Looking for a wholesome, spicy, satisfying weeknight meal? We’ve got you covered. These black bean fritters combine savory mushrooms, hearty quinoa, and spicy cayenne pepper in a delicious, freezer-friendly fritter. What’s not to love!?
Just 10 ingredients and simple methods required for these vegan and gluten-free fritters, friends. They pair perfectly with our new sweet potato “rice” and are just begging to be dipped in avocado crema or guacamole. Let us show you how it’s done!
How to Make Fritters: Black Bean Edition
The trick to black bean fritters with BIG flavor and even better texture? Roasting! Not only does this step caramelize the mushrooms and onions for MAJOR deliciousness, it also dries out the black beans just slightly for fritters that are perfectly moist without being too wet or gummy.
Then the beans, mushrooms, and onions combine with quinoa, flax egg, and flour for structure. And don’t forget the cayenne and garlic powder for a savory-spicy kick!
After forming the fritters into…fritters…they take a turn in the skillet until perfectly crispy on the edges. Then it’s time to dig in, friends!
We hope you LOVE these mushroom black bean fritters! They’re:
Hearty
Savory
Wholesome
Subtly spicy
Versatile
& Perfect for freezing!
When you combine a few fritters with our Easy Sweet Potato “Rice” and Creamy Cashew Jalapeño Sauce, you’ve got a delicious, plant-based meal with 20+ grams of protein. The fritters would also be adorable as an appetizer if formed smaller and served with a sauce on top or for dipping!
More Fritter Recipes
- Easy Beet Fritters with Dill Yogurt Sauce
- Kale & Sweet Potato Fritters
- Easy Zucchini Fritters
- Crispy Quinoa Sweet Potato Fritters
If you try this recipe, let us know! Leave a comment, rate it, and don’t forget to tag a photo @minimalistbaker on Instagram. Cheers, friends!
Spicy Mushroom Black Bean Fritters
Ingredients
- 1 (15 oz.) can black beans, drained and rinsed
- 3 cups fresh shiitake mushrooms, finely chopped (no bigger than ~1/2” pieces)
- 1/2 medium red onion, finely diced (1/2 onion yields ~1 cup or 160 g)
- 2 Tbsp avocado oil (plus more for cooking)
- 1/2 tsp sea salt
- 2 Tbsp flaxseed meal (or sub chickpea flour)
- 1/4 cup water
- 1/4 tsp cayenne (omit if not a fan of spice)
- 1/2 tsp garlic powder
- 1/4 cup gluten-free flour blend (MB 1:1, DIY, or store-bought // or all-purpose flour if not GF)
- 1 cup cooked and cooled quinoa
FOR SERVING optional
- Sweet potato rice
- Avocado crema , creamy jalapeño sauce, or guacamole
- Cilantro
Instructions
- If you don’t already have cooked and cooled quinoa, prepare it at this time. 1/3 cup dry quinoa yields ~1 cup cooked.
- Heat oven to 400 degrees F (204 C) and line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Add the drained and rinsed black beans and chopped mushrooms and onion to the baking sheet. Add avocado oil, season with salt, and stir to evenly distribute. Roast for 15-20 minutes, tossing halfway through.
- Prepare flax “eggs” (or chickpea “eggs”) by combining flaxseed meal (or chickpea flour) and water in a medium mixing bowl. Set aside.
- To the mixing bowl with the flax/chickpea “eggs,” add the roasted vegetables and black beans along with the cayenne and garlic powder and mix until combined. Smash some of the black beans as you go. Add the gluten-free flour and cooked and cooled quinoa and stir until combined. You should have a slightly tacky but moldable mixture. Add more gluten-free flour as needed if too wet to handle, or a splash of water if it’s too dry to form fritters.
- Using a 1/4 cup measuring cup, divide into 8 ~1/2-inch-thick patties and, in the meantime, heat a large rimmed skillet over medium heat (we prefer cast iron).
- Once hot, add a little oil to coat the pan and enough fritters to comfortably fit without crowding. Pan fry until golden brown, ~4 minutes on each side.
- Optional: For even crispier fritters, continue baking in a 400-degree F (204 C) oven for 10-15 minutes.
