Raise the bar this summer with these easy grillable sweet and spicy vegan black bean burgers! Paired with mango habanero cream for an added burst of flavor.
This is a sponsored conversation written by me on behalf of La Victoria Brand. The opinions and text are all mine.
Summertime. When the sun comes out and all we want to do is relax, go to the beach, swim, and barbecue. When I think summer, I think fresh, easy, flavorful but light. So when La Victoria came to me about working with their new Mango Habanero Salsa, my brain started creating recipes faster than I could keep up!
This salsa combines the amazing sweetness of mango with the fiery punch of the habanero pepper. I swear, you must check it out, you will love it. It's so flavorful and delicious that I used it in 3 DIFFERENT WAYS to create a meal so fantastic you can literally taste summer. Say hello to the easiest, and amazingly grillable, vegan black bean burgers and their sweet and spicy creamy sidekick.
Due to the fact that I am a spice addict, this salsa jumped out at me. I admit, there are times that I thrive on sweating while I eat. I know, you're tempted to stop reading because you think I'm crazy. But I just love it!
The Salsa Is Everything!
Any other spice fiends out there? Well, the good news is that this mango habanero salsa is not sweat producing. It's labeled as medium, and I'd say that's a fair title. I've put on my creativity hat and used it in three different ways: one where it's quite mild, one where it's a little more pronounced but still a bit mellow, and one in all it's spicy glory.
This vegan black bean burger is kind of like a choose your own adventure type of meal, you're in control but I highly suggest going full throttle for a culinary experience that will thrill your taste buds.
Level #1: Easy and Grillable Vegan Black Bean Burger
This is the most mild layer. Can't handle spice? (cough cough, husband) This level is for you. I use a fun ingredient, the Italian grain farro, to give these burgers a bit of a chew and hold them together.
I made a farro salad last month for a barbecue we went to, and I remembered how much I love it because of it's al dente perfect chew. I immediately knew I wanted to create a burger with it! I even already have another in the making (yes, I am a burger addict). And look at those grill lines, swoon! While farro is not completely gluten free, it is more tolerable in digestion and we tolerate it just fine.
If you are completely gluten free, feel free to sub with brown rice. It won't be as chewy in texture, but it will still do the trick. These vegan black bean burgers are 5 ingredients, including the amazing mango habanero salsa that gives it a flavor you won't find elsewhere!
Level #2: Vegan Mango Habanero Cream
Yep, another sauce. I know what you're thinking, does this blogger ever NOT make a sauce? No. You should know by now that I am as much as a sauce addict as I am a spice addict (Well, and tacos and pasta and burgers and chocolate).
I may actually just have a love affair with good food. But lets be real, what really is food without sauce? In this one, I take the flavor that the mango and habanero salsa already has, add in some cashews for the creamy factor (way better than real cream, on account of the no ballon stomach bloat and no animals harmed), a touch of lemon to counteract all the sweet and spice, and out comes this creamy goodness that I promise will have you licking every drop.
Don't cut your tongue on the Vitamix. If you are hypersensitive to spice, try a touch before slathering it over your burger. If you love spice, go. to. town.
Level #3: Avocado Cabbage Slaw and Straight Up Salsa
Texture. I have a love hate with it. I hate mush and too much moisture in things. I love crunch and having a variety of textures in my meals. This vegan black bean burger has it all.
The topping on the cake (or in this case, burger) is the added layer of avocado cabbage slaw that gives this vegan black bean burger some crunch. And with avocado, mango habanero salsa pairs insanely!
This gives my recipe a full spice level. For those of us that love the burn, definitely add more salsa. If you cry at the site of a pepper, this extra oomph may not be for you.
So as if this triple threat recipe wasn't enough flavor for you, La Victoria has more amazingly delicious recipes you can use this salsa for (because I know once you try it you will buy a case).
