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High-Protein Black Bean Burger Recipe for a Meat-Free Meal

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High-Protein Black Bean Burger Recipe for a Meat-Free Meal
sue maree p: High-Protein Black Bean Burger Recipe for a Meat-Free Meal

Here’s our absolute favourite homemade burger — a High-Protein Black Bean Burger Recipe for a Meat-Free Meal. We love serving these flavourful, hearty bean burgers on homemade brioche or spelt buns, topped with melted cheese, gherkin pickles, ketchup, and a dash of American mustard. Honestly, we’re now fully converted from beef burgers to these!

After testing a few recipes and finding inspiration from The Happy Pear, I’ve settled on a winning combination of lentils and black beans. But feel free to experiment — mix and match your favourite beans, lentils, or chickpeas, and adjust the spices to whatever you have on hand.

One of the best parts? These bean patties freeze beautifully and will last for weeks — perfect for quick, healthy meals. Plus, this recipe uses simple pantry ingredients and requires no food processor or blender.

Perfect Burger Tips

  1. MEDIUM/HOT PAN - fry in your pan very hot for 3-4 mins on either side
  2. THICK vs THIN – don't make the burger too thick
  3. REST – the bean mix in the refrigerator for a few hours or overnight
  4. COAT the burger in bread crumbs or a little flour before frying
  5. FRY in sunflower or veggie oil (not olive oil)
  6. COOKING TIME – they taste better overcooked not undercooked.

Prep.time = 10-15 minutes
Cooking time = 8-10 minutes
Serves = 8 (about 90g) patties

Ingredients

  • Tinned Green lentils (drained and rinsed) – 400g
  • Tinned Black beans (drained and rinsed) – 400g
  • Oats – 100g
  • Panko Bread Crumbs (are my preferred type) – 10g / 2 tbsp
  • Tamari or Soya Sauce – 4 tbsp
  • Veggie stock or water – 6 tbsp
  • Ground flax seed – 2 tbsp
  • Onion powder – 2 tsp
  • French mustard – 1 tsp (optional)
  • Miso paste – 1 tbsp (optional)
  • Garlic granules/powder – 2 tsp
  • Flour – 4-6 tbsp
  • Nutritional Yeast/ Brewer's Yeast or Yeast Extract (like vegemite or marmite) – 2 tbsp
  • Pinch cayenne pepper or chilli flakes (optional)
  • Salt – 1 tsp
  • Cooking Oil – 2 tbsp

Method

  1. DRAIN and rinse beans and lentils.
  2. MASH with a fork or potato masher in a large mixing bowl. It's okay if there are some whole beans or lentils left.
  3. ADD all ingredients and mix well.
  4. PLACE this mix in the refrigerator for 30 minutes or even better overnight.
  5. FORM your patties, I use my 2 x ice cream scoop. I weigh each patty to be about 90g each. I also store some in the freezer between small squares of baking paper to use at a later date. They will last for a number of months in the freezer.
  6. COOK straight away heat pan medium high with a little sunflower oil or an oil of your choice. Place the veggie patty in the hot pan and fry on one-side for 3-5 minutes until brown. You may like to flatten the patty with a spatula during this time, you don't want the patty too thick. Flip over and flatten slightly again, cook for another 3 minutes this side should cook quicker. Add cheddar cheese now if you want melted cheese. We add our fry pan lid to help melt the cheese. If using rolls the next day, add the sliced cheese to one half of a cut bun and place both sides of the bun into a medium heated oven for 5-8 minutes until the bun is slightly toasted and the cheese is melted.
  7. SERVE on a homemade bun either brioche or spelt buns, see my recipes below. Add a squirt of American mustard and ketchup, burger gherkins to the base bun; then top with the cooked veggie patty and close the lid.