- Optionally, serve hot with sweet potato rice and garnishes of choice, such as cilantro, avocado crema, creamy jalapeño sauce, or guacamole.
- Leftover fritters can be stored in the refrigerator for up to 2-3 days or in the freezer for 1 month. Reheat in a lightly oiled skillet over low-medium heat for ~2-3 minutes per side. Or from frozen, place in a 350 F (176 C) oven for 10-15 minutes until warmed through.
Eva says
Normally I like recipes here, but this one needs more love.
Bummer! We’re sorry this one fell short, Eva. Would you mind sharing what you disliked about it? We’d love to be able to troubleshoot, if possible.
Nick Nicholson says
Enjoyed this recipe. Although it’s recommended to taste and add spices, I made as noted since it was my first try. I made both the avacado crema and the creamy jalapeño sauce. For the fritters I would be very generous with the spices next time. The recipe worked wonderfully with both the avacado and jalapeño sauce. I would recommend serving with one of the sauces. I will be bolder with the sauce spices as well.
Thank you for sharing your experience, Nick! We’re glad you enjoyed the recipe!
Kendra says
I made these last night and they were a hit. I have been cooking for years and always use the recipe as a base. I followed these pretty much as written, but did add more cayennne and added cumin (also used real eggs).
I will definitely make them again, however, they took waaaaaaay longer than the time suggested. I told my family I hoped they hated them…only because I spent about 1.5 hours making these (I did make 16 fritters for my family of 5 who likes leftovers).
Thank you for the honest feedback, Kendra! Sorry they took longer than expected.
Rachel says
This recipe was super disappointing :( They were kinda flavor-less and a weird texture. It was disappointing after buying all the pricey ingredients and dedicating over an hour to making them.
We’re so sorry you had a negative experience with this recipe, Rachel! To confirm, you measured out 1 cup of quinoa after cooking, not before cooking? Something else that could cause a weird texture would be if the mushrooms weren’t small enough and/or not baked long enough. We hope the next one goes better for you!
Alicia M Middlebrooks says
Oh my goodness, these black bean/ mushroom fritters were so good! I didn’t add the quinoa because I was lazy. But,it was still good even without it. Will definitely make this again. Great recipe….
We’re so glad you enjoyed it, Alicia! Thank you for sharing! xo
Blake Spencer says
This was delicious! I made as directed with jalapeño sauce and had enough patties for leftovers. The second night…a few days later…I made it with avocado sauce. They were both delicious although with the jalapeño sauce I served with avocado chunks and that worked well.
We’re so glad you enjoyed them, Blake! Thanks so much for the lovely review! xo
MC says
Really enjoyed these and texture is spot on for a veggie burger, actually. I only had 2 Cups shiitakes so I added 1 C chopped zucchini which worked well and even added some moisture which I think it needed. These didn’t have enough flavor overall for my tastes, so I think I will add some things like smoked paprika, onion powder, maybe some miso paste next time. Just want to take it up a notch. Thanks for a great recipe.
We’re so glad you enjoyed them overall! Thanks for sharing!
Andrej says
Great recipe, I used normal eggs and cooked it all in a frying pan which made the dish a bit unhealthy, but still with a great choice of superfoods
We’re so glad you enjoyed it, Andrej!
Christine says
Just made these. Super super good and makes a really satisfying dinner. Ate them with sriracha. Will definitely make them again!
Thanks!
Yay! Thanks so much, Christine!
Elizabeth says
I made these tonight and added one tablespoon of garlic powder and one tsp each of chili powder and cumin; still, the flavor was quite bland. I can spice ’em up with toppings though and broke up the burger into a kale salad with roasted cauliflower and purple onion with the avocado crema on top, which was delicious. I love every ingredient in these fritters so I know they are good for me, and I love the fact they are freezer friendly. It would be great to hear more ideas for recipe modifications so that the fritter alone has more oomph in its flavor profile. Cooking up in the pan and then popping in the oven was really effective at crisping them up!
Thanks for the review and for sharing your experience, Elizabeth!
Risa says
These were amazing! Quick to assemble and held together really nicely. I only had cremini mushrooms and they worked perfectly. Might add some red pepper next time for a little dash of colour. We are mostly plant based and this recipe will definitely be on rotation. Thanks!!!
