Smoky BBQ Black Bean Burger

I’ve made this recipe twice so far and it’s the best black bean burger I’ve ever had -seriously! I’m vegan and I personally have been turned off my black bean burgers because of how overly mushy and bland they usually are :( but I’m so glad I decided to try this recipe out. Roasting the black beans in the oven to dry them out is a total game changer! I find that this recipe followed exactly can yield eight good-sized burgers. The first time I made it I doubled it for a group of 5 adults and found that it made more than enough!

I made this last night and was pleasantly pleased! My last couple attempts at black bean burgers didn’t hold together well. These came together beautifully and were easy to form. To simplify, I added a leftover baked sweet potato rather than browning sliced sweet potatoes. Will definitely make this again.

Wonderful flavors, fabulous recipe! I added quite a bit more cumin and chile powder to add a real punch. Will happily make again.

These were delicious and a huge hit with my non-vegan friend! I made them with your Vegan BBQ sauce (which is now my favorite BBQ sauce!) from your cookbook, SO good! I misread the recipe and mixed in a bit too much quinoa but was able to salvage with adding some extra sauce. I also used butternut squash instead of sweet potato as I had leftovers from making one of your nourish bowls (also amazing!).

I made this tonight after eating them at my sister-in-law’s house. They were DELICIOUS, but OH.MY.GOODNESS this was time consuming! Quarantine is the perfect time to make this! Just a tip, make extras and freeze!

delicious!!! made it twice now:)

Very tasty. Had them for dinner last night. I added a diced onion and clove of garlic fried until golden and soft. I also had some Mexican chilli powders I used. Gave the patties a nice tex mex taste. Yum!

Very very tasty! They took more time to make than my average night’s dinner, however, I froze some and one recipe fed me 5 times (recipe made 5 burgers for me) so overall, definitely worth it. Have eaten these over a bed of lettuce, in an English muffin, and in your spelt roll recipe topped with fried onions, avocado, etc.. Will do a double batch next time to freeze even more.

LOVE these burgers. Once the components are cooked/prepped they come together so nicely. They are tasty and satisfying. This has become a foundational recipe in our house. I’ve subbed walnuts for pecans, pintos for black beans, and any kind of mushroom on hand. They always work out great. Thank you!

Brilliant veggie burgers!! I used carrot instead of sweet potato just because that’s what we had in, ketchup works instead of bbq sauce and i added crushed crackers instead of pecans as i’m not the biggest fan of them. Great recipe and i definitely recommend :)

Brilliant veggie burgers!! I used carrot instead of sweet potato just because that’s what i had in, ketchup works instead of the bbq sauce and i left out the pecans because i’m not the biggest fan of them. Great recipe definitely recommend :)

Subbed walnuts for the pecans, food processor wasn’t big enough so pulsed the pecans and black beans then combined everything with a potato masher. Delicious recipe and I’m usually a meat eater!

Yes!! I’ve been looking for a good veggie burger for a while! This burger isn’t dry, and i think the trick to dry the beans first helped it stay together. I didn’t add bbq sauce just because i dont like that. I like the use of quinoa instead of rice or oats because i found those to dry veggies burgers out. Personally, i didn’t enjoy the pecans the first time i made them, but the second time i chopped them more finely and they did add a nice nutty flavour but most importantly, they helped the burger stay togher more. I made this without the nuts a third time, and it was still great and i added about a tablespoon of chickpea flour to bring it together (i think i jsut used too much sweet potato that time).
I definitely recommend this recipe! Not only does it taste good, you can use it as a base recipe for any additions you want to have.

Best black bean burgers ever!! Have made these for my family twice now and they get better every time. This time, paired them with homemade brioche buns, YUM. 10/10 recommend. Leftovers freeze very well!

Delicious and filling! They held up well on the grill!

Wow! You do get a lot of comments! But I also wanted to tell you that this recipe is delicous and I keep craving it and wanting more. I also love your pics and the way you write the instructions. You are amazing! Thank you!

Yum! These burgers are perfect, the combination of ingredients makes them so tasty. Once I cooked the recipe once I flew through it each time after, so simple.

