Most meat eaters love burgers, as we do. Meat lovers might think that you couldn’t possibly be satisfied with a Black Bean burger & Chickpea burger, but even my husband says it’s possible now! Add a little spice and ditch the “Impossible” burger. These are the real deal! Real fiber and protein, no nonsense. They’re a great way to cut down on red meat if that’s what you need to do per Doctor’s orders. Your stomach will sure as heck be satisfied with this alternative burger. You might ask yourself, why chickpeas? Why not? We strayed from the usual black bean burger only to add more healthy filling goodness; experimenting one day by adding chickpeas and cilantro and we loved it!
Why not Store Bought Black Bean Burgers?
Most store bought black bean burgers have just as many fillers as other pre-packaged processed foods; way too much sodium and preservatives. I’m sure there are some that are fairly healthy, but unless you truly inspect the labels there are more than 5 or 6 ingredients (not including spices) so you’re probably better off making these yourself.
Also, making these yourself is way cheaper than store bought, I guarantee it. To make this batch of 10 burgers (not including buns) it costs less than $5! It’s a steal for healthy filling burgers. If you make this whole batch and just feed a few people to start, freeze the rest and then you’ll have another 1 or 2 meals for later.
Making Black Bean Burgers
Making these is easier and faster than you might expect if you’ve never made homemade ones. You can also easily half this recipe and just make 5. As I stated earlier, I make this big batch only because it’s just as easy to make the big batch and freeze the leftovers.
We like to use our electric griddle
to make these because we can cook 6 at at time, but you can cook them just the same on a skillet. I like the even cooking and efficiency of the griddle.
If you’re not a fan of chickpeas you can easily just make these with all black beans or substitute for another bean. Also, use whatever cheese you like, we’ve enjoyed them with sharp cheddar and swiss. If you follow a gluten-free diet these can be enjoyed on a gluten-free bun or a big lettuce leaf with avocado and tomato. Without cheese these are great piled with just avocado and a condiment of your choice. Try our sriracha sauce or straight Sriracha
with them if you like as well, so good!
Kid Friendly Burgers
When we first made black bean burgers for our kids we didn’t want them to judge them before trying them so when they asked us what they were, we just called them “Delish Burgers.” Once our oldest boy had his first bite he renamed them to “Yum Burgers.” So now that’s what they’re called in our house, Yum Burgers. There’s no harm in not giving your kids the full story when it comes to health if you’re trying to get them to try new things. You can dress up these burgers with their favorite toppings and just put it in front of them and let them discover it on their own.
Give these burgers a try along with my roasted red potatoes and be sure to comment below. Enjoy!
Black Bean & Chickpea Veggie Burger
Equipment
Ingredients
- 2-15 oz cans organic Black Beans (rinsed & drained)
- 1-15 oz can Chickpeas (drained (garbanzo beans))
- 1 medium white onion (diced small)
- 2 eggs
- 4 Tbsp cornstarch or Gluten-Free Flour (We like using the Gluten-Free flour from Trader Joe’s but any alternative like that will do)
- Extra virgin olive oil or butter for sautรฉing and frying
- 1 Tbsp
Vegan Worcestershire ((I use regular Worcestershire, but for those who need vegetarian, this is a good alternative.)) - 1 1/4 tsp salt
- 1 tsp ground black pepper
- 1 tsp granulated garlic
- 1 tsp chili powder
- 1 tsp smoked paprika
Optional
- 1/4 cup packed fresh cilantro (finely chopped)
- Add 1 or 2 chopped chipotle peppers with a teaspoon of adobo sauce to bean mixture if you like more spice
Instructions
- Drain garbanzo beans and black beans separately (starting with garbanzo because you will mash these 1st)
- Let each drain in colander well for a few minutes.
- Transfer all beans to a clean kitchen towel and dry them well. Let them sit and dry on the towel while you cook the onion.
- Sautรฉ diced onion on medium heat, about 6-8 mins. in about 1/2 Tbsp olive oil or butter until tender. Remove from pan and let cool.
- Mash garbanzo beans in a small bowl with potato masher or fork till about 70% mashed.
- Now mash black beans in medium mixing bowl you will make your burger mix in. Leave some black beans whole, so do not over mash.
- Add onion, flour, garbanzo beans, eggs and spices with Worcestershire to bean bowl. If you’re adding cilantro and/or adobo do that now as well. Stir mixture and let chill in the fridge for 10-15 minutes.
- Scoop 1/3 cup of mixture and form a patty with hands about 1/2 ” thick. Repeat till mixture gone.
- Heat butter or oil on griddle or skillet at medium heat. Once ready cook patties 4-5 minutes on first side (until browned and solid to flip).ย Flip patties, cook another 4-5 minutes and on last 1-2 minutes add cheese slice if desired.ย Once cheese is melted transfer patties to a plate or sheet pan and keep warm in oven till ready to serve.
- It’s better to serve these immediately if possible.ย Add all your favorite burger toppings and enjoy!
Optional:
- Grill your buns with a little butter or oil on undersides for a minute or two once patties all cooked.
Notes
Nutrition Disclaimer:
Nutrition
I hope you were using vegetarian “Worcestershire”. Regular worcestershire contains Anchovies.
