Black Bean Burgers Make The Perfect Base For Your Favorite Flavors

We are big fans of all beans, full stop. They are an inexpensive ingredient, provide so many important nutrients like fiber and protein, aid in digestion, and help maintain a healthy weight. Additionally, beans keep you feeling full for longer and help blood sugar levels stay stable – not to mention the positive impact that eating less meat and more plants has on the environment. Aside from their many benefits, black beans are downright delicious and make a great base for a meatless alternative burger patty no matter what your diet is — whether you eat meat or not.

Black beans have a fairly neutral taste, so you can take your burgers in almost any direction imaginable in terms of seasonings, condiments, and toppings. Starting with a hearty black bean burger recipe, you can switch up the spices and tasting notes easily by thinking of black beans as a blank canvas. Remy Park, the recipe developer behind Veggiekins blog, gave Tasting Table her advice for bean burgers: "Beans are a great neutral base so don't be afraid to use a heavy hand on the seasoning! Depending which flavor profile you're going for, you can get really creative but I think garlic and onion are always non-negotiable." Once you know what mistake to avoid when cooking bean burgers, it's easy to incorporate different flavors and begin your plant-based burger adventure. 

Cooking the beans yourself means you can start their flavor direction early by adding aromatics like vegetables, herbs, or spices, and it's easy to do with our best tips for cooking beans from scratch. Canned beans usually contain a decent amount of salt in them already, so keep this in mind when seasoning the patty mixture if you're using canned beans rather than ones you've cooked from scratch. Consider the toppings and condiments you're planning to use and what might go best with those. We recommend a creamy sauce, a crunchy item for contrast, and a bit of spice and heat.

Park suggests making "a more southwest style burger with paprika, cumin and coriander or you could incorporate Indian spices to switch things up." For example, you could make banh mi-inspired black bean burgers with a spicy sriracha aioli and pickled carrot daikon slaw, and boost the flavor in the patties by including hoisin sauce and chopped cilantro. You can also incorporate other plant-based ingredients into black bean burgers, like sauteed mushrooms and miso for a touch of umami, or corn kernels, cooked quinoa, and fire-roasted tomatoes. Or, for a barbecue black bean burger, add smoked paprika, chili powder, and a dash of liquid smoke, and serve the burger on a soft potato bun with BBQ sauce and a tangy red cabbage slaw.