These burgers were so good I will never buy frozen or store bought black bean burgers ever again!
I didn’t have any issues with the burger not sticking together – we ended up not using mushrooms and left the pre made patties in the fridge for 24 hours so idk if that made a difference. Definitely my new favorite go to.

This is a delicious recipe! To keep the burger together better I add 1-2 flax eggs per recipe, this really helps!! Freezes well for a last minute meal.

I have made these twice. Everybody enjoyed them…they want more!

I made these twice and they are delicious–I am very picky and these burgers hit the spot. Thx for a great burger

Been wanting to try this recipe for ages but didnt have the right ingredients so I subbed rice for quinoa, walnuts for pecans, soy sauce for coconut aminos and ommited the salt. They were still absolutely delicious! My husband has only just started eating a plant based diet so any recipe that gets his approval is staying! The 2 1/2 tsp chili powder did make for a fiery burger but we really enjoyed it!
I made them up the night before, cooked them for lunch the following day and they were great. Nice to know I can pre prep for bbqs or quick meals. Perfect ?

The first time i’ve cooked it as written, but the amount of chili made it inedible (maybe I have some kind of extra spicy one), the second time with reduced chili it was amazing! Thanks for a great recipe!

Everything was amazing! We don’t usually have pecans on hand so I just use whatever nut we have so I’ve used almonds and cashews, still turned out amazing! We have also made a bunch and instead of cooking them right away froze them and they were still amazing when we ate them later, just fried and cooked as the reciepe indicates. They are so delicious and definitely added to the weekly meal plans!

Just made these for our family dinner and I did not expect them to taste this delicious. Omg! It was hard not eating the batter alone. The bbq sauce just takes it to the next level. These will be my new veggie burger staple recipe.

This was an awesome recipe! I added 1/2 quinoa and 1/2 brown rice. I omitted the salt, as I’m watching my sodium intake, and didn’t miss it! The texture was amazing! I kept some pieces of the beans and nuts intact, which allowed the burger to have some nice crunchiness throughout. I was pleasantly surprised by how firm the patty was without being dry. Baking the black beans was a genius move! I thought the recipe called for too much of the cumin and the chili powder, but I was wrong – the seasoning along with the BBQ sauce added so much flavor. Thank you for a tremendous recipe! I look forward to trying your other veggie burger recipes soon.

My beef loving husband loved these as well as the rest of the family. I love all of your recipes. They are no-fail and taste delicious!

Just made this tonight and substituted the barbecue sauce with bulgogi sauce and swapped the spices for ginger and garlic. Served it with kimchi as well. It was delicious! One of the best veggie burgers we’ve had! Thanks for the great recipe.

Loads of comments already here, but I made this last night and have to say: THESE ARE DELICIOUS! Make some right away!

Superb! My favorite part is that it doesn’t fall apart like 100 other veggie burger recipes i’ve tried. Flavors are fantastic. I will definitely be making this again as my go-to veggie burger. My one and only complaint is the amount of time involved — it literally took up my whole evening to make this. But it was well worth it. I’m happy I have leftovers for lunch tomorrow.

SO GOOD! I topped mine with sautéed mushrooms (leftover from the burgers), mashed avocado, and pickled red onions.

My meat-eating boyfriend said the texture was the “meatiest” out of all of the veggie burgers I’ve ever made. We like thinner burgers so we ended up getting 8 out of the recipe & paired it with sweet potato fries.

Delicious! I didn’t have exact ingredients so subbed cooked brown rice for quinoa and added a little curry powder. So yummy! Thanks.

This was really tasty. I added in smoked paprika too to add to the bbq flavour because it’s my fav.

My burgers fell apart tho, they were squishy. My mix made 6 so I dunno if maybe I used too much veg? My quinoa was a little damp too. I’ll be interested to try again rectifying the above & see if they stay in 1 piece.

Thanks you so much for this receipe ! These parties are so delicious! I am a slow cook so it did take me quite a while to make them but so worth it! I usually do not like store brought “burgers” here is France and making your receipe was the best decision ever ! They are so good ! Thank you!

