Air Fryer Black Bean Burgers

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Learn how to make black bean burgers with the perfect texture in the air fryer! These air fryer black bean burgers can easily be made ahead of time and can even be frozen.

Prep Time 20

Cook Time 10

Total Time 30

Servings servings

Calories 267kcal

Ingredients

1 (15 oz) can black beans, drained, rinsed, and patted dry
1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
1/2 cup finely chopped yellow onion
1/2 cup finely chopped sweet pepper
2 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 teaspoon paprika
1 teaspoon chili powder
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper (optional)
2 tablespoons barbecue sauce
1/4 cup, plus 2 tablespoons breadcrumbs
1 large egg (use flax egg if vegan*)
Salt and pepper to taste
Nonstick cooking spray
Warmed buns and desired toppings (sliced cheese, tomatoes, lettuce, onion, barbecue sauce, etc.)

Instructions

Preheat oven to 350F. Line a small baking sheet with parchment paper and spread beans out in a single layer. Bake beans at 350F 10-12 minutes until just slightly dried out. Allow to cool.
Heat olive oil in a small skillet over medium-high heat. Add onion and pepper and saute 3-4 minutes until tender. Add garlic and saute 1 additional minute until fragrant.
Scrape vegetables into a fine-mesh sieve and gently press on vegetables to drain out liquid. Set aside.
Place beans in a large bowl and use a fork to gently mash to a paste (you will want several chunks) Add vegetables, paprika, chili powder, cumin, cayenne pepper, barbecue sauce, breadcrumbs, egg, and salt and pepper to taste. Gently fold black bean mixture until just combined.
Form black bean mixture into 4 patties. Wrap well and refrigerate until ready to use (patties may be refrigerated up to 4 days and frozen up to 1 month)
When ready to cook, spray the grate of a 4-qt air fryer with nonstick cooking spray and preheat to 375F.** Lay burgers in a single layer (we typically cook 2 at a time in our 6-qt) and air fry at 375F 6 minutes, flipping burgers halfway through cooking.
Remove burgers from air fryer and serve warm in buns with desired toppings. Enjoy!

Video

Notes

*To make a vegan-friendly flax egg, whisk 1 tablespoon flaxseed with 2 tablespoons water. Let sit 5 minutes then add to black bean mixture in place of the egg.

**Alternative Cooking Methods

Burgers may be cooked on stovetop in a large nonstick pan with 1-2 tablespoons vegetable oil over medium-high heat, flipping once until burgers are golden-brown.
Burgers may be cooked in oven on a parchment paper-lined baking sheet at 400F 10-15 minutes until burgers are golden brown.

Storing Burgers

For Uncooked Burgers:

Stack patties between parchment paper and seal in a container. Store patties in refrigerator up to 4 days or freeze up to 1 month.

Follow recipe instructions for cooking patties from refrigerator. For frozen, either thaw patties in refrigerator or add an extra few minutes to the cook time if cooking directly from freezer.

For Cooked Burgers:

Store patties sealed in refrigerator up to 6 days or freeze up to 1 month.

Reheat patties at 375F in air fryer or microwave several minutes (add an few extra minutes if reheating from frozen) until patties register 165F on a kitchen thermometer.

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