The Best Black Bean Burgers

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The best black bean burgers are topped with mozzarella cheese, avocado crema, and roasted red peppers making a tasty vegetarian burger.

This recipe was originally posted in July 2012.

Years ago I entered a burger contest at Giant Eagle Market District in Pittsburgh. They had two categories; a beef burger category and a vegetable burger category.  I entered a black bean burger in early June in hopes I’d hear something later in the month.

They ended up having hundreds of entries.  From those entries they chose 10 beef burgers and 10 vegetable burgers to make and be judged.  Then they came up with the top 3 in each category to compete at the store in early July.  Imagine my surprise when I ended up placing first with my Black Bean Burgers.

Now I’ve made several vegetarian burgers and sandwiches before.  My favorite is the Fried Tofu Sandwich with slaw.  Another is the Best Veggie Burger made with beans and nuts. I also have made a grilled Vegetarian Pulled Pork Cuban sandwich before. 

When coming up with the recipe for this Award Winning vegetarian burger I took elements of the best black bean and veggie burgers I’ve eaten and combined them together. 

For the actual burger I used black beans as a base.  I mashed half of them and kept the other half of them whole.  This helped to make a more structurally sound burger patty.

Can I use a different type of beans?

I tried several different types of beans in these burgers and found black beans to be my favorite.  However you could use one can of black beans then a can of another bean.   Beans that would work in these burgers would be cannellini, pinto, or kidney beans.

I also added fresh herbs to the burger.   I think this helped elevate the flavor as well.  If you don’t have fresh herbs you can use dried, but the fresh taste better in this burger. 

Can I use different herbs in the burger?

You can certainly use a variety of herbs in this burger.  In fact, the last time I made it I simply went out into my yard and grabbed what I had growing.  This was cilantro, parsley, chives, and oregano.  I used them all and the burger tasted great.  If using a full quarter cup of herbs I would stick to the ones I just mentioned but if you want to add a little thyme, sage, or rosemary go for it!

The burger needed a binder to hold it together so I used an egg and breadcrumbs.  The amount of breadcrumbs you use may vary depending on how mashed your beans are.

Can I make the burger vegan?

You can make these burgers began.  Simply omit the egg and use either a few tablespoons of tapioca flour, flax eggs, or a few tablespoons of chia seeds.   Then you want to use a vegan cheese on top.  When making the avocado crema use a vegan sour cream.   That will make this burger vegan.

Once the burger was ready to go I looked at toppings.   Since this burger was in a contest I went a little over the top.  You can serve the burgers on their own or just throw a slice of cheese on them but if you make all the elements it’s really delicious.

I roasted red peppers to use both as a topping and in the burger.  It added a nice mellow sweetness.   Then I topped the burger off with a slice of mild mozzarella cheese.

The best topping is the avocado crema.  It’s easy to make and it’s so bright and fresh.  Plus it adds a nice pop of color to the burger.

Ingredients:

• red bell peppers
• olive oil
• canned black beans (or one can black beans and one can of another bean)
• breadcrumbs (I used seasoned ones but you can use plain)
• egg
• ground cumin
• dried oregano
• salt and pepper
• garlic cloves
• jalapeno (optional if you like spice)
• onion
• fresh cilantro
• fresh parsley

To make the black bean burgers the first thing you need to do is roast the red peppers.  Preheat the oven to 450 degrees.   Quarter your red peppers and place on a small baking sheet.  Drizzle with olive oil.  Bake for 20-30 minutes or until the start to char.   Remove from oven and cool.

Cut one of the peppers into strips to serve on top of the burgers.   Dice the remaining pepper to use in the black bean burger.

Place one can of the drained black beans in a large bowl and mash with a fork. 

In a small bowl combine the egg, cumin, oregano, salt, pepper, and garlic cloves. 

Add the egg mixture, breadcrumbs, remaining black beans, diced red peppers, cilantro, parsley, and onions to the bowl with the mashed black beans.   Gently stir together until just combined.  Place the mixture in the refrigerator for 15-20 minutes.

When ready to make the burgers divide the black bean mixture into 6 black bean patties. Pack them into burgers about 3/4 inch thick. Heat 1 tablespoon of olive oil in a large skillet over medium high heat and place the burgers in the pan. Cook until brown on one side, about 5 minutes, then carefully flip and cook for an additional 5 minutes. Remove from pan and create your burger with the toppings.

