Since MorningStar’s Spicy Black Bean Burger is neither vegan nor gluten-free, we developed the best and most flavorful copycat black bean burger recipe so everyone can enjoy it. It is easy to make, full of nutritious whole foods ingredients, and gluten-free vegan.

A burger bun with yellow sauce and green leaves is topped with a thick brown burger patty with visible sweet corn and black bean pieces. The top bun is next to it.

If you love veggie burgers here are some of our favorites, the meatiest vegan burger using TVP, BBQ vegan pulled pork burger using oyster mushrooms, smoky vegan beet burger, and Chinese BBQ tofu burger.

Table of Contents hide

1. What to expect from this recipe?

2. Ingredients

3. Instructions

4. Top tips to make them perfectly

5. Assemble your MorningStar copycat

6. FAQs and substitutions

7. Allergen info

8. More vegan burger recipes

9. The Best Vegan Chipotle Black Bean Burger (MorningStar Copycat)

What to expect from this recipe?

We developed this recipe as a copycat recipe of MorningStar’s Spicy Black Bean Burger. Why?

Firstly, the burger seems extremely delicious using a combination of black beans, corn, brown rice, and spicy seasoning. And we were kind of intrigued to try it.
Secondly, the one MorningStar offers is neither vegan nor gluten-free since it contains egg whites and wheat gluten as well. Since we need the burger to be both, buying it hasn’t been an option so far.

If you try our chipotle black bean recipe, you’ll get a vegan and gluten-free burger that

holds together during grilling or frying,
is easy to make,
uses only whole foods ingredients,
is flavorful, delicious, and rich,
has a crispy crust, but not mush inside.

A burger bun with yellow sauce and green leaves is topped with a thick brown burger patty with visible sweet corn and black bean pieces, then red onion and avocado slices drizzled with yellow sauce again. It is covered with a top bun.

Ingredients

It is definitely not a 3-ingredient recipe, since you need several things to make this black bean chipotle burger. But all these spices and add-ins are essential to make a juicy, flavorful burger that you will absolutely love after the first try.

Black beans – we actually like using this canned black bean soup since the black beans there are even more flavorful
Adobo sauce (this one is gluten-free) or chipotle peppers in adobo sauce (we like this one)
Fine oats or quick-cooking oats – make sure to use certified gluten-free oats
Brown rice (or any leftover rice)
Sweet corn (canned or pre-cooked)
Tomato paste
Vegetable broth
Worcestershire sauce (yes, there is even a vegan and gluten-free brand as well)
Cumin
Sweet smoked paprika powder
Dried basil and oregano – you can use fresh, but it is easier to work with ground spices in this recipe
Onion powder
Garlic powder
Salt and black pepper
Cornstarch (or tapioca starch) – Both works, but we haven’t tried it with any other substitutes.
Vegetable oil

🛒 You can find detailed measurements for all ingredients in the printable version of the recipe card at the bottom of this post.

Instructions

Prepare the ingredients

Pre-cook brown rice according to package instructions or use leftover rice if you have.
Pre-cook dry black beans or drain the canned ones. We actually like using this canned black bean soup since the black beans there are even more flavorful.
Pre-cook sweet corn or use canned ones.
Measure all other ingredients.

Mixing

Use a food processor and add ½ of the measured black beans, all oats, rice, tomato paste, Worcestershire sauce, vegetable broth, and all spices.
Pulse it a couple of times, at most 10-15 seconds. Scrape the sides with a spatula and pulse it for another 10-15 seconds tops. You don’t want to create a paste. See the texture we went for in the below photo.

A food processor with the ingredients of this chipotle black bean burger. Rice, tomato paste, black beans and other spices are visible. — Before

There is a brown crumbly textured mix in the food processor — Before

Take a large mixing bowl and add the pulsed mixture from the food processor. Then add corn starch, the other ½ of the measured black beans, and sweet corn.
Mix well with a spatula. Use your hands to feel the consistency. You will be able to form a ball like the one in the below photo with your hands easily. It should be wet, but not too sticky. Chill it in the refrigerator for at least 15 minutes and at most overnight.

Brown crumbly textured mix with sweet corn and black beans in a glass bowl.

Brown burger patty mixture is forming a ball in the middle of the glass bowl.

Forming and frying the burger patties

Form burger patties in the size and thickness you like. We use approx. ⅓ cup of the mixture to create palm-size, 1-inch thick burgers.
Take a skillet or frying pan and heat it over medium-high heat.
Add heat-resistant vegetable oil like sunflower oil or coconut oil and wait for it to be heated.
Fry the black bean burger patties for 3-4 minutes per side.

