This vegan black bean burger recipe is gluten free and easy to make! Made from cooked sweet potatoes, black beans, quinoa, flax seeds and flavorful tex-mex seasonings.
I love a good veggie burger, especially when it’s made with some of my favorite ingredients like sweet potatoes, black beans and quinoa!
These vegan black bean burgers are easy to make, super satisfying and require no eggs. To help bind all the ingredients together, all you need are a few tablespoons of ground flax seed and that’s it!
The burgers are seasoned with a flavorful mixture of ground cumin, onion powder, chili powder, garlic and oregano to help balance out the sweetness of the sweet potatoes. The result is a subtly sweet and savory black bean burger that will satisfy even the biggest meat lovers.
To make it even better, I served it up with a huge shmear of this easy chipotle sauce and it can’t get any better than that!
How to make vegan black bean burgers
In a small bowl, combine ground flax seed, cumin, salt, onion powder, chili powder, garlic powder, dried oregano and black pepper. (photo 1)
In a large mixing bowl, add 2 cooked sweet potatoes and 1 15-ounce can of drained and rinsed black beans. (photos 2-3)
Using a fork or potato masher, mash the sweet potatoes and black beans until the consistency is only slightly chunky. Some beans will be completely mashed and some will not. (photos 4-5)
Add 1 1/2 cups cooked quinoa, the small bowl of seasonings and mix together until fully combined. (photo 6-8)
Form the mixture into 8 burger patties using your hands and place on a large baking sheet lined with parchment paper and sprayed with nonstick cooking spray.
Bake in a 400°F oven for 20 minutes, carefully flip the patties over and bake for 20 more minutes.
And voila! Time to eat.
Tips for making the best vegan black bean burgers
Make sure to spray the parchment paper with nonstick cooking spray or olive oil. I made a batch where I forgot to spray it, and the patties stuck to the paper.
Drain as much moisture as possible from the canned black beans. The more moisture in your mixture, the stickier it will be which will make it difficult to form it into burger patties.
If the burger mixture is very sticky when forming it into patties, add in 1 or 2 more teaspoons of ground flax seed to help absorb some of that moisture.
Ways to serve these black bean burgers
My favorite way of serving these black bean burgers is in between a brioche bun with your typical lettuce/tomato/onion toppings as well as a big shmear of this easy chipotle sauce! It’s a little spicy, super creamy and it makes every burger better.
You could also go the bunless route and serve it on some lettuce or collard greens and top it with some pickled onions for some tangy crunch.
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Ingredients
- nonstick cooking spray or olive oil
- 2 medium sweet potatoes, halved lengthwise
- 1/2 cup dry quinoa (about 1 1/2 cups cooked)
- 3 tablespoons ground flax seed
- 2 teaspoons ground cumin
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1 teaspoon onion powder
- 1 teaspoon chili powder
- 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1/4 teaspoon dried oregano
- 1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
- 1 15-ounce can black beans, drained and rinsed
For serving (optional)
Instructions
- Bake the sweet potatoes: Preheat oven to 400°F. Line a large baking sheet with aluminum foil and spray with nonstick cooking spray. Place halved sweet potatoes cut side down and poke each half with a fork a few times.Bake for 30-35 minutes until sweet potatoes are tender and cooked through. Remove from oven and let cool for 5 minutes. While sweet potatoes are baking, make the quinoa.
- Cook the quinoa: Place quinoa in a fine-mesh sieve and rinse under cold running water for about 1 minute. Drain and transfer to a medium pot. Add in 1 cup of water and bring to a boil over high heat.Reduce heat to low, cover and simmer for 10-15 minutes, until quinoa is tender and cooked through. Let stand for 5 minutes, covered. Remove the lid and fluff with a fork.
- Make the seasoning: In a small bowl, add the ground flax seed, ground cumin, coarse kosher salt, onion powder, chili powder, garlic powder, dried oregano and ground black pepper. Mix together and set aside.
- Mash it up: In a large bowl, add the black beans and cooked sweet potatoes. Mash until the consistency is only slightly chunky. Some beans will be completely mashed and others will not. This will help create a nice texture.
- Mix it all together: Add the cooked quinoa and combined spices. Mix it all together until all the ingredients are evenly distributed. hands and form into 8 burger patties, about 1/3 cup of mixture each.
- Make the patties: Using your hands, form the mixture into 8 burger patties, about a heaping 1/3 cup of mixture per patty.
- Cook the burgers: Line a large baking sheet with parchment paper and spray with nonstick cooking spray or olive oil. Place burger patties baking sheet and bake in 400°F oven for 20 minutes. Carefully flip over the patties and bake for another 20 minutes. Remove from oven and serve.
Nutrition Information
This post was originally published in March 2017. It was republished with updated photos and helpful tips and tricks in June 2019.
Love these! Have made them many times! They do take some time but are so worth it. My “meat eater” brother and dad love them too!!
LOVE this recipe. The flavors are AMAZING and its sooooo easy to make. It’s been awhile since I’ve made it. I used the chili lime mayo with it, but I dont see the ingredients or recipe listed. Can you list it for me?
THANK YOU!
Absolutely! Here’s the older chili lime mayo recipe – 1/4 cup mayonnaise, 1 teaspoon chili garlic sauce, juice of 1/4 of a lime. Just mix it together and that’s it!
Love these!!! Any suggestions for freezing? Freeze before or after baking?
Hi Meghan! I would suggest freezing these after baking and then storing them in an airtight container.
Oh no😕 I miss the old chili lime mayo recipe that use to accompany these. These are my favorite and I know flax seed was added but the chili lime sauce was so good with these! It’s my 8 year olds favorite and yearly birthday meal 🤗
These are probably the best veggie burgers I’ve ever had, or at least the best ones I’ve made. My only complaint is how long it takes to make them, but they’re worth it. Definitely making these again soon.
