Southwest Black Bean Burger. This Southwestern-style black bean burger is everything to love! It has an amazing texture and the flavor is a 10/10. Step aside all your other mushy flavorless vegetarian burgers! Try these, and I promise you will want them on your meal plan rotation!

Do you need a good side dish to go with your burger? Let me make a few suggestions that our family loves. I will never turn down a twice-baked potato, they are just too good! Honey Sriracha brussel sprouts are a sweet and spicy option. Cajun mashed potatoes are another one we really love!

What Makes This Recipe Work?

I have tried making black bean burgers several times, and all those previous burgers have been utter failures. They were mushy and the flavor was just off. I don't particularly care for any of the store-bought burgers either. To remedy this situation with a little testing and I finally came up with a spicy (or not) black bean burger that is really perfect! I am ready to share everything I learned in testing.
These are not the boring burgers you might be expecting. The Southwest flavors are so good!
These burgers are pretty simple to make. Sure, they take a little time, but nothing too complicated.
I make these burgers gluten-free. I know there are many people now with intolerances and allergies to gluten.

🥘 Ingredients

Cooked black beans- I like to cook mine myself, but buying them canned saves time! Make sure they are drained.
Olive oil- or other neutral oil.
Onions- chopped for sauteing.
Bell peppers- for sauteing as well.
Minced garlic- what would a southwestern burger be without garlic?
Garlic powder, chili powder, cumin, black pepper, oregano, cayenne, salt- It is quite a list of the spices, but worth it. This is one of my favorite combos of flavor.
Eggs- if you want to make this vegan, you can always make the flaxseed egg substitute instead.
Oat Flour- Keeping this gluten-free
Cotija- I love this salty cheese!

🔪 Instructions

Woman pouring black beans onto a baking sheet.

bell peppers and onions sauteing in a nonstick pan.

Woman pouring black beans into a food processor.

Drain your black beans. Pat the dry and pour them onto a parchment-lined baking sheet. Bake for 15-20 minutes to dry them out and remove moisture.
To a small pan, add your olive oil. Heat and add in the chopped onions and peppers. Saute until they are just tender.
Let beans and peppers cool slightly before mixing it all together. You don't want to cook the eggs.
Add all ingredients to a food processor. Pulse several times. I like a few chunks in my burgers, so I don't pulse until it is smooth.
I baked my burgers, so I scooped and pressed them onto a baking sheet. Form them and move to the oven.
Bake, then remove from the oven and serve.
Topping your burger is such a personal thing, I hardly dare make recommendations... I will say I kept mine simple with lettuce, tomatoes, and red onions. This would have been delicious with avocados, a corn salsa, or something else amazing like that.

💭 Top tips

Here are a few things to know about making the perfect burger:

You want to remove as much liquid from the ingredients beforehand before forming and baking the burger. My least favorite black bean burgers are MUSHY!
To do this, bake your beans for a bit. You don't want them completely dry, but you do want a majority of the moisture taken out.
I also saute the veggies used in the burgers. This removes moisture from the veggies as well.
Then don't add too much flour to the mix. You don't want it mushy, but you also don't want it dry!
While you can make these ahead of time, I think they are best fresh. They will hold well in the fridge for up to 5 days in an airtight container. Or in the freezer for up to 1 month.

📖 Variations

If you like a little more spice in your burger, add in about 2 teaspoons more of cayenne pepper. Or you can also mix in about 2 tablespoons of finely chopped chipotle peppers.
Maybe you want a black bean burger that doesn't have the southwestern spices. No problem. For a more neutral-flavored burger, add the black beans, 1 teaspoon onion powder, 1 teaspoon garlic powder, 1 teaspoon salt, ½ teaspoon ground black pepper, 2 eggs, and ¼ cup oat flour to the food processor.
You can also do a Mediterranean burger with feta, minced garlic, oregano, and green olives. So good!
Or how about a BBQ burger? Spice it with BBQ sauce, brown sugar, garlic powder, and cayenne pepper.

Follow me on Instagram!

For more inspiration

A Red Spatula

Black bean burgers

Amy Sandidge

These are such a great, non mushy burger! Seriously, the flavor is so good!

5 from 2 votes

Print Recipe Pin Recipe

Prep Time 20

Cook Time 15

Total Time 35

Course Main Course

Cuisine American

Servings servings

Ingredients

4 cups cooked black beans
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 cup chopped onions
1 cup chopped bell peppers
2 tablespoons minced garlic
2 teaspoons salt
1 teaspoon garlic powder
2 teaspoons chili powder
1 teaspoon cumin
½ teaspoon ground black pepper
1 teaspoon oregano
1-2 teaspoons cayenne pepper this is optional. If you prefer a milder burger, add less, or cut this out all together.
2 eggs
½ cup oat flour if you prefer, use bread crumbs here
½ cup grated cotija if you prefer, use a grated Monterrey, Monterrey jack or even cheddar.

Instructions

Preheat the oven to 325 degrees.
Drain and rinse the black beans. Pat dry. Don't stress about getting them completely dry, just fairly dry.
Spread the beans on a parchment-lined baking sheet. Place in the oven and bake for about 15 minutes until the beans are split and dried out.
While they are drying out, start your veggies. Heat a small saute pan over medium heat. Add olive oil and heat. Add onions, peppers, and whatever other veggies you are using. Saute for about 5 minutes and add the minced garlic. Continue to cook for another 2-3 minutes.
By now, your beans should be just about done. Pull them from the oven, then turn the oven up to 375 degrees, if you are baking. If not, check the other instructions below. Allow the veggies and beans to cool a few minutes before moving on.
Next, add the veggies to a food processor. Pulse once or twice, just to break them up a little more.
To them add the flour and pulse once or twice. This will help to continue to cool down the veggies. Add remaining ingredients and pulse several times until it is mixed up. Be careful not to overmix. You still want chunks of beans, so don't mix too much.
Next, I used a scoop to get the same-sized burger. So scoop, then flatten slightly on the baking sheet. Bake for about 5 minutes, then flip the burgers and bake for 5 minutes on the other side.
If you prefer other cooking options here are 2 I like:
Cooking in a skillet or electric griddle. Heat pan or griddle over medium-high heat. Coat lightly with the oil of choice. Once the pan is good and hot, add burgers. Cook for about 3 minutes per side.
Cooking on the grill is a little more tricky. Form your burgers and freeze for about 5 minutes while the grill is heating. Heat grill on high. Grease grates and add burgers. Cook for 2-3 minutes per side. Serve immediately.

Notes

ou want to remove as much liquid from ingredients beforehand before forming and baking the burger. My least favorite black bean burgers are MUSHY!
To do this, bake your beans for a bit. You don't want them completely dry, but you do want a majority of the moisture taken out.
I also saute the veggies used in the burgers. This removes moisture from the veggies as well.
Then don't add too much flour to the mix. You don't want it mushy, but you also don't want it dry!
While you can make these ahead of time, I think they are best fresh. They will hold well in the fridge for up to 5 days in an airtight container. Or in the freezer for up to 1 month.

Keyword black bean burgers, black bean recipes, vegetarian burgers, vegetarian food

Tried this recipe?Let us know how it was!