Hearty vegan black bean burger with lots of flavors! These tasty veggie burgers are a healthier fast-food option that is perfect for lunch or dinner. The recipe is plant-based, gluten-free, easy to make, and satisfying for vegans, vegetarians, and even meat-eaters!
A homemade burger without meat is not as complicated as you might think. Many ingredients are suitable as a meat substitute, for example, mushrooms or jackfruit. Seitan (wheat gluten) is also a popular meat alternative, but since it’s not gluten-free, it’s a no-go for people with celiac disease.
In my opinion, it’s actually healthier to use beans. And you can decide for yourself whether you want to use black beans or another type of bean.
Simple Ingredients
I chose simple ingredients that you most likely already have at home.
- Black beans – they add a wonderful texture and contain plant-based protein and a lot of fiber. You could use kidney beans instead.
- Sunflower seeds – they also contain protein, but also some fat (flavor enhancer). Furthermore, they add a nice crunch to the burger patties. You can, of course, use nuts such as walnuts or cashews instead of sunflower seeds.
- Oats – choose regular oats or gluten-free oats. Without them, the veggie burgers would turn out too mushy. As an alternative, normal wheat flour would probably work, but I haven’t tried it yet.
- Tomato paste – adds a lovely taste and also holds the mixture together.
- Soy sauce – it adds a delicious umami flavor! Make sure to use gluten-free soy sauce if needed or choose Tamari or coconut aminos instead of soy sauce.
- Garlic and onions – they are quite important for the great taste and also very healthy.
- Different spices – I mainly chose spices that are flavorful, such as onion powder and smoked paprika.
All ingredients with measurements are in the printable recipe card below!
How To Make Vegan Black Bean Burger?
STEP 1: First, mix the ground chia seeds with the water in a small bowl and set the mixture aside for 5 minutes. It will thicken and furthermore serves as an egg replacement. You could also use ground flax seeds instead of chia seeds.
STEP 2: In the meantime, rinse the beans very well in a sieve and then drain them. I also recommend patting dry the beans.
STEP 3: Now, process the oats and the sunflower seeds in a food processor or blender (use the pulse function). I use this food processor which I love!
STEP 4: Next, add all the other ingredients to the food processor and mix again. However, don’t over mix, as the burgers should still have some texture.
STEP 5: Form 4 burger patties with your hands. If the mixture is too sticky, you can simply add more oats. If it’s too dry, add a little water.
STEP 6: Heat some oil in a large frying pan and put the four burger patties in it. Fry them on both sides which takes about 12-15 minutes in total. You can also grill the bean burgers but I would recommend freezing them first (for about 30 minutes) to firm up!
Tip: Brush some vegan barbecue sauce or Sriracha onto each black bean burger pattie after flipping! It adds an even more delicious flavor and it furthermore makes the burgers look juicier.
STEP 7: Assemble the veggie burgers with burger buns of your choice and add fresh ingredients such as onion rings, tomato slices, cucumber slices, fresh lettuce leaves, and vegan cheese. Serve with homemade crispy Oven-Baked Potato Wedges.
These vegan black bean burgers are firm on the outside but soft and juicy on the inside. If you want them to be firmer on the inside, you can simply bake the patties in the oven at 375 °F (ca. 190 °C) for about 15 minutes.
Can I Freeze Black Bean Burgers?
Yes, you can freeze the burger patties! It’s best to fry them and then freeze after they have cooled. You can keep them in the freezer for up to three months. Once you want to eat the burgers, you can put the patties directly in the pan without defrosting them.
These Veggie Burgers Are:
- Vegan (meat-free)
- Gluten-free
- Easy to make
- Healthier than a burger from a fast-food restaurant
- Protein-rich
- Nut-free
- Flavorful
- Spicy
- Hearty
- Not crumbly – they don’t fall apart
- Can be baked in the oven (see recipe notes)
Should you give this vegan black bean burger a try, please leave a comment and rating below and don’t forget to tag me in your Instagram or Facebook post with @elavegan and #elavegan because I would love to see your veggie burger! ????
