Homemade Vegan Black Bean Burgers with Fluffy Whole Wheat Buns
Build your dream plant based burger from scratch with soft, bakery style whole wheat buns and hearty black bean mushroom patties. This recipe walks you through every step so you can skip the store bought buns and frozen patties and serve a stacked, flavor packed burger that feels special enough for guests. Made with whole grains, beans, and simple pantry ingredients, it is a satisfying option for everyday healthy eating. If you follow a DASH inspired or lower sodium way of eating, you can keep it in your routine by choosing no salt added or low sodium ingredients.
Servings 12
Calories 398kcal
Ingredients
For the Fluffy Whole Wheat Vegan Buns (makes 12) :
- Yeast Activation:
- Active Dry Yeast: 2 ¼ teaspoons
- Warm Water approx. 105-115°F / 40-46°C: ¾ cup
- Sugar for yeast: 1 teaspoon
Dry Ingredients:
- Whole Wheat Flour: 2 ¼ cups approx. 270g
- All-Purpose Flour: 2 ¼ cups approx. 270g
- Flaxseed Meal ground: 2 tablespoons (approx. 14g)
- Baking Soda: ¾ teaspoon
- Salt: 1 ¼ teaspoons
Wet Ingredients & Dough Enrichment:
- Sugar for dough: 2 teaspoons
- Warm Water approx. 105-115°F / 40-46°C: up to 1 ½ cups add gradually and only as needed; for a softer roll, you may replace up to ¾ cup of this water with warm unsweetened non-dairy milk
- Avocado Oil or room temperature softened vegan butter: 1 ½ tablespoons (approx. 21g)
Optional Seeding Topping:
- Unsweetened Non-dairy Milk: 1 ½ tablespoons
- Vegetable Oil: 1 ½ teaspoons
- Sesame Seeds poppy seeds, or other desired seeds: for sprinkling
For the Hearty Black Bean & Mushroom Patties (makes 4) :
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 small onion finely chopped
- 2 cloves garlic minced
- 8 oz / 225g cremini or button mushrooms finely chopped
- 1 can 15 oz / 425g black beans rinsed and very well-drained
- ½ cup breadcrumbs panko or oat flour work too
- 1 flax egg 1 tablespoon ground flaxseed + 3 tablespoons water set aside 5-10 mins
- 1 tablespoon soy sauce or tamari for gluten-free
- 1 teaspoon smoked paprika
- ½ teaspoon ground cumin
- 1 tablespoon nutritional yeast optional, for cheesy/umami flavor
- ⅛ teaspoon salt or to taste and black pepper to taste
- Optional: handful of fresh parsley or cilantro chopped
- 1-2 tablespoons oil for cooking patties
Instructions
Part 1: To Make the Fluffy Whole Wheat Vegan Buns
- Activate Yeast: In a large bowl, combine ¾ cup warm water, 1 tsp sugar, and yeast. Let stand 5-7 mins until foamy.
- Combine Dry Ingredients: In a separate bowl, whisk flours, flaxseed meal, baking soda, and salt.
- Form Dough: Add dry mix and 2 tsp sugar to yeast. Begin by gradually mixing in about 1 cup of the warm water (or water/milk combo from the total 1 ½ cups). Continue to add more of the remaining water slowly, a little at a time, observing the dough's consistency, only adding enough until the dough starts to come together and looks shaggy but not overly wet (you may not need all 1 ½ cups). Add oil; mix until a smooth, slightly tacky dough forms. Add a bit more water if too dry.
- Knead: Knead on a lightly floured surface or in a mixer with a dough hook for 6-8 minutes total, until smooth and elastic.
- First Rise: Place dough in an oiled bowl, cover, and let rise in a warm spot for ~1.5 hours, or until doubled.
- Shape Buns: Gently deflate dough. Divide into 12 equal pieces; shape into smooth balls.
- Second Rise: Place on parchment-lined baking sheets, 2 inches apart. Cover; let rise in a warm spot for ~1 hour, or until puffy.
- Preheat & Prep Topping: Preheat oven to 375°F (190°C). Mix topping ingredients if using.
- Bake: Brush buns with optional topping and sprinkle with seeds. Bake 22-27 minutes, until golden.
- Cool: Transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.
Part 2: To Make the Hearty Black Bean & Mushroom Patties (Can be prepared while buns are rising or baking)
- Prepare Flax Egg: Mix 1 Tbsp ground flaxseed with 3 Tbsp water; set aside 5-10 mins to thicken.
- Sauté Aromatics: Heat 1 Tbsp olive oil in a skillet. Sauté onion until soft (3-4 mins). Add garlic and mushrooms; cook until mushrooms are browned and liquid has evaporated (5-7 mins).
- Mash Beans: In a large bowl, roughly mash rinsed and drained black beans.
- Combine Patty Ingredients: Add sautéed mixture, flax egg, breadcrumbs, soy sauce, smoked paprika, cumin, nutritional yeast (if using), ⅛ tsp salt (or to taste, sparingly), pepper, and optional herbs to the beans. Mix well but don't overmix.
- Chill (Recommended): Cover and chill mixture for at least 15-20 minutes.
- Form Patties: Divide into 4 portions; form into patties ~¾-inch thick.
- Cook Patties: Heat 1-2 Tbsp oil in a skillet over medium heat. Cook patties 5-7 minutes per side, until browned and heated through. (Or bake at 375°F/190°C for 20-25 mins, flipping halfway; or grill).
Part 3: Assemble Your Ultimate Burger!
- Lightly toast the inside of a cooled bun if desired.
- Place a cooked patty on the bottom half of the bun.
- Load up with your favorite vegan toppings: lettuce, tomato, onion, pickles, vegan cheese, sauces, etc.
- Place the top half of the bun on top and enjoy your completely homemade vegan burger
Notes
- Storage: Cooled buns keep in an airtight container at room temperature for 3 days or can be frozen for up to 3 months. Cooked patties keep in the fridge for 3-4 days or can be frozen.
- Scaling: The patty recipe as written makes 4 patties. To prepare 12 burgers to match the 12 buns and servings, triple all of the patty ingredients.
- DASH Diet Inspiration: This recipe can fit into a meal pattern inspired by the principles of the DASH eating plan when you choose no-salt-added or low-sodium ingredients, but individual sodium needs may vary.
- Calories: ~403 kcal
- Protein: ~15.2 g
- Fat: ~12.1 g
- Carbohydrates: ~62.7 g
- Fiber: ~10.9 g
- Sodium: ~589 mg
- Added Sugar: ~1.1 g