Serve up these easy black bean patties over rice or quinoa, or on a whole wheat bun for instant vegetarian sliders!
Black Bean Patties with Avocado & Tomato Salsa Recipe
When we find something that we like to eat, we tend to go a little overboard with it, particularly if it’s a healthy item. Black beans (and now these black bean patties!) certainly fall under this category. We buy them buy the case at Costco and then proceed to put them in everything from soups and dips to chili and quinoa salads. Any leftover beans are thrown into whole wheat tortillas , along with brown rice, corn, diced red bell pepper and whatever chicken or meat that’s leftover from the night before, for a quick and easy lunch.
Black beans are one of the powerhouses of the legume world, packing an impressive amount of fiber and protein per serving. This means you’ll fill up a lot faster and won’t have room for dessert. That doesn’t sound like a good thing but, believe me, when there are stacks of Nutella Cream Cheese Blondies calling from the pantry, filling up on the healthy stuff becomes a necessity.
These patties work well on their own when topped with the simple avocado and tomato salsa. Actually, I’m not sure if I can count the avocado and tomato mixture as a salsa, since all I did was stir them together with a little lime juice. Whatever you call it, it gives a fresh pop of flavor and color to the patties.
We also like to serve the patties between a whole-wheat dinner roll, topped with a little queso fresco cheese and Tomatillo Salsa Verde. Ta-da! Black bean sliders.
The black bean patties recipe:
In the bowl of a food processor, pulse sandwich bread to form breadcrumbs. Pour into a bowl and set aside.
Heat 1 tablespoon olive or canola oil in a large skillet set over medium heat. Add onion and sauté until soft. Add garlic, jalapeno, and cumin. Saute for additional 2 minutes.
Scrape the mixture into the food processor. Add black beans, brown rice, lime juice, salt, and pepper. Pulse until the beans are chopped, but not pureed.
Have I ever mentioned how much I dislike photographing brown food?
Scrape the black bean mixture into a large bowl. Add half of the breadcrumbs and the chopped cilantro. Using a wooden spoon, stir the mixture until combined.
Divide the mixture into 4 equal portions and form into patties. If the mixture is too moist to form patties, add more breadcrumbs. Place the patties on a baking sheet lined with plastic wrap and cover with additional plastic wrap. Refrigerate for at least 1/2 hour.
Heat 1 tablespoon canola oil in a large skillet (preferably not nonstick, so a good crust can form) set over medium heat. Add 4 patties and cook for 4 minutes per side. Repeat with 1 tablespoon oil and remaining 4 patties.
For the salsa, gently stir together avocado, tomatoes and lime juice.
Serve 2 patties on each plate, topped with salsa.
Other bean patty recipes:
101 Cookbooks’ Vegetarian Lentil Burgers
Cooking Books’ Sweet Potato & Black Bean Cakes
Lisa’s Kitchen’s Black-Eyed Pea Patties with Chili Sauce
Black Bean Patties with Avocado & Tomato Salsa
Ingredients
- 3 pieces day-old or toasted whole wheat sandwich bread
- 3 tablespoons olive or canola oil divided
- 1 medium onion chopped
- 2 cloves garlic minced
- 2 tablespoons minced jalapeno pepper membranes and seeds removed
- 1 teaspoons ground cumin
- 1 15 ounce can black beans, drained and rinsed
- 1 1/4 cups cooked brown rice
- 2 teaspoons fresh lime juice
- 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
- 1/4 cup chopped cilantro
Salsa:
- 2 avocados cut into 3/4 inch pieces
- 1 cup cherry tomatoes cut in half
- 1 teaspoon fresh lime juice
Instructions
The patties:
- In the bowl of a food processor, pulse sandwich bread to form breadcrumbs. Pour into a bowl and set aside.
- Heat 1 tablespoon olive or canola oil in a large skillet set over medium heat. Add onion and sauté until soft. Add garlic, jalapeno, and cumin. Saute for additional 2 minutes.
- Scrape the mixture into the food processor. Add black beans, brown rice, lime juice, salt, and pepper. Pulse until the beans are chopped, but not pureed.
- Scrape the black bean mixture into a large bowl. Add half of the breadcrumbs and the chopped cilantro. Stir the mixture until combined.
- Divide the mixture into 8 equal portions and form into patties. If the mixture is too moist to form patties, add more breadcrumbs.
- Place the patties on a baking sheet lined with plastic wrap and cover with additional plastic wrap. Refrigerate for at least ½ hour.
- Heat 1 tablespoon canola oil in a large skillet (preferably not nonstick, so a good crust can form) set over medium heat. Add 4 patties and cook for 4 minutes per side. Repeat with 1 tablespoon oil and remaining 4 patties.
- Serve 2 patties on each plate, topped with salsa.
The salsa:
- Gently stir together avocado, tomatoes and lime juice.
Nutrition
Disclosure: I am a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for me to earn fees by linking to Amazon.com and affiliated sites.
claudia lamascolo/aka pegasuslegend says
I love how healthy these are, will have to try them some time.
Jessica @ How Sweet says
Definitely trying these!
Averie @ Love Veggies and Yoga says
The patties look great! Meat free and with a great salsa. Can’t go wrong there 🙂
Heather (Heather's Dish) says
i have yet to find a vegetarian burger patty that i love…i can’t wait to try this one!
Bev Weidner says
Yes and please and thank you and I’m dying.
Tara @ Chip Chip Hooray says
Yum!! I love black beans in any and all forms, and I collect black bean burger recipes like it’s my job. This one looks fantastic! 🙂
kelley says
I too love black beans. A great version of a vegetarian burger and how could you go wrong topping them with tomatoes and diced avocado? 🙂
Katrina says
These sound super scrumptious! I could eat them by themselves or with a burger bun and be super happy! Yum.