A friend recently recommended your website. This is the first recipe I’ve made, and I absolutely loved it! The flavour and texture were perfect. This will definitely make it into our meal rotation. Thank you so much!! xo

I made this – they were delicious, a little more time consuming than other vegan burgers I’ve made but the taste and texture is worth it! Don’t even hesitate to invest your time in them, just do it!

I made six batches of this recipe and for my daughter’s first birthday barbecue. It was a crowd pleaser! My sister asked if they could take some home. Ha! Thanks for yet again another delicious recipe.
I send people to your website often when they need recipe inspiration!

Just finished making these! Haven’t tasted yet (lol) but they look awesome. I don’t have a food processor so I used my blender… if using a blender, I recommend blending beans + pecans/sweet potatoes + mushrooms and putting them in a separate bowl and then combinging together. It will help avoid the beans and pecans from becoming a purée while the potatoes stay whole. Thanks for the recipe!

Great recipe. Wonderful flavor. Made a double batch a few weeks ago for vegan family who LOVED them. Also a huge hit with the non vegans!

There are quite a few steps and it seemed to take me longer than I usually like to spend cooking a meal. So about to repeat for tomorrow so I’m pre cooking quinoa, drying beans and cooking sweet potatoes and mushrooms a day ahead as I’m serving left overs tonight! Hoping that splitting across two nights will make it seem less burdensome.

Last night I made this for me and my partner. We subbed extra black beans because he doesn’t like quinoa. I didn’t have any vegan bbq sauce, so I just used the Hunts or whatever it was in my fridge. The burgers were a perfect consistency after briefly frying in a pan and then baking. We had them on potato rolls with tomato, onion, cheese, and pickles. My predominately carnivorous partner said he would totally eat them again. Good amount of prep work and dishes involved, but a fun date night in.

By far the best veggie burgers I have ever made. I used half pecans and half walnuts cause that’s all I had on hand and a Japanese sweet potato. Amazing!

These burgers are the bomb! I made them true to the recipe and it was very satisfying. However next time I wanted to serve them on a bed of lettuce and thought to omit the BBQ sauce and use liquid smoke instead. Check! Also for the dressing I processed avocado, jalapeno, lime juice and cilantro in the cuisinart. This worked well on the burger and as a dressing for the salad which included raw veggie sticks and more of the roasted pecans. Love this and so did the guests! Thank you so much Dana for the great recipes!! XOXO

Delicious! So this is the most time consuming recipe I prepared for a while but it is worth it. I didn’t have any pecans so I used a mix between walnuts and sunflower seeds. Since I made this for the whole family (including a 3 and a 1-y-o) I used less BBQ sauce and added a bit of homemade ketchup instead and omitted the chili powder. My 3-y-o daughter was happy to help – she loves pushing the buttons of the food processor and making the patties. I cooked them only in the pan and they held together beautifully. Enough so that my 1-y-o son did not smash his patty. Since it does take a fair while I made double the amount so we can eat them again later on in the week.

Made these tonight and they were divine! The pecans and BBQ sauce really add some great depth of flavor. So so yummy! Thank you Dana.

These burgers were DELICIOUS!! I followed the recipe without substitutions, and they were some of the best vegan burgers that I’ve ever had! I highly recommend serving these with some tomato and avocado on top :)

I am an omnivore, but I often make plant based meals for my family to diversify our paletes. This was absolutely the best black bean burger I’ve ever made. The texture and flavor is just great. All 5 of my omni crew happily tucked in these burgers. I will definitely make these again.
I have seen comments about the mushrooms. If you don’t leave any visible chunks, or let a mushroom hater watch you add them in, I really don’t think the mushrooms will be noticeable. I have two mushroom haters in my crew and they didn’t bat an eye.

Currently transitioning to a plant-based diet. Made this for myself and my brother, we both agree that it is the best vegan meal we have had thus far! Thank you very much!

These burgers are awesome. A friend of mine who’s a carnivore was not really happy I tricked him when I said ”Hey come over for dinner I am prepping some hamburgers”. But he loved it. We all did! It is seriously the best veggie burger I ever had. I added a bit of steak seasoning and it was just perfect. Thank you so much for this recipe! I am doing it again to see if the kids will love it as much as I do:)

The flavors in these are incredible! Definitely worth the extended prep time.

