These Best Gluten-free Vegan Black Bean Burgers are the best you’ll try! They are packed with amazing depth of flavor, no bland burgers here! They are also a hearty, chewy texture and are baked, not friend, as well as oil-free!
GLUTEN-FREE VEGAN BLACK BEAN BURGERS
Finally, a gluten-free vegan black bean burger that doesn’t fall apart, has a nice chew to it and doesn’t all squish out from the inside when you take a bite! Do you all know what I’m talking about?? I can’t stand it when I bite into a bean burger and the whole thing turns to mush in my hands and squeezes out from the buns.
Well, my lovely readers, these bean burgers not only hold together, they are so flippin healthy, they are basically fat-free. Did I mention they taste incredible too?? Great salsa flavor with a bit of a kick, but totally kid-friendly. So many black bean burgers are BLAND and lacking serious flavor. But these are loaded with flavor. In fact, it’s a bit hard not to eat it all before baking it!
These baked black bean burgers are nut-free, gluten-free and oil-free!
Do you know what is even cooler about these burgers? They make a great crumbled taco “meat” too! I crumble up the burgers and serve them in tortilla wraps with lots of my Mexican Tahini Sauce and it is to die for!
SECRET INGREDIENTS
These are awesome because of 2 special ingredients you wouldn’t typically expect in a bean burger recipe….cornmeal and mashed potatoes. There is NO standard flour, breadcrumbs or oats in these babies. There isn’t even your usual flax for binding. These are the 2 magic ingredients that help bind the burgers, keep the inside moist and give them a nice chew. The potatoes cook and form a nice thin crust on the outside.
The cornmeal idea is based on my super popular Barbecue Lentil Loaf recipe, where for the first time, instead of using oats or regular flour like most other recipes out there, I used cornmeal instead. This gave the lentil loaf amazing firm, “meaty” texture and made them hold together so well. With such success on that loaf, I knew a bean burger could work the same. Well, cornmeal on it’s own did NOT work…it made them too dry and completely too fragile in the burgers. So, I decided to add potatoes. I used potatoes as the base of my Gluten-free Potato Pizza Crust and it works brilliantly. It works as a binder and is firm and chewy.
Layer on your toppings of choice. We added lettuce, onions, tomatoes and my Mexican tahini, but salsa on top is equally as mind-blowing…maybe even better?!
BOOM. Bean burgers with awesome ingredients and awesome texture and flavor. Top them with my Mexican Tahini Sauce and you’re in business.
CAN YOU FREEZE THESE BLACK BEAN BURGERS?
Yes! To freeze, cook them as instructed and let them completely cool. Wrap tightly in plastic wrap and then foil as well. I don’t know how long these will store in the freezer, as I’ve only done it about a couple of weeks. To reheat, cook them 10-15 minutes at 300°F in the oven.
If you make these Baked Vegan Black Bean Burgers, I’d love hearing about it!
Disclaimer: These are BEAN burgers, they are made from beans, salsa and veggies and will taste like a bean burger. They are not meant to resemble meat in any way, shape or form. So, please don’t expect a bean burger to resemble meat. This is not that kind of recipe.
MORE VEGAN BURGERS AND SANDWICHES
- Cajun Red Beans and Rice Burgers
- Smoky Barbecue Sweet Potato Chickpea Burger
- Smashed Caesar Chickpea Sandwich
- Curry Chickpea Sandwiches
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Best Vegan Black Bean Burgers (Baked)
Ingredients
- 1 packed cup (150g) red bell pepper, finely chopped
- 1 cup (220g) mashed potatoes (skin removed)
- two 15 oz cans no-sodium black beans, drained and rinsed
- 3/4 cup (180g) mild or medium heat chunky salsa (I use the Sprouts Medium Salsa, it's nice & chunky)
- 2 teaspoons chili powder
- 1 teaspoon ground cumin
- 1/2 teaspoon fine sea salt
- 1/2 teaspoon ground oregano
- 1/4 cup medium grind coarse cornmeal (SEE NOTES at bottom!)
- For serving Mexican Tahini Sauce is amazing on the burgers
NOTE
- Weigh your measurements if possible so the texture/moisture level turns out correctly with these burgers, as it's easy to pack too much potato or not enough and it affect the texture.
- I use this scale.
Instructions
- Preheat an oven to 400°F. Place the chopped bell peppers on a pan lined with parchment paper. Roast for 10 minutes, they will finish cooking later in the burgers. Lower the heat to 375°F.
- In a small bowl, combine the salsa, chili powder, cumin, salt and oregano. Stir until well mixed. Set aside.
- Cook the potatoes either in the microwave (whole with the skins on so they keep their moisture) wrapped in a wet paper towel until soft and tender. I don't recommend boiling them because excess moisture will get into the burgers. Peel and mash them completely and measure 1 full cup packed tightly and then leveled off.
- Pat dry the drained beans with a paper towel. REMOVE 1 cup of the black beans and add them to a large mixing bowl.
- Add the remaining beans to a food processor. Add the potatoes potatoes to the processor. Add the reserved salsa mixture. Pulse until it all comes together in a sticky, thick mashed/chunky paste.. It should only take a few pulses. Don't over process.
- Add the beans/potato mixture to the reserved bowl of extra beans. Add the roasted bell pepper as well. Add the cornmeal.
- Mix all of it together until everything is combined well and the batter is very thick.
- The mixture should be holding together well and not too wet. You should be able to form patties, but if for some reason your mixture seems too wet (can be depending on salsa used), then place the batter into the fridge 15 minutes.
- Form 6 large even patties using a heaping 1/2 cup scoop. I like to form balls and then flatten them on the pan. Flatten each patty to about 1/2 inch thick.
- Bake for 25 minutes (375°F). Carefully flip them. They will still be tender at this point, so flip gently. At 25 minutes, they should have formed a thin crispy bottom making it fairly easy to flip them. If the bottoms are not coming up fairly easy and still sticking to the paper, cook 3-5 more minutes and then flip. Cook 10 more minutes on the 2nd side.
- Cool 5-10 minutes before eating, as they will firm up even more. Assemble burgers with desired toppings. I served them with my awesome Mexican Tahini as the dressing. These are even better the next day as they get even more of a chewy "meaty" texture.
Notes
I’m confused. The ingredients list specifies a CHUNKY salsa, but the recipe note just below it says to use a RUNNY salsa? That seems contradictory. Could you please clarify which type of salsa we should be using? TIA!
Oops sorry about that, a chunky one is best! I fixed the ingredients.