Jeanette says
I’ve been thinking of making some vegetarian patties, so thrilled to come across this recipe!
Amanda says
My gosh… I can almost taste that gorgeous avocado!! What a fun recipe Dara!
Chef Dennis says
I have been buying these, now I can make them! My girls are going to love these black bean burgers, its amazing how many more vegetarians we get every year!
Thanks for the recipe!
Dan says
I tried making patties once using mung beans, however, they fell apart. I like your idea of using the toast to help bind it. I’ll need to try that out.
Katrina says
Dara–about those muffins that I made being a good after school treat–they just might also be a good mid-morning, while-they’re-at-school treat, too. Just saying. 😉
And I would SO love these bean patties–I’ll have to make them for myself, maybe even soon as I have half a can of black beans to use up and no one else in my family will try this. Looks like lunch to me!
Deborah says
I’ve never made black bean patties at home, but this is making me want to run right into the kitchen to make some!! I need to check out the other links for black beans, too – as I have a ton of them in my pantry right now!
Barbara | Creative Culinary says
What a great idea…I often buy ready made veggie patties for the convenience for a quick lunch but would much prefer to make something of my own. I’m an avowed Costcoaholic so a case of black beans is now on the list.
Alison @ Ingredients, Inc. says
These look fabulous! Great recipe
Kimby says
I like your idea of “salsa.” Chunky and fresh. Call it whatever you want, Dara! It looks great — especially on top of these black bean patties.
[email protected] is Love says
Dara, The Recipe is fantastic!!! Love the fresh idea!! Can’t wait to try it!
Sarah ♥ The Cyclist's Wife says
These look great! I made turkey black bean burgers a couple of weeks ago but I was looking for more of a black bean flavor. Thanks for sharing!
Have you ever tried to freeze these for future use?
(And now I know why all the black beans seem to dissapear from Costco!)
Kathy - Panini Happy says
These sound fantastic! I definitely like to do a veggie burger every other week or so – will try this one next. I made quinoa cakes this weekend that were pretty fab. 🙂
Gwen @SimplyHealthyFamily says
I love a good veg burger, but it has to be home made! I can’t wait to try this one out, perfect with the avacado!
AnnieB says
Made these for dinner tonight…fabulous! The whole family loved them. I had just made homemade black beans yesterday and they worked great (1 can = 1.5 cups). I used Anaheim pepper instead of jalapeno since my 8-year-old doesn’t like spicy and I added a little more lime juice because I love it so much. I ended up using all of the breadcrumbs called for, then coated the patties in Panko before frying in olive oil…loved the crunchy exterior! I didn’t have time to refrigerate, so I didn’t. They fell apart pretty easily, but who cares, they were awesome. Thanks for a great recipe that will end up becoming one of our new regulars 🙂
Miss @ Miss in the Kitchen says
I made black bean cakes once and they were so good, but I forgot about them. I love black beans and will have to try this.
Jen at The Three Little Piglets says
I’m thinking that would make a great sandwich, stuffed in a pita with lettuce and drizzled with some kind of yogurt sauce…
[email protected] says
For some reason I like Black beans SO MUCH BETTER when they are ground up like this. I think it improves their texture. YUM!
foodwanderings says
Love these black bean patties Dara. I have never made bean patties before and I love your version. You did mighty fine shooting brown food but I completely sympathize as I found it challenging photographing green soup:).
MikeVFMK says
Dara, I love all kinds of patties. Sweetcorn, sweet potato, apple and potato. You name it. I’m now adding this to the list. Love this idea (plus, I have lots of black beans lying around in my cupboard.) Thanks!
Lauren from Lauren's Latest says
Oh my word! These look divine! Those tomatoes and avocados definitely took it over the top for me…
Adnan says
healthy choice… i love black beans, but never really thought about them in burgers
and those look amazing… love the photography.. i will definitely have to try them out
thanks for sharing
Donna says
Coincidentally, I am on a quest to find the perfect veggie/vegan burger. Now I have another reason I am happy I follow your blog!
Charissa says
Yummy! Love vegan protein based foods…and this looks so good with the avocado with it!
myFudo says
Amazing recipe.Wonderful!
Marly says
This is a recipe right up my alley! We make something very similar, but I like the tip to refrigerate prior to cooking. Looks mighty tasty!
Katie @ BloomEveryday says
These look fabulous – cannot wait to try them!
JulieD says
Oh my goodness…Dara. Looks like a winner!! I love black beans and am always trying to find new things to make with them. 🙂
Diane {Created by Diane} says
looks delicious, I love black beans!
Amy @ A Little Nosh says
These are perfect for the hubs and I since we’re both on Weight Watchers. And so budget-friendly!
Mama B @ My Edible Journey says
Those look delicious. My son isn’t a huge fan of meat, but he really likes black beans. Thanks!
theultimatefoodaddict says
love it! so healthy!
Mireya @myhealthyeatinghabits says
Black bean burgers alone tend to be a bit dry. I love the addition of tomato and avocado to freshen it up. It looks delicious!
Beth says
We love these! They are now on our heavy-rotation list for meal planning. My children like them even more than their favorite store-bought veggie patty. I do leave out the jalapeño and add more cumin. Thanks for a great recipe.
Sheril says
These look great! I’m about to make 80 of them for a VBS luncheon on Friday…how the kids enjoy them. I’ll do some sweet potato fries on the side, just so it’s a little more kid-friendly. Thanks Dara!