My family and absolutely LOVE this recipe and I’ve made it several times! I was wondering if anyone has ever tried it in ‘falafel’ form? What I mean is sometimes I add bread crumbs and fry the patties (because my husband likes the crispy outside crunch) but being from the Middle East I’m curious if I could make this into falafel balls and deep fry it any suggestions or feedback? Thanks 🙂
Im with you, I absolutely love making these but it takes so long. Now I usually make a double batch and freeze the rest and they still taste amazing 🙂 Hope it helps!
I am new at cooking. Can I try this with a can of yams so I don’t mess up a sweet potato or should I just try it with 1 sweet potato and a little bit of Quinoa. I don’t want to ruin a lot of food practicing.
Yes, you could use canned sweet potatoes for this recipe. Just be sure to drain the syrup that they come in.
Do these freeze well?
This recipe looks amazing, I would love to try it!! What could be used instead of quinoa? I’m allergic to quinoa, flax, barley and oats. Maybe Freekeh or rye?
Thanks!!
Hi Meagan! I’m not sure. You are welcome to try freekeh or rye and let us know how it goes!
I loved this recipe! Instead of quinoa, I used a mix of almond flour and flaxseed meal; I eat very few grains. I will definitely make these burgers often. Thank you so much!
Quinoa is Not a grain.
It’s a SEED!
Don’t miss out on All that Protein!!!😉
My husband and I are trying to go meatless for a bit, so I’ve been stocking up on vegetarian recipes lately. I made these the other night and they are amazing! Full of flavor and filling. I’ve also found that eating a leftover patty with a fried egg on top makes for a yummy breakfast! (Obviously not vegan, but delicious if you eat eggs)!
Thank you for sharing!
Thanks, Kerry! That fried egg on top sounds amazing! I’m so happy you enjoyed the recipe 🙂
I just finished making this dish and I absolutely love it! They were falling apart when I tried cooking on a skillet. When I noticed they were not going to stay together, I added flax seed to the rest of the mix and baked them instead. The baking (in my own opinion) was much better and I did not have to use any oil as I baked them on parchment paper. They stayed together after adding the flax seed and tested this by baking the non-flax seed patties in the oven as well (they were still crumbly after coming out of the oven). Overall they taste amazing and I recommend adding some flax to ensure the patties stay together.
The burgers were to die for they had a awesome flavor the only think is that they fall apart a bit so I think you should maybe use a egg. Also I yes’s chipotle mayo instead of mayo of the chili lime mayo but other was I loved it.🙂🙂🙂🙂🙂🍔🍔
Thanks for the feedback! I’m so happy you liked them. I’m going to try making these again very soon and try to test them a few different ways to see what I can add so they hold up a little better.
Tasted so good and the texture was nice. But they didn’t stick together at all. Will make them again, but probably with an egg or some gluten…
Hello, recipe looks great! Wondering if you’ve had any experience making ahead and reheating? How do they hold up? How is the texture?
Thanks in advance!
-c
Hi! This recipe is freezer-friendly. You can place the burgers in your freezer for about 3 months. I would wrap each patty individually in plastic wrap or foil, and then freeze them in a freezer-safe container.
These were very good! I added an egg as a binder and made my own spice blend but the recipe was completely inspired by yours and we thoroughly enjoyed them! Thanks so much.
I’m so happy to hear that you liked it! Thank you 🙂
I added a bit of ground flax to get it to stick better and some tapioca starch for a bit more crisp but otherwise these were delish! Three of my fav foods!
I liked the idea of the ground flax, and we all Loved the recipe!!
Thanks!
I made those the other day and they are absolutely delicious! The only reason I didn’t give them 5 stars is because they don’t hold up together very well. I love them cold too and they do hold together better when cold but once they are warmed they fall apart. Any suggestions to make them a firmer pattie would be appreciated since I plan to make these over and over again!
Thanks, Diane! I’m so glad you liked them. I’m going to try to remake these soon and see if I can get them to hold together better. As of now, I’m not quite sure.
I saw similar comments about the burgers falling apart so I added another can of black beans and they turned out beautifully!! I used a metal spatula to turn them and made sure it was clean each time I turned a patty. Originally the mixture was too moist but the extra beans made it drier and helped bind it all together. Problem solved!
Thanks for sharing, Mary! This is super helpful!
you could try chilling them in the freezer or fridge before cooking
I’ve made this recipe a few times and it is now one of my favorites. My cousin requests that I make these every time he comes over for dinner. I like to make an avocado mash to spread on the bun and I caramelize onions with cilantro lime rice as a side. Thanks, Isabel!
Is there a recommendation on how to properly grill these? Ive made these all the time in the oven and they’re great but i wanted to make them on my grill for 4th of July next week!
Maybe you can place foil on the grill and use a non stick spray.
I would love to make these to freeze for quick meals later. Do you have any tips? Should I freeze patties before or after I bake them?
These are soooo good. I made them for meal prep to take for dinner for work. I decided to try 1 before I put them away but I don’t have any buns. Put a burger in some romaine lettuce with the mayo and sliced tomato and it was really flavorful. Definitely going to add some red onions like some suggested above. So glad to find a vegetarian option for my meal prep.
I’m getting bold and making these into “nuggets” for my toddler. For hers I’m going to mix in a little chihuahua cheese. She’ll eat anything with black beans, sweet potatoes and cheese! Love how easy and inexpensive this recipe is!
Oooh, I LOVE that idea! I’m going to have to try it myself!