Published · Modified · by Alexis Joseph, MS, RD · 173 Comments
Jump to Recipe·4.9 from 74 reviews
Easy firm Vegan Black Bean Burgers made in 1 bowl, no chopping required and no dirtying the food processor. These healthy vegetarian black bean burgers require just a few pantry staples couldn't be simpler! Packed with protein and fiber, and way better than boxed. Kids love these and they freeze great!
Thou hath no fury like a burger that won't stick together. These extra easy black bean burgers are freaking FIRM. Just like my Sweet Potato Black Bean Burgers and Chickpea Burgers, except you don't have to chop a thing.
We've all spent hours prepping veggie burgers...no longer! When whipping out the food processor sounds as fun as folding your cousin's laundry, rely on this perfect easy bean burger recipe made in a one bowl.
Ingredients
- Canned black beans: the foundation of our homemade black bean burgers. I like canned for convenience (be sure to drain and rinse), but you could also cook your own dried beans and use about 2 ½ cups.
- Panko breadcrumbs:breadcrumbs help the burgers bind together and create a nice firm texture. You can use gluten free panko if needed! Regular or Italian-style is great.
- Flax: ground flaxseed is our egg substitute to help the patties stick together so they don't fall apart when you cook them.
- Sriracha: for flavor and a bit of heat!
- Spices: For those times when you could think of nothing worse than chopping an onion. Lots of yummy spices including onion powder, garlic powder, cumin, chili powder, and smoked paprika are what add mega flavor.
See recipe card below for full ingredient list.
Substitutions and dietary modifications
- Gluten free: Simply use gluten free breadcrumbs and buns
- Beans: You can certainly make these with cannelini beans as well.
- Spice level: Bump up the spices or tone them down if you're looking for spicier or more mild burgers!
How to make vegan burgers from scratch
- First, make a flax egg to help bind the burgers. A black bean burger without egg is possible!
- Then mash the beans in a mixing bowl. Add breadcrumbs, spices, and flax egg.
- Form into 6 patties. Pan fry on a skillet in a bit of olive oil (my favorite) or bake in the oven.
- Enjoy on a bun with toppings! I love lettuce, tomato, onion and guacamole. Plus sweet potato fries, duh.
Why do black bean burgers fall apart?
If you don't have enough binder (think flour, breadcrumbs, ground nuts, flax eggs, etc.) your burgers will likely crumble when you cook them. This recipe is chock full of binding agents for a nice firm end result!
I've found that if I freeze the uncooked patties for 20 minutes prior to cooking, they hold together extra well.
Can you grill these?
Yes, you should be able to throw these bad boys on the grill! Just be sure the grates are well greased.
Storage tips
Store leftover burgers in the fridge for up to 4 days.
How to freeze
Of course! To freeze veggie burgers, place cooked burgers on a parchment lined baking sheet. Transfer baking sheet to the freezer and allow them to freeze for about 45 minutes.
Place burgers in a freezer safe bag and freeze for up to 3 months. Let them thaw overnight in the fridge then give them a quick sear in the skillet. Dinner is served!
Please let me know how this vegan black bean burger recipe turns out for you by leaving a star rating and/or comment! I hope you adore it as much as I do.
And can we all agree that chopping onions without contacts in is equally as bad or worse than putting the big fitted sheet back on your bed?!
Super Firm Easy Vegan Black Bean Burgers (No Chopping!)
5 Stars4 Stars3 Stars2 Stars1 Star4.9 from 74 reviews
- Author: Alexis Joseph
- Prep Time: 10 mins
- Cook Time: 15 mins
- Total Time: 25 mins
- Yield: 6 burgers 1x
- Category: Main Meals
- Method: Stovetop
- Cuisine: American
- Diet: Vegan
Save Recipe
Description
Easy Vegan Black Bean Burgers, no chopping required! Super firm, packed with flavor, and way better than boxed. Gluten free option!
Ingredients
Scale
- 2 tbsp ground flaxseed + 3 tbsp water
- 2-14.5oz cans black beans, drained and rinsed
- 1 cup Panko breadcrumbs
- 2 tsp onion powder
- 1 tsp garlic powder
- 2 tsp cumin
- 2 tsp chili powder
- 1 tsp smoked paprika
- ½ tsp kosher salt
- ½ tsp ground black pepper
- 2 tbsp sriracha
- Oil/cooking spray, for cooking
Instructions
- Place flax and water in a small bowl. Set aside to thicken.
- Place beans in a large bowl. Mash with a potato masher or fork until most beans are broken up, leaving some whole beans in tact. Add breadcrumbs, onion powder, garlic powder, cumin, chili powder, smoked paprika, salt, pepper, sriracha, and flax mixture. Stir until well combined.
