Air Fryer Black Bean Burgers
Air fryer black bean burgers are a simple, hearty meatless meal that is so easy to make and incredibly filling. This homemade black bean burger is cooked in the air fryer, making it crispy on the outside and tender on the inside. This air fryer black bean burger recipe uses simple ingredients and has a Southwest flavor that pairs well with so many toppings!
If you love making your own veggie burgers, you should try these 5 Ingredient Black Bean Burgers or Mexican Black Bean Lentil Burgers.
Why you will love this recipe
- Easy to make – all you need is a fork and a bowl to combine the ingredients to make these black bean burgers (no blender or food processor needed). They come together in just a few minutes and cook in the air fryer in about 20 minutes.
- Simple real food ingredients – there is no soy, dairy or gluten in these burgers, just a few simple pantry staples you likely always have on hand.
- Versatile – change up the toppings or how you serve this air fryer black bean burger depending on your preferences and what you have on hand. You can make this like a traditional burger or change things up and serve it with nacho cheese and salsa or crumbled in a salad instead of as a burger.
- Great for most diets – you can make black bean burgers in the air fryer for just about any diet. They are vegan, gluten free, dairy free, egg free, soy free, and can be made compliant for a plant based Whole30.
Ingredients
- Black beans – I use canned black beans to make things easy, but you can cook your own black beans from scratch. I like to use the Instant Pot to make a large batch at once. Be sure to rinse and drain your beans before using them to make burgers.
- Spices: Chili powder, cumin, garlic powder, salt – these spices help create that Southwestern flavor. The chili powder adds a deep layer of flavor. The cumin adds a smokiness to the burgers. Garlic powder give a subtle garlic flavor and also umami. Salt elevates all the flavors.
- Ground flax + water – the ground flax and water binds together to help create a replacement for eggs in this recipe.
- Oat flour – oat flour helps to bind the burgers. You could also use gluten free flour.
- Red onion – finely chopped red onion adds a little bite to the burgers and also gives them a little pop of color. If you don’t have red onion, you could use white or yellow or skip the onion completely.
- Avocado oil spray or olive oil spray – I like to spray the burgers before putting them into the air fryer to ensure they don’t stick. This is optional though, if you are oil-free, just skip this step.
How to make air fryer black bean burgers
Start by rinsing and draining the black beans.
Add 1 can (about 1.75 cups) of black beans to a bowl. Mash with a fork until all the beans are well mashed.
Add the spices to the mashed black beans and stir well. This helps ensure that the spices are well distributed throughout the mixture.
Add the second can of rinsed and drained black beans, ground flax, water, oat flour and chopped red onion to the mashed black bean mixture. Stir well until everything is well incorporated.
Press the mixture flat into the bowl and mark down the center of the bowl and across the middle, giving you 4 even quadrants of the bowl to help you know how much of the black bean mixture to use in each patty.
Take out ¼ of the mixture, form it into patties in your hands. Spray the top with avocado oil spray then put the oiled side down in your air fryer basket.
Repeat with the rest of the mixture until you have 4 burgers in the air fryer.
Cook at 375F for 20 minutes. After 15 minutes, pause the air fryer and carefully flip the burgers.
Tips for success
- Drain and rinse the canning liquid from the beans. I like to soak the beans in fresh water for a few minutes to really remove any of the liquid from the beans. I find that this makes them a lot easier to digest.
- If you can afford it, buy organic black beans. They tend to be much easier to digest (so you won’t have any tummy troubles from enjoying a few black bean burgers).
Black bean burger topping ideas
- Classic: Lettuce, tomato, onion, ketchup, mustard, mayo
- Pickles
- Guacamole
- Pickled onions
- Jalapeno or pickled jalapeno
- Nacho cheese or melted cheese
- Salsa
- Hot sauce
- Creamy sriracha mayo or spicy tahini sauce
- BBQ sauce
Air Fryer Black Bean Burgers
Guided Recipe Video
Ingredients
- 2 cans black beans - 15 oz cans
- 1.5 teaspoons sea salt
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1 teaspoon cumin
- 1 teaspoon chili powder
- 3 tablespoons ground flax
- 2 tablespoons water
- 3 tablespoons oat flour - or gluten free flour
- ¼ cup chopped red onion
Instructions
- Drain and rinse both cans of black beans.2 cans black beans
- Add 1 can of black beans to a bowl. Mash with a fork until all the beans are broken down.
