Connect with your plant side and cook up a super food black bean Vegan Burger!
Lightly crisp outside, tender (not mushy!) inside, and boasting an intense savoriness that you wouldn’t expect in a vegetarian burger recipe, these are hands-down not only the best vegan burgers—they are one of the best burgers, period—I have ever tasted.
Made with “super food” ingredients like black beans, almonds, flaxseeds, and more, these patties of smoky satisfaction come together in a single bowl, pack a whopping 12 grams of protein per burger, and won rave reviews from a table of carnivores.
Vegan burgers are quite the hot item on the market right now, with fast food chains even starting to offer them.
The problem with most vegan burgers you buy versus make from scratch (and why vegan burgers can be bad) is that they are highly processed.
This homemade vegan burger recipe? It is nothing but the good stuff.
5 Star Review
These are so good! I just keep coming back to these when I need a veggie burger recipe. My meat-eating family loves them as well!
— Giovonne —
These vegan black bean burgers will leave you feeling full, happy, and looking forward to leftovers.
In addition to the veggie burger in my cookbook, they are my favorite plant-based burger recipe.
How to Make The Best Vegan Burger
Although I’m a long-time fan of well-made veggie burgers for their simple ingredients and health benefits (see this Portobello Mushroom Burger and my crowd-favorite Mediterranean Quinoa Burger with Sun-Dried Tomatoes and Feta), I have do have one major, er, beef with standard veggie burger recipes: most don’t contain enough tummy-satisfying protein to keep me full for more than an hour or so.
Not so with these high protein vegan burgers! Thanks to protein-rich, and high-fiber ingredients, they can sustain you for hours.
Let’s recap what makes this power-packed vegan burger recipe so super.
The Ingredients
- Black Beans. An excellent source of fiber, protein, and minerals.
- Ground Flaxseed Meal. Rich in immune and brain-boosting omega-3s, antioxidants, and fiber.
- Almonds + Pepitas. Nuts and seeds are a creative vegan burger idea that you’ll come back to again and again. They add the umami that is often missing from other meatless burger recipes.
Tip!
While I’ve suggested my favorite blend of nuts and seeds in this recipe, feel free to play around. You can swap walnuts for the almonds for a walnut burger, use all hempseeds instead of flaxseeds (or vice versa), or try your own blend.
- Rolled Oats. More fiber! These vegan burgers are here to keep you full.
- Red Pepper + Red Onion. For a pop of color, added nutrition benefits, texture, and slight sweetness.
- Hemp Seed Hearts. Just three tablespoons contain a whopping 10 grams of complete protein. Hemp seeds are also low carb, making them a good choice for those following a paleo diet or who need to be carb conscious. Hello, SUPER FOOD.
- Spices. Smoked paprika, cumin, and chili powder give these burgers a smokiness you’d typically only expect from the grill. No bland burgers for us!
- Avocado. My #1 vegan burger topping of choice. It provides the richness and creaminess that you’d typically get from cheese, while keeping the burgers dairy free.
The Directions
- Pulse the red pepper and onion in a food processor. Transfer to a mixing bowl.
- Blend the almonds, seeds, flaxseed meal, garlic, and spices in the food processor. Add the mixture to the bowl with the red pepper and onion.
- Puree the black beans, oats, and water in the food processor. Stir them into the bowl with the other ingredients.
- Shape the mixture into burger patties, then lay them on a baking sheet. Bake for 20 minutes at 350 degrees F. Flip and bake for 5 to 10 more minutes. ENJOY!
- To Store. Refrigerate burgers in an airtight storage container for up to 5 days.
- To Reheat. Rewarm leftovers on a baking sheet in the oven at 350 degrees F or in the microwave.
- To Freeze. Freeze burgers in an airtight freezer-safe storage container for up to 3 months. Let thaw overnight in the refrigerator before reheating.
Meal Plan Tip
Prepare the burgers as directed up until baking. Individually wrap each burger, then refrigerate for up to 2 days or freeze for up to 2 months.
Leftover Ideas
Pack extra protein into a salad (like this Mexican Pasta Salad) by adding a diced-up vegan burger.
What to Serve with Vegan Burgers
Recommended Tools to Make this Recipe
- Food Processor. This is the one I own and love!
- Baking Sheet. Perfect for baking these vegan burgers.
- Non-Slip Cutting Board. This cutting board stays secure while you’re chopping.
The Best Food Processor
Easy to use and great for a variety of different ingredient prep methods.
Super foods, super flavors, super satisfaction. I can feel the good vibes emitting from our kitchens already!
Vegan Burger Video
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Vegan Burger
Ingredients
FOR THE BURGERS:
- 1 large red pepper cored and roughly chopped
- 1/2 small red onion roughly chopped
- 1/2 cup raw almonds
- 1/4 cup pepitas pumpkin seeds
- 1/4 cup hemp seed hearts
- 2 tablespoons ground flaxseed meal chia seeds, or additional hemp seed hearts
- 2 cloves garlic
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1 1/4 teaspoons cumin
- 3/4 teaspoon chili powder
- 1/4 teaspoon smoked paprika
- 1 can black beans, (15 ounces) rinsed and drained
- 1/2 cup rolled oats gluten free if needed
- Whole grain buns for serving
TOPPING IDEAS:
- Sliced tomatoes, avocado, arugula, sliced red onions, avocado, plain yogurt (dairy-free if needed), mustard
Instructions
- Place a rack in the center of your oven and preheat to 350 degrees F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper or a silpat mat.
