The Perfect Beans For Spice-Packed Veggie Burgers

A BBQ favorite, midweek dinner, or treat meal, veggie burgers are loved by both meat eaters and plant-only individuals alike. Before they hit the mainstream, veggie burgers made a breakthrough in the vegetarian scene in London during the '80s. They have now evolved to include fake meats, an array of grains, and worldwide flavors, but we can still learn plenty of things about their legume-based brothers.

Did you know using certain beans in your veggie burgers will allow for a more spice-filled bite? This favorite canned and dried staple is available in diverse textures and tastes, so it's correct that their various forms would impact how well they take on other flavors. While some of these beans, like white beans, are beans you should always have on hand, other beans, like pinto, may be less familiar. Either way, both pinto and white beans will absorb added spices the best, thus creating the punchiest and most flavorful veggie burger.

There's a plethora of canned beans to choose from for veggie burgers, but to understand which works best with spices, you need to appreciate their flavor profiles. White beans — which include cannellini, navy, great northern, and lima — all have a slightly different flavor, but at their core is a little nutty undertone. They generally have a mild aroma, and that's why they're fantastic sponges for other flavors (or spices). Similarly, pinto beans, which have a creamy texture and earthy flavor, infuse and absorb the spices they're mixed with. This also explains why they are a popular choice for refried beans.

On the opposing side, black beans are popular additions to veggie burgers; however, they possess slightly sweet notes and are a little firmer in texture. This is what can affect their capacity to absorb other spices. A note on texture: pinto and white bean veggie burgers are infamous for being mushy, so make sure your patties are thin and you use an offset spatula to flip them. As you can see, for a spicier aroma, you risk sacrificing a firm burger pattie, while with other beans, you'll have to offset their naturally sweet flavor. 

Depending on your spice tolerance, you can always experiment with giving your veggie burger a real kick using cayenne pepper, chili powder, or paprika. You can crank up even more heat with fresh jalapeños, red chili, or even habanero (for those who enjoy a genuinely fiery sensation on their palate). If you really want to heat things up, try adding gochujang to your burger. It's a fermented Korean paste made from a blend of chiles and soybeans — an excellent way to inject spiciness and a little umami straight into the patty.

If you're cooking for a party, perhaps you want to leave the heat factor adjustable. This is simple with condiments like spicy mayonnaise, Dijon mustard, sweet chili jam, or even the faithful hot sauce. It may help to experiment with different combinations of spices and beans. You'll find a blend that keeps its shape and produces the best, spiciest flavor for you. For a spice-packed veggie burger, simply start with white or pinto beans, and then get creative.