Skip to main content

Black Bean Smash Burger

4.9

(8)

Black bean burger with a blue background and pink table.
Photograph by Isa Zapata, Food Styling by Taneka Morris, Prop Styling by Catherine Campbell Pearson

As far as vegetarian burgers go, I’ve always felt black bean reigns supreme in terms of taste. The only downside? The texture. This version borrows its technique from smash burgers, yielding thin, flavorful patties with lots of surface area and crispy edges instead of the usual thick, borderline-gummy patty. The double patty here makes the burger feel substantial and makes a statement, but if you prefer a single patty, do your thing! If you don’t have chipotle chiles in adobo easily accessible, you can swap the adobo sauce used in the mayo for sriracha and the chiles called for in the bean mixture for a jalapeño. Pepper jack works well here, but any good melting cheese will do the trick. —Zaynab Issa

What you’ll need

Read More
Herby chickpea falafel gets the veggie burger treatment with harissa mayo and pickled onion.
Roasted poblanos, jalapeños, and red onion are coated with a melty sauce—warm with the flavors of pepper jack, and stabilized with a block of cream cheese.
A luxuriously creamy and bright dressing made with aquafaba, miso, and crunchy poppy seeds makes a star out of summer produce.
Upgrade any cookout—or keep the cooking on the stovetop—with these smashed cast-iron bison burgers, then stack with lemon mayo and a crisp cucumber-onion slaw.
A homemade black bean sauce is better than anything you can find in the grocery store. Plus, the 15-minute dinner you can make with it.
Tender, juicy chicken skewers are possible in the oven—especially when roasted alongside spiced chickpeas and finished with fresh tomatoes and salty feta.
Inspired by Korean pajeon, this shrimp-studded pancake features fresh snap peas as a spring-y addition.
Braising canned chickpeas in chicken stock and olive oil makes them unbelievably tender and buttery. This is worth the effort of peeling 40 cloves of garlic.