The Best BBQ Bean Burgers

May 27, 2022
Pin It

These BBQ bean burgers are hearty and flavoursome with a hint of spice. Described in our non-vegan taste test as ‘the best veggie burger we’ve ever had!’, not only is this vegan bean burger recipe quick and easy to make but it’ll go down a storm with the whole family!

These burgers are simple and quick to make with fewer than 10 ingredients and they take less than 30 minutes from start to finish. They’re hearty, filling and flavoursome using two types of bean and sweetcorn for texture plus bbq sauce, spices and fresh coriander for flavour. They can be fried or oven baked and they also freeze well.

We use our easy Homemade BBQ Sauce recipe with these burgers to add those beautiful tangy, smoky and fruity flavours but you can also use shop bought barbecue sauce if that’s what you’ve got to hand.

Quick links:

A homemade BBQ bean burger in a crispy breadcrumb coating, in a soft bread roll with lettuce, tomato and thinly sliced red onion.

Why you’ll love these BBQ Bean Burgers

Quick and easy to make. To make these burgers you mash one tin of beans and then stir that together with the remaining ingredients. Shape into burgers, coat them with breadcrumbs and then fry them until hot through. That’s it!

Full of flavour. This spicy bean burger recipe uses BBQ sauce plus some extra smoked paprika and fresh coriander to give a punchy and flavoursome burger patty.

Simple, filling ingredients. With just 8 simple ingredients, this bean burger recipe is great for whipping up on a weeknight with ingredients you are likely to already have in your pantry or fridge – just make sure you’ve got some fresh coriander to hand along with some barbecue sauce and you’re good to go!

Meal prep and freezer friendly. Once they’ve been cooked off you can store these burgers in the fridge for up to 3 days or you can freeze them for use later on. To reheat defrost them fully and then fry or oven bake them until they are hot through.

A homemade BBQ bean burger cut in half displaying the colourful and flavoursome interior, in a soft bread roll with lettuce, tomato and thinly sliced red onion.

How to make these BBQ Bean Burgers

Gather together your ingredients.

The ingredients required to make BBQ bean burgers

Mash the drained cannellini beans roughly with the back of a fork.

Cannellini beans being mashed with the back of a fork Mashed cannellini beans in a bowl

Add the remaining burger ingredients (bbq sauce, kidney beans, sweetcorn, paprika, chilli, coriander and 200g breadcrumbs) and stir until combined.

The ingredients for making BBQ bean burgers in a bowl BBQ bean burger mix in a bowl

Form into burgers approx 2cm thick and set aside on some greaseproof paper. Add the aquafaba from the tin of cannellini beans plus the remaining 200g breadcrumbs to two separate bowls.

BBQ bean burger patties ready to be coated in breadcrumbs Aquafaba and breadcrumbs in a bowl ready to coat homemade burgers

Dip each burger in the aquafaba and then in the breadcrumbs, making sure to coat them generously.

Homemade bean burgers being coated in aquafaba and breadcrumbs Homemade bean burgers being coated in aquafaba and breadcrumbs

Once all of the burgers have been coated in breadcrumbs, preheat a frying pan with oil and fry the burgers for 5 minutes on each side or until hot through.

Homemade bbq bean burgers ready to be fried Homemade bbq bean burgers in a frying pan with a crispy breadcrumb coating

Top tips

  1. Use fresh breadcrumbs: Make your own breadcrumbs by blitzing up either fresh or stale bread in the food processor rather than buying a packet of breadcrumbs from the shop. Shop-bought breadcrumbs tend to be very dry and fine, which doesn’t work in this recipe – the resulting burgers may not hold together as well or get that lovely crispy coating on the outside when fried.

  2. Shaping the burgers: When you shape your burgers you will likely find the mixture to be quite wet and sticky – this is correct so don’t be tempted to add flour to firm them up as this will impair the flavour and texture of the burgers. Keep the burgers on a piece of greaseproof paper once shaped and before coating in breadcrumbs.