I just made these exactly according to the recipe and they’re SOOOO good. I actually got five solid burgers so now I’m set for the next couple days. They genuinely taste just as good as something you would get in a restaurant. Easy to make and totally worth it :)

I have made this several times now; it is seriously SO good. I even made meatballs with it. Total win, five stars.

Best veggie burger!!! I love the strong barbecue flavor, how it is crispy on the outside and soft on the inside, and that it’s totally free of soy or other fillers. The finished product makes the prep time so worth it! I recommend serving with carmalized red onion.

We didn’t have mushrooms so we used peeled zucchini instead- worked perfectly! Do yourself a favor and make a double batch and freeze patties for an easy + quick dinner another night!

Great recipe! Going into the rotation. It also make 6 for me, but that’s great because we have some left over for lunch/dinner tomorrow night. You are my go to for dinner inspiration! Topped mine with some spicy sauerkraut, tomatoes, lettuce and red onion… delicious!

These are wonderful burgers. They are a bit labor intensive, however. But i do believe the next round will be easier as I am now seasoned. Thank you, Dana, for another fantastic recipe!

We have made many of your recipes over the past several years, but never left any comments. This recipe was SO good, i just had to let you know! As a Midwestern carnivore married to a vegan, this was my first attempt at making a veggie burger at home. We chose your recipe because the ingredients sounded so delicious and simple…and they were! These burgers turned out better than most veggie burgers I’ve tried (and loved) in restaurants. The flavor and texture were PERFECT, so the long prep time was totally worth it. We followed your suggestion to use hemp seeds in place of pecans to make this recipe nut-free. I was impressed at how well the burgers held together and how crispy they were on the outside after baking. So glad we made a double batch!

My 3-year-old loved this — ate the mix straight from the bowl! A bit time consuming but very easy and yummy :)

Had been craving a burger for a while, this definitely hit the spot! Great texture. Followed the note to made the quinoa, but ended up with way more then necessary, only ended up using half.

I just made this recipe a couple of days ago and ended up using millet instead of quinoa because when I went to get started I realized I forgot to buy some on my last grocery trip! I can’t compare it to the quinoa version because this was my first time making these but they turned out great! My husband and I both loved them and had plenty for leftovers.

By far the best burger I’ve had as a vegan!!! Far nicer than any I’ve had in a restaurant, absolutely delicious. Your recipes are fantastic…..healthy, easy to make, normal tasting food. Something that’s not always easy when it comes to vegan food. Thank you xx

Forgot to rate! Five stars. Also, it made 8 decent sized burgers, perfect on a bun X

I made these last night and my carnivore husband liked them so much he had two! The recipe is a bit more involved than I usually make but I made it in a few days – quinoa one day, veggies the next day, and actually made the burgers the following day. It was well worth the effort and I will definitely make this again. Thanks for a great recipe.

Hi Dana, hello from Sussex, England! Oh my goodness, I made these last night, and I have to say, they are the most delicious black bean burgers EVER. I have made LOTS of black bean burgers, and now I have a new number one! Thank you for all your fab recipes, they are always reliable and keep us going day in day out. Best to you! Xx

I made this last evening with my daughter and son in law. I was a process but the burger was delicious and well worth the effort! My son in law is 10 days into vegan and was a real big meat eater – he loved it. We doubled the recipe so that we could have quick leftovers. This was the 4th recipe I have made w MB and each have been devine. I loved every bite of this black bean burger, the toasted quinoa made the big difference I think.
Loved it!

These are soooo tasty! Minus one star because they took forever to create BUT my meat loving husband ate seconds so I’d call that a win!

