No Crumble BBQ Black Bean Burgers are a perfectly crave-able vegan burger that won't fall apart! Grill them on the BBQ at your next summer party or bake them in the oven for an oil-free dinner. Top with mashed avocado, red onion slices, and your favorite BBQ sauce for an amazing meatless meal.
I've had my fair share of crumbling black bean burgers. I've tried everything from flax eggs to excess amounts of oat flour trying to keep my burger patties together. Yet, I was always left picking bits of crumbled black bean patty off the pan.
The 'messy burger' was tasty, but that doesn't outweigh the annoyance of a crumbling vegan burger!
What's the secret to NO crumble black bean burgers?
This is the same vegan burger recipe I have been using for years so the taste has been perfected. The only difference is they don't crumble now!
The secret to these no crumble BBQ black bean burgers is--NO excess moisture!
These vegan burgers are exactly what I have been dreaming about. So, I was ecstatic to flip them over without a burger crumble on the pan.
What helps bind these black bean burgers?
My original recipe used ketchup which I swapped out for tomato paste since it has less moisture.
Drying a few of the ingredients also helps bind the burgers by removing excess moisture. Shredded carrots release a ton of unwanted moisture so they must be dried. And the rinsed black beans also need to be dried.
Together, the carrots and beans only take a minute to dry and it's absolutely necessary if you don't want fall-apart, nuisance burgers.
How to remove the excess moisture from the carrots
Place the shredded carrot on a paper towel and press out all the moisture. The carrot shreds should be dry to the touch after pressing. You may need to repeat the process 1-2 times.
Tip: If you're into juicing and have leftover juice pulp, now is a perfect time to use it! Sub the carrot for ½ cup juice pulp.
How to dry the black beans
These are a little harder to completely dry, but that's ok. I grab about 2-3 paper towels and gently squeeze the beans. Do this until most of the water is absorbed and the beans are at least 80% dry.
How to make the perfect black bean burger patties
Set aside ¼ cup of the black beans. Mash the rest of the beans in a large mixing bowl. Once the beans are mashed add the remaining ingredients to your bowl and mix.
Finish mixing the ingredients with your hands until it comes together.
Once well combined, divide the mixture into 8 even portions. Roll each portion into a ball.
To shape the patties
- Flatten each ball into a patty.
- To keep a round shape, cup your hands around the sides of the patty and gently press back into a circle.
- Again, flatten the patty to an even thickness. Flip it over and shape the sides again, if needed.
- Repeat with each patty.
To grill the burgers
One great thing about this recipe, there is no rest or chill time needed. Place these patties straight onto an oiled pan or grill. Cook for about 10-13 minutes on each side or until brown.
I love my grill/griddle combo (affiliate link). I can cook all 8 patties at once so there is no waiting!
Assemble the perfect BBQ burger
Place your patty on a toasted bun.
Generously top the patty with your favorite BBQ sauce and a few red onion slices. Add the mashed avocado to the top bun and sprinkle with all-seasons salt.
Place the top bun on your patty and devour that BBQ burger you've been craving! I am guilty of eating 2 at a time!
To freeze black bean patties
Place each patty between parchment paper and store it in an airtight container or ziplock bag in the freezer. To reheat, cook the patty in a pan over medium heat until heated throughout. Or bake the patty in the oven at 400º for 15-20 min. Flip half-way through.
Try the patties in one of these recipes
We'd love to hear from you!
If you enjoyed this vegan recipe, please leave a 5-star rating in the recipe card and share your thoughts in the comments below.
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See ya there!
