I’ve made a lot of veggie burgers over the years, but classic black bean burgers are making their debut here today. The secret weapon is using barbecue sauce two ways. We work it into the patty mixture itself and then brush it on both sides during grilling for a caramelized, sticky finish. Keeping this to 10 ingredients was tough for me. You may already know that I love to add all the things! Serve these alongside my corn, tomato and avocado salad for a satisfying plant-based cookout spread.
Drying out the black beans in the oven is a crucial step that cannot be skipped with this recipe. It removes excess moisture which helps the burger bind and taste better. We also use that oven time to roast the onions and garlic in spices. This gives the patties an extra edge of savory depth.
These burgers are held together by three crucial binders: ground flax seed, oat flour, and cooked mashed potato. The flax seed acts as a glue, the oat flour absorbs excess moisture, and the mashed potato adds starchiness that helps everything hold together without drying out.
I do insist on putting the finished patties in the freezer for 20 minutes before grilling. This firms them up significantly. Use that time to get your buns and toppings sorted.
The grill needs to be on medium — even the lower end of medium. No ripping hot grills here please! The lower temperature cooks the interior more evenly while still getting a good crust on the outside. Brush both sides with barbecue sauce in the final minutes for that caramelized, sticky finish. This extra step goes a long way.
Grillable Vegan Black Bean Burgers (10 Ingredients)
Ingredients
Vegan Black Bean Burgers
- 19 oz (561 ml) can black beans, drained and rinsed (about 1 ¾ cups beans total)
- 1 medium onion, chopped
- 2 cloves garlic, chopped
- 1 teaspoon paprika
- 1 teaspoon ground cumin
- 2 teaspoons olive oil, plus extra
- 1 tablespoon ground flax seed
- ¼ cup oat flour
- 2 tablespoons barbecue sauce, plus extra
- 2 teaspoons vegan Worcestershire sauce
- ⅓ cup cooked mashed potato
- salt and ground black pepper, to taste
For Serving
- burger buns or big iceberg lettuce leaves
- sliced tomato
- sliced red onion
- ketchup, mustard, vegan mayo etc.
Equipment
- Food Processor
Notes
- My favorite vegan-friendly Worcestershire sauce is Lord Sandy’s brand.
- The grill really needs to be on medium–even the lower end of medium–to cook these. The lower heat still browns the outside while getting the inside cooked through as well. Do not rip it on high!
- To cook these without a grill, I recommend heating a cast iron skillet over medium-low heat. Pour in some olive oil and swirl it around. Sear the burgers for 5-7 minutes per side–until evenly and deeply golden brown. Then brush a side with BBQ sauce, flip it over to caramelize for about a minute, and repeat with the other side.
- These burgers can also be baked in a 400 oven for about 15 minutes! Brush a bit of oil on each side and flip them over halfway through.
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350°F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
- Place the drained black beans on ⅔ of the baking sheet, spreading them out into a single layer. Place the chopped onion and garlic on the other ⅓ of the baking sheet. Sprinkle the paprika and cumin over the onions and drizzle with the olive oil. Give the onions a toss until all evenly coated and spread out into a single layer.
- Pop the baking sheet into the oven and bake for 20-25 minutes, or until beans have dried up/cracked open significantly and onions are slightly browned and soft. Allow to cool.
- While the black beans and onions are roasting, place the following items in a food processor fitted with the “S” blade: ground flax seed, oat flour, 2 tablespoons of barbecue sauce, vegan Worcestershire sauce, cooked mashed potato, and a good amount of salt and pepper.
- Once the black beans and onions have cooled, transfer them to the food processor. Pulse until the mixture becomes thick and slightly unified. Avoid over processing! There should be whole black beans in the mix still and it should hold together when pinched. Give the mixture a taste. It should be flavourful and well seasoned! Adjust seasoning if necessary.
- Portion the black bean burger mixture into 4 even patties that are about ¾ of an inch thick (I don't recommend going thicker than this). Place the veggie burgers on a plate or baking sheet and pop in the freezer for 20 minutes.
- When you’re ready to cook, preheat the grill to medium for 10 minutes and oil the grates see notes for non-grill options). Retrieve the burgers from the freezer and place them on the grill. Brush the top facing sides with oil. Let the burgers cook on one side for 6-7 minutes, or until browned and releasing from the grates. Flip them over and repeat the 6-7 minute cooking process on the other side.
- Brush the browned, top facing side with barbecue sauce and flip over to get some caramelization for about 1 minute. Repeat this process with the other side.
- Serve the vegan BBQ black bean burgers hot with buns, toppings, and sides!
Really loved these and they were so easy to make!
These are great. I didn’t have oat flour so I put old fashioned oats in my mini prep and processed the oats until they were the consistency of flour. I also added sun dried tomatoes. They were packed in oil, so I rinsed all the oil off, patted them dry, they added a little tang. I have never made black bean burgers so I poured through many recipes, I’m so glad this is the one I picked!
I’m RVing all summer so no oven but plenty of grill time! Do you think I could used dried black beans? Or could the microwave be an option to dry canned beans out enough?
Do you have the nutritional breakdown for these burgers? Thanks
BEST black bean burgers. They are so flavorful and grill perfectly and don’t fall apart!! They freeze really well which made them perfect for meal prep! I’m going to double the recipe and freeze them for lazy grill days!! Perfect!! Go make them!!
We scored a grill at a yard sale last week and made these burgers last night – so good! I made a few tweaks: I used mashed sweet potato instead of potato, added a few chopped mushrooms to the sheet pan & burger mix, swapped breadcrumbs for oat flour, and I used hoisin and oyster sauce since I didn’t have Worcestershire or bbq sauce. Delicious!
Great flavor! These burgers definitely hold their shape during cooking. Note: I did not grill them only because I was testing out my new toaster oven, but I have 2 burgers leftover that I will grill up for lunch. Yum!
These burgers are so fast and flavourful! I scooped the cracked beans into the food processer when they were ready and boosted the oven to Broil to crisp the seasoned onions and garlic for five minutes before adding them. I pulsed everything only until the ingredients came together and were still chunky. I didn’t feel like dirtying a cast-iron frying pan, so I brushed the burgers with olive oil on both sides, put them back on the same parchment-paper-lined cookie sheet, and baked them in a 400-degrees F oven for 7 minutes on each side. Topped toasted whole-wheat muffin halves with a burger, homemade coleslaw and vinaigrette, tomato slices, and lettuce leaves. Thanks for another great recipe, Laura!
This was an absolutely delicious vegan burger! I learned something new today, dry your beans in the oven! That was a game changer so thank you for those instructions. The burgers came together so quickly and literally the only homemade vegan burger I made that actually holds together!! The flavors were incredible so much so that I literally ate it with lettuce, tomato, no condiments! Perfect summer meal and I cannot wait for my kiddos to try them. Thank you!
These sound delicious! What would you recommend as a sub for oat flour?
Janelle,
I’m honestly not sure. I think any wheat-based flour (all purpose, spelt, kamut) would substitute directly and work fine. You could probably also utilize the same amount of dry, store-bought bread crumbs. I have not personally tested any of these options, so cannot guarantee results.
-L