- Form into 6 tightly packed patties. You can refrigerate them until you are ready to cook or cook them right away.
- Warm a skillet over medium heat. Once hot, add a drizzle of oil. The oil is ready when a drop of water sizzles. Cook burgers for about 6 minutes per side, or until golden brown. If baking, bake at 350F on a parchment paper lined baking sheet for about 10-12 minutes per side.
- Serve on a bun with yummy toppings!
Photos byThe Nutritious Kitchen.
About Alexis Joseph, MS, RD
Oh HEY there! I'm Alexis Joseph, food writer, blogger, Registered Dietitian Nutritionist (RDN), new mama, and co-founder of local restaurant group, Alchemy. I use my passion for cooking and wellness as fuel to help others ignite a more freeing and happy relationship with food. Learn more about Alexis!
Reader Interactions
Corey says
Fantastic, simple, delicious. These held together well on the grill (without chilling beforehand) and while eating. Great reward for not a lot of prep/cooking time. For those having issues making these bind, I might suggest adding more flax/water combo to the mix or mashing the beans more.
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Alexis Joseph, MS, RD says
Heck yes! Low prep in the summer is everything, right?
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Liza says
These burgers are so simple. My daughter preferred these to others I’ve made since there were no sunflower seeds in it. Also she says these were better than the store bought. Although they did fall apart, it doesn’t matter since they are very delicious.
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Alexis Joseph, MS, RD says
That's the best news, thanks Liza! I'm glad your daughter is a fan 🙂 If you're not vegan, you could always. add an egg to help with binding.
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Liza Ng says
Yes, I made a new batch with an egg and it binds! And it was perfect and delicious.
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Alexis Joseph, MS, RD says
Ahh love that!
Samantha says
These burgers are amazing! Super easy to make and they have so much flavor
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Alexis Joseph, MS, RD says
Thank you so much!!!
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Alyce says
Hi, though I followed the recipe exactly, including the 20 min in freezer, the burgers completely fell apart! Can’t figure out what went wrong.
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Alexis Joseph says
Hey Alyce! Darn, that's so strange. If you're not vegan, you could always add an egg to help bind. The flax and breadcrumbs should help them stay together; I'm sorry these didn't hold up!
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James says
Good flavor but they don’t hold together.
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Alexis Joseph says
Hey James! Did you change anything about the recipe? They should bind well with the flax and breadcrumbs. (You could always add an egg if you're not vegan, but they shouldn't fall apart.) Let me know and I'll try to help troubleshoot!
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Naomi says
LOVE this "burger" my meat eaters ask for it regularly
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Alexis Joseph says
The best compliment, thanks Naomi!
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Jamie says
I subbed Garden of Life Raw Organic Fiber in place of flax seeds because I didn't have any but followed the rest of the recipe to the "T"....and they were AMAZING! I served them on a toasted bun with homemade Vegan BBQ sauce and pickled red onions! Can hardly wait to have them again! Next time I'll double the recipe and freeze them!🤤
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Alexis Joseph says
Love this, thank you Jamie!
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Jayne Dempsey says
This looks great, but the sodium is high. Could we fix that by using no sodium canned beans?
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Alexis Joseph says
Keep in mind the sodium is just an estimate and will depend on the ingredients you use. Rinsing the beans removes most of the sodium from them, and the remaining sodium is from the 1/2 tsp kosher salt (I wouldn't recommend omitting this) and a bit in the sriracha.
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Christie says
These are the best black bean burgers I have ever had. Can’t wait to try your other variations as well!
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Alexis Joseph says
YESSS thank you tons, Christie! That's the best feedback 🙂
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Mo Barry says
I halved this recipe as I have made some that weren't good. I wish I hadn't. This recipe is delicious. They held together well and had just the right amount of spice. I will be eating these often. Thank you!
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Alexis Joseph says
I'm thrilled to hear it, Mo!
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Michelle Malo-Esposito says
Loved the black bean burgers! They were fantastic! So tasty and they held together well. We ended up substituting 3/4 almond flour and 1/4 cup golden flax meal for the panko bread crumbs as we need to be gluten free. It worked swimmingly! Thanks for these amazing ideas... the spices were spot on!!
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Ingrid says
My patties kindofish fell apart but I did not care as they were so so good! I don’t think i cooked them long enough or compressed them enough. This recipe is the simplest one I found online and I’m obsessed. Will definitely be making this again.
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Alexis Joseph says
Yay! I hope they stick better together next time but so happy you liked them 🙂 Thanks for taking the time to review, Ingrid!
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Rachel Shapiro says
These came out great! I make a lot of bean burgers, but these were so much easier than the other recipes I use. And they're very flavorful. Mine held together well. I am glad to see someone else had success using oats instead of breadcrumbs. I might try that next time just to make them even healthier. These are definitely going into regular rotation!
