-dried tomatoes in oil
- Next, add the oats, eggs, salt, cumin, paprika, olive oil and breadcrumbs. Blend.¼ cup rolled oats, 1 eggs, ½ tsp salt, 1 tsp cumin, ground, 1 tsp paprika powder, 1 tsp olive oil, ¼ cup dried breadcrumbs
- If mixing by hand, add the breadcrumbs a little at a time until you’re left with a nice, firm mixture. If you don’t need to use all the breadcrumbs, that’s totally fine.
- Heat up some olive oil to medium heat in a frying pan.
- Take a small handful of the mix with a bigger spoon and place it into the pan. Mold into a patty shape.
- Cook for about 7 minutes on each side, turning occasionally.
Sauce
- In a bowl mash the avocado and mix in the yogurt. Add a little salt.1 avocado, 3 tbsp low fat Greek Yogurt, ½ tsp salt
Assembling time
- For extra happiness place the slices of cheddar onto the burger patties and cook until it starts to melt. Toast the burger buns.4 slices cheddar cheese, 4 burger buns
- Assemble the burger with arugula/rocket, sliced tomatoes, avocado sauce. Enjoy!1 handful arugula/rocket, 2 tomatoes
Hello,
We wanted to make it for on the barbecue but the consistency is too soft and they fall apart instantly. Is the recipe made for pans instead?
Oh, I’m sorry the result was bad! They also work for grills, definitely in a pan. They should definitely not be too soft before they go onto the bbq.
Delicious burgers!
Woohoo, thanks Cath! I’m glad you enjoyed them!!
I made these tonight for dinner with some roasted Brussels sprouts and was so amazed how they DID NOT fall apart and tasted great too!!! Thanks for sharing this recipe with us! I will make it again. I made them with eggs but does it also still stay together with the flax seed egg?
Woohoo, I’m happy to hear the black bean burgers turned out so well for you, Shannon! Yes, when I tested them with flax eggs it worked well, too 🙂 enjoy!
My son loves these burgers. He is a vegetarian 1.5 year old but necessarily by choice, he has a rare allergy to meat. I am not vegetarian myself so it was hard to cook vegetarian having never done it before. Also being 1 1/2 he isn’t too keen on veggies so I have had to be super sneaky and creative on getting him his protein and nutrients. I have tried other black bean burger recipes but this is by far is the best. Thank thank thank you for making my life a tad but easier!
Ah Courtney, thanks so much for taking the time to leave this comment!! We’re really happy that the recipe works so well for your son!!
I make my own black beans so do you have any idea how much is in “half a can”?
Do I include bean liquid or drain and rinse the beans?
Hi Kathe, 1 can is a bit more than half a cup. Best is drained and rinsed, yes 🙂
This is, by far, the BEST veggie burger I’ve had. I’m a meat eater but I’ll always have these on hand! Have shared it with many friends.
Woohoo, thanks Danielle! SOOOO happy to hear that. And thanks for sharing!!
This is my go to black bean burger recipe because they are easy to make and tasty too. Thanks for making life as a vegan easy . If you haven’t made these yet go for it…they are yum.
Hi Anne-Marie – so happy to hear it! That’s awesome. And thank you too for writing 🙂