I made these burgers tonight but they turned out super mushy! I was disappointed but it may have been my own mistake. The recipe also made 9 huge patties somehow. I cooked the beans just as you instructed. They were super dry but I steamed the yam. They were still al dente when I threw them in the food processor but could that have caused the mush? I guess I should’ve thrown in another dry ingredient but I was too hungry to play with the recipe so I baked them for a really long time to dry them out as much as possible. I’m gluten free and the buns I used were a bit stiff so with every bite the patty just squished out everywhere :( The flavour was delicious and I’ve made a lot of your recipes and they are fantastic. I’m convinced I did something wrong. I’ll definitely have to make this again but I’ll most likely crumble the remaining patties and use them as taco filling. I’m going to try the vanilla cake tomorrow :)

WOW! I have to say that I have never posted a comment before but these were so good, I had to.
I substituted cashews for the pecans due to my sons allergy to pecans. I used Braggs liquid aminos instead of the coconut aminos (thats what I had in). I also cut back a little on the chili powder and cumin. Other than that, I followed the recipe as written. They are moist (but not too), very flavorful and satisfying. I used the pressing in the half cup method for shaping and it made 7 good sized patties.
I will definitely be making these again.

Thanks so much for all your great recipies!
Deirdre

Recent vegan–we’ll see how long that lasts–and this was my first attempt at making black bean burgers. SO GOOD. I think I can improve the texture next time around, considering how I might have over-pulsed a bit, but the flavors were absolutely perfect. Will be trying again soon!

I made these today and used the one pot black bean recipe for the beans. (Also a delicious recipe btw) The burgers came out great! Baking the beans in the oven is such a great idea and I will be using that technique for other burger recipes in the future. These held together really well and were delicious!

Just made these tonight and wow! Best vegan burger I’ve had, hands down. My meat loving boyfriend, who has hated all the vegan burgers I’ve ever made him try, scoffed his down and asked for seconds!

I’ve loved every recipe I’ve tried of yours, but this is my new fave! This will definitely become a regular recipe in our kitchen :) Thank you for sharing!!

These burgers were SO good. The recipe is a little time consuming and dirties up a lot of dishes – but the end result is so worth it.

These looked so good that I had to try it! I did sub out some ingredients that I didn’t have on hand though. I used regular potatoes, brown rice, and hemp seeds for the sweet potatoes, quinoa and pecans.

The flavors were delicious! Drying the black beans out in the oven really helped the texture a lot to prevent it from being overly mushy.

Thank you for a great recipe. My meat loving boyfriend scarfed down two :P

Excelente comida me encanta

Well I just learned something! Apparently I’ve been cooking mushrooms all wrong; loved the way these turned out. Keeping it healthy I made a super simple BBQ sauce and after frying the burgers I put them in the oven on the cookie sheet with parchment paper and then wilted some greens in the fry pan. Very Nice Indeed.

These were delicious!! We used the Korean BBQ sauce from Trader Joe’s and topped them with kimchi. Absolutely fabulous!

Made these yesterday and they are legitimately the BEST black bean burgers I’ve ever had!!! ??

My boyfriend made these last night, using raw walnuts instead of the pecans. You should have seen the pride on his face when he took the first bite. I would be careful to process them for long enough though, since ours fell apart quite a bit. Flavour was great. Will definitely be making these again.

Just made this tonight and they were fantastic! I followed the recipe with no substitutions. The prep work does take some time but the burgers were worth it. Due to my schedule that day, I did have to stick the burgers in the fridge after I pan fried them and before i put them in the oven with the barbecue sauce. I just baked them a tad bit longer to make sure they were hot and browned. Served them on thin buns with avocado, slaw, onion, pickle, lettuce, and red bell pepper slices. So good!

These are absolutely delicious, better than most any veg burger you can get in a restaurant. The smoke flavor really makes it. My whole family loved them! Easy to prepare, though mine made six patties instead of four as in the recipe. Not complaining though! Another plus is that they don’t fall apart; perfect firmness and texture. Definitely a keeper.

Due to health restrictions I made this with low sodium ingredients. It is delicious! Wow! Thanks for a great recipe!

Best veggie burger I’ve ever had, hands down. And much easier than I initially thought after first glancing at the recipe.

What a remarkable recipe! Everything you come up with seems to be incredible. Your website is outstanding I’ve been following you for a long time you have become my favorite chef to go to when I’m in need of a recipe. Thank you for all your hard work!