Juicy Black Bean Burgers

What makes a good plant-based burger? Simple, whole food ingredients, like black beans, garlic, onion and spices. Seriously, that’s it. Often homemade black bean burgers can be bit dry and lacking in flavor. Well, not this recipe and not in my kitchen! With the help of mushrooms, onion and nutritional yeast in the patty, these burgers are a juicy, “meaty”, savory bite of deliciousness! They’re bursting with so much flavor! I promise you these are the best homemade black bean burgers you will ever taste!

By using a food processor, these burgers come together in minutes. Place everything, except for the beans and spices into the food processor, to get these burgers on the table fast. Again, do not add the beans to the food processor. Instead, inside of a large bowl and using a fork, mash the beans, but leave some whole pieces visible. Otherwise the burgers will be too mushy and will not hold together well. Once you form your patties, also note that these will not shrink. I used a 1/3 cup measuring cup to form mine and it made for the perfect sized burger.

In addition to being so easy to make, these burgers are also packed with good-for-you nutrition. With 14 grams of protein per burger, they provide an excellent source of plant protein to help keep you full and satisfied. They also have a whopping 14 grams of fiber. That’s 57% of the recommended daily intake for women! Now, some of you may look at the total carbohydrates per burger and think it’s a lot. However, keep in mind, that as humans, we don’t digest fiber, nor derive calories from it. So, the net carbs are only 38 grams per burger. As the black beans, mushrooms, onions, garlic and oats, deliver all three types of fiber, soluble, insoluble and prebiotic fiber, they provide a powerful combination to help keep your digestive tract healthy and thriving!  In particular, in the large intestine, the prebiotic fiber from the onions, garlic and oats, become food for the good bacteria in our gut, which in turn helps keep the lining of the digestive tract healthy. The soluble fiber helps to slow down digestion, keeping us fuller longer and bulk up your stool. The insoluble fiber helps waste pass more quickly through the digestive tract preventing constipation.

These burgers are also low in fat and primarily contain heart healthy mono and poly-unsaturated fat, which help decrease the risk of heart disease. You’ll be hard pressed to find such a balanced nutritional profile in a store-bought plant-based burger.  While the market has exploded with pre-made plant-based burger options, making your own is the best option for overall health. In fact, pre-made plant-based burgers are not as healthy as you might think. Store-bought plant-based burgers are often high in saturated fat and void of fiber. Consistently eating low fiber, high saturated fat food may increase the risk of heart disease. While they may be convenient, I recommend eating store-bought burgers less often, and making these Juicy Black Bean Burgers instead!

I ate my burger on a sprouted 100% whole wheat bun, then topped it with lettuce, tomato, avocado, cheddar cheese and my homemade Wild Blueberry Barbecue Sauce. Oh so good! I’ve also topped these burgers with a Mediterranean flare, including olives, additional mushrooms, and feta, and it did not disappoint! There are so many fun ways to mix things up with different toppings. Top your burger with your faves or get creative with a mix of flavor combinations!

Make these burgers to eat immediately, or double the batch and freeze for later. As always, I’d love to hear your thoughts. Make this recipe, share it with your friends and family. If you post on social media, don’t forget to tag @bloomwithbenutrition ❤️Let’s bloom!

Juicy Black Bean Burgers

Prep Time: 15 min |   Make time:  15 mins   |   Total time: 30 mins

Serves: 6

INGREDIENTS

• 1/4 cup onions

• 1/2 cup baby bella mushrooms

• 2 Tbs ground flaxseeds

• 1 Tbs Worcestershire sauce (purchase Amy’s to make vegan if desired)

• 4 cloves garlic

• 1/4 cup nutritional yeas

• 1/2 cup old fashion oats

• 1 Tbs smoked paprika

• 1 tsp chili powder

• 1 tsp applewood smoked sea salt

• 1/2 tsp black pepper

• 2, 15oz cans black beans, rinsed

• avocado oil spray

• 6 sprouted 100% whole wheat hamburger buns

DIRECTIONS

Prep

1. Roughly chop the onion and the garlic.

2. Rinse the baby bella mushrooms.

3. Add the onions, garlic, mushrooms, ground flax, Worcestershire, nutritional yeast and oats to a mini food processor, and process until smooth.

4. Drain and and rinse the black beans. Pat dry the beans with a paper towel

Make

1. Place the black beans in a medium bowl and use a fork to mash them. Keep mashing until they're mostly broken up, but still have some whole beans visible.

2. Add the onion, garlic, mushroom mixture to the beans, then stir in the remaining spices and mix well. Place the mixture in the refrigerator for 5 minutes.

3. Heat  a nonstick skillet over medium-high and lightly spray with cooking spray. Fill a 1/3 cup measuring cup about 3/4s full with the bean mixture and add to pan. Flatten patties slightly with the back of a spatula. Cook 2 to 3 minutes on each side or until browned. Repeat procedure 5 times to form 6 patties.

4. Top your burgers with your favorite toppings and serve on sprouted 100% whole wheat buns (or make lettuce wraps for a low carb option). Note the patties will not shrink like traditional meat-based burgers. So, the size you make them will be the final size!

5. Also note nutrition information includes the bun, but does not include toppings. Nutrition per serving will vary based on the additional toppings you add and the bun you choose.

Nutrition Info (per serving)

292 calories (26 from fat), 2.9g total fat, 52g carbohydrate, 14g dietary fiber, 14g protein

PRINT THIS RECIPE