Spicy Black Bean Burgers with Cilantro Avocado Sauce (Vegetarian)
This spicy bean burger recipe is nutritious, delicious, and easy to make. Paired with homemade cilantro avocado sauce, this might just be the most flavourful vegetarian burger you’ll ever try!

Ingredients for Spicy Bean Burgers:
To make the burgers, here’s what you’ll need:
- In the Spicy Bean Burgers: Of course, the feature ingredient of the spicy bean burgers is black beans. We’ll be combining them with olive oil, onion, bell peppers, jalapeño, garlic, quick oats (instead of bread crumbs), eggs (can substitute for flax eggs if vegan), chipotle powder, paprika, chilli powder, ground cumin, ground coriander, salt and pepper, and tomato paste. The burgers get their spicy flavours from both the jalapeño pepper and the chipotle powder.
- In the Cilantro Avocado Sauce: To make the creamy, flavourful avocado sauce we’ll combine ripe avocado, fresh cilantro, lime juice, and salt and pepper.
- Optional Toppings: In addition to the cilantro avocado sauce, I recommend topping these burgers with a slice of jalapeño havarti cheese, lettuce, sliced tomato, sliced red onion, and a thin layer of mayonnaise on the bun. This combination is incredible!
How to Make these Spicy Black Bean Burgers:
Making the Spicy Bean Burgers:
- Warm olive oil in a frying pan over medium high heat. Add diced onion, bell pepper, jalapeño and minced garlic, stirring frequently for approximately 5-6 minutes until softened.
- Transfer cooked vegetables to a high-speed blender or food processor and add remaining burger ingredients. Pulse the mixture until the everything is well-mixed together but there are still some large chunks of beans remaining.
- Form the mixture into patties, approximately 1/3-1/2 cup per burger patty.
- To bake: Bake the patties on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper at 375F for 12 minutes on each side, 24 minutes total. To grill: Place patties on a well-greased sheet of aluminum foil and grill over medium-high heat (350F-400F) for approximately 8 minutes on each side.
- Serve with optional toppings!
Making the Cilantro Avocado Sauce:
While the burgers are cooking, you can use this time to prep the cilantro avocado sauce. You’ll need your blender or food processor again, so make sure to rinse it out after making the burgers!
- In a blender or food processor, pulse together avocado, fresh cilantro, lime juice, salt and pepper until the mixture is smooth and creamy with minimal chunks.
- When burgers are ready, spread approximately 1-2 tablespoons on each burger. Store leftovers in an airtight container in the fridge up to 3 days.
Storing the Spicy Bean Burgers:
If you have leftovers, store them in an airtight container in the fridge up to 4-5 days. You can also freeze the leftover burgers up to 1 month.
What to Eat With These Black Bean Burgers:
You can enjoy a spicy bean burger in a variety of ways! Try them:
- On a hamburger bun
- Wrapped in a lettuce “bun”
- Crumbled on top of a nourish bowl
- With a side salad
- With a side of homemade French fries or sweet potato fries
More Vegetarian Burger Recipes You’ll Love:
- Greek Chickpea Burgers with Tzatziki
- Lentil Chickpea Veggie Burgers
- Shiitake and Portobello Mushroom Burgers
Connect with Hannah Magee, RD!
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Don’t forget to follow me on Instagram and tag me @hannahmagee_rd if you make any of my recipes!
Spicy Bean Burgers with Cilantro Avocado Sauce (Vegetarian)
Ingredients
For the Spicy Bean Burgers:
- 1 tbsp olive oil
- 1 cup diced onion (yellow, white or red)
- 1/2 cup diced bell pepper
- 1 small jalapeno pepper, seeded and diced
- 3 cloves garlic, minced
- 2 cans black beans, drained and rinsed
- 1/2 cup quick oats
- 2 large eggs, can sub. for 2 flax eggs if vegan
- 1 1/2 tsp ground cumin
- 1 tsp chilli powder
- 1/2 tsp chipotle powder
- 1/2 tsp paprika
- 1/4 tsp ground coriander
- 2 tbsp tomato paste
- 1 pinch salt and pepper
For the Cilantro Avocado Sauce:
- 1 large avocado, or 2 small
- 1/4 cup fresh cilantro, packed
- 1/2 tbsp lime juice
- 1 generous pinch salt and pepper, each
Optional Toppings:
- jalapeno havarti cheese, mayo, lettuce, sliced tomato, sliced red onion
Instructions
For the Spicy Bean Burgers:
- Warm olive oil in a frying pan over medium high heat. Add diced onion, bell pepper, jalapeño and minced garlic, stirring frequently for approximately 5-6 minutes until softened.
- Transfer cooked vegetables to a high-speed blender or food processor and add remaining burger ingredients. Pulse the mixture until the everything is well-mixed together but there are still some large chunks of beans remaining.
- Form the mixture into patties, approximately 1/3-1/2 cup per burger patty.
- To bake: Bake the patties on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper at 375F for 12 minutes on each side, 24 minutes total. To grill: Place patties on a well-greased sheet of aluminum foil and grill over medium-high heat (350F-400F) for approximately 8 minutes on each side.
- Serve with optional toppings!
For the Cilantro Avocado Sauce:
- In a blender or food processor, pulse together avocado, fresh cilantro, lime juice, salt and pepper until the mixture is smooth and creamy with minimal chunks.
- When burgers are ready, spread approximately 1-2 tablespoons on each burger. Store leftovers in an airtight container in the fridge up to 3 days.
These are amazing! My boyfriend who usually hates my vegetarian meals loved them too! I halved the recipe and it turned out great
I’m so happy to hear! Thanks Mel! 🙂
very easy but a little bland….I’d play with the recipe and add more chipotle or tomato paste….(or maybe the jalapeno??)
Thanks so much for the feedback, Liz. You can definitely play around with the level of spice depending on your preferences. 🙂