  3. Variations:

    1. Gluten free – we have not tested this recipe with gluten free breadcrumbs but as long you as you are using breadcrumbs blended up from a loaf of gluten free bread (rather than shop bought breadcrumbs) it should work without a problem.

    2. Doubling the recipe – if you want to make a big batch, you should be able to double the recipe without any problems.

  4. Storing: This recipe makes 8 burgers. If you don’t plan to eat all of these burgers at the time of making we’d suggest cooking them off and storing them in the fridge for up to 3 days or the freezer for up to 3 months, in an airtight container. When you’re ready to eat them, defrost them and fry them off until hot through.

Homemade BBQ bean burgers in a crispy breadcrumb coating, in a soft bread roll with lettuce, tomato and thinly sliced red onion.

FAQs

  1. Can these burgers be oven baked? Yes – bake at 200°C for 25 minutes, turning half way through. They won’t be as golden and crisp as if you had fried them but they’re still delicious and the breadcrumbs should still crisp up.

  2. Can these burgers be made gluten free? We have not tested this recipe with gluten free breadcrumbs but as long you as you are using breadcrumbs blended up from a loaf of gluten free bread (rather than shop bought breadcrumbs) it should work without a problem.

  3. Can I freeze these vegan bean burgers? Yes, once cooked these burgers can be frozen for up to 3 months in an airtight container. When you’re ready to eat them, defrost them fully and then fry them until they are hot through.

  4. How long do these burgers last? The cooked burgers should be good in the fridge for up to 3 days or the freezer for up to 3 months, in airtight containers.

  5. Can I use dried coriander instead of fresh? We’d definitely recommend fresh coriander but if you’re in a pinch you can substitute for dried coriander at a ratio of 1 tsp per tbsp (i.e. 2 tsp dried coriander in this recipe to replace the 2 tbsp of fresh coriander).

This post may contain affiliate links, which means that I may make a small commission off of items you purchase via one of these links, at no additional cost to you. Please read the policy page for more information.

Homemade BBQ bean burgers in a crispy breadcrumb coating, in a soft bread roll with lettuce, tomato and thinly sliced red onion.

Loved these BBQ Bean Burgers? Here are some more tasty vegan main meals to try

  • These Fillet-No-Fish burgers with Peruvian Chilli Mayo are to die for! Marinated tofu is fried to perfection with a crisp breadcrumb coating and served with a creamy, spicy, chilli mayo. Delish!

  • Looking for a weeknight meal the whole family will love? This flavourful One Pan Vegetable Lasagne is full of rainbow veggies in a rich tomato and fresh basil sauce. It’s finished with dairy free cream cheese and a garlic bread gratin topping.

  • If you’re looking for a recipe with minimal prep time, try this Easy Vegan Katsu Curry. It’s ready in a jiffy and has all the flavours of the katsu curry that you know and love!

  • This British classic Toad In The Hole has tasty vegan sausages nestled in a golden crisp-on-the-outside, fluffy-on-the-inside Yorkshire pudding style batter. Serve it with lashings of gravy and a side of rough mash and peas.

I hope you LOVE this recipe for vegan BBQ Bean Burgers! Share this recipe with someone you think will love it and don’t forget to tag @aveganvisit on social media when you try out the recipe – I absolutely love seeing your re-creations! Enjoy 🙂 x

If you make this recipe, please leave a comment and star rating below – this provides helpful feedback to both me and other readers. If you want more delicious vegan recipes be sure to subscribe to the A Vegan Visit newsletter and join the AVV community on Instagram, Pinterest, Facebook, Twitter and Tiktok.

The BBQ Bean Burger Recipe:

A BBQ bean burger in a soft bun, coated in a crispy breadcrumb coating and topped with lettuce, tomato and red onion.

