Remember the other day when I was talking about how it was so cold here and I was snuggling under the down blanket every night drinking hot tea and eating soup? Well, today I’m pretty sure it hit 100 degrees and I ate ice cream sandwiches for breakfast, no lie!
As much as I hate the summer heat that we get in the Southwest, summer is one of my favorite seasons. Do you remember how much fun summer was when you were growing up and you didn’t have to go to school for 2 1/2 months? I wish grownups got summer vacation! Maybe I should have been a teacher… I would be in the pool with a tropical drink in my hand everyday!
Summer is also all about BBQs and get togethers. Being someone who doesn’t really eat meat, I often end up eating more than my fair share of chips and side dishes at BBQs. Everyone else is always grilling up lots and lots of meat, but there never seem to be very many vegetarian entree dishes. Or maybe I’m just going to the wrong BBQs!
Up until last year I had never made my own veggie burgers before. I would always just buy the frozen ones that were usually overpriced, had little taste, and were very chewy. One of the things I’ve always hated about meat is the texture, so I certainly don’t want the same texture when eating my veggie burgers!
Fast forward 1 year and I’m now a veggie burger making machine! Sometimes when I lay awake at night I fantasize about writing a veggie burger cookbook and start dreaming up all kinds of delicious combinations. These Green Chili and Sweet Potato Veggie Burgers are adapted from my Smokey Sweet Potato Burgers and they are just as good! Green chilies are really big in the southwest and have a great smoky flavor. During green chili season some of the grocery stores down here roast their own out front and they smell so amazing!
These burgers are great to make ahead, you can even freeze them, and bring them with you to any BBQ you go to this summer! I guarantee that even the meat eaters will love them š
I enjoyed mine topped with some guacamole, lettuce, and tomato but you can put anything you like on them.
Print
Green Chili and Sweet Potato Veggie Burgers
- Total Time: 1 hour 20 minutes
- Yield: 6 1x
Ingredients
- 1 large sweet potato, peeled and cut into 1/2 inch pieces (about 3 cups)
- 1/3 cup brown rice, dry
- 1–15 ounce can of black beans, rinsed and drained (or 1 1/2 cups)
- 1–7 ounce can diced green chilies, drained well (I used mild)
- 3 tablespoons bread crumbs, gluten free if necessary
- 1 tablespoon chopped cilantro
- 1 clove garlic, minced
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1/8 teaspoon black pepper
- 1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
- 1/2 teaspoon paprika
- Olive oil
- Hamburger buns, I used Udi’s Gluten Free Hamburger Buns
- Optional toppings: guacamole, lettuce, tomato, onion
Instructions
- Cook the rice according to package directions. Pre-heat the oven to 375 degrees Fahrenheit. Place the diced sweet potatoes on a baking sheet and drizzle with 1 teaspoon olive oil and season with a pinch of salt and pepper. Roast sweet potatoes until starting to brown on the outside and tender on the inside, about 25-30 minutes. Burgers work best if you let rice and sweet potatoes cool for about 30 minutes.
- Add the rice, sweet potato, and black beans to a food processor and blend for about 7 seconds, scrape down the sides and blend another 3 seconds. You want everything to be incorporated, but not pureed.
- Place mixture into a large bowl and then add the bread crumbs, cilantro, garlic, salt, cumin, and paprika. Mix with your hands until everything is evenly incorporated.
- Form the veggie burger mixture into 6 equal size patties and place on an oven tray or plate covered with wax paper. Refrigerate for at least 30 minutes*
- Heat a large pan over medium heat and drizzle with a small amount of olive oil. Cook burgers until heated through and browned on each side, about 5 minutes each side.
Notes
*The longer you refrigerate them, the firmer the veggie burgers will be. These are great to make the day before and keep for about 5 days in the refrigerator. They can also be frozen for up to a month.
- Prep Time: 40 mins
- Cook Time: 40 mins
- Category: Entree, Gluten Free, Vegan
These look awesome and I love the kick added to them by the green chiles š
Thanks Medha! They are so good š
I LOVE love love your veggie burger recipes, Izzy!! They always make my mouth water. I love all the flavors in this burger from the cilantro to the sweet potato š Pinning!
And Summer is the best! It is finally warming up here and it’s so nice š
Awww, thank you so much, Ceara!! I’m obsessed!! Yah! Glad it is finally warming up for you! Although, I’m wishing it would start cooling down here already, haha!
This looks like a fantastic veggie burger than holds together really well. The green chilies are a nice and bright addition. Maybe I could use pickled jalapenos instead since we don’t get green chilies here.
Thanks Katie! They really do hold together well! That is too bad you can’t get green chilies, but I think pickled jalapenos would work really well too š
That is one delicious looking veggie burger. I am loving the guac on it too.
Who needs meat in their burger!
