Sometimes you just want a good burger, you know? You've got the grill all fired up, you got the ears of corn roasting, maybe a carrot dog or two..... but a good, tasty, burger would just REALLY hit the spot. Am I right?
Guys, I made these Spicy Southwestern Black Bean Burgers just for you.
Black Beans and Kidney Beans make up the 'meat' of the burger, a few spices, a little salsa, and some chipotle peppers provide that awesome, southwestern flavor, while oat flour and cornmeal bind it all together.
Mmm, it's a match made in flavor heaven!
Not only that, they're low-fat AND gluten free.... and the best part of all?
These burgers REALLY hold together on the grill !
Say goodbye to those other burgers that always seem to fall apart and drop through the grate.
What do you say? Ready to pop open a cool one and get that grill fired up?
Cool - let's head on back and get started....
Spicy Southwestern Black Bean Burgers
We're going to need TWO cans of beans, Kidney Beans AND Black Beans. Get the LOW SODIUM variety if you can. Dump both cans into a colander and rinse really well.
Now....spread the beans out onto a cookie sheet and DRY them the best you can. Go ahead and heat up your oven to 350° F too....we want to REALLY dry these beans. When the oven heats up to temp, pop the beans into the oven for about 20 minutes.
I think using dried beans like this is one of the secrets to these burgers grilling so well. Otherwise they would be too mushy and fall apart like many bean burgers do.
Meanwhile, if you have a food processor/chopper...... grind ½ cup of regular old-fashioned oats into a fine powder and set aside. You can also just use regular flour - OR just leave the oats intact if you want......they're just going to act as a binder....that's all.
When the beans have finished drying - add them to your food processor, along with the oats, and add ¼ cup cornmeal, ½ cup of your favorite salsa, 2 tsp cumin, ½ tsp garlic powder, ½ tsp onion powder, ¼ tsp salt, and a Chipotle Chile Pepper with about a teaspoon of the Adobo Sauce.
Process this until it's all mixed together and smooth. You'll probably have to stop a few times and scrape down the sides - just make sure it all gets mixed and you no longer see any dry flour or cornmeal.
This mixture will make about 5 good-sized burgers.
Go ahead and shape them into burgers now and layer them on parchment paper (or wax paper) and set them in the fridge to cool. We want to let these guys setup for at least an hour, preferably 2 or 3.
Afterwards, they're ready for the grill.
Brush with your favorite sauce, salsa, or marinade, and garnish with all your favorite burger fixins'.
Might I also recommend these homemade, oil-free French Fries to go along with?
Now THAT'S a picnic! Mmmm...happy grillin'......
Spicy Southwestern Black Bean Burgers
- Prep Time: 80 min
- Cook Time: 10 min
- Total Time: 1 hour 30 minutes
- Yield: 5 burgers 1x
- Category: Grill, BBQ, Picnic
- Method: Grill
- Cuisine: American
- Diet: Vegan
Description
These Black Bean Burgers are a spicy blend of black beans, kidney beans, chipotle chiles, and salsa that makes not only a tasty burger, but also one that won't fall apart on the grill.
Ingredients
- 1 can Black Beans ((low sodium))
- 1 can Kidney Beans ((low sodium))
- ½ cup Old Fashioned Oats
- ¼ cup Cornmeal
- ½ cup Salsa
- 1 Chipotle Chile Pepper with Adobo
- 2 tsp Ground Cumin
- ½ tsp Onion Powder
- ½ tsp Garlic Powder
- ¼ tsp Salt
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
- Using a food processor, grind oatmeal into a powder (flour) if possible and set aside.
- Drain beans into a colander and rinse well. Spread beans onto a cookie sheet and dry them as best you can. Bake in a 350 degree F oven for 20 minutes.
- Add beans, oats, cornmeal, salsa, chipotle pepper, and all remaining spices together in a food processor and process until smooth., scraping down sides as necessary.
- Form into 5 burger-shaped patties and allow to set in the refrigerator for at least 1 hour.
- Grill burgers as usual and garnish with your favorite toppings.
- These burgers can probably be baked or pan-fried if grilling is not an option (although I have not tried these methods myself). A George Forman indoor grill would also work well.
Keywords: black bean burgers
Chuck Underwood
David, I don't HAVE GumGum ads enabled! And if there IS an annoying, intrusive ad....report it! There is a button to REPORT HIS AD.....use it. My ad company pays attention to those!
Voice12345
I just cooked these burgers outside over wood on our State Park-like grill. They are amazing!! I'd endure ANY pop-ups to continue getting your recipes!! My husband said they were perfect! I didn't change a thing in the recipe. I got 5, 4-ounce burgers. I froze one before cooking and two after cooking. I'm trying to determine which ones will travel and reheat best for camping. (I'm thinking the uncooked and then cook on the campsite). I served on a sandwich "round" with lettuce, ketchup, and some bread and butter pickles. A slice of tomato would add some moisture to the burger, which is the only negative I can see. There isn't any sizzle on the grill. Chuck, could I brush with olive oil while on the grill? THANK YOU for this wonderful recipe!
Patricia Madigan
Sounds great! I can't find Chipotle Chile Pepper with Adobo without oil in in them (all 3 major brands have oil in them), so I probably will leave that out and add some Chipotle Tabasco and I'm using a Chipotle Salsa
Christina Callaghan
I made these tonight. They are delicious! I skipped the step of oven drying them so I added another 1/2 cup of oats. I baked them at 350 degrees F 25 minutes each side.. I basted them with barbecue sauce 10 minutes or so after flipping them.
Thank you for another delicious and easy recipe!
★★★★★
Sandra Lucas
Today is most likely the 20th time for making these burgers. They cook wonderfully in a fry pan and so simple to make. I use the lid of peanut butter lined with cling wrap to wrap individually and I freeze what we don’t eat the first night.
★★★★★
MICHELLE
Can't have cornmeal, allergic. Any suggestions for a substate?
DeAnne
What could I sub for the adobo sauce? I don't like stuff too spicy either so I'd like to leave it out but I'm thinking that will result in a dryer burger?
Deidre Guy
Made these tonight - my guests loved them. Next time I will make more than 5 out of the batch - i found them a little too thich
Jill
This is the third recipe that I have made of yours and they have all been great. These burgers are better than Gardein and a lot less ingredients and cheaper!!! Now I’m looking for the next recipe to try.
Kathleen
We loved these burgers, which my husband cooked on the grill. I have tried several recipes and these are the best. They hold together and taste good as well and they got hubby’s seal of approval. Your recipes are great, Chuck.
★★★★★
Jessica
Perfect burger. I used a mild salsa and these ended up with great flavor for us. I love that they are not so loaded with spices I can't taste my burger toppings. Made a double batch, thankfully. Turned out wonderfully on the grill
★★★★★
Lea C
We made these for dinner along with your recipe for the onion rings (didn’t have cornstarch so we subbed potato starch). Both recipes were amazingly delicious. We have tried at least 3 others and have decided that this one is definitely a keeper!! Thank you for sharing your knowledge and recipes!
Patricia Brommer
I want to use these as one of our meals for camping. Sounds like these might freeze well- cooked or uncooked. Anybody try either way?