Enjoy the ultimate burger dinner on any day of the week with these amazing Black Bean Veggie Burgers served with a spicy sriracha mayonnaise. They will certainly become your favourite vegetarian burgers!

You don’t have to be a vegetarian to embrace the benefits of meatless meals. This easy recipe for vegetarian burgers makes it easy to prepare a protein-rich vegetarian meal without compromising on flavour. The burgers have a hearty texture and are extremely satisfying. They’re also thick, flavourful and come together quickly.

A few years ago I created this recipe for my vegetarian daughter who was missing out on family “burger” nights. In the end even the non-vegetarian family members enjoyed these veggie burgers just as much as any meat laden ones. I’ve even made these patties in slider size and served them on mini slider hamburger buns and they were a big hit!

It’s hard to believe the meaty texture of these vegetable burgers. Loaded with sautéed mushrooms, red onions and garlic mixed with mashed black beans all seasoned to perfection with a little spice for pizzazz. The burgers are cooked in a cast iron skillet until golden crisp. Enjoy these best vegetarian black bean burgers on hamburger buns slathered with a two-ingredient sriracha mayonnaise and stacked high with favourite burger toppings. You won’t miss the meat!

Ingredients for Black Bean Veggie Burger Patties and Tips

Olive oil – Used to sauté the vegetables and to cook the burgers.
Cremini mushrooms – The ideal mushrooms for the burger filling as they have a mild earthy flavour and a meaty texture, do not wash them but simply wipe them clean with a damp cloth.
Red Onion – Used for both the burger filling and for garnish, finely diced for the burger filling and sliced in rounds for the garnish.
Garlic – A common ingredient in many savoury dishes that adds a bold pungent earthy flavour.
Black beans – Protein rich black beans with a hearty, earthy flair are the main ingredient of the burgers, be sure to drain, rinse and let them dry a bit before using.
Parsley – Adds brightness and freshness to the burgers, I recommend you don’t skip it.
Panko breadcrumbs – Helps enhance the texture of the burger patties and absorbs moisture.
Ground flaxseeds – Have a mild nutty flavour, are loaded with healthy nutrients and help enhance the texture of the burger patties.
Oregano, cumin, coriander chili powder, salt and pepper – The seasonings of choice for the burger patties.
Egg – Used to bind the ingredients in the burger patties and also adds more protein.

Ingredients for Serving Black Bean Veggie Burgers

Hamburger buns – Serve the burgers on any type of hamburger buns you desire, just make sure they’re crisp and fresh
Mayonnaise and sriracha sauce – These two ingredients are combined together to create the perfect spicy sauce to top the burgers.
Serving suggestions – Get creative and choose your own toppings for the burgers, here are some ideas: leaf lettuce, micro-greens, tomatoes, onions, avocado, grainy mustard, ketchup.

How to Make Black Bean Veggie Burgers

1. In a large cast iron skillet sauté the mushrooms, red onions and garlic until caramelized. Set aside to cool slightly.

2. In a large bowl mash the black beans with a potato masher to a lumpy texture. Some of the beans should be broken and some creamed.

3. Add sautéed mushrooms to the mashed black beans along with parsley, breadcrumbs, flaxseed, oregano, cumin, coriander, chili powder, salt, pepper and egg. Mix well to combine then cover and refrigerate for at least two hours or freeze for 20 minutes to chill the mixture.

4. Form four equal sized burgers with chilled mixture, place them on a parchment lined baking sheet then refrigerate for 2 hours or longer to chill or freeze.

How to Cook Black Bean Veggie Burgers

Heat a cast iron skillet until really hot, add oil and burgers and cook without disturbing for 4 – 5 minutes, reducing heat as necessary. Gently flip burgers over, adding another 2 teaspoons of oil if necessary, and cook for another 4 – 5 minutes. The burgers should be crisp and golden-brown on the outside and heated through on the inside.

How to Make Sriracha Mayonnaise

Just two simple ingredients are needed to make Sriracha Mayonnaise! Simply combine mayonnaise and sriracha sauce in a small bowl and voila! It’s ready!

How to Serve Black Bean Veggie Burgers

Layer the burgers on hamburger buns and let everyone at the table customize their own burger by choosing from an array of favourite toppings. The recipe comes with some recommended toppings such as sriracha mayonnaise, leaf lettuce, micro-greens, tomatoes, onions, avocado, grainy mustard, ketchup – but feel free to add any others!

Frequently Asked Questions

Can I Make Black Bean Veggie Burgers ahead of time?

The burgers can be made up to a day ahead and kept refrigerated on a parchment lined baking sheet covered with plastic wrap. When ready to cook remove them from the refrigerator and cook as directed. You can also freeze the burgers, see next paragraph.

Can I Freeze Black Bean Veggie Burgers?

The burgers freeze well. Place the formed burgers on a parchment lined baking sheet and pop them in the freezer for about 2 to 3 hours. Once the burgers are frozen wrap each burger individually in parchment paper and slip them into a zipper freezer bag. Store in freezer for up to 3 months. Before cooking, thaw frozen burgers in refrigerator for 1 – 2 hours or longer.

