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These black bean burgers are the best—delicious, hearty, and easy to prepare. They are versatile, and freezer-friendly, requiring black beans, breadcrumbs, sweet potato, onion, garlic, and spices.
This easy recipe is one of my all-time favorites. It combines creamy sweet potato, flavorful black beans, and several spices to make delicious burgers, perfect for impressing friends and family. The vegan black bean patties are tender in the middle and crisp on the outside, with a wonderful flavor combination of sweet, savory, and smoky. Plus, this recipe is completely egg-free, dairy-free, and nut-free, and you can use all your favorite burger toppings.
Black beans are incredibly versatile—not only great for burgers but also amazing in soups! If you’re craving something warm and cozy, you’ve got to try my black bean soup recipe, which brings out the rich, hearty flavor of the beans in a whole new way.
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Ingredients
This sweet potato black bean burger recipe contains just a few ingredients, most of which are probably already in your pantry.
- Black beans: Use home-cooked or canned beans (drained and rinsed). Alternatively, use pinto beans or white beans like cannellini.
- Sweet potato: To make the base of the patties.
- Onion and garlic: Use a red onion and fresh garlic cloves.
- Breadcrumbs: Use regular or panko breadcrumbs as a binder for the patties.
- Spices: Smoked paprika, cumin, salt, and black pepper. To add spice, add some cayenne pepper, chili powder, or chipotle powder.
You will also need hamburger buns and your favorite toppings: lettuce, tomato, (plant-based) cheese, avocado, ketchup, etc.
How to make my best black bean burgers
Make the black bean patty mix: First, preheat the oven to 350ºF/180ºC. Next, peel and chop the sweet potatoes into small cubes. The smaller the cubes, the faster they will cook. Peel and quarter the onion. I cook the garlic cloves whole with the skin, but you can peel and half or quarter them if you want.
Then, place the prepared vegetables on a baking sheet and brush them with some olive oil or use a bit of cooking spray. Roast them in the oven at 350ºF/180ºC for 25-30 minutes. Flip them halfway through cooking. Then, in the last 15 minutes, add the beans to the oven as well. This allows them to bake and dry for a bit.
Once roasted, let everything cool down for a few minutes. Then remove the garlic skin if it is still on. Add all of the ingredients to a blender or food processor: roasted sweet potatoes, onion, garlic, black beans, breadcrumbs, smoked paprika, cumin, salt, and black pepper. Then, process them into a slightly chunky paste. Taste the black bean mixture and adjust the seasonings to your liking if needed.
Shape the patties: Next, use your hands, a large ice cream scoop, or around 1/3 cup to measure the patties evenly. Then shape them by hand by making a ball and then flattening it to your desired thickness. The mixture shouldn’t be sticky or too dry and crumbly. With the mixture, I made 5 large patties, but you could make more if they are a bit smaller.
Grill and assemble: To cook the black bean burgers, heat a neutral oil in a large skillet and pan-fry the burgers over medium heat for 3-4 minutes on each side, until browned and crispy. Alternatively, bake them at 350ºF/180ºC for 15-20 minutes or grill them on the BBQ, flipping once, until lightly browned and crispy.
While grilling or pan-frying the burgers, I love to heat the burger buns and start warming the cheese over the patties. Finally, assemble the burgers by layering a lettuce leaf, black bean patty, tomato, mashed avocado, and some ketchup, mayonnaise, spicy sriracha mayo, or your favorite toppings. Then enjoy right away with a side of sweet potato fries or a fresh green salad.
How to store leftover patties
- Uncooked patties: Store covered in an airtight container in the fridge for 3-4 days or in the freezer for up to 3 months.
- Cooked patties: These are best eaten immediately. Freeze any leftovers for up to 3 months. Then bake from frozen or thaw and lightly pan fry until warmed through and crispy.
More plant-based burgers
If you try this black bean burger recipe, let me know how it goes in the comments below. I’d appreciate a recipe card rating and would love to see your recipe recreations – tag me on Instagram @Alphafoodie!
Best Black Bean Burger
Equipment
Ingredients
For the patties
- 14 ounces black beans home-cooked or canned (drained and rinsed); or cannellini, pinto
- 12 oz sweet potato 1 large
- 1 onion medium-sized
- 5 cloves garlic
- 1 cup breadcrumbs
- 1/2 tsp smoked paprika powder
- 1/2 tsp cumin powder
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 1/4 tsp black pepper
The other ingredients (as wanted)
- burger buns
- lettuce
- tomato
- avocado
- cheese
- ketchup
Instructions
Make the patty mixture
- Preheat the oven to 350ºF/180ºC.
- Peel and cube the sweet potatoes into small pieces. Peel and quarter the onion. If wanted, peel and half or quarter the garlic cloves as well.
- Place the vegetables on a baking tray. Brush them with olive oil or use cooking spray. Roast them at 350ºF/180ºC for 25-30 minutes, flipping them halfway through.
- In the last 15 minutes of roasting the potatoes, place the beans on another baking tray and put them in the oven as well.
- Let everything cool down for a few minutes. Remove the garlic skin if it is still on.
- In a blender or a food processor, add the roasted sweet potato, onion, garlic, black beans, breadcrumbs, smoked paprika, cumin, salt, and black pepper. Process into a slightly chunky paste. Taste test and adjust any of the seasonings if wanted.
Shape the patties
- Measure about 1/3 cup of the burger mixture per patty (use your hands, a large ice cream scoop, or a measuring cup). The mixture will make 5 large patties. If preferred, you can make them smaller.
- Make a ball with the mixture and then flatten the patty to your desired thickness.
Assemble the burgers
- In a large skillet, heat a bit of natural oil. Pan-fry the burgers over medium heat for 3-4 minutes on each side.Alternatively, bake them at 350ºF/180ºC for 15-20 minutes or grill them on the BBQ, flipping once, until lightly browned and crispy.
- If wanted, toast the burger buns or warm them in the skillet. Add some cheese over the patties to let it warm up and start melting.
- Assemble the black bean burgers by layering lettuce, patty, tomato, mashed avocado, and ketchup. Or use your favorite burger toppings.Enjoy right away!
Video
Notes
- The uncooked burger mix: Cover and store in the fridge for 3-4 days before cooking. The uncooked patties can also be frozen for up to three months.
- The cooked patties: Freeze any leftovers for up to 3 months. Bake from frozen or thaw and lightly pan fry until warmed through and crispy.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Hello Alpha I tried the burger today, it’s the best burger I’ve tried, it so good my friends were dancing when they tried it, also tried the mozzarella and it was amazing as well, thank you so much well done
Thank you for your comment, Samia. Glad you are trying the recipes 🙂