Hearty and full of zesty bold flavors, these Southwestern Black Bean Burgers are sure to please! Sautéed onions and peppers, fresh cilantro, chilies, and smoky barbecue sauce are combined with healthy beans to form delicious burgers. They are so crispy on the outside yet soft in the middle. Yum!
Who knew veggie burgers could be made so easily?! Canned black beans and your favorite vegetables will have everyone asking for seconds.
These southwest-style burger patties are also freezer-friendly. You can prepare a batch and have meals prepped for days!
I like to make these meatless, Tex-Mex sandwiches for cookouts with friends and family. And they can easily be made without gluten by using a gluten-free oat flour.
They are fully customizable, too! If you want a spicier bite, you can mix in some jalapeños, cayenne, or red pepper flakes for more heat. Or if you want to pack in more veggies, such as corn, you can!
Cook these homemade burgers on a sizzling hot pan or a cast iron skillet on the grill. The exterior forms a crispy crust while the center of the burgers are soft and tender. This patty holds well together and isn’t mushy like the classic black bean smashburger.
You can dress them up with cilantro, green chilies, sautéed peppers and onions, and your favorite sauce. I like to spread creamy mashed avocado on one bun and a homemade Vegan Sriracha Mayo on the other.
These southwest black bean burgers would go really well with spicy Pineapple Mango Habanero Salsa or Roasted Ranchero Salsa.
If you’re looking for more bean recipes, be sure to check out my Guatemalan Black Beans, easy White Beans, or Three-Bean Chili.
Reasons To Love These Burgers!
- Quick and easy
- Freezer friendly
- Can be gluten-free
- Great for meal prep
- Meatless & no eggs
- High in protein, fiber, & potassium
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Ingredients and Substitutions
- Oil – A little oil is used to sauté the peppers and onions and to cook the patties. I tend to use olive or avocado, but any works.
- Bell Pepper – Red bell pepper adds a pop of color and tons of flavor, but other color varieties are great as well.
- Onion – Use half of an onion such as yellow, sweet, white, or red.
- Flax – Ground flaxseed meal is mixed with a little water to form a binder. This is such a healthy ingredient to sprinkle into your yogurt or salads for fiber and nutrients such as omega-3 fatty acids.
- Beans – Use 2 cans of black beans unless you have some extra time to prepare some from scratch.
- Oat Flour – I love to use oat flour for patties as in my Chickpea Patties and Jackfruit Burgers because it absorbs extra moisture while holding the ingredients together tightly. You can pulse rolled oats in a blender if you don’t already have oat flour.
- Herbs – Fresh cilantro leaves add a perfect layer of flavor; however, you can certainly use parsley instead.
- Green Chilies – A small can of green chilies are delicious here. You can swap these out for fresh jalapeños if you prefer.
- Garlic – Fresh garlic cloves are so tasty here, but you can swap them for garlic powder.
- Seasoning – A tasty combination of seasoning forms a smoky and flavorful bite. Use chili powder, paprika, cumin, salt, and pepper.
- Sauce – A little barbecue sauce adds some moisture and some irresistible tang. If you don’t have any on hand, ketchup will do.
- Toppings – Use your favorite buns and toppings such as mashed avocado, cilantro, spicy mayo, and the remaining sautéed onions and peppers.
How to Make Southwestern Black Bean Burgers
Here are some quick visual steps. Find the full recipe with exact measurements on the recipe card below.
Rinse the black beans and spread them out on a baking sheet. Mash most of them and then leave them on the tray to air dry while preparing the other ingredients.
Mix the flax egg and set it aside for a few minutes.
Sauté the onions and peppers until they’re soft. Finely dice some of them and add them to a bowl along with the beans. Save the rest of the peppers and onions for burger toppings.
Add cilantro, flax seed mixture, green chilies, garlic, seasoning, and barbecue sauce to the bowl. Stir everything together until it’s well combined.
Mix in the oat flour by cutting and smashing it into the dense mixture. Form burger patties by rolling them into balls, and then pressing them into discs. After making 8, I usually have enough leftovers for a baby-sized patty for my little guy.
Let the patties sit for about 10 minutes which will help them set and hold their shape well.
Cook the black bean patties on a sizzling hot skillet until they’re charred on both sides.
Assemble your burgers and enjoy! I like to spread smashed avocado (with cayenne and salt) and Vegan Sriracha Mayo on the buns.
You can also save them for later by freezing them.