- Add the spices to the mashed beans, Stir well to fully incorporate.1.5 teaspoons sea salt, 1 teaspoon garlic powder, 1 teaspoon cumin, 1 teaspoon chili powder
- Add the rest of the ingredients to the bowl. Stir well until everything is well mixed and fully incorporated.3 tablespoons ground flax, 2 tablespoons water, 3 tablespoons oat flour, ¼ cup chopped red onion
- Press the mixture down in the bowl. Divide into 4 equal parts to make it easy to measure out the burgers.
- Take 1/4 of the bean mixture and form it into a patty in your hands. Spray the top with avocado oil spray or olive oil spray. Put the spray side down into the air fryer basket.
- Repeat with the other 3 burgers (making 4 total).
- Cook at 375F for 20 minutes. At the 15 minute mark, pause the air fryer and flip the burgers carefully. Turn the air fryer back on and finish cooking 5 minutes.
- Top with your favorite toppings.
Equipment
Recipe Notes
- Drain and rinse the canning liquid from the beans.
- These black bean burgers are large and super filling. If you want to make them into smaller patties, cook them for less time (start at 15 minutes total). Since these burgers are so thick they longer they need to cook. If you make thinner burgers they will be done much quicker.
- No need to preheat the air fryer before cooking the burgers. If you do end up making multiple batches, the second batch of burgers will likely need less time in the air fryer since it will be preheated. Start at 16 minutes for the second batch.
- Optional: Put down a silicone liner or parchment paper liner to help make the burgers easier to flip.
- Use silicone or wood spatula to flip the burgers. Don’t use metal, as it can scratch the coating on your air fryer basket.
- Don’t overlap the burger patties in the air fryer basket or they can get stuck together when cooking and would be hard to flip.
Nutrition Information
How to serve black bean burgers in air fryer
- On a bun with your favorite toppings
- In a lettuce wrap with cilantro tahini sauce, some shredded cabbage and pickled jalapeno
- Crumbled on a salad with French dressing or dairy free ranch dressing
- Leftovers crumbled and used in tacos or on nachos with nacho cheese sauce and salsa
What are good sides to serve with black bean burgers
Some of my favorite ways to serve these black bean burgers are with sweet potato wedges or fries. Another great option is Moroccan potato salad or dill potato salad. If I am looking for something a little lighter, I often make red cabbage slaw or cilantro lime slaw.
Common questions
What are black bean burgers
Black bean burgers are meatless burgers made primarily from black beans. You may think of them as veggie burgers or black bean patties.
Black bean burgers are great for vegetarians, vegans or anyone who is trying to get in more plants into their diets.
Do you need to preheat the air fryer?
If your air fryer requires preheating, preheat it as needed. However, if your air fryer doesn’t need preheating, none is needed. Y
Note that if you are using a preheated air fryer the burgers may be done in as little as 16 minutes.
What if I don’t have oat flour?
If you don’t have oat flour, you can replace it with your favorite gluten free flour of choice. If you are using coconut flour, reduce it down to 2 tablespoons. If you are using almond flour, use ¼ cup. You can also make your own oat flour by grinding up oats in a high speed blender or food processor until they resemble flour.
Can I make these in advance?
Yes, these burgers hold up well in the fridge. You can either form the burgers in advance and cook them when you are ready or you can cook the burgers in advance and enjoy them for up to 3 days. Because of this, they are great for meal prep too!
Uncooked burgers:
- Store the uncooked black bean burgers in a sealed container in the fridge for up to 3 days before cooking.
- Freeze the uncooked burger patties for up to a month (freeze flat on a baking sheet, once frozen, transfer to a freezer safe bag or container). Defrost in the fridge overnight or cook from frozen in the air fryer, adding about 5-6 minutes to the cook time.
Cooked burgers:
- Store cooked burgers in the fridge for up to 4 days in an airtight container.
- Freeze cooked burgers for up to 1 month.
Can I double the recipe?
Yes you can easily double the recipe. You may find some time savings by pulsing the black beans in an food processor or mashing them with a potato masher since you have to do 2 cans of beans at once.
When you are ready to cook the second batch of burgers, the air fryer will be preheated, so reduce the cooking time from 20 minutes to 16 minutes.
My first attempt at making black bean burgers at home – and they were easy to do and turned out pretty tasty. I made smaller patties and reduced the cook time a bit. Overall a success!
I’m so glad to hear that this was a success for you Sandra! Thanks for stopping by and happy cooking.