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Georginna Thornhill says
I fixed this recipe yesterday for my family's dinner and me and my children loved this recipe! My 12 year old twin boys was hesitant at first to want to try the burgers but they wanted another one. This recipe was easy and convenient when you are press for time but still want to be a bit more healthier for life's eating choices, what a delicious option! Thank you so much!
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Alexis Joseph says
That's amazing Georginna, thank you for letting me know!!
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Tara says
I’ll have to try again. I’m sure I did something wrong. My daughter is gluten free/dairy free so I thought this would be a winner. Mine were like sawdust crumble. Probably the gf breadcrumbs.
I don’t want to give a rating since everyone else found success.Reply
Alexis Joseph says
Oh darn, I'm so sorry to hear this Tara! I've made with Ian's GF breadcrumbs and it worked, did you make any other changes?
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Riss says
YES!!!! I TRIED THESE TONIGHT AND MY FIRST THOUGHT WAS "OH MY GOD!" I added diced red onion to the mix and halved the onion powder, and accidentally doubled the garlic powder because I misread, and about 1Tbs smoky barbecue nutritional yeast (if you don't have this item, get it. You'll thank yourself). anywho. Simple, easy, and almost effortless ( I couldn't find my masher so had to use a fork). This is now gonna be a monthly staple. I can't imagine buying black bean burgers again. Held together wonderfully! Nice crispy bite from the frying pan. Easy middle of the afternoon fix, or "it's almost the end of the day, I've been on my feet all day, I'm tired and hungry, slightly stressed and still have other things to do, so I need to be lazy right now, but I still want to eat healthy" meal. Thank you!
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Alexis Joseph says
You made my day!! And holy moly, I must get my hands on that smoky nooch! Thanks a million for such a kind and thoughtful review, Riss!
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Lisa says
Hmmm... mine didn't hold together as well as I thought they would. I am attributing that to the fact that I used home cooked beans rather than canned. No matter - they are incredibly tasty!
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Alexis Joseph says
I’m glad you still found them tasty. Thanks Lisa!
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Diane says
Best vegan black bean burger ever. Easy and tasty, thanks!!!
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Alexis Joseph says
Heck yes, thanks Diane!!
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Andrew Laferriere says
Just tried this exactly the way the recipe was. Taste and texture were a 9/10. Up until now Ive never had a good black bean burger. This recipe has forced me to try all the other recipes on this page lol. Great work. Also worth noting this recipe is 10/10 for health, fitness and nutrition as well.
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Carolynn says
Hi! Looking forward to trying these tonight. Yet I noticed the kind of sriracha that is linked is actually not considered vegan (due to the bone char used w the sugar).
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Alexis Joseph says
Good to know, thanks! Just unlinked it. Feel free to use whatever sriracha you like. Enjoy!
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Plant based runner says
I took the suggestion of another reviewer and subbed oatmeal for bread crumbs and added red pepper flakes. Super easy recipe and delicious. They held together very well. These are definitely a keeper. I have frozen the remaining burgers.
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Gloria says
I found this recipe this morning and tried it for lunch. I was not disappointed!!! Was fast, easy and AWESOME tasting. I will be making it over and over. Thank you.
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Alexis Joseph says
Thank you tons, Gloria! So glad you thought they tasted awesome 🙂
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Jonna says
Made these for the first time yesterday. I was impressed with how quick they were to make and how flavorful they turned out to be. I didn't have any breadcrumbs so I used oats as a binder. I also added 1/2 tsp of crushed red pepper. Thanks for the recipe, I will definitely be adding this to my weekly routine. Definitely the best black bean burger I've ever had!!
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Alexis Joseph says
Yum, that sounds delish! Thanks so much for leaving a review, Jonna 🙂
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Kerry says
These are the best bean burgers I have ever made. Thank you!!!
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Alexis Joseph says
Best feedback ever, thank you SO much Kerry!!
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Nick says
These were excellent and held together really well. I'm going to be making them again and again. Thank you
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Alexis Joseph says
So glad, thanks Nick!
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Mandi says
Not the best vegan burgers i've ever had but certainly the best in the "easy burgers" category. These come together quick and its easy to modify flavor to suit prefrences.
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Alexis Joseph says
Hahah I'd agree--making them super easy eliminated some more time consuming and prep heavy flavor additions. Glad you enjoyed ansd thanks for the review!
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Bonnie Jean says
Hi , I just made the burgers and they are excellent!!!! my question is abut the calories
it says 236 ,is that just the burger with nothing on it or does it include the bun and toppings. Also is how is each burger measured out before cooking ? I weighted my they were 43 oz. for 5 of them and 38 for the last one. Thank You and hope to hear from youBonnie
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Noelle says
These turned out deliciously. Freezing then before cooking definitely helped to prevent them from falling apart. I cooked the patties in my air fryer instead of on a skillet for added protection against falling apart.
