Southwestern Black Bean Burgers
These Southwestern Black Bean Burgers are seriously delicious and easy to make! With a few ingredients like black beans, corn, and spices inspired by the U.S. Southwest, you can create a bean burger patty bursting with flavor.
There’s no mushy bean burger here, so die-hard carnivores won’t ask, “Where’s the beef?” You can customize them to your liking with your favorite cheese and this four-ingredient guacamole, my mango pico de gallo, or my smoky campfire sauce. So read on for more tips and tricks, or just hit that Jump to Recipe button, and let’s make Southwest black bean burgers!
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Backstory
As an infectious disease doctor in Seattle, I started posting about COVID-19 from the beginning. And at the beginning, there was a lot of fear and uncertainty.
So one day, I posted on Facebook, “I feel bad about only posting about coronavirus recently, so here’s an unrelated question. Why do my bean burgers always come out mushy, and how do I minimize that?” Subsequent recipe tests of that mushy black bean burger became the start of this blog.
Ingredients
Beans – canned beans are an incredible convenience and absolutely okay to use, whether you’re making these black bean burgers, my cheesy white bean tomato bake, or apple pie baked beans.
Binders – just like when you’re making homemade meatloaf, you need something to bind the ingredients together. For these Southwest black bean burgers, we’ll use eggs and tortilla chips.
Please see the recipe card below for complete information on ingredients and quantities.
Variations and substitutions
- Sub out the black beans for your favorite canned beans.
- Start the night before with dried beans, soak and cook them with an onion, salt, and pepper. I recommend Rancho Gordo beans.
Recipe tips and tricks
How to avoid a mushy black bean burger
Before creating this recipe, I tried frying my bean burgers in cast iron with a thin layer of oil. I baked black bean burgers in the oven. I always ended up with a mushy bean burger.
Recipe testing went through various iterations. I coated the black bean burgers in corn starch like my crispy baked tofu. I added vital wheat gluten to bind and firm up the burgers. I used dried beans like making falafel. And then someone suggested drying the black beans in the oven for 10 to 15 minutes. Bingo.
Making the black bean burgers
There isn’t anything difficult about making these Southwestern black bean burgers. Once dried, the black beans are mixed with garlic, frozen corn, an egg, spices, and maybe a smidge of hot sauce.
To continue the Southwestern theme, crushed tortilla chips are used for binding, just like in my taco meatloaf. I have also added a half cup of cooked quinoa to give these bean burgers a firmer mouthfeel.
Tip from the wise quacker: if you have the time, let the black bean burger mixture rest in the refrigerator before cooking. This will firm up your burger even more.
Fry them up on a griddle with a thin layer of oil. Then serve these Southwestern black bean burgers with a cheddar or your favorite cheese and all your favorite toppings.
What to serve with Southwestern black bean burgers
- Make homemade pretzel rolls or challah buns.
- Top with spicy pickled onions.
- Serve patty pan squash patties on the side.
- Quench your thirst with a spicy margarita or jalapeño raspberry bramble.
Recipe FAQs
I often use baked tortillas in these burgers or in my taco salads. Slice into strips, spray or coat with a thin layer of vegetable oil, salt them lightly, and bake them for about 10 minutes until crisp. Or use one half cup of regular or gluten-free panko instead.
A bean burger may not hold together quite as well as a hamburger, so you can cook this and other veggie burger recipes like these BBQ pinto bean and quinoa burgers or cauliflower patties on your grill. You’ll want to use a grill pan.
Yes. You can freeze veggie burgers either before or after cooking, and they’ll keep for about three months. Just double wrap them in plastic wrap and put them in a freezer bag.
Related vegetarian recipes
Check out other vegetarian dinner recipes from the Ugly Duckling Bakery archives, like:
Love this recipe? Please leave a 5-heart 💜💜💜💜💜 rating in the recipe card below. Let me know how much you loved it, or any problems you had, in the comments section further down.
Recipe
Southwestern Black Bean Burgers
Ingredients
- 2 cans black beans 30 ounces total or about 3.5 cups of cooked beans
- 1 ounce tortilla chips
- ½ cup cooked quinoa
- ½ cup corn kernels frozen or fresh
- 2 green onions tops only, chopped fine
- 1 garlic clove minced
- ¼ cup cilantro chopped
- 1 tablespoon cumin
- 1 teaspoon coriander
- 1 teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon pepper
- ¼ teaspoon cayenne or other spicy ground pepper optional
- 2 eggs
- 1 tablespoon neutral oil like vegetable, corn, or safflower for frying
Instructions
- Rinse the black beans and drain. Put them in a large roasting pan and bake at about 375°F for about 10 to 15 minutes. Let cool at least slightly.2 cans black beans
- In a large bowl, use your hands or a potato masher to crumble the tortilla chips into very small pieces.1 ounce tortilla chips
- Add the beans and mash with a potato masher or fork until the beans are mostly mashed but some large pieces remain.
- Add the quinoa, corn, green onions, garlic, and cilantro, and mix.½ cup corn kernels, 2 green onions, 1 garlic clove, ¼ cup cilantro, ½ cup cooked quinoa
- Add the spices (cumin, coriander, salt, and pepper). Feel free to add a pinch of hot stuff like cayenne or chili powder if that makes you happy. Mix until uniform.1 tablespoon cumin, 1 teaspoon coriander, 1 teaspoon salt, ½ teaspoon pepper, ¼ teaspoon cayenne or other spicy ground pepper
- In a small bowl, beat the eggs for a few seconds to combine and then add it to the bean mixture. Stir the eggs into the mixture until it comes together. This can be made ahead and held in the refrigerator for a few hours.2 eggs
- Form into patties of desired size and fry in a thin layer of oil on a griddle, cast iron skillet, or other frying pan, about 5 minutes on one side. Flip and cook an additional 3 or so minutes until browned.1 tablespoon neutral oil like vegetable, corn, or safflower
Notes
Nutrition
Bored with the recipes you’ve been cooking and baking lately? Get inspiration here:
I love the way you repeat the ingredients again after the instructions. Simple but great way to recheck what you are doing as you go along.
Thanks, Anne. I totally agree! Joanne