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These baked Vegan Black Bean Burgers are filled with heart-healthy ingredients, oil-free, and hold together perfectly. They can also be frozen ahead of time for a quick weeknight dinner.

The trick to making a FIRM black bean burger:
I’ve been experimenting with veggie burgers for years, and have eaten far too many “mushy” burgers- blech!
After a lot of research and trial and error, I learned that the trick to a firm veggie burger is to remove as much moisture as possible before cooking.
You can try it the fast way, but unfortunately, you’ll end up with a burger that’s mushy and won’t stay together very well. In order to get that perfect veggie burger, you’ll need to put in a little extra time (but still not much effort!).
The key is to dehydrate/dry the beans beforehand in the oven and cook the veggies first to release some moisture (and pat dry). And the result? A delicious, firm Black Bean Burger that won’t fall apart at first bite.
How to make this vegan black bean burger:
To start, preheat your oven to 375 F degrees. Then prepare a baking sheet covered in parchment paper. Add the black beans (rinsed and drained) to the baking sheet. Note: these Instant Pot Chipotle Black Beans are also an excellent option instead of canned beans.
Bake the beans for 18-20 minutes, which will release much of the moisture. Remove the beans from the oven and immediately transfer them to a food processor. Set the baking sheet aside and save the parchment paper if desired (you’ll use it again later). Or you can use a new sheet.
Meanwhile (while waiting for the beans to cook) prepare your flax egg. In a small bowl, combine 2 tablespoons ground flaxseed and 3 tablespoons water. Stir and let sit for 5 minutes.
Next, you can chop the onion and mushrooms. I highly recommend dicing them in this Kitchenaid Hand Blender. It makes life so much easier! Or just grab a knife.
Then, in a medium skillet over medium-high heat, add 1 tablespoon unsalted vegetable broth, garlic, onion and mushrooms. Cook for 5-6 minutes, or until onions are translucent.
Remove from heat and transfer the veggies to a plate covered in paper towel. Place another paper towel on top and carefully (it’s hot!) press down to remove as much moisture as possible from the veggies. Again, the less moisture the better. Transfer the veggies to the food processor.
To the food processor (with the black beans and veggies), add the flax egg, oats, corn, smoked paprika, salt, ketchup and whole grain mustard. Process for 1 minute until combined thoroughly.
Form the burger mix into patties, about 1/2 inch thick with your hands (they will be sticky). Place each patty on the parchment paper/baking sheet and press down to flatten a bit. There should be about 10 patties total for this recipe.
Bake for 35-40 minutes at 375 degrees, carefully flipping burgers with a thin spatula 20 minutes into the baking time.
Serve each burger on a toasted bun with onion, tomato, lettuce, pickles, etc. Maybe even cook up a side of these Crunchy Baked Onions Rings to go with it!
You can also freeze these burgers before baking. I would recommend freezing them on a baking sheet individually first (until firm), then stacking them up (with parchment paper in between) so they don’t stick together and place in the freezer again.
If you try these Vegan Black Bean Burgers, please let me know! Leave a comment, rate it, and tag your photo with #veggie__chick on Instagram. I just love to see my recipes being made in YOUR kitchen!
Vegan Black Bean Burgers
Pin RateIngredients
- 2 15-ounce cans organic black beans, rinsed and drained (you can also use these Instant Pot Chipotle Black Beans)
- 1 tablespoon unsalted vegetable broth
- 2 garlic cloves - minced
- 1/2 medium yellow onion - finely diced
- 5 ounces white button mushrooms - finely diced (about 1 1/4 cups diced)
- 1 flax egg= 2 tablespoons ground flaxseed + 3 tablespoons water
- 1/2 cup steel cut oats - uncooked (can use gluten-free)
- 1 cup sweet corn (can use either fresh - canned-drained or frozen-unthawed- remove any moisture
- 1 teaspoon smoked Spanish paprika
- 1/2 teaspoon sea salt
- 1 tablespoon ketchup
- 1 tablespoon whole grain dijon mustard
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 375 F degrees. Prepare a baking sheet covered in parchment paper. Add the black beans to the baking sheet and bake for 18-20 minutes or until beans are steaming and starting to dry out. Remove from oven and transfer the black beans to a food processor. Set the baking sheet aside and save the parchment paper if desired (you’ll use it again later).
- Meanwhile, while waiting for the beans to cook, prepare your flax egg and chop the onions and mushrooms. To make the flax egg, in a small bowl, combine the 2 tablespoons ground flaxseed and 3 tablespoons water. Stir and let sit for 5 minutes.
- Then, in a medium skillet over medium-high heat, add 1 tablespoon unsalted vegetable broth, garlic, onion and mushrooms. Cook for 5-6 minutes, or until onions are translucent. Remove from heat. When cooled, transfer the veggies to a plate covered in paper towel. Place another few pieces of paper towel on top and carefully (it’s hot!) press down to remove as much moisture as possible from the veggies. Transfer the veggies to the food processor.
- Next, to the food processor (with the black beans), add the flax egg, oats, corn, smoked paprika, salt, ketchup and whole grain mustard. Process for 1 minute until combined.
- Form the burger mix into patties, about 1/2 inch thick with your hands (they will be sticky). Place each patty on the parchment paper/baking sheet. There should be about 10 patties total for this recipe.
- Bake for 35-40 minutes at 375 degrees, carefully flipping burgers with a thin spatula 20 minutes into baking time. Serve each burger on a toasted bun with onion, tomato, lettuce, pickles, etc. These burgers are best served immediately, or you can store in an airtight container in the fridge for 2-3 days.
Notes
Nutrition
Update Notes: This post was originally published in March 2017, but was republished with tips and FAQs in September of 2019.
Papelle says
Hi Christin:
Looks yummy. I plan to make these soon, topped with pineapple salsa. One question though: what size can of black beans did you use? 15 oz or a larger one.Both are common here.
Christin McKamey says
Hi Papelle, it is a 15 ounce can of black beans. Thank you!! =) The pineapple salsa sounds delicious! Enjoy.