I'm sure that at this point, almost every single person in the world has their own recipe for black bean burgers. Well these burgers have been my standby recipe through lots of black bean burger recipes! They are cheap, especially if you cook the beans yourself, and super easy! We're talking about 10 mins prep and dinner is on its way. By the way, I've been known to serve these to guests because they really are that great!

Shortcut: If you did make and freeze the beans in advance in a small plastic bag, simply pop in the microwave for about 2 mins until they are slightly warm and soft and mash them up in the bag then place the mashed beans in a bowl and proceed with the rest of the ingredients.

Black Bean Burgers:

1.5 cups cooked black beans 

1 egg

1/2  cup bread crumbs

3 Tbsp olive oil

1 tsp garlic powder (I prefer garlic powder over raw garlic because it's easier and because I don't want to run into bits of uncooked raw garlic in the middle of my burger)

1/2 tsp smoked paprika

1/2 tsp onion powder

1/4 tsp salt

1/4 tsp pepper

First, mash the black beans into a chunky paste so that the starch can soak up the moisture from the olive oil and egg.

Then add all ingredients and mix with a large spoon. You can either scoop them into balls and flatten them on a hot, oiled frying pan or you can put the scooped balls in the fridge for 10 mins to harden. Fry on both sides for 5-7 mins. For added deliciousness, butter the insides of your hamburger buns and fry them for 2-3 mins (only the insides). 

*Note: I also added diced mushrooms and chives but the recipe doesn't require it!

These burgers taste great served with chipotle mayo, guacomole, or simply mayo and ketchup! I also served some fried sweet potatoes with them. Enjoy!!