These spicy Black Bean Burgers With Chipotle-Lime Mayo are not just for vegetarians. They are so delicious that I’ll bet even meat-eaters won’t miss the meat (I don’t!). You might even find yourself craving these instead of regular burgers!
The first time I told David (who LOVES cheeseburgers) that I was making these black bean burgers, I got the look – the one that says, “Um, I don’t really want that for dinner.”
Well, he took one bite, and I got the other look, the one he gets when he really loves what he’s eating. He actually requests these burgers now!
My sister has been a vegetarian for a long time (Hi, K!), and she turned me on to veggie burgers once when I tried going vegetarian. I had never had one, and I was really surprised at how good they were (and healthy too), so I decided I wanted to learn to make them at home.
I figured these Black Bean Burgers With Chipotle-Lime Mayo would be a good place to start since I love black beans, and I really love Mexican/Tex-Mex/Southwest food.
Full of black beans, red bell peppers, onions, garlic, chili powder, and cumin, these burgers were exactly what I was hoping for and more. They are quick, easy, and so full of flavor!
And even though I am not a vegetarian, these burgers are just so delicious in their own right that they have earned a spot on my dinner rotation. They’re an excellent way to get started with meatless meals or if you just want to change things up a bit from the same old same old.
The burgers themselves aren’t that spicy, but the Chipotle-Lime Mayo really turns up the heat! With its hint of smokiness and tart lime, it really makes these burgers extra delicious.
They are a must-try for Meatless Monday or any day of the week!
INGREDIENTS YOU NEED TO MAKE BLACK BEAN BURGERS WITH CHIPOTLE-LIME MAYO:
- Black beans (canned or cooked)
- Red bell pepper
- Onion
- Garlic
- Egg
- Chili Powder
- Cumin
- Hot sauce (optional)
- Bread crumbs (plain)
- Mayonnaise
- Canned chipotles in adobo
- Lime juice
- Salt and pepper
- Buns (I use kaiser rolls)
- Toppings (your choice – we do cheese, lettuce, tomato, and onion)
HERE’S A QUICK LOOK AT HOW TO MAKE BLACK BEAN BURGERS WITH CHIPOTLE-LIME MAYO:
TIPS & TIDBITS:
- The best and easiest way to finely chop the peppers, onions, and garlic is in a food processor. If you don’t have a food processor, a blender might also work, or just use a knife and make sure you chop them very finely. I mean really chop them good, almost to a paste-like consistency. You don’t really want big chunks of veggies in these burgers.
- Make sure you don’t skip the step of straining the liquid from the veggies. You need to get rid of all that excess water or your burgers will be way too wet and will not hold together.
- When forming the burgers, keep in mind that these burgers will not shrink when cooking like regular beef burgers do. You want to make the burgers the size of your bun.
- I make four burgers with this recipe, and they are big enough to fit a larger bun (like the size of a kaiser roll). If your buns are on the smaller side, you might want to make five or six smaller burgers instead.
- Most of the heat/spiciness in this recipe is in the Chipotle-Lime Mayo. Adjust the spiciness by adding more or less chipotles to the mayo to suit your taste.
- If you find the burgers themselves too spicy for your taste, reduce the amount of chili powder and/or omit the hot sauce.
- If you cook the burgers on a grill, cover the grates with foil so that the burgers don’t fall through. Spray the foil with cooking spray so the burgers don’t stick.
- If freezing these for future meals: After they have been in the freezer for the 2 hours, transfer them to freezer bags or containers. If stacking them, place wax paper between the layers.
By the way, have you noticed how expensive beef is these days – even ground beef? Yikes!
Well, guess what? Not only are these burgers delicious and healthy, they are also budget-friendly (beans are cheap)! Just another reason to give these black bean burgers a try!
Oh, and if you have an Instant Pot, check out my recipe for Instant Pot Black Beans. They’re cheaper than buying canned and freeze well and are perfect to use in this recipe.
I hope you try this recipe for Black Bean Burgers With Chipotle-Lime Mayo and love it as much as I do! Thanks for visiting today!
Black Bean Burgers With Chipotle-Lime Mayo
Ingredients
BLACK BEAN BURGERS:
- 1 (15 to 16-ounce) can black beans, drained and rinsed (or 1¾ cups cooked black beans)
- ½ red bell pepper, roughly chopped (about 1 cup)
- ½ onion, roughly chopped (about 1 cup)
- 3 cloves garlic, roughly chopped
- 1 large egg, beaten
- 1 tablespoon chili powder
- 1 teaspoon cumin
- 1 teaspoon hot sauce, optional
- ½ cup plain bread crumbs
- salt and pepper, to taste
- cooking spray
- 4 buns (I use kaiser rolls)
- toppings of your choice (cheese, lettuce, tomato, onion, etc.)
CHIPOTLE-LIME MAYO:
- ¼ cup mayonnaise
- 1 tablespoon minced chipotles in adobo (adjust to your taste)
- 1 teaspoon lime juice
Instructions
- In a large bowl, mash the black beans well with a fork until they are somewhat pasty but still have a few pieces of bean throughout.
- Place the red bell peppers, onions, and garlic in a food processor and pulse until they are very finely chopped. Note: If you don’t have a food processor, you can chop the veggies with a knife–just make sure to chop them very, very finely.
- Transfer the peppers, onions, and garlic to a mesh strainer placed over a bowl and allow them drain out the liquid for a few minutes. Press down on the veggies with a spoon or spatula to get most of the liquid out. Note: Don’t skip this step! If you do, the burgers will be too wet and won’t hold together.
- Add the veggies into the mashed black beans; mix well.
- Add the egg, chili powder, cumin, hot sauce (if using) and some salt and pepper to taste; mix well.
- Add the breadcrumbs and mix well. The mixture will be pretty wet and sticky, but it should be able to hold a shape. If it’s too wet to hold a shape, add more breadcrumbs.
- Form the mixture into 4 burgers and place on a baking sheet lined with parchment or wax paper. Note: These burgers don’t shrink like beef burgers would, so make them the size that will fit your buns nicely.
- Place the burgers in the freezer for at least 2 hours. This will help them hold their shape and will make them easier to work with.
- Make the Chipotle-Lime Mayo: Combine the mayonnaise, chipotles, and lime juice in a small bowl. Refrigerate until ready to use.
- Heat a large pan or grill pan over medium heat. Spray lightly with cooking spray. Add the burgers and cook for 8 minutes on each side.
- Place burgers on buns. Top with the chipotle-lime mayo and your favorite burger toppings.
Notes
- Adjust the level of spiciness to your tastes by adjusting the amount of chili powder and hot sauce in the burgers and the amount of chipotles in the sauce.
- If your buns are on the smaller side, you might want to make 5 or 6 burgers instead of 4.
- If cooking these burgers on the grill, place a piece of foil over the grates so that the burgers don’t fall through. Spray the foil with cooking spray so the burgers don’t stick.
- If freezing these for future meals, after the burgers have been in the freezer for 2 hours, transfer them to freezer bags or containers. If stacking, place wax paper between layers.
- Calorie estimate is for one burger, one bun, and ¼ of the Chipotle-Lime Mayo. Toppings are not included. Estimated calories in just a burger alone is 175.
Recipe adapted from Allrecipes.
Leave a Reply