Do you love vegan finger foods? Then make sure to also check out my other delicious vegan and gluten-free recipes:
- Crispy Polenta Fries
- Homemade Taco Cups
- Black Bean Quesadillas
- Vegetable Fritters
- Roasted Cauliflower Steaks (Vegan Schnitzel)
- Oven-Baked Tacos
- Easy Vegan Taquitos
- Buffalo Chickpea Taquitos
Vegan Black Bean Burger
Ingredients
Burgers:
- 1 15 oz can (270 g) black beans drained and rinsed (see notes)
- 1/2 cup (60 g) sunflower seeds (see notes)
- 2/3 cup (60 g) oats (gluten-free if needed)
- 1 tbsp (30 g) tomato paste
- 1 1/2 tbsp soy sauce (gluten-free if needed) or tamari
- 3 garlic cloves minced
- 1/2 large (65 g) onion chopped
- 3 chia eggs or flax eggs (3 tbsp ground chia seeds + 1/4 cup water)
- 2 tsp onion powder
- 2 tsp smoked paprika
- 1/2 tsp ground cumin
- 1/4 tsp red pepper flakes or less/more to taste
- 3/4 tsp sea salt or less/more to taste
- Black pepper to taste
- 3 tbsp fresh parsley finely chopped
Other Ingredients:
- Oil for frying
- Vegan barbecue sauce (optional)
- 4 burger buns regular or gluten-free
- Fresh veggies of choice e.g. tomatoes, lettuce, onion, cucumber
- Vegan cheese
- Dressing of choice (see notes)
Instructions
- Mix 3 tablespoons ground chia seeds with 1/4 cup of water in a small bowl and set the mixture aside for 5 minutes to thicken. If you don't have ground chia seeds, simply blend whole chia seeds in an electric spice/coffee grinder or blender for a few seconds.
- In the meantime, rinse the canned beans very well in a sieve, then drain them and pat dry.
- Process the oats and the sunflower seeds in a food processor or blender (use the pulse function).
- Next, add all the other ingredients to the food processor and mix again. Don't over mix, as the burgers should still have some texture.
- Form 4 burger patties with your hands. If the mixture is too sticky, you can simply add more oats. If it's too dry, add a little water.
- Heat some oil in a large frying pan and add the four burger patties. Fry on both sides until they firm up. It will take about 12-15 minutes in total. Check the oven method in the recipe notes below. Tip: Brush some vegan barbecue sauce or Sriracha onto the burgers after flipping them! It adds an even more delicious flavor and it furthermore makes them look juicier.
- Assemble the black bean burgers with burger buns of your choice and add fresh ingredients such as onion rings, tomato slices, cucumber slices, fresh lettuce leaves, avocado (guacamole), etc. I also added my Easy Vegan Cheese Sauce. Serve with homemade crispy Oven-Baked Potato Wedges, and Vegan Onion Rings.
Notes
Video Of The Recipe
- Beans: You can use canned beans that are already cooked or cook dry beans until soft (which takes a while though).
- These vegan black bean burgers are firm on the outside but soft on the inside. If you want them to be firmer on the inside, you can first pan-fry the burger patties and then bake them in the oven at 375 °F (ca. 190 °C) for about 15 minutes.
- Oven method: Place the patties on a lined baking sheet, brush or spray with some oil and bake in the oven for about 25 to 30 minutes or until they reach the desired firmness. Flip halfway through and brush with vegan BBQ sauce.
- Sunflower seeds: You can use nuts such as walnuts or cashews instead of sunflower seeds.
- Check the recipe for my delicious Vegan Thousand Island Dressing.
- Store leftover burger patties in an airtight container in the refrigerator (up to 3 days) or freeze for up to 3 months.
- Read the blog post above for more helpful tips.
- Recipe adapted from my Vegan Meatballs.
- Recipe serves 4. Nutrition facts are for one serving (only burger patties).
Nutrition information is an estimate and has been calculated automatically
Iain
Just made them, today for the 1st time they are very nice one of the best burgers i’ve had, so easy to make, very healthy very cheap. thank you for your recipe, they will be made every week.