Recipe
BBQ Black Bean Burgers
Ingredients
- 2 15-ounce cans black beans, drained, rinsed & dried
- ½ cup oat flour, gluten free as needed
- 1 carrot, grated & patted dried (about ½ cup grated carrot) (or ½ cup juice pulp)
- 4 Tablespoons tomato paste
- ½ cup cooked quinoa
- 1 teaspoon onion powder
- ¼ teaspoon paprika
- ¼ teaspoon chili powder
- ½ teaspoon smoked paprika
- ½ teaspoon garlic powder
- ½ teaspoon cumin
- ½ teaspoon Himalayan pink salt, or to taste
- ½ teaspoon liquid smoke
- 1 Tablespoon vegan worcestershire sauce
- Handful of fresh cilantro
Topping
- Fresh avocado, mashed
- BBQ sauce of choice
- Red onion, sliced
- All-seasons salt
Instructions
- Rinse the black beans, then lay them flat on a towel to dry while you prep the other ingredients. (For a quicker way to dry the beans, use a tea towel or paper towels and gently squeeze the beans) They should be at least 80% drier than they were after rinsing.
- Next grate and dry the carrot. Dry the grated carrot by pressing it between a few paper towels. They should be dry to the touch after pressing. You may need to repeat this step 1-2 times.
- Add the beans to a large bowl (reserving ¼ cup). Mash the beans with a potato masher or fork. The beans should be crumbly/pasty.
- Add the remaining ingredients to the bowl, including the reserved beans. Using a spoon, mix all the ingredients. Finish mixing with your hands to completely combine everything. You can taste the bean mix and adjust seasonings if needed.
- Divide the bean mix into 8 even portions. Roll each portion into a ball. Carefully flatten each bean ball using your hands.
- To shape, cup your hands around the sides of the flattened patty and gently press it back into a circle with the sides of your hand and pinky. Flatten the patty, again, to an even thickness. Flip it over and shape the sides again, if needed. Repeat with each patty until they are all formed.
- Lightly oil to your pan or grill and heat over medium-high. Once heated, carefully place the patties down one at a time. Cook for 10 min on each side, or until browned. (For an oil free option, these can be baked at 400º in the oven. Place on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Bake for 15 minutes on each side.).
- Top each burger with a generous amount of BBQ sauce, red onion and mashed avocado sprinkled with all-seasons salt.
Notes
Nutrition
**Nutritional info is provided as an estimate based on the ingredients I used and for convenience and as a courtesy only.**
LeAnna
I found this recipe like 5 years ago on Pinterest and it immediately became our go to black bean burger. This method is the best I’ve found for bean burgers, and this recipe is still my favorite!
Marlena Luna
That's fantastic! I'm so glad the recipe has been reliable for you over the years. Thank you for your wonderful feedback!
Robin Fox
Thank you for the great idea. I'll make this soon, with a full kitchen. Right now, I posted it to my blog, with my version for simplicity. Really appreciated it!
Marlena Luna
Awesome! Let us know how it turns out!
Kathy
I just made this last night. I will definitely add them to my menu on a regular basis. I followed the recipe exactly and absolutely no crumble! I baked them in the oven. I think I might cook them a little less next time.I'm not sure how to tell when a veggie burger is done! I'm going to try your chicken salad next. I am WFPBNO since June. I've bookmarked your site. Thanks for a great recipe.
Marlena Luna
Awesome! You're going to love the chicken salad. It's a summer favorite of mine. Enjoy!
Matt
I made these tonight. My only modification was to replace 1/2 cup quinoa with 1/2 cup cooked brown rice and used Benson’s Table Tasty (can get from Amazon) sodium free seasoning/salt substitute rather than real salt. Otherwise I followed the recipe exactly, including drying the beans and shredded carrots. The burgers tasted delicious and definitely held together better than ANY other veggie burger I’ve ever made. Crumbling veggie burgers makes them hard to eat, but these definitely stay together! Thanks for sharing this recipe!! YUM!
Marlena Luna
Awesome! I'm happy you enjoyed the recipe!
Susan
This is a wonderful recipe! Even my low carb family members love black bean burgers.An idea I came across recently used tapioca flour as a binder in the black bean burger (as a sub for using egg), haven't tried it yet, but makes perfect sense....I believe it was only a teaspoon full mixed inn a little water...for a recipe of eight burgers. Something else to consider.
Marlena Luna
Thank you, Susan!
Nathan
Hats off for this one! Made these the other night. The non crumble was just amazing. As I was making the burgers and got to the mixing stage and the "dough" balled up and stayed together, I got really excited and showed my wife immediately, haha. Turned out wonderful. Still excited about how well they held together, through making to cooking. Drying everything out was a bit time consuming, yet it was worth the time for as well as they turned out.