- Place the red pepper and onion in the bowl of a food processor fitted with a steel blade. Pulse until minced. Transfer the mixture to a large mixing bowl.
- To the food processor, add the almonds, pumpkin seeds, hemp seeds, flaxseed meal, garlic, salt, cumin, chili powder, and smoked paprika. Blend until it has combined into a coarse grainy mixture. Scrape into the mixing bowl with the onion and red pepper.
- Place the black beans, oats, and 2 tablespoons water in the food processor and puree until the beans are mostly smooth with a few small pieces remaining. Transfer to the mixing bowl and stir to combine.
- Scoop the burger mixture in 1/3 cup portions into your hands. Shape into palm-sized patties that are about 1 inch thick. Arrange on the baking sheet and bake for 20 minutes, then flip and bake 5-10 additional minutes, until heated through and the outsides are lightly crisp. Serve on buns with any desired toppings.
Notes
- Leftover baked burgers can be stored in the refrigerator for five days. Reheat gently in the microwave. Individually wrapped unbaked patties can be refrigerated for 2 days or frozen for 2 months.
Nutrition
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I LOVE this recipe, Erin. It looks very delicious and healthy too.
Thank you for sharing this kind comment, Varun!
Looks amazing Erin!! These are perfect for the spring season and would pair wonderfully with sweet potato fries! :)
Thank you for sharing this kind comment, Varun! And, I agree with your thoughts on the sweet potato fries!
These burgers look AMAZING, I can’t believe they’re vegan! I’ve got to try these soon.
Thank you for sharing this kind comment, Varun! I hope you love them!
These are so good! I just keep coming back to these when I need a veggie burger recipe. My meat-eating family loves them as well!
I’m so pleased that you’ve enjoyed the recipe, Giovonne! Thank you for sharing this kind review!
Yesterday, I made this Vegan Burger on my Pan (Low Flame). It takes not more than 30 minutes for me to make this Yummy Burger. My kids loved this one and asked me to make this again ;) Keep sharing more recipes.
I’m so pleased that you enjoyed the recipe, Vijay! Thank you for sharing this kind review!
These burgers look AMAZING, I can’t believe they’re vegan! I’ve got to try these soon. Perfect for meatless Monday :D
I hope you enjoy the recipe if you try it!
Thanks for this informative post, I loved the way you express feelings with words.
Thank you so so much!!
I am glad to find this vegan recipe. I just turned to vegan and searching for some tasty recipes of vegan food. And I find this amazing one.
I’m so happy that you found this helpful, Rahul! Thank you for sharing this kind review!
Great looking recipe! I’m wondering if anyone has tried adding pea protein supplement to these to up the protein, and if so how did they do it. TYI.
Michael, I don’t know of anyone who has tried this, but if you decide to play around I’d love to hear how it goes!
Hi! A little late to the party, but have you tried adding pea protein to them?
I would appreciate if you could let me know how they came out and what you did,in case you did it.
Thank you!
I am not a good cook… I will try it for my GF…
Thanks…
I hope you enjoy the recipe if you try it, Pramod!
Wow! looks amazing. I will definitely try it.
I hope you enjoy the recipe if you try it, Mayank!
They are healthy, bind nicely but have no taste. Next time I will saute onions with tomato sauce then saute mushrooms with walnuts and worceshire to add taste.
Thanks for trying the recipe, Colleen! I hope you enjoy them even more next time!
I LOVE this recipe, Erin. It looks very delicious and healthy too. These burgers look STACKED! I love the avo and that these are so healthy and vegan.
Thank you, Kartik! I hope you enjoy the recipe if you try it!
wow ! i love burgers very much, i hope it is tastier and healthy too, I am going to try this …thank you very much for the recipe.
I hope you love them!
Erin, is it possible to substitute the almonds? If so, do you recommend another nut? (Almond allergy)Thanks!
Hi Cricket! While I haven’t tried a swap myself, another reader has reported success with using walnuts instead. I hope you enjoy the recipe if you try it!
DO THE ALMONDS HAVE TO BE RAW?
Hi Terrie! I’ve only tested the recipe with raw almonds, but you could experiment with toasted if you prefer. I’d recommend avoiding almonds with added salt to keep the dish from becoming too salty. I hope you enjoy it!
Delicious- best veggie burger I have tasted.
So happy to hear it, thanks Lesley!
Made these tonight and they were fabulous! Thrilled with how much protein they have and how easily they come together. We topped them with chimmichuri, avocado, tomato, and red onions, but I think you could go a lot of directions dressing these up and be happy with the outcome!
I’m so happy that you enjoyed the recipe, Nita! Thank you for sharing this kind review!
These burgers are amazing. They were so easy to make and delicious. I will definitely make them again.
Hi Benni! So glad you enjoyed the recipe! Thank you for this kind review!