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.
I hope you love this recipe as much as I do! To get more easy Mexican recipes delivered straight to your inbox, sign up for my weekly email newsletter. You can also follow Isabel Eats on Facebook, Instagram and Pinterest!
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 coarse 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.
ISABEL’S TIPS
This post was originally published in March 2017. It was republished with updated photos and helpful tips and tricks in June 2019.
Annette Cline says
DELICIOUS! I only had three sweet potatos, so the texture is probably a little different from yours, but the flavor is outstanding! Thanks for this receipe, it will be a favorite tomorrow for Mothers Day, I know it will!
Carmen says
Don’t like quinoa what other substitution is there for this recipe?
Josie says
Hi when u say 2 “ medium sweet potatoes “ about how much is that in cups when cooked or In grams Before cooked ? As everyone’s medium is different ? Thank you I don’t want too much or too little to affect the result
MaryAnn Jones says
I followed the recipe to a tee. Except for reading how long to bake them. Lol. I only baked them for 20 minutes and wondered why the burgers were soft. Soooo I cooked the other one for tomorrow the correct amount. So much for my reading ability. I froze the rest prior to baking. Very yummy regardless.
Nina says
we loved these burgers, but your updates to the recipe are incredible!! so much better now! thank you!!
Isabel says
Thank you so much! I’m so happy you love the updates. I had received so many comments about them not holding together so I knew it was time to revisit it 🙂
Alana says
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!!
Kaila says
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!
Isabel says
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!
Courtney Lloyd says
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.
Renan says
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 🙂
Eliza says
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!
Claire says
Do these freeze well?
Karen says
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!
annietime says
Quinoa is Not a grain.
It’s a SEED!
Don’t miss out on All that Protein!!!😉
Kerry says
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!
Isabel says
Thanks, Kerry! That fried egg on top sounds amazing! I’m so happy you enjoyed the recipe 🙂
Angie says
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.
Jataun says
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.🙂🙂🙂🙂🙂🍔🍔
Isabel says
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.
TS says
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…
Aviva Goldfarb says
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.
Isabel says
I’m so happy to hear that you liked it! Thank you 🙂
Sarah says
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!
annietime says
I liked the idea of the ground flax, and we all Loved the recipe!!
Thanks!
Diane says
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!
Isabel says
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.
Mary says
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!
Isabel says
Thanks for sharing, Mary! This is super helpful!
angela cupelli says
you could try chilling them in the freezer or fridge before cooking
Alissa says
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!
Chris says
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!
Lynette says
Maybe you can place foil on the grill and use a non stick spray.
Virginia says
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?
Jon'el says
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.
Kristin says
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!
Isabel says
Oooh, I LOVE that idea! I’m going to have to try it myself!