Ela
That makes me so happy! Thanks for your great feedback. 🙂
Arzu
i just made it my 2 year old ate it , he surprised me . and it was so good, thank you ela
Ela
Awesome, I am glad he liked it! 🙂
Melinda
Hello Ela,
I made these yesterday and they are very good!
Even my fussy eater 23months old son ate half of a patty:)
Thanks for the recipe
Ela
That’s awesome, Melinda! I am glad you liked the recipe. 🙂
Lara
Hi, is there 275kcal per 100g of burgers? It’s written per serving, but I’m not sure what does that mean in grams?????
Ela
Hi Lara, it’s for one of four burger patties (1/4 of the recipe) as mentioned in the recipe notes. I didn’t weigh them. 🙂
Joanne
I usually dislike veggie burgers but these are wonderful! I didn’t have tomato paste so I threw in some salsa and used walnuts which I had on hand. I used the oven method. Thanks for another tasty and easy recipe.
Ela
My pleasure, Joanne! I am glad you loved the burgers. 🙂
Diana
Si amazing! Thanks for sharing!
Ela
🙂
Sarah
hi Ela, would ground flax seeds work as a sub for the ground chia?
looking fwd to making these!
Ela
Yes, that should be fine, Sarah! 🙂
Sheena
Hi Ela,
Thanks for sharing the recipe. Are they replacements that you can suggests for the nuts and seeds as I’m allergic?
Ela
Hi Shena, not sure if you can eat peanuts as they are actually legumes and not nuts. Other than that you can just leave them out and add 2 tablespoons of oil for taste. 🙂
Catalina
Sorry, i have a question. Do you use cook beans or raw?
Thanks
Ela
I used canned beans as mentioned in the recipe. Canned beans are always cooked. 🙂
Gladys
Hello, thank you for sharing your recipe. I see that many people choose to bake, air fry or pan fry the patties.
What is your suggestion about these being cooked on a grill?
Thank you.
Ela
Hello Gladys, you can also grill the burgers, but I would recommend freezing them first (for about 30 minutes) to firm up! 🙂
Caitlyn
I plan on making these sometime this week! I’m looking for a recipe that’s freezer friendly so I don’t purchase frozen, store bought as often and these look delicious! Also a fan that this uses ingredients I always have on hand. One question- does it matter what pats I use? Quick oats or rolled oats?
Thank you!! ????
Ela
Hi Caitlyn! You can use quick oats or rolled oats, both work fine in this recipe. I hope you will like the burgers. 🙂
Fawna
I have made this for my family about 1/2 a dozen times over the past couple months! My daughter says this is her absolute favorite meal! Thank you so much! We went whole food plant based back in February and your recipes are ones we make every week and are our favorite! Thank you so much!
Ela
Wow, I am so glad you love my recipes and this one in particular! Thanks so much for your amazing feedback. 🙂
Manuela
OMG — SOOO YUMMY !!!! They turned out perfect. I doubled the recipe. I served them on a pancetta roll, with baby spinach, red cabbage, sliced tomato, your Vegan Thousand Island Dressing & Easy Vegan Cheese Sauce … just DELICIOUS !!!!
Ela
Sounds fantastic! I am so glad they turned out delicious. Thanks for your amazing feedback, Manuela. 🙂
Sego
Hi! Thanks for this. We made them and they were tasty! The problem though was that we all suffered from stomach cramps.. Could it be the uncooked beans? We soaked them over night before hand. Looking forward to your comments as we would like to give it another shot..
Thanks again!
Sego
Ela
Hi Sego, did you use dry uncooked beans instead of canned beans? I hope you didn’t. The recipe says “One 15 oz can (270 g) black beans drained and rinsed“. Canned beans are always cooked.
Jamie
Yes probably why you all had stomach cramps uncooked beans are actually very bad for you. But I don’t understand how you chewed them?
Chloe
Hey, Ela! ????