Tips For Success
- Don’t mash all of the beans into a fine paste so that the burgers have some texture.
- Let the black beans air dry to prevent the burgers from being too wet and mushy.
- The mixture may seem too wet at first but it will lose some moisture during the cooking process. It should be moldable when forming the patties. If it’s too wet, add a small amount of oat flour. If it’s too dry, add more water.
- Pan-frying or grilling in a cast-iron are my preferred cooking methods. Other ways such as air frying or in the oven tend to dry the patties out and cause them to become crumbly.
Recipe Variation Ideas
- Try them with different sautéed veggies such as zucchini and carrots.
- Switch the black beans for red beans or even pinto!
- Stir in some cooked corn.
- Spice things up with chipotle peppers, jalapeños, or red pepper flakes.
- Change up the toppings to fresh jalapeños slices, uncooked diced onion, etc.
Storage & Reheating
Separate the patties with parchment paper and place them in an air-tight container or bag. Refrigerate them for 5 days or freeze them for 3 months. Reheat or cook them on a lightly oiled, medium-high heated skillet until heated through and both sides are charred. If frozen, defrost them in the microwave or overnight in the refrigerator first.
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Southwestern Black Bean Burgers
Bonnie – Serene Trail
Ingredients
- 2 tbsp olive oil, divided
- 1 red bell pepper, sliced
- 1/2 onion, sliced
- 2 tbsp flaxseed meal +2 tbsp warm water
- 30 ounces black beans (2 cans) or 3 cups home-cooked
- 1/2 cup oat flour
- 2 tbsp fresh cilantro leaves, chopped
- 2 tbsp green chilies (canned), drained, chopped
- 3 garlic cloves, minced
- 1 tsp chili powder
- 1/2 tsp paprika
- 1/2 tsp cumin
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 1/4 tsp pepper
- 1 tbsp barbecue sauce
Toppings
- toasted buns
- mashed avocado with salt & cayenne pepper
- cilantro, sautéed onions & peppers
- favorite sauce such as sriracha mayo
Instructions
- Drain and rinse the beans. Shake the excess water off and spread them out on a large baking sheet. Mash most of them with a potato masher or fork and leave them on the tray to air dry for now.
- Create the flax mixture by stirring together the ground flaxseed with warm water. Set it aside to thicken for about 5 minutes.
- Heat a large skillet to medium-high and then add 1 tbsp of oil. Sauté the onion and pepper slices for 3-4 minutes or until they're soft.
- Add the beans to a large mixing bowl. Finely dice 1/3 cup of the peppers and onions and add them to the bowl. Add the cilantro, flax seed mixture, green chilies, garlic, seasoning, and barbecue sauce. Stir everything together until it's well combined.
- Next, stir in the oat flour by cutting and smashing it into a dense mixture. Form 8 patties by scooping 1/3 cup of the mixture, roll them into balls, then press them into 1/2 inch tall discs on parchment paper.
- Let the patties sit for 10 minutes. This will help them hold their shape better and give time for oat flour to absorb excess moisture.
- Heat the large skillet to medium and then add 1 tbsp of oil. Cook the burgers for 4-5 minutes on each side until they're crispy and slightly charred.
- Assemble your burgers with avocado, sautéed onions and peppers, cilantro, green chilies, and any other favorites.
Video
Notes
- Don’t mash all of the beans into a fine paste so that the burgers have some texture.
- Let the black beans air dry to prevent the burgers from being too wet and mushy.
- The mixture may seem too wet at first but it will lose some moisture during the cooking process. It should be moldable when forming the patties. If it’s too wet, add a small amount of oat flour. If it’s too dry, add more water.
- Pan-frying or grilling in a cast-iron are my preferred cooking methods. Other ways such as air frying or in the oven tend to dry the patties out and cause them to become crumbly.
Storage & Reheating
Separate the patties with parchment paper and place them in an air-tight container or bag. Refrigerate them for 5 days or freeze them for 3 months. Reheat or cook them on a lightly oiled, medium-high heated skillet until heated through and both sides are charred. If frozen, defrost them in the microwave or overnight in the refrigerator first.Nutrition
The nutritional information provided is an estimate from third-party calculations.
Would you suggest freezing extra patties before or after panfrying them? Thanks in advance, looking forward to trying this recipe!
Either way works just fine, but if you wait to cook them until after thawing them, you’ll get a tasty fresh char just before eating them. Whereas, if you simply reheat cooked patties, they may not be as crispy on the outsides.