Thanks Dannii! I agree, you don’t need meat if you have this veggie burger š
I’ve never made my own veggie burgers before, either! These look fantastic, Izzy! I love the pretty colors. And that flavor sounds incredible! Such a great idea to add in sweet potatoes. Sounds so delicious!
You should totally try them, Gayle! My husband is a big meat eater and he really likes them, at least that is what he tells me, haha! Thank you š
Oh no! 100F? That’s too hot, Izzy!! As a former teacher, I wish I had summers off. Most of it was spent in workshops for continuing education (there’s so much of that), rewriting curriculum, formulating new management systems, learning new curriculum, cleaning/rearranging my classroom or packing and moving classrooms. Most of this in an effort to stay one step ahead during the school year!
This burger is fabulous Izzy! I wish I had a freezer stocked full of them right now! I am totally with you on those frozen burgers… wow, what a difference homemade makes. And making a bit batch and freezing them is the best! Always on the ready! Love, love, love the chilies you put in there… so delicious!
haha, I agree Traci! Way too hot!! Oh no, maybe I don’t want to be a teacher after all, that sounds like a lot of summer work! I hope you got time to have some fun! I should send you some because my freezer is very stocked full of them right now! I know! I can’t imagine eating a store bought one after tasting delicious homemade ones! I hope your week if off to a great start, Traci! š
You have so many delicious veggie burger recipes Isadora! Loving this green chili and sweet potato version. Yum!
Thank you Natalie! I think I might have a veggie burger problem, haha š
These are the best veggie burgers I’ve ever seen! And yeah, that is definitely the best part of being a teacher — the nice long holidays!
Awww, thanks so much Ashley! Maybe I should become a teacher afterall, haha š
Um, yum!
Thanks Alanna! š
UGH. These burgers are speaking to my soul!! They look unbelievable! I’m just as much as a veggie burger machine as you. š
Oh, and I saw those delicious ice cream sandwiches you ate for breakfast on IG. I can’t think of a better way to cool off! I’d love to be a teacher too so I could have the summers off to sit by the pool. š
Haha, mine too Sarah! Isn’t it so much fun making veggie burgers with all the yummy things you can put in them?! Lol, sometimes nothing else sounds good for breakfast except for ice cream š I just need to convince my husband to let me quit my job so I can have all year round off!
I could so go for this! I love sweet potatoes and was just watching a cooking show the other weekend where sweet potato burgers were made. Looks so great w/ the guac on top!
Sweet potatoes are so good in burgers!! And since sweet potatoes and guacamole are so good together it just makes total sense to have them together š Thanks Monica!
Oooof! And I thought it was hot here when it reached 78 degrees, haha! I forget how toasty it gets down there in the southwest. So beautiful, but definitely warm! I’m locing these veggie burgers, m’dear! The green chili sounds fabulous, and there’s so much to love about a sweet tater burg! š
Haha, I would kill for 78 degrees right now!! Although I do keep it pretty cold in the house š At least it’s only a few months of heat! Thanks lady! The green chilies are so good in veggie burgers!
Dear Isadora, these veggie burgers look and sounds marvelous . Believe it or not, I was turned onto sweet potato in veggie burgers by watching Diners, Drive-Ins & Dives. One of the Brooklyn cafes featured served up some wonderful veggie burgers. I must give it a try. This looks so, so good dear. xo, Catherine
Hi Catherine! Thank you so much! That is funny! I’ve just been binge watching Diners, Drive Ins an Dives! I love that show! You should totally give these a try!
Whoaaaa…it is definitely not that hot here yet and for that I am most grateful! LOL. These burgers?! Uhhh I think you just convinced me to finally give veggie burgers a go—I’m in loooove with the flavor combos you used in these! Who needs the beef?!
You are so lucky Sarah! It is supposed to be 106 next week š You should totally give veggie burgers a go! They are so filling and flavorful you might not even miss the meat š
A vegetarian burger cookbook would be awesome! You should totally do that!
Love the combination of flavors in this burger. I’m not a vegetarian, but I’ve started to like veggie burgers more than beef.
Thanks Christin! It is on my bucket list, haha! Even when I ate more meat I always loved the veggie burgers better š
I like regular burgers, but I find myself loving veggie burgers and veggie sandwiches more and more these days! I’ve never made my own and I’m dying to try this — they’re packed with so many things I love and are a far cry from those frozen ones! š
You should make these, Marcie! I love veggie burgers because you can make them taste like anything you want them to! Definitely a far cry from the frozen ones š
These burgers look wonderful! Love the addition of the green chili.
Thanks Kelley! The green chili makes them so good!
Homemade veggie burgers are SO much better than some of the weird frozen ones!! Especially the ones that actually try to taste like meat…. eeek. These ones are soooo pretty! And I love the flavors!
They really are!! Thanks Jess š