Yay! Thanks so much for the great review, Risa!
Christine Labozan says
I made these today to use up some black beans and baby Bella mushrooms I already had cooked. I chopped up the mushrooms to the right size and roasted along with the beans and onions. Mine were a bit crumbly but I didn’t use as much flour as the recipe called for. Next time I’ll use the correct amount.
Regardless, they were delicious! They reminded me of a breakfast hash. I will definitely make these again!
Christina says
This looks delicious. Any suggestions for what to use try in place of quinoa as I’m allergic? Thank you
Hi Christina, you could probably try millet or rice although we haven’t tried it and can’t guarantee results!
Paul says
I have fresh Crecini mushrooms or dried Shiitake mushrooms (the affordable option where we live).
Any idea whether rehydrated Shiitake would work in the recipe? Otherwise I’ll wing it and let you know how it works out……….. :)
Thanks in advance
Hi Paul, we haven’t tried them with dried shiitake mushrooms, but we would definitely suggest rehydrating them. You could probably do have cremini mushrooms and half rehydrated shiitake mushrooms! The cremini do have quite a bit more moisture so we would suggest checking out the texture of the dough in the photos and video and trying to mimic it as much as possible. You may need a bit more flour! Let us know how it goes!
Christine says
Made this last night and it is definitely a winner. My husband and I eat plant based and this one will definitely be in our rotation. Just had leftovers at lunch and the patties are holding together beautifully. I think this recipe might become my new veggie burger. Made the avocado Crema to slather on top and finished it off with Cholula hot sauce. Amazing!!!
We’re so glad you both enjoyed them, Christine! Thanks so much for the lovely review. xo
Laurie says
Yum. Thankyou. Can you please consider replicating a healthy version of Mexican street corn salad to go with these? It was the first thing I thought of when I tried these. Thanks for another great recipe.
We’re so glad you enjoyed it, Laurie! Thank you for the lovely review and suggestion! We do have a similar recipe here, but let us know if that’s not quite what you’re looking for.
Maggie Rogers says
Can I use teff in place of the quinoa?
Hi Maggie, we think the small grain would cause it to not hold together as well, but it’s hard to say without testing it! Other options we think could work better would be brown rice or millet. Hope that helps!
johnny42 says
I don’t want to hijack this recipe but it seems like you could add a couple things and call these Veggie Burgers. Just make them bigger into a patty shape. Any thoughts on what else to add?
We think these could definitely work as a veggie burger as is, let us know if you do some experimenting with adding other veggies/flavors!
Nadine says
Can I use crimini or the regular white mushrooms that all supermarkets sell?
Hi Nadine! You could probably use another mushroom! We would suggest making sure they are chopped fine enough and that when you make the “dough” that it looks like the photos and videos. If it ends up being too moist, we would suggest adding a bit more flour as needed! Hope this helps. xo
Laurie says
Not trying to hijack the reply but wanted you to know any of the recipes that call for shiitake and I’ve substituted I’ve had to add a lot of extra flour because shiitake are a very dry mushroom. White is the worst and portobello a little better for adding too much moisture but still alot juicier than shiitake. The shiitake have a better texture and moisture content for fritters and burgers.
Kerrie says
This sounds delicious! Are the patties firm enough for me to grill them?
Hi Kerrie, we wouldn’t suggest grilling them!
Laura says
These look delicious! I have two questions: (1) Would a more affordable mushroom (such as white mushrooms) work well, or do they have too high a moisture content? (2) If using all-purpose flour, do you recommend baking after frying to avoid a raw flour taste (or will that taste go away by the end of pan frying)? Thank you!
Hi Laura, you could probably use white mushrooms! We would just make sure they are chopped fine enough. You might need to add a bit more flour. If you are sensitive to a raw flour flavor, you could definitely bake after frying! We didn’t seem to notice it in the gluten-free version
Ellie says
Thoughts on baby Bella mushrooms instead of shiitake?
Hi Ellie, those should work!
Ellie says
I used baby Bella. Worked out amazingly. Also, I only had 1/2 c of quinoa and the recipe still turned out great. Fritters were firm and delicious. I think that they could benefit from a flavor pop of sauce or accompaniment of some sort to take it up a notch.