My Burgers won’t stick together, what can I do?

If your burgers aren’t sticking together you can add in more breadcrumbs to see if that helps. I also make sure my pan is pretty hot before I put them in and check that the bottom is very brown before flipping so that it holds together.  If you are really worried you won’t be able to flip them you can spray a pan and cook the burgers in the oven instead of on the stove top. 

I like to put my cheese on the burger for the last 1-2 minutes of cooking so that it melts on the burger but you can put it on at the very end instead. 

This burger is so good, even on it’s own.   It’s a little spicy from the jalapeno, a little sweet from the red peppers, and the avocado crema adds a delicious flavor with bright notes.   It’s pretty much the perfect combination of everything.

Can you make these burgers ahead of time?

You can make the avocado crema up to two days ahead of time.   You can make the black bean mixture up to 24 hours ahead of time and just refrigerate it until you are ready to cook the burgers.

These burgers are so tasty that even my meat eating friends have enjoyed them.   There’s so much flavor in them and once they cook they firm up and taste and look more like a burger.

After winning first place several of the judges came up to talk to me and tell me what they liked about the burger.  Many of them liked the avocado crema on top of the burger.  A few enjoyed the jalapeno in the burger.   I was also told fresh herbs were a good choice.

So the next time you need a vegetarian dinner option, give these award winning Black Bean Burgers a try!

The Best Black Bean Burgers

Delicious vegetarian black bean burgers topped with roasted red peppers, cheese, and avocado crema.

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Prep Time: 30 minutes minutes

Cook Time: 30 minutes minutes

Total Time: 1 hour hour

Servings: 6 burgers

Author: Hezzi-D

Equipment

• 1 food processor
• 1 baking sheet
• 1 Mixing Bowl
• 1 large skillet

Ingredients

For the burgers:

• 2 Tablespoons olive oil
• 2 red bell peppers stemmed, seeded, and cut into quarters
• 2 15 oz cans black beans, rinsed and drained
• 3/4 c. Italian seasoned breadcrumbs
• 1 egg
• 1 teaspoon ground cumin
• 1 teaspoon oregano
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon black pepper
• 3 garlic cloves minced
• 1 jalapeno seeded and minced
• 1/4 c. fresh cilantro minced
• 1/4 c. fresh parsley minced
• 1/4 c. onion minced

For the avocado cream sauce:

• 1 avocado pitted and cut into strips
• 1/2 c. sour cream
• 2 garlic cloves minced
• 1 teaspoon cumin
• 2 Tablespoons lime juice
• 2 Tablespoons cilantro minced
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon black pepper

For the toppings:

• 6 slices mozzarella cheese
• 1/2 c. arugula
• 6 brioche buns

Instructions

• Preheat the oven to 450 degrees.
• Place the quartered red peppers on a baking sheet. Drizzle with 1 Tablespoon olive oil. Bake for about 20 minutes or until the skin is beginning to char.
• Remove the roasted red peppers from the oven. Cut half of them into strips and set aside to cool. Dice the other half of the peppers to use in the burgers.
• Place 1 can of the drained black beans in a large bowl and mash with a fork.
• In a medium bowl combine the egg, cumin, oregano, salt, peppers, and garlic. Stir to combine.
• Add the egg mixture, breadcrumb mixture, remaining black beans, dice roasted red pepper, cilantro, parsley, and onions to the bowl with the mashed black beans. Stir together until combined.
• Place the mixture in the refrigerator for 15 minutes while making the avocado crema.
• Place all the ingredients for the avocado crema in a food processor. Processor until smooth. Remove to a small bowl and refrigerate until ready to use.
• Divide the black bean mixture into 6 black bean patties. Pack them into burgers about 3/4 inch thick. Heat 1 tablespoon of olive oil in a large skillet over medium high heat and place the burgers in the pan. Cook until brown on one side, about 5 minutes, then flip and cook for an additional 5 minutes.
• Remove from pan and set on a plate.
• To serve place the black bean burger on a brioche bun. Top with a slice of mozzarella cheese, 4 strips of the reserved roasted red pepper, and a few tablespoons of arugula. Spread a tablespoon of the avocado cream on the top of the bun and place on top. Enjoy.

Notes

A Hezzi-D Original Recipe