3 palm-sized brown burger patties are in a frying pan with oil. Sweet corn and black beans are visible inside.

3 palm-sized dark brown crispy burger patties are in a frying pan with oil after flipping. Sweet corn and black beans are visible inside.

Top tips to make them perfectly

Frying or baking? – We recommend pan-frying them in a cast-iron skillet (we use this one) or in a non-stick frying pan. That would be the best method to create a crispy crust. Alternatively, you can bake them if you want them to be oil-free, but the burgers will less likely be juicy and crispy.
Spicy or not? – We set the spicy tone to be mild, but depending on your preference you can double up on the number of chipotle peppers. Alternatively, you can use sriracha sauce or other hot sauce you have in your pantry to make similar spicy black bean burgers.
Chilling time is essential – It is important that you have the mixture rest before forming and frying these chipotle black bean burgers. The oats need to soften and the flavors need to soak in to have a delicious result. If you skip it and go directly to frying your burger patties may have a different texture and flavor compared to how we tested them.
Frying time depends on size – If you make thicker veggie burger patties, the time you need to get them cooked will be longer. If you don’t like mushy insides, we recommend choosing thinner patties.
Only pulse and do not blend!!! – It is extremely crucial to only pulse the mixture in the food processor. If you blend them or mix them longer you will lose the texture completely. You will end up mushy insides for sure. Nothing like the chipotle burgers in the below photo.

Assemble your MorningStar copycat

It wouldn’t be a true copycat recipe if we don’t use the serving suggestion of MorningStar. This is the exact setup of how it is pictured on the packaging of their Spicy Black Bean Burger.

Start with a toasted bun.
First, spread a generous layer of our homemade yellow burger sauce on it (see details in the recipe card).
Then, we added mache lettuce.
Now, here comes the star of this recipe, the chipotle black bean burger patty.
Topped it with sliced raw red onions.
Then some avocado slices.
Even more sauce.
Cover it with the top of the bun.

FAQs and substitutions

Can you use other starch?

If you don’t need to eat gluten-free, you can use all-purpose flour instead of corn starch.
I also tested this recipe with tapioca starch instead of corn starch. For more options, check out our post about tapioca flour substitutes where I explain when and how each substitute should be used.

Can you use another hot sauce?

We recommend using adobo paste or chipotle peppers in adobo sauce. However, if you don’t have access to either of them, you can use Frank’s Hot sauce, sriracha, or harissa paste instead. Please note that these hot sauces have a different degree of spiciness. It depends on your taste which one you’d prefer to use.

Can you use other beans?

Well, technically it is a black bean burger, but if you are out and have some red kidney beans in your pantry, go ahead and try those instead. White beans are not the best substitutes in this case, as they have a milder taste compared to dark beans.

Is Worcestershire sauce gluten-free and vegan?

Yes, there are some brands that are both gluten-free and vegan. Check out our post titled “Is Worcestershire sauce gluten-free?” for the list of brands.

If you don’t have Worcestershire sauce, you can use soy sauce as an alternative. Please note that soy sauce is not gluten-free, we listed 5 substitutes here, but we usually use tamari*.

Allergen info

This black bean chipotle burger recipe is vegan so meat-free, dairy-free, and egg-free.

Vegan – The only ingredient you need to look out for is Worcestershire sauce. Not all brands are vegan. All other ingredients are supposed to be vegan.
Nut-free – All ingredients are supposed to be nut-free but check for cross-contamination info on all packaging you need to use.
WFPB-friendly (whole foods plant-based) – Adobo sauce contains oil, so you need to substitute that for an oil-free and sugar-free hot sauce like Frank’s Red Hot Sauce. Alternatively, you can add an extra Tablespoon of tomato paste with a chipotle powder. Lastly, you also need to fry them on a non-stick frying pan without oil or bake them.
Gluten-free – Not all Worcestershire sauce brands are gluten-free. Choose one from this list. You also need to use certified gluten-free oats since non-certified versions are usually cross-contaminated with wheat. You also need to use a gluten-free hamburger bun.
Soy-free – The recipe is free of soy if you use liquid aminos instead of Worcestershire sauce. Adobo sauce is often made with soybean oil, but this one is soy-free since it uses avocado oil.

More vegan burger recipes

You can browse through our vegan main course recipe or our 15-min quick & easy vegan meals collection or check out

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The Best Vegan Chipotle Black Bean Burger (MorningStar Copycat)

What to expect from this recipe?

Ingredients