And I do love the no-chill time. That made this even easier to make. Plus the batch yielding 8 made for a good 4 meals for us, so that's a huge win right now. Seriously love this recipe and will be my go to. Thanks again for all the great ideas!
Marlena Luna
Drying the ingredients can be a pain, but it's totally necessary. I'm so glad you're enjoying all the recipes! Let us know if you try anything else. :)
Donald A Wilczak
Marlena
Great job! My wife has tried plant based burgers in the past, but was always disappointed with the crumbling issue. We are both greatly impressed with the taste and texture of these burgers! Thank you so much!
Marlena Luna
That's so great to hear Donald! I remember the days of crumbling burger patties and they are no fun! I'm so glad you and your wife enjoyed the recipe so much!! :)
Crystal
These look really great! Do you think I could leave them as balls and brown them to use as “meatballs?”
Marlena Luna
Thank you Crystal! I think they would be great as 'meatballs'. I'd suggest making them smaller and creating about 16-20 'meatballs'. If you decide to try it let us know how they come out!
Jen
This looks delicious! What flavor of liquid smoke do you use?
Marlena Luna
Thanks Jen! I use natural mesquite flavored liquid smoke.
Jen
Awesome, that's the one I have, now i just need to find vegan worcestershire sauce.
Marlena Luna
I've been able to find vegan worcestershire sauce at Sprouts. If you have one nearby I suggest checking there first. Otherwise I've purchased it from vitacost.com. They have a few vegan selections on their site. :)
Jen
I finally made these burgers tonight, they were delicious and they held together perfectly!!
Marlena Luna
I'm so happy you enjoyed the burgers Jen! :)
Barbara
We have made these a few times and they are delicious! Leftovers are good crumbled over a salad too.
Marlena Luna
I'm so glad you enjoyed the patties, Barbara! I'll have to try them crumbled on a salad. Sounds delicious! :)
Sue
I make ALOT of vegan burgers. They are a staple in my freezer and on weekly rotation for my family. These are really good. I think they could use just a little more flavour from spices but this is a personal preference. These burgers have good texture, DO hold together well are easy to make, healthy and delicious. I have made this recipe three times so far and will continue to make them as our Australia Summer of BBQ's progresses.
Marlena Luna
Yay! I'm so glad these burgers are a hit with your family! Enjoy the rest of your Australia Summer, Sue!
Jessica
Do I have to defrost the patties before cooling them? Thanks!
Marlena Luna
The patties should be precooked before freezing, so there is no need to defrost first. :)
Amber
These are really, really good! I added a whole 6 ounce can of tomato paste and used brown rice - just because that is what I had. I didn't add the paprika and cumin -- personal preference. Soooooooo good. I still remember what meat tastes like since I have only been vegan for less than a month. My non-vegan relatives commented on how good these were!
Marlena Luna
That's wonderful, Amber! It's always fun to create meals even non-vegans enjoy!
Jennifer
Do you cook them all up before putting in the freezer? Or can you freeze uncooked?
Marlena Luna
Hi Jennifer! The patties are cooked before freezing. I haven't tried freezing them before cooking so I can't say how they will come out. If you try it let me know how they cook up. Enjoy! :)
Shennie
I don't have liquid smoke. Can I make it without it?
Marlena Luna
Hi Shennie! Yes, you can omit the liquid smoke. If you have smoked paprika just add an extra 1/4 teaspoon. Enjoy! :)
Maggi
Hi! I'm new to vegan and making meals like this. When you say 1/2 cup cooked quinoa, should I measure the half cup before or after I cook it? Thanks so much, this looks great!
Marlena Luna
Hi, Maggi! The 1/2 cup of quinoa is measured after cooking. Enjoy! :)
Genki Kitty
Simply delicious! We grilled these outside since it's so warm here in SoCal, perfect! Held together just fine. Thanks for sharing the recipe. I'll be sharing with my readers on my blog.
Marlena Luna
I'm so glad you enjoyed the recipe!