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Alexis Joseph says
Amazing, thanks Noelle!
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Kate says
Tasty and Easy. Love this burger recipe!
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Alexis Joseph says
Thanks so much, Kate!!
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Danielle says
These were fabulous; I just made them for lunch. I used gluten free breadcrumbs. I like the depth of flavor. Could I freeze the patties to use on another day?
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Alexis Joseph says
I'm so glad you loved them, Danielle! Yep--it's written out in the post how to freeze--they freeze great!
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Kori Daniel says
These are so delicious! I used one can each tri-bean blend & black beans, & we opted to top ours with sriracha rather than mixing it into the burgers. Matt said he thought they were really good too!
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Alexis Joseph says
You're the best Kori, thank you so much for letting me know! Sriracha on top sounds PERF!
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MVP says
So. Good! My non vegan family members went back for seconds! Definitely on my playlist!!!!
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Alexis Joseph says
YAYYYY so glad!! Thanks a ton for letting me know!
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Dylan says
These are a staple for us! They come together in no-time and are so delish! They also freeze great 🙂
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Alexis Joseph says
Heck yes! Thanks Dylan!! BURGER NIGHT SOON PLZ.
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Robin says
These burgers are one of my all time favs!! They are easy to make and I usually have all the ingredients on hand so can whip up in a pinch. These are easy to freeze, I just thaw in the fridge for a day or two and bake them or freeze the baked version. Easy peasy!
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Alexis Joseph says
You're the best, Robin. Thank you tons for the wonderful feedback and review!
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Shirley says
Wish I wasn't allergic to flax and chia.
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Alexis Joseph says
Are you vegan? If not you can use a regular egg, or experiment with whatever egg substitute you normally use.
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Jeanie says
these actually stay together and are not dry. I will be making these a lot more. Such a nice fast lunch.
They cook fast in the skillet too. awesome.Reply
Alexis says
You made my day, thanks Dia!!
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Dia Gaines says
Looove this recipe!! I've made these several times now and I haven't bought any store bought plant based burgers since...I love how I can get so many burgers out of just one can , super cost effective and delicious!!!!
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Mona says
I followed the recipe exactly using the egg instead of the flax. They were amazing!! Three of my guests asked for the recipe! We made them on the grill and they came out perfectly. We had them with smoky cheese and roasted red peppers. My friend asked to take home the leftovers.
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Alexis says
That is the best news, thank you TONS Mona!!
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Monica says
I am looking forward to trying these out based on the many great reviews.
I make my own black beans. Can I sub mine out for the same amount in ounces?
Also, can I just a vegan egg substitute- Just Egg? How many tablespoons, would you suggest?
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Alexis says
Hey! I'm not familiar with Just Egg, so feel free to use whatever they say is the equivalent for one egg. And yes, I'd assume the same quantity of black beans would work just fine!
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Monica says
I definitely want to make these, based on so many great reviews.
I do have a few questions...
I have Just Egg- vegan egg substitute. How many tablespoons would you suggest I use?
Also, I make my own black beans. Should I use the same amount of ounces?Reply
Brad says
I forgot to add breadcrumbs but it still came out nicely! Stayed together no problem.
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Alexis says
Oh wow, so glad to hear!
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Tawnya says
Thank you for this recipe! Freezing them before cooking definitely kept them together very well! It was an easy to make, good tasting recipe.
Question about freezing them for later use - I know you said cook them and freeze them, can you also freeze them uncooked in a similar way?
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Alexis Joseph says
So glad you liked them! Thanks for your kind review. Hmmm I wouldn't freeze uncooked if you want to cook from frozen. You could thaw the uncooked burgers and then cook, though.
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Ashley says
Love these! I was low on black beans, so I added some chopped orange pepper. Next time I will airfry them!
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Alexis Joseph says
Yayyy so glad!!
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Carla Freeman says
I made this recipe and it was great!!! I used 1can of black beans and 1/2 white beans, instead of Sriracha I used scotch bonnet sauce and a little ketchup. Very flavorful and tasty.
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Alexis Joseph says
Awesome! Let me know what I can do to make it 5 stars 🙂
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wayne van lew says
Just what I was looking for....super easy....super fast....and yummy! I substituted a cup of oatmeal since the panko has some milk in it. I eat it with bbq sauce. Very healthy and very filling!
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Laura says
One of the best and easiest black bean recipes I have tried so far! I caramelized onion in the pan first and then cooked the patties in that oil! Served it on a lettuce boat with sriracha Cole slaw! Yummmy! I wish I could post a picture!
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Alexis Joseph says
Mmmm caramelized onions sound FANTASTIC! Thanks a ton, Laura!
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