These spicy and juicy Black Bean Burger recipe is a fabulous vegan option for the BBQ, or bake in the oven for a comfort food supper.
If you're dusting off your BBQ in readiness for the next Bank Holiday weekend, you might be looking for some easy veggie and vegan recipes to spice things up a bit.
Here's a juicy and flavour-packed burger which won't fall apart on the BBQ, and which you can make and freeze in advance. What more could you ask for?
I've been testing out some homemade vegan burger ideas this week, and this black bean and jalapeño combination has definitely been my favourite.
And it is all the better topped with creamy smashed avocado, alongside all your favourite burger toppings. I love mine with a bit of Vegan Coronation Coleslaw with a side of Vegan Potato Salad, (we sometimes serve this combination in the middle of winter so we can pretend we're having a BBQ!!).
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Look how quick and easy these are to make.... chuck it all in and mix, then shape into burgers.
📝 What you need
Ingredients
Black beans You can use any sort of tinned bean here but I love using black beans - partly because of their lovely almost 'meaty' texture, but also their dark almost purple colour which makes these burgers look so appetising!
Spring onions are so fresh and give a 'burrito bowl' flavour to these lovely burgers.
Jalapeño slices You're looking for little jars of sliced jalapeños that are usually in the Mexican section of the supermarket. They give both a kick of heat and a lovely pickle flavour. If you can't find any, fresh chillis will work fine here too - use one de-seeded chilli for a mild burger, or two for a spicy one!
Breadcrumbs are what binds the burger together. People often ask how you possibly make a burger without an egg to bind it, but the combination of beans and breadcrumbs makes these nicely firm, and they don't fall apart when cooking - bonus!
Lime gives more freshness and another taste of Mexico, as does fresh coriander.
Soy sauce gives a rich savoury 'umami' flavour as well as deepening the colour - you can use a low-salt version if you prefer, but I think you do need a good level of salt to bring out the flavours so add a little more as you're combining the ingredients.
Tahini is a paste made of sesame seeds, one of the main flavours in hummus. It gives more savoury flavour to these burgers and also helps with binding. If you can't get hold of any, any nut butter will work well in its place.
Equipment
You can either mash the black beans for these burgers by hand, or use a food processor or mini chopper. They are really handy bits of kit to have in the kitchen.
For small chopping or blitzing jobs I use my Breville Active Compact Food Processor* which at £30 is a bargain and really handy for all sorts of quick tasks in the kitchen.
Or for bigger jobs or larger batches for the freezer, I will get out my Magimix Pro Food Processor* which has three different sized bowls for any size job. (This one was a gift for review from Magimix some years ago, but I’m a big fan and haven’t ever been paid to say so!)
❄️ Freezing your burgers
These burgers are perfect for freezing! Why not make up a big batch at once?
To freeze, just layer the burgers with a square of greaseproof paper or baking parchment between. You can then bake, fry or BBQ - the recipe below gives options for all three (so you can enjoy them whatever the weather!).
Reader Testimonials
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ "Made these last night, they were so good. My carnivore partner had homemade beef burgers, then ate half of one of these and said mine tasted far superior, win!" Penoir
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🍽 If you liked that...
.... you might also enjoy these vegan recipes from The Veg Space:
📖 Recipe
Black Bean Burger with Jalepeños
Ingredients
- 2 tins black beans,(400g each) drained and rinsed
- 4 spring onions
- 12-14 slices jalapeño (from a jar)
- 175 g breadcrumbs (crumbs from 4 slices of bread)
- 1 lime juice and zest
- 2 teaspoon ready chopped garlic / garlic purée (or 2 cloves fresh garlic, peeled and chopped)
- 20 g fresh coriander finely chopped
- 2 tablespoon soy sauce
- 2 tablespoon tahini
- salt & black pepper
Instructions
- Tip the black beans into a food processor and pulse a few times until they are crushed but not totally puréed. (Alternatively, smash them with a potato masher). Tip into a large bowl.
- Trim and finely chop the spring onions, and chop the jalapeño slices. Add both to the bowl, followed by the breadcrumbs, lime zest and juice, garlic, coriander, soy sauce and tahini. Season with salt and pepper.
- Mix the ingredients well until fully combined, then roughly divide into 5-6 pieces (or 7-8 for smaller burgers).
- Use a burger press or shape the burgers by hand, then place on a baking tray covered in baking paper and refrigerate (or freeze) until required.
- TO BBQ: Brush each side with a little oil and cook for 5 minutes on each side.
- TO OVEN BAKE: Brush each side with oil and cook at 190°C / 375°F / Gas Mark 5 for 20 minutes.
- TO FRY: Fry in a little oil for 5 minutes on each side.
- Serve in a bun with smashed avocado, tomato slices, lettuce, red onion, gherkins or a slice of dairy-free melty cheese and plenty of ketchup.
Video
Nutrition
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For more quick and easy vegan recipes take a look at my latest book Vegan in 15.
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Clare says
Hi Kate
We can't use Tahini in anything, my son has started to react to this.
What other options do I have to use in this recipe? I really want to make them.
Thanks so much for the beaut foods you offer us x
Debby Plummer says
Black bean burger with Jalapeño is delicious. It will be a regular treat for us from now on. Both my husband and I loved it. We eat some vegan meals every week (I more than him), some veggie and a few meat. Thanks for your inspiring website!
Kate Ford says
That's great, thanks Debby!
Jenny says
These are so good. I’ve had them twice this week.Really great texture for putting on a bbq as I don’t think they’d fall apart.
Kate Ford says
That's great - we've had these too this week, must be bean burger weather! X
Nicola George says
Hi Kate,
Can you freeze these? As I’m the only Veggie in my house I wont be able to eat these in one go, well I can try! Lol
Thanks,
Nicola
Colleen says
These burgers look really tasty. Do you think I could substitute coarsely ground oats for the breadcrumbs?
Kate Ford says
I would have thought so - haven't tried it so couldn't say 100% but they would do a similar job of binding and soaking up moisture so sounds like a good substitution to me! Let me know how it goes, Kate x
PenoirB says
Made these last night, they were so good. My carnivore partner had homemade beef burgers, then ate half of one of these and said mine tasted far superior, win!
thevegspace says
Fantastic! Glad to hear it x
Nicola George says
Sorry just seen I can! Lol thanks for the recipe!
elsie says
Great! I can have the burger everyday and never get tired of it
Diane Wareing says
I have always fancied making my own burgers. So many varieties I could do.
Great giveaway. Thank you.
Jacqueline Meldrum says
I loved them so much I featured it this week. The roundup is now live.
Monika Dabrowski says
This is a lovely recipe and I've also entered the giveaway! Thank you for sharing with CookBlogShare:)
Jacqui says
What a great recipe and what a great give-away. I have entered now all I need to do is make the recipe:) I have a burger press but it’s not a very good one. Thank you so much for sharing on #CookBlogShare
Chris @thinlyspread says
Delicious burger recipe and that gadget is fab! I use a biscuit cutter and my fingers but this looks much neater!
Rosie says
Looks incredible. Might have to try it out!
Louise Fairweather says
I do love bean burgers but have to confess I have never made my own. The burger press looks handy #cookblogshare
Jemma @ Celery and Cupcakes says
I love a good burger and this one looks fabulous! I love the Mexican twist!
Anne Thompson says
I would love to try making my own, as using hands doesn't produce good results
Jacqueline Meldrum says
I just press them by hand, which works fine, but I do love a good homemade veggie burger and that avocado tool looks the business. I'll have to get one of those.
Helen @ family-friends-food.com says
Those burgers look fab! I'm really ready for barbecue season - bring on the good weather!