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These Easy Spicy Black Bean Burgers have just the right amount of spice and a nice hint of lime. Simple prep and freezer friendly! Switch up the menu for the BBQ and enjoy this simple delicious vegetarian burger recipe.
This recipe was originally published July 2015 and updated June 2021.
Summer time was made for grilling!
I am all about grilling up some burgers–Spinach and Feta Turkey Burgers are my FAVE. But, I appreciate and love a good black bean burger. These spicy black bean burgers are always a great meat free option for a BBQ!
Why this Spicy Black Bean Burger Recipe is the BEST:
- A nice spicy kick. A jalapeño and some crushed red pepper up the spice level in these veggie burgers. You can easily adjust the heat to make it hotter or not so hot.
- They are freezer friendly. You can actually freeze these before or after cooking. I make a big batch and then freeze them individually before cooking a lot. Then I thaw them before tossing on the grill when I am craving a freshly grilled burger. The best!
- Easily made gluten free or vegan. Accommodate dietary needs easily with these spicy bean burgers. Use gluten free breadcrumbs or panko for gluten free variation. Make a flax egg instead of a regular egg for vegan!
Ingredients:
- black beans
- jalapeño (seeds removed for less spice)
- red onion
- corn kernels
- garlic cloves
- cilantro
- cumin
- chili powder
- red pepper flakes
- lime juice
- bread crumbs or panko
- egg or flax egg
- salt and pepper
Pro-Tips for making recipe:
- The biggest issue with any veggie burger is getting them to really hold together. I have found that sometimes the mixture seems a touch too thin so adding more bread crumbs is a great solve. But my FAVORITE thing to do is to pop the mixture in the freezer for 20 minutes or so and then form them into burgers. This has made a huge difference!
- Spice level–take it where you like it! I play around with the amount of heat in these spicy bean burgers based on who is joining us for dinner. I have added a bit of siracha or hot sauce, or upped the red pepper for more spice.
- Don’t overcook these spicy black bean burgers–please! If you over cook them, then they will be dry. And no one wants a dry burger.
What to serve with your burgers:
- Guac, guac and more guac–because always be extra! This Spicy Mango Guacamole is perrrrfect with it!
- Sweet potato wedges or fries, my personal favorite!
- Pasta salad like this Simple Pasta Salad with Grilled Lemon Garlic Zucchini.
- This Roasted Sweet Potato Mexican Quinoa would be great, but skip the black beans or you may regret it later on.
- Grilled Corn of any kind! Or pop your corn in the air fryer!
- Chips–no shame in a good side of chips with your burger!
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Easy Cilantro Lime Black Bean Burgers
These Easy Spicy Black Bean Burgers have just the right amount of spice and a nice hint of lime. Switch up the menu for the BBQ and enjoy this simple delicious vegetarian burger recipe.
Ingredients
- 2 cans black beans
- 1 jalapeño, seeds removed for less spice
- 1/4 of small red onion
- 1/2 cup corn kernels
- 2 garlic cloves
- 1/3 cup cilantro
- 1 – 2 tsp cumin
- 1 tsp chili powder
- ¼ -1/2 tsp red pepper flakes
- Juice of 1/2 lime
- 2/3 cup bread crumbs (more if mixture is too thin), whole wheat or gluten free, panko crumbs will work as well
- 1 egg or flax egg
- ½ tsp cracked pepper
- ½ tsp sea salt
Instructions
- In a food processor, process the jalapeño, onion, and garlic until finely ground. (You can finely dice them instead if desired!)
- Add in one can or two cups of black beans, cilantro, lime juice and spices. Pulse until combined (there should still be chunks of black beans.)
- Transfer the mixture to a medium sized mixing bowl.
- Add in the rest of the black beans, egg or flax egg, bread crumbs, and corn and stir until combined.
- Form into burger sized patties. (Sometimes I freeze this for about 15 minutes or so to help them form better into burgers.)
- Grill over medium heat for about 4 minutes on each side.
- You can also cook these in a frying pan over medium heat until browned on each side. Refrigerate leftovers for 5 days or freeze for about 2 months.
Notes
- The biggest issue with any veggie burger is getting them to really hold together. I have found that sometimes the mixture seems a touch too thin so adding more bread crumbs is a great solve. But my FAVORITE thing to do is to pop the mixture in the freezer for 20 minutes or so and then form them into burgers. This has made a huge difference!
- Spice level–take it where you like it! I play around with the amount of heat in these spicy bean burgers based on who is joining us for dinner. I have added a bit of siracha or hot sauce, or upped the red pepper for more spice.
- Don’t overcook these spicy black bean burgers–please! If you over cook them, then they will be dry. And no one wants a dry burger.
- Depending on the size of the patties, this will make about 6-8 burgers.
Nutrition
Calories: 227kcal, Carbohydrates: 39g, Protein: 13g, Fat: 2g, Saturated Fat: 1g, Cholesterol: 27mg, Sodium: 135mg, Potassium: 484mg, Fiber: 11g, Sugar: 1g, Vitamin A: 261IU, Vitamin C: 1mg, Calcium: 68mg, Iron: 4mg
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Did you enjoy this recipe? Have a question?Leave a comment below!
I’m always looking for new ways to make vegetarian burgers and this recipe is a huge winner! I love the black bean idea especially with the lime and cilantro! Can’t wait to try it out 😛
Hope you love them so much aleta! Thanks!
This is a great burger recipe for meatless Mondays. I can’t wait to dig into one of these soon!
Yay for recipes in your back pocket for a meatless Monday!
I’m all about black bean burgers and am a HUGE fan of cilantro and limes. This flavor profile sounds incredible and definitely something I need to try!
Hope you love it–one of my favorite combos as well!
I am totally with you on wanting to mix it up when I’m grilling. The fella is perfectly happy with a big piece of meat every night, and though I am far from vegetarian, I personally think it’s nice to swap the meat our for a veggie alternative sometimes. These black bean burgers look delicious – packed to the hilt with flavor!
Yep. I totally get that one. My hubby isn’t gonna eat these but that’s ok. More for me!!!
I love black beans…black beans on a salad, black bean brownies, black bean everything. And this black bean burger sounds so good for Meatless Monday!
Can’t go wrong with these for meatless Monday for sure! Or Tuesday. Or Wednesday. Or… ?
These burgers look fantastic! Upon first glance, I didn’t even realize they were meatless! I would love one of these right now. Yum!
Well then I will take that as a big compliment!!!
Such amazing Burger options which are so healthy are the best with kids. Dinner gets special and perfect happiness too.
If the kids love them then that is a big big win!!!
This winter I discovered black bean burgers from Costco and they have become a mainstay of my lunch routine. Your recipe looks very doable and I’m excited to try your homemade version of this new favorite; thanks so much for sharing!
Black beans and Costco, the very best right?!!!
I love the idea of freezing these and having them on hand when we want for the summertime! In the recipe it says “2 cans” I assume it means 2 cans of black beans? I would love to add some sweet potato to this recipe, do you think that would work? Thanks!!
Thanks for catching that error!! Yes, 2 cans of black beans. Just updated the recipe.
Mine crumbled on the frying pan….what can I do to get them to bind together better?
Hey Shannon! Did you use a flax egg or a real egg? That will help with next steps if I know that!
This happened to me, too. I used a real egg. They’re still delicious, just can’t eat on a bun.
Hmmm. I will play around a bit more with the recipe and see what may help. I’ve never had this issue. Thanks for sharing!
They’re still delicious! I’ve been crumbling the leftovers over avocado toast! ?
Well that’s at least really good to hear! Thanks!