You can absolutely use “Vegan Worcestershire.” I used to have a link on the recipe, but this is an older recipe where some of the information did not transfer when I updated recipe templates. I have updated it now. Thank you for the comment.
These were excellent! I did do a few things a bit differently, but the general recipe was followed. I read that some said the mix was too soft, I think that comes from the beans, so I first strained, but didn’t rinse, each type in a colander then laid them in a single layer over paper towels for a good 25-30 minutes. I also sauted a half red bell pepper, a bit of red onion, mushroom, and garlic. I did use 2 eggs but only about a about a 3rd cup of bread crumbs. The seasonings I used were very similar to the ones suggested. I fried for 6 minutes on each side over medium heat, in a quarter tablespoon of butter, in my nonstick skillet.
Very good! Glad they worked out and you were able to improvise to your liking. I can’t get too crazy with my additions with my kids sometimes, but I love your additions! Sounds tasty!
I love the taste, but the first half didnโt cook well in a skillet. They kept falling apart and were too soft. So I put them in the oven at 375 for 10 minutes on each side. They cooked better this way.
Thanks for the comment, Bri. They can be on the delicate side. Glad you found a way that works better for you.
So delicious – really packed with flavour! I’m single so halved the recipe. I substituted with a flax egg; and 1/4c shredded lactose-free cheddar instead of the panko to help bind … some finely chopped fresh garlic (cause I can’t get enough) … and kale instead of cilantro as that’s all I had on hand. Such a versatile recipe. This is now a new staple! Thanks for this great recipe Katia!
So glad to hear you enjoyed it and were able to make substitutes to fit your needs. I do that all the time! Enjoy and thanks for the comments!
I’m so happy to hear you loved these burgers, Sue. Also, it’s great you can find a way for it to work better for your diet with simple substitutions. Be well!
I’ve made this recipe about a dozen times now and I still can’t get enough! The flavor is so versatile I enjoy them as burgers, in wraps, crumbled up in omelettes, quesadillas, salads, you name it.
If you find the patties aren’t sticking together in the pan as well as you’d like, a good trick is to spread your black beans out on a cookie sheet (drained, but NOT rinsed) and bake at 300 for about 10 min or until the’ve dried up a bit and some of them are beginning to crack open. This gives the patties a wonderfully firm texture, but be careful not to overcook or your patties will crumble once done (not always a bad thing if you have plans other than burgers!).
That’s great to hear, Sabrina. So glad you are enjoying it!
Thanks for sharing this recipe! Made them today and I was very pleased. My skeptical husband even went back for seconds!
Awesome, Lori. I love to hear that! Thanks for trying it out.
Thanks for posting this recipe! I made it without cilantro (was out and too hungry to wait). I also used Flaxmill in place of the bread crumbs to make them gluten free. They were still a little hard to form this way (prob didnt help that i used my food processor instead of mashing them) so I scooped out the mixture onto a pan lined with parchment paper and the pressed them down into a pattie with an oiled spatula. I baked them for 10 minutes on each side at 375 and they turned out great!
Awesome, Jess! Glad you were able to substitute to fit your needs and still enjoy them. Do try them with cilantro next time if you can, it gives them a great fresh flavor.
These are FANTASTIC and I ALWAYS do them in the oven – somehow they taste better this way!!! GREAT recipe!!
So glad you enjoyed this recipe, Amber! I really appreciate the comment and what works for you. Thanks for sharing!
These were amazing!!! This is going to be my new go to for something so easy and delicious. I’m not very skilled at cooking and I was so pleased to find this recipe and have it come out so yummy. I’m already having seconds!
That’s great, Julie! So happy to hear from people like you. I appreciate the feedback. Enjoy and please keep checking us out!
I was really excited to make this recipe, but it was a disaster. They completely fell apart on the frying pan and turned into mush. I am really disappointing and I’m an experienced cook. Added everything like it states, eggs and breadcrumbs and all. I don’t understand and disappointing and the wasted ingredients.
Julia, I’m very sorry they did not work out for you. I really am not sure why they turned out that way. I have made this recipe numerous times and have not had that happen. I actually follow my own recipes from the site as I make a dish (to check for discrepancies). All I can say is that I use a griddle to make these with even heat and do wait for them to form almost a crust on the 1st side before I flip them and I flip them gently as stated in the recipe as they are still more delicate compared to other bergers. I understand your frustration and also hate wasted ingredients.
Maybe make the burgers and put them in the fridge for a few hours before cooking them or add oat flour to the mixture.
Yes, Jack. You could absolutely chill them in the refrigerator for a bit before cooking them. I’ve just never had a problem with them cooking well without chilling beforehand. Thanks for the comment!
Can you freeze these before cooking?
Absolutely Natalia. Freezing them would work great and just be sure to thaw them overnight in the refrigerator before cooking. Enjoy!
These burgers were easy to make, granted I made all the beans from scratch. I might up the seasoning just a bit – once you add lettuce, cheese, and tomato the bean taste gets a little lost. First time making bean burgers!
Thanks for your feedback, Chelsea! Always appreciate it.