So now that I've made your day, make mine and leave me a comment here to let me know what you think! You can also find me on Instagram, at veggiesdontbite AND #veggiesdontbite (my personal tag for pictures of all the awesome recipe remakes), and on Facebook. I want to know what level of spice you are! Crossing my fingers there are some addicts out there...
Easy Grillable Sweet and Spicy Vegan Black Bean Burgers with Mango Habanero Cream
Ingredients
- ½ cup uncooked farro , makes 1 cup cooked (see note for gluten-free)
- ½ cup cooked black beans (a little less than half a can)
- ¼ cup cooked red potato (see note)
- ¼ cup Mango Habanero Salsa , I use the La Victoria brand (see note)
- 2 tablespoons cornmeal , you can also use brown rice flour (see note)
- ½ teaspoon sea salt , optional
- 4 burger buns (can even use a lettuce wrap)
Optional toppings (but highly recommended):
- Mango Habanero Salsa , I use the La Victoria brand
- Mango Habanero Cream (recipe below)
Mango Habanero Cream:
- 1 cup raw cashews (see note)
- ¾ cup water
- 2 tablespoons lemon juice
- ¾ cup Mango Habanero Salsa , I use the La Victoria brand
- ½ teaspoon sea salt
Instructions
- Make sure beans and potato are cooked. I cooked the potato in the microwave but the oven would work too. Just don’t boil because that brings in too much moisture.
- Cook farro according to package directions.
- While farro is cooking, make avocado slaw by mashing avocado and mixing well with cabbage and salt.
Make mango habanero cream.
- Put all ingredients (except ¼ cup salsa) into a blender and puree until smooth. Add in the extra ¼ cup and pulse in for a chunky addition.
- Once farro is done cooking, add to food processor and pulse until chopped a bit.
- Add beans, potato, salsa, and cornmeal/brown rice flour and pulse again until chunky. You don’t want this too pureed or it will turn into a dip.
- Transfer to a mixing bowl, taste and add salt if needed. Mix salt in using your hands.
- Put mixture into the fridge for at least 20 minutes, an hour is best. Making this the night before and letting it sit is even better. This helps all flavors marinate and combine into a more flavorful burger.
- Once mixture is ready, shape into 4 patties. Using an indoor or outdoor grill on medium high, grill on each side for about 10 minutes. You can also bake these on parchment lined cookie sheet on 375°F (190°C) for 15-20 minutes on each side.
- Build burgers with all preferred toppings. All of them are highly recommended for the optimum summer burger!
Notes
- Mango Habanero Cream makes about 2 cups.
- Nutrition facts take into account half of the Mango Habanero Cream since it makes more than you need.
- I used a red potato but any other starchy potato would work. I did also try sweet potato, and while it tasted good, the texture was too wet and made the burger mushy.
- If you are not using a high speed blender you can either soak the cashews overnight or grind them into a fine powder using a coffee grinder. You can also boil them for 30 minutes.
- If you really can’t handle spice, there are other great La Victoria salsa flavors that are very mild. Click link and explore other flavors. You can also use any other mango salsa you like.
- I tried both cornmeal and brown rice flour, and both worked. I liked the cornmeal for the more chewy meaty texture it gave, but for those that can’t have corn the brown rice works. It gives a bit of a mushier texture, but not terrible and is a great sub if you are looking for one.
- To make this gluten-free sub the farro with rice.
- Make burger mixture and cream sauce and keep in fridge until ready to use. You can also make avocado slaw but it won’t keep as well because of the avocado browning.
- Use a mild salsa in place of the mango habanero. Cut burgers into bite sized pieces for toddler and serve avocado on the side. For baby puree farro and/or potato, beans and avocado.
Recipe by Veggies Don’t Bite, visit our site for more great plant-based recipes.
Nutrition
Nutrition and metric information should be considered an estimate.
Katherine | Omnivore's Cookbook
Oh my this is making me hungry this early. Who needs fast food burgers, really?
veggiesdontbite
Ha! Thank you Katherine! Totally agree!