Your recipe is amazing, as always! ☺️
Awesome flavor, great texture, simple and easy-to-find ingredients, and very, very fun to make! Although everything went relatively well, there was a minor, lets call it, “problem”; while I fried the patties in a pan without oil, they seemed to get cooked really fast, like in less than three minutes; however, their inside remained rather mushy. Why do you think this may have happened? Let me share with you three point which I believe may had been involved in this:
❶ I think I had overmixed the batter; It came out texture-less and
❷ I hadn’t used oiled while frying, and
❸ Before frying, I had refrigerated the patties for about an hour (although I don’t think this may have been the problem here)
I strongly believe one of the two first doings (or both) had something to do with the patties being almost burned on the outside, but uncooked on the inside.
Overall, the recipe is simply amazing, delicious and on top of all, healthy! ????
Once again, thank you for your contribution to healthy vegan lifestyle ????
Ela
Hello Chloe, thanks for your feedback! I am so glad you loved the flavor and texture. 🙂
To answer your question, I think it’s because you didn’t use oil and the over mixing most likely also didn’t help. Next time make sure not to over mix and also cook with a little oil at lower heat. If you don’t want to use oil, you can bake them in the oven after frying them in the pan. I mentioned this in the middle of the blog post and I will copy and paste it for you:
Hope this helps. 🙂
Much love,
Ela
Chloe
Thank you for your kind answer, Ela! ????
Well, I suppose you are right – overmixing was surely not a good idea.
You know, I thought of baking them in the oven after frying, but after an incident a month ago I’m really afraid to bake plant-based meat alternatives like falafel, burgers, etc???? I made some greek Soutzoukakia with chickpeas, and with tomato sauce and baked them, but I accidentally overbaked and they came out extremely firm and hard-to-eat. Since that day, the thought of baking food like this gives me nightmares????
However, I’ll keep your advice in mind; thank you sincerely for all your work❤️
Ela
You are very welcome, Chloe! I hope the next version will turn out much better. 🙂
Devon
Hi Ela,
Thanks for the awesome recipe. I love the creations you post.
One question as I think I am misunderstanding.. is it 3 x flax eggs (each flax egg has 3 tbsp of flax and 1/4 cup of water) so times that by three (9 tbsp flax, 3/4 cup water)?
Thanks,
Devon
Ela
Hi Devon! It’s 3 tablespoons ground flax seeds mixed with 1/4 cup (60 ml) water. 🙂
Hope this helps.
Much love, Ela
Camilla
These turned out amazing! I had to used some lentils, as I didn’t have enough beans. Thanks for sharing the recipe!
Ela
Sounds great, Camilla! So clever to add lentils. 🙂
Céline
Ciao Ela!
Thank you for this delicious recipe.. but how did you do to make these perfect round-shaped??
Ela
I am glad you loved the recipe, Céline! I just shaped the patties with my hands. 🙂
Rishika
The fat content in this is really high at 15% . If I grilled them or pan fried without out what would the far content?
Ela
Quite similar! If you want a low-fat version then leave out the sunflower seeds. It will be less flavorful though!
Adam
Hey Ella, looks amazing!
Wanted to ask about the GF bun, is there a recipe for that as well?
Ela
Hey Adam! Thank you. 🙂 The one in the photos is store-bought, however, I have a recipe for Homemade Gluten-Free Buns and for Homemade Gluten-Free Vegan Bread. The bread is also yeast-free and you can use the recipe to make buns. Hope this helps. 🙂
Ela
Maitena
Hi Ela! This is a great recipe, so thanks a lot for sharing! In my country it’s really hard (not to say impossible) to find gluten free oats, and I’ve got celiac disease. Do you know of any ingredient I could use to replace them? Thanks a lot for what you do!
Ela
Hi Maitena! I believe you could use cassava flour or maybe even arrowroot flour. I haven’t tried these flour alternatives, but I know that regular wheat flour works, and we just need a flour that will thicken the mixture. Let me know if you give it a try. 🙂
Kenefollet
Thank you for sharing this recipe.
Ela
You are very welcome! I hope you will enjoy the burger. 🙂
Jenni
Are the oats supposed to be cooked or uncooked before adding them to the processor?
Ela
Hi Jenni, they are uncooked. Please check the step-by-step process shots in the middle of the blog post. I hope this helps! 🙂