Can I Double the Recipe for Black Bean Veggie Burgers?

The recipe doubles easily. Just be sure and use a really large bowl so you’ll have plenty of room to mash the black beans and combine all the ingredients. You will need two separate skillets to cook the increased amount of burgers, otherwise, cook them in batches.

Are Black Bean Veggie Burgers spicy?

The burgers themselves are mildly spicy as there is only 1 teaspoon of chili powder over 4 burgers. However, the sriracha mayonnaise has a fairly good spice level so adjust it as desired. Everyone’s spice sensitivity is different so feel free to use none, less or lots more chili powder or sriracha as desired.

Black Bean Veggie Burger Variations

To make the burgers gluten free use gluten free breadcrumbs for the filling and serve the burgers in a lettuce wrap or on gluten free hamburger buns.
Substitute any of the recommended burger toppings with other toppings you prefer.
To create sliders, form the filling into 2” to 3” round patties, reduce the cooking time slightly and serve them on mini slider buns.
To cook burger patties on an outdoor grill, place the cast iron skillet on a hot grill instead of on the stove-top and follow the same directions.

Tips for Black Bean Veggie Burger success

Mince the mushrooms and red onions very fine as they will mix in and bind better with the other burger ingredients.
Rinse and drain the black beans well and let them dry for a few minutes to remove some moisture.
Cooking burgers that have been chilled or frozen is ideal.
If the burgers are frozen, thaw them in refrigerator for at least 1 to 2 hours or longer before cooking.
The burgers have a slightly fragile texture so cooking them in a skillet is recommended over grilling. (If you prefer to cook them on an outdoor grill see Black Bean Veggie burgers variations paragraph below).
Do not disturb the burger patties when cooking, they are delicate, ideally turn over only once while cooking.
The sriracha mayonnaise can be made ahead and kept refrigerated – it keeps well for a few days and is also great for sandwiches during the week.

I hope you’ll enjoy these homemade healthy Black Bean Veggie Burgers. Try them for a meatless Monday meal or any night and let me know what you think!

More black bean recipes to explore:

Recipe

Black Bean Veggie Burgers

Black Bean Veggie Burgers made with sautéed mushrooms, red onions garlic and mashed black beans are served with a quick and easy two-ingredient sriracha mayonnaise.

Servings 4 burgers

Ingredients

Burgers

1 tablespoon olive oil
250 grams cremini mushrooms diced fine
½ cup red onion finely diced
2 cloves garlic minced
580 mL tin black beans rinsed and drained
⅓ cup parsley finely chopped
½ cup panko breadcrumbs
¼ cup ground flaxseed
2 teaspoons oregano
1 teaspoon cumin
1 teaspoon coriander
1 teaspoon chili powder (as desired)
1 teaspoon kosher salt
1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1 egg
2-4 teaspoons olive oil for cooking
4 hamburger buns

Sriracha Mayonnaise

½ cup mayonnaise
2 tablespoons sriracha sauce

Serving suggestions

Leaf lettuce
Micro greens
Tomatoes
Onion
Avocado
Grainy mustard
Ketchup

Instructions

In a 12” skillet, preferably cast iron, heat the olive oil over medium-high heat. Add mushrooms, red onion and garlic. Sauté while stirring occasionally, until tender and caramelized, about 5 – 7 minutes. Set aside to cool slightly.
Meanwhile, in a large bowl mash the black beans with a potato masher or a fork to a lumpy texture. Most of the beans should be broken and some of them creamed.
Add sautéed mushroom-onion mixture, parsley, breadcrumbs, flaxseed, oregano, cumin, coriander, chili powder, salt, pepper and egg. Mix all the ingredients together really well. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and refrigerate for 2 hours or longer or place in the freezer for 20 minutes to chill the mixture.
Working with a chilled mixture form it into 4 equal sized burgers, 4” round, pressing them firmly, and place on a parchment paper lined baking sheet. Refrigerate to keep them cold, or freeze completely until needed.
Cook the burgers cold from the refrigerator. If the burgers are frozen, thaw them in refrigerator for at least 1 2 hours or longer before cooking. Heat a 12” cast iron skillet over medium-high heat until really hot. Add 2 teaspoons oil and then the burgers. Cook without disturbing for 4 – 5 minutes, reducing heat as necessary. Gently flip the burgers over, adding another 2 teaspoons of oil if necessary, and cook for another 4 – 5 minutes. The burgers should be crisp and golden-brown on the outside and heated through on the inside.
Meanwhile in a medium bowl mix the mayonnaise and sriracha until smooth.
Transfer the burgers onto hamburger buns and garnish with desired toppings.

Recipe Notes

Mince mushrooms and red onions fine as they will mix in and bind better with the ingredients.
Rinse and drain black beans well and let dry for a few minutes to remove some moisture.
Working with a chilled mixture makes it much easier to form the burgers.
For best results cook the burgers cold right from the refrigerator or slightly thawed if frozen.
Do not disturb the burger patties when cooking, they are delicate, ideally turn over only once while cooking.
To cook the burger patties on an outdoor grill, place the cast iron skillet on a hot grill instead of on the stove-top and follow the same cooking directions.