The Best BBQ Bean Burgers

These BBQ bean burgers are hearty and flavoursome with a hint of spice. Described in our non-vegan taste test as ‘the best veggie burger we’ve ever had!’, not only is this vegan bean burger recipe quick and easy to make but it’ll go down a storm with the whole family!
5 from 3 votes
Print Pin Rate
Course: Lunch, Main Course
Cuisine: American, British, Caribbean
Prep: 20 minutes
Cook: 10 minutes
Total: 30 minutes
Serves: 8 burgers
Calories: 262kcal
Author: Tara

Ingredients
  

For the burgers:

  • 1 tin (400g) cannellini beans (drained* - approx 240g drained weight)
  • 180 g BBQ sauce**
  • 1 tin (400g) kidney beans (drained - approx 240g drained weight)
  • 75 g sweetcorn (from a tin, drained weight)
  • ½ tsp smoked paprika
  • ½ tsp dried chilli flakes (or 1 tsp if you like it spicy)
  • 2 tbsp fresh coriander (roughly chopped)
  • 200 g fresh breadcrumbs*** (approx 4 slices of bread blitzed up)

For the coating:

  • 75 g aquafaba*
  • 200 g fresh breadcrumbs*** (approx 4 slices of bread blitzed up)

Other ingredients:

  • oil to fry

Instructions
 

  • Add the drained cannellini beans to a bowl and mash them roughly with the back of a fork.
    1 tin (400g) cannellini beans
  • Stir in the bbq sauce, kidney beans, sweetcorn, smoked paprika, chilli flakes, fresh coriander and 200g of the breadcrumbs.
    180 g BBQ sauce**, 1 tin (400g) kidney beans, 75 g sweetcorn, 1/2 tsp smoked paprika, 1/2 tsp dried chilli flakes, 2 tbsp fresh coriander, 200 g fresh breadcrumbs***
  • Form the mixture into 8 burgers around 2cm thick. The mixture will be quite wet but this is correct and you should still be able to form them into burgers - don’t be tempted to add flour as this can impair the texture and flavour. Set the burgers aside on a large plate or tray lined with greaseproof paper.
  • Set the aquafaba and remaining 200g breadcrumbs out in separate bowls.
    75 g aquafaba*, 200 g fresh breadcrumbs***
  • Dip each burger into the aquafaba and then into the breadcrumbs to generously coat them all over.
  • Preheat a non-stick frying pan with 1 tbsp of oil.
    oil to fry
  • Fry the burgers in the oil for 5 minutes on one side, before flipping them over and frying them on the other side for a further 5 minutes (10 minutes in total) until they are golden in colour and hot through. Add more oil as necessary for frying the remaining burgers.

Notes

Vegan / Dairy Free / Egg Free
Recipe inspired by:  UK /USA/Dominican Republic
* When you drain the tin of cannellini beans, retain the liquid that they are in. This is called ‘aquafaba’ and will be used later in the recipe.
** Get the recipe for our delicious Homemade BBQ Sauce here!
*** Blitz up slices of bread (either fresh or stale) rather than buying breadcrumbs in a packet - shop bought breadcrumbs or panko breadcrumbs won’t work well in this recipe.
Please check the allergens on the ingredients you purchase before use. The allergen information provided in this recipe is intended as a guide only and is based on the specific ingredients and brands used at the time of creating the recipe, therefore we cannot guarantee that the same will apply to the ingredients you use.
Prep time excludes any inactive time.
We highly recommend you use the metric and 1x options on this recipe card for the best results. Please note that this recipe has not been tested using US measurements or increasing ingredient quantities to 2x or 3x, therefore results may vary.

Nutrition

Calories: 262kcal | Carbohydrates: 47g | Protein: 7g | Fat: 5g | Saturated Fat: 1g | Sodium: 601mg | Fiber: 3g | Sugar: 11g | Net Carbohydrates: 45g
Have you tried this recipe?Tag @aveganvisit on Instagram or hashtag it #aveganvisit!

Tara

Hi, I’m Tara! I’m taking you on a trip around the world in vegan cuisine and bringing the world’s most delicious dishes to your kitchen.