Cassie
I am totally on the spice wagon too. Sriracha is my FAVORITE condiment in the world! And I also love a good dairy free pesto, hummus, guacamole or any other sauce/spread that adds tons of nutrients and flavor! So, I love the look of these patties! I've never been a huge burger fan but I've been trying to convert myself LOL!
veggiesdontbite
Hello there spice friend!! Love to know there are others on the same page. I LOVE burgers and can't get enough, but I'd be willing to bet that even non burger lovers would like this, especially drowning in sauce!
khadija
Lovely recipes, I would love to try that black bean burger (couldn't tell it wasn't meat before I read)
veggiesdontbite
Thank you!! Love to hear comments like that!! It's a great grillable burger!
maria
Absolutely love veggie burgers and your three suggestions to make them. Pinned! Thanks for sharing 🙂
veggiesdontbite
Thanks Maria!! I love them too. You will LOVE this sauce!
Lisa | Garlic + Zest
I'm on board for all three! I love these combinations -- a must make!
veggiesdontbite
Oh yay!! SO glad to have a spicy friend in the house!! Thank you!
Coco in the Kitchen
These look SO good, Sophia.
I'm going to sneak them onto the dinner table next week and see if anyone realizes they're vegan!
veggiesdontbite
Thank you! Well, I can guarantee the sauce is so creamy and flavorful no one will know! We can't get enough!
safira
This sauce looks delicious. Recently started to look into vegan food after watching a few documentaries.. We have cut down on our meat intake. Absolutely astounded to find that vegan food is actually really really good!
veggiesdontbite
Isn't it crazy how good it can be! I like to call it good food that just happens to be vegan. You'd love this sauce! It's so flavorful and great for many different things!
Kylee
These look super tasty!! The mango cream sounds AMAZING!
veggiesdontbite
Thank you Kylee!! It's a great creamy sauce for so much!
Anna
I just had my breakfast. But reading this made me hungry for lunch already! Delicious!!! X
veggiesdontbite
Hahaha!! Thank you so much! We've had them 3 times in the last week. Super easy and good!
Kristy from Southern In Law
I loveee veggie burgers and these look amazing! I feel like even my carnivore of a husband would love them!
veggiesdontbite
Thank you Kristy!! These have a great flavor and different from so many other veggie burgers I've had. Very summery and perfect for the grill!
The vegan 8
Haha remember I told you about my old coworker who would eat such spicy food that his whole and head would be sweating?! Soooo funny!
I wish I had one of these in front of me right now!! I've been out all day with Olivia having fun and we had veggie burgers for lunch, but now I want these for dinner lol! That salsa with mango sounds incredible...I think I could get down with mango in this way. You know how much I love salsa! All of it looks and sounds amazing, especially that cream!!
veggiesdontbite
It must have been me you worked with! LOL!! You would love the salsa. It's sweet but savory and the added spice is amazing. The cream sauce was a last minute make and it turned out so good!! Thank you as always friend!
Amy Katz from Veggies Save The Day
Looks fantastic! I can't wait to try that sauce!
veggiesdontbite
Thank you so much Amy! So happy to have found each other through this campaign!
Jenn
Growing up I always remember my Dad saying, "If I'm not sweating while I eat it, it's not hot enough!" 🙂 I have followed in his footsteps and I LOVE the spicy heat!! These sound insanely good!!
veggiesdontbite
Yep! Right up my alley!! LOL You'll love the heat in these, but it's only medium so I added even more hot sauce. Ha!
Dina
Thi sauce is absolutely amazing!!!!!!
veggiesdontbite
Thank you! I need to make it for both of you!
Rebecca @ Strength and Sunshine
Now that my brother and I are in the same house for the summer, he requests ALL the spicy food! I have to watch it, but...I do love that heat and will take the fall out!
veggiesdontbite
Sounds like your brother is my kind!! LOL! He would love the flavor here!