Sante Fe Black Bean Burgers deemed the sassiest of all.
Packed with flavor and spice, this is my all time favorite way to eat black beans. I made these for the first time in college a few years ago and thought this would be the perfect recipe to post just before I get into my naughty Valentine’s recipes. You know, trick you into thinking I’m all into this healthy eating mode when really I’m developing recipes involving a lot of chocolate, a lot of booze, and a lot of beef. Stop me SOMEONE.
Before I jump into this I have to warn you that these burgers are fragile. Hence the whole sassy thing. I’ve been making these for years and although I do believe I nailed the flavor, for some reason at least two of my burgers fail on me. I’ll explain a little more, but I do wanna talk flavor.
I first mince up some garlic and onion in my food processor with a handful of cilantro and Smoky Chipotle Sea Salt. I found some in Home Goods and have been hooked ever since! If you can’t find any, use a combination of sea salt, black pepper, chipotle powder, smoky paprika, red pepper flakes or anything along those lines. My one suggestion when making these is to have some fun with the seasonings because we all know black beans aren’t bringing much flavor to the table.
The patties also have corn, egg, and breadcrumbs. We’ve all came across a mushy black bean burger so to avoid that I only puree about 3/4 of the mix. I have a feeling if I pureed it all, they would stick together much better, however I like seeing and biting into whole corn and black beans plus it makes a better picture. If any black bean burger experts are reading this and want to throw me a few pointers, I’m all ears!
The addition of the egg, herbs, and minced onion really help to keep these burgers moist and tender. The smoky flavors help give these the subtle meaty flavor I crave when eating a beefy cheeseburger. To give it the extra kick, I get fun with my toppings. Guacamole, shredded sweet potato saute, and a spicy Sriarcha Ranch does the trick.
If you really want to keep things light, mix together two teaspoons of ranch dressing seasoning packet with 6 oz. of Greek yogurt and a dash (or two) or Sriarcha. You could also use the adobo sauce in chipotle peppers! There’s lots of flavor you can build here, so my only two suggestions are to make it spicy and keep it fun. Enjoy!
- 2 cans black beans - drained and rinsed
- 1/2 can of whole kernel corn (optional)
- 1 small white onion - peeled and cut in quarters
- 2 garlic cloves - peeled
- 1 handful cilantro leaves
- 1 teaspoon smoky chipotle sea salt (read notes below)
- 1 egg
- 1 cup breadcrumbs
- olive oil for pan frying
- flour as needed
- 1 avocado
- 1/4 c. salsa of choice
- 1 sweet potato - peeled and grated
- hamburger rolls - toasted
- low fat ranch dressing as needed
- Sriarcha as needed
- olive oil as needed
- 1 t. black bean burger seasoning
- Preheat the oven to 325 for warming.
- Drain and rinse the cans of black beans and corn. Add to a bowl.
- Add the onion, garlic, and cilantro to a food processer and pulse until minced.
- Add three quarters of the black beans & corn, egg, and seasonings (see notes below). Pulse until well blended (black beans will be mushy). **I reserve some beans/corn and fold into the mix for texture, but you can blend all of them if you would like.
- Transfer the mix to a bowl with the breadcrumbs and remaining black beans/corn. Give it one more sprinkle of seasoning!
- Shape into 4-5 ounce patties, using a little bit of breadcrumbs if necessary.
- Heat 3 counts of canola or olive oil in a skillet to medium heat. Once hot, add the burgers and carefully cook 3-4 minutes on each side, or until browned. Remember to be gentle when flipping!
- Transfer to a warm oven and repeat with the following.
- Heat a small saucepan with olive oil to medium high heat. Add the sweet potato hash and a teaspoon of whatever you seasoned the burgers with. Saute for 5 minutes until tender. Reserve.
- Mix together the avocado and salsa. This my friends is called Emergency Guacamole.
- Mix together the ranch dressing and however much Sriarcha you like.
- Build the burger with all of the toppings - don't forget to toast the buns!
- You can use a 15 oz. pack of dry black beans, just follow the soaking/cooking method on the package.
- For a creamier texture, mash the beans with a potato masher instead of adding them to a processor.
- If you do not have a smoky flavored salt, make your own with sea salt, pepper, red pepper flakes, smoky paprika, or whatever you have on hand!
YUM! YUM! You know, I recently attempted southwest tempeh burgers, and they were just meh. Gotta try this out!
Wow! This looks like the best veggie burger ever 🙂 You can’t get much better than sweet potatoes and guac!
I never have used black beans in cooking before for some reason. And after seeing this post they are definitely something I need to go out and buy to use… what great vegetarian burgers!
You’ve got me craving a veggie burger!! Love the sriracha ranch you’ve got on there. Yum!
I think this looks great…I am thinking I might switch up at least half the bread crmbs with some chia seeds pre soaked in some seasoned water!!! make it more moist!!!