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Do you add eggs as well? To keep it together? I usually add about 2 eggs per can of beans. Also, try adding lemon or lime zest and juice. It really brightens up all the other flavors.

You can also try adding some Thai curry paste and a couple of tablespoons of coconut milk and some basil.

Here's my GOTO black bean burger recipe which is an adaptation of a version that was served in a restaurant at what was the Marshall Fields Dept. Store.

I have made it many times, and it always turns out. The key is to drain the beans & not over mash them, use Penko bread crumbs & balance the flavoring ingredients. It is a good starting point to build your own version.

This classic version has a nice balance of cilantro, cumin & oregano (I use mexican)...but...you can alter it to your own tastes, just keep the flavors complimentary....throwing too much in actually makes it taste off....let the beans shine as the primary taste.

Also....the chipotle aioli is really good for this (or any burger) which is how they served it at MF.

Black Bean Burger (20 6 oz. patties)

2 qrt Black Beans, Drained well & Patted Dry
1¼ qrt Penko Bread Crumbs
¼ cup garlic, minced
1 cup corn, fresh or frozen kernals
1½ cups Red onion, Minced
12 oz colored Bell Pepper, Small Dice
1 teasp red pepper sauce
1 cup Cilantro, finely chopped
1½ tbsp Oregano, Dried
2 teasp Cumin, Ground
2 teasp Salt, Kosher or Sea Salt
1 tbsp black pepper
2 med eggs (acts as additional binder)

1. Lightly mash the beans, leaving some texture to the mix.
2. Fold all but the egg & Penko crumbs into the beans.
3. Beat the egg & gently mix into the mixture.
4. Gently fold in the Penko crumbs to bind the patty mixture.
5. Let it set up & bind for 10 minutes.
6. Form into roughly 6 oz patties (3/4" thick)
7. Refrigerate until ready to use.

The patties can be fried fully in a pan or on a griddle with minimum amounts of oil. To grill, it is best to partially cook them by frying. Then finish them off on the grill prior to serving. Variations: Use a different types of beans for color and texture, but no more than 3 types. Add a small amount of jalapenos, cheese, nuts etc...to add additional flavor/texture. Swap soy sauce, sriracha or balsamic vinegar for the red pepper sauce; swap basil or rosemary for cilantro;

Chipotle Aioli (20 servings)

1 cup mayonnaise
2 teasp lime juice
1 teasp garlic, minced
1 teasp red pepper sauce, e.g. Crystal, Tobasco
2 oz chipotles, canned, in Adobo sauce, & pureed
½ teasp black pepper
½ teasp paprika, sweet or hot, depending on taste
2 tbsp cilantro, minced
2 tbsp chives, minced

Combine all ingredients & chill for at least an hour prior to serving. Each serving is roughly 1 tablespoon.

First and most importantly, cmc - do not use canned beans. With something like this, where beans are the primary ingredient, it'll never be good until you cook them yourself. Unless you season the bejeezus out of them, which, for me, defeats the purpose. I want to taste beans in my bean burger, not cover them up in some pursuit of a healthy but inferior alternative to a burger. That's the bad news.

The good news - beans freeze perfectly. I cook beans in two pound batches (and I live with only the girlfriend), which leaves me with a bunch of 3 cup servings that I cover with the cooking liquid and freeze. I can't overstate how much better they will be.

After that, it's a pretty basic formula. Beans + thickener (I use rolled oats, flour, cornmeal, whatever you have) + egg + aromatics (always onion, usually garlic for me, ginger, carrots, shallots, whatever) + seasonings. I veer towards southwest or asian 90% of the time. You want something you can barely form into balls with wet hands, or they'll be on the dry side. Too thick, add liquid. Too thin, more grain. Pan fry the patties, bake, treat like ground beef in a skillet dish, make a bean loaf. Very versatile stuff. Any kind of bean works, too - I've made successful bean burgers with while, pinto, cranberry....you get the idea. Hope this helps.

any substitutes for the eggs - I don't care for them and unless it is heavily spiced, the taste is too much for me.

Not really a "burger" nor "patty" rather a "cake" but I love them (and since I'm making them tomorrow they're on my mind so get included here):

BLACK BEAN CAKES

Ingredients:
2 cups cooked black beans
1 Tbls oil (give or take)
1 Tbls minced onion
1 garlic clove, minced
1/2 tsp ground cumin
1/2 tsp salt
1/8 cup masa de harina (corn flour)

Directions:
Heat some oil over medium heat in a small pan. Cook onion and salt until onions are translucent, add garlic then cumin till fragrant and toasted. Combine beans and onion mix in a bowl then mash (potato masher works well here) until well combined (but still some bean chunks). Add masa slowly, letting beans absorb it before adding more. Roll dough in the palm of your hand to test and add more masa if dough sticks till it keeps a ball shape. Make 8 balls then flatten into cakes. Heat large skillet over medium heat and add 1 tablespoon of oil or so. Fry cakes till lightly browned on each side, maybe 3 to 5 minutes a side. Top with diced tomatoes, onions, red pepper, avocado, and/or jalepeno, perhaps a dollop of sour cream to your taste. Add a lime slice to each plate.

For a black bean patty sans eggs try this:

SPICY BLACK BEAN BURGER

Ingredients:
2 cups black beans
1/2 onion, diced
1/2 red or yellow bell pepper, diced
1/4 tsp cayenne pepper
1 serving Ener-G egg replacer (can find in a lot of stores these days)
1 cup bread crumbs or cooked brown rice
oil

Directions:
Mash beans in a large bowl. Add the rest of the ingredients and combine well. Make patties and fry in oil till lightly brown. Can be grilled at medium heat. Spice as wanted with salt, pepper, cumin, etc while mixing or before or after cooking.

I like the texture of the rice much more. I'd add a lime/cumin mayo, or roasted red pepper rouille, with a lot of onions, and don't discount the value of a great bun.

There's also this recipe for Black Lentil Burgers (with a twist) at 101 cookbooks that looks really good and has a lot of suggestions for punching it up. Again, I'd probably substitute rice or bulgar for the breadcrumbs. As one of the commentors points out, use mayo (or soy mayo) or tahini as an egg substitute. Another mentions flax which I've used successfully in baking but never tried with patties (the bonus is both the tahini and flax would add fiber and a bunch of nutrients).

Would love to hear how this all shakes out for you. :)

Yeah - it acts mostly as a binder. They'll just be a bit more crumbly. Good luck :)

wow - do the sweet potatoes cook in the few minutes it takes to cook the BBBs?

I am making a pot of beans now and today's test is the BB cakes with masa harina.