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This is how you do burgers in the fall.

Sweet Potato Black Bean Chili Burgers w/Baked Cheddar Beer Onion Rings + Fried Egg | halfbakedharvest.com @hbharvest

They need to be big, packed with fall goodness, topped with cheesy beer battered onion rings and finished off with an egg. It’s the only way.

It’s still a totally trashy burger, but healthy because um sweet potatoes, beans, quinoa, onion rings and eggs. All healthiness. All delicious. Don’t you just love when that happens? I certainly do.

Sweet Potato Black Bean Chili Burgers w/Baked Cheddar Beer Onion Rings + Fried Egg | halfbakedharvest.com @hbharvest

So today, I really don’t have a lot of words flowing from my brain to my finger tips. See, the truth is that I live the most boring life and I love it that way, but it’s because of this little blog that I actually have to leave my comfort zone and venture out of my little kitchen and office and into the real world. Which I guess, actually makes my life not all that boring. You could even say that it’s been especially exciting lately, but also especially tiring. Like all I really want to do is make some Halloween cookies with little Asher, but the time is just not there. Story of everyone’s life right? Maybe we’ll get to it on Halloween? Better late than never.

Some days I have loads to say, but today? The only thoughts that are coming to my mind are one, PEACE. You see, Asher, had a friend over… and her friend’s sister (fall break – I swear I never had all these breaks!). Those girls were so stickin loud that my head still hurts, and so demanding. Jeez. You should have seen the house once the friends left, it looked like a tornado or two went through. Amazing the damage that three tiny little girls can do, they even managed to knock over a dirt bike in the garage. Luckily no one got smooshed.

Thought number two? Thought number two is that thought number one makes me so excited that the barn is getting near completion… ok, or at least looking like it will be done this year.  Thank God. It’s so time for the move-out to happen.

Sweet Potato Black Bean Chili Burgers w/Baked Cheddar Beer Onion Rings + Fried Egg | halfbakedharvest.com @hbharvest

Thought number three is all about these Sweet Potato Black Bean Burgers. They are so good.

This is one of those burgers that got dreamt up on a recent hike. I came home and immediately made them. They just sounded so good that I had to push the other planned recipes for the day aside and focus on these burgers. I was pretty excited about them…still am…clearly.

Sweet Potato Black Bean Chili Burgers w/Baked Cheddar Beer Onion Rings + Fried Egg | halfbakedharvest.com @hbharvest

This burger has all my favorite things, including sweet potatoes. Wow, sweet potatoes are so awesome. I mean, I knew this, but I somehow always forget about them and tend to just grab my all time favorite butternut squash instead. But I am so into sweet potatoes right now, and they are so good for you too. Hello – B6, C, D, iron, potassium, magnesium, carotenoids (which help fight cancer), and more! And can we talk about their gorgeous color? So pretty, so sweet, yep, I just love um. Hoping you do too because I foresee a lot of sweet potato recipes in the future. YUMMERS.

Anyway, these burgers are like chili in a sweet vegetarian form, with cheesy crunchy onion rings and a fried egg, because fried eggs are meant for pretty much every burger. No really, they are. Gotta love a good fried egg.

Sweet Potato Black Bean Chili Burgers w/Baked Cheddar Beer Onion Rings + Fried Egg | halfbakedharvest.com @hbharvest

I used a combo of my favorite crispy quinoa burger and an oldie recipe from the earlier days of the blog to put together these patties. But here’s the thing about these burger patties, they are delicate. You just have to be careful flipping them. Other than that they are simple, and if you do end up smushing them a little, it’s really no big deal. Whatever they look like they will still taste delicious.

The onion rings are so easy. They’d be delicious fried if you are into that, but baked works great too and there’s a lot less mess to clean up. Plus, they can bake while you cook the burgers, which makes the timing for everything pretty perfect. And you guys, they are cheddar beer battered onion rings. Doesn’t that sound so good? They are. They are.

Also, you’d be my hero if you added a brussels sprout slaw to these burgers. I was so close to adding it, but I didn’t want the recipe to get too long. You should do it though!!

Sweet Potato Black Bean Chili Burgers w/Baked Cheddar Beer Onion Rings + Fried Egg | halfbakedharvest.com @hbharvest

I served these on some homemade whole wheat beer pretzel buns, but we all ended up not eating the top half of the bun. The truth is, these burger would be perfect served in a “lettuce” bun instead of actual buns… wow, did I really just say that? I am not usually a lettuce wrap kind of girl, traditional burgers n’ buns are usually the way I roll, but lettuce just works really well with these since they’re already pretty carb heavy. Don’t get me wrong, buns are still good, but just sayin – lettuce is equally delish. Either way, you’ll love them and they are the perfect healthy dinner for any autumn night.

Oh, and the leftover patties are so good the next day. Think crumbled over a salad or added to a grilled cheese. Double yes!

And you can’t forget a little cheddar cheese too. It’s a chili burger after all.

And you guys, all chili should be topped with cheese. Duh.

Sweet Potato Black Bean Chili Burgers w/Baked Cheddar Beer Onion Rings + Fried Egg | halfbakedharvest.com @hbharvest

Chili Style Sweet Potato Black Bean Burgers w/Baked Cheddar Beer Onion Rings + Fried Eggs.

Prep Time 30 minutes
Cook Time 35 minutes
Total Time 1 hour 5 minutes
Servings: 5 Burgers
Calories Per Serving: 793 kcal

Nutritional information is only an estimate. The accuracy of the nutritional information for any recipe on this site is not guaranteed.

Ingredients

Burgers

Baked Cheddar Beer Onion Rings

  • 2 inch large sweet onions cut into 1/2 slices
  • 1/2 cup buttermilk
  • 1/2 cup of your favorite beer I used pumpkin beer
  • 1 teaspoon dijon mustard
  • 1/2 cup whole wheat flour
  • 1 1/2 cups cheddar cheese crackers finely crushed (gold fish or cheez it's)
  • 1/2 cup Panko bread crumbs
  • 2 teaspoons smoked paprika
  • 1 teaspoon salt + 1/2 teaspoon pepper

Instructions

  • In a bowl combine the quinoa, mashed sweet potatoes, mashed black beans, tomato paste, egg, chili powder, smoked paprika, cinnamon, cayenne, salt, pepper, brown sugar and worchestire. Mix well to moisten the ingredients and then mix in the shredded cheddar cheese. Mix well again and form into 4 or 5 equal burger patties (I made 4). The mixture will be very wet and sticky, this is fine, just make rough circles. Place on a plate lined with wax paper and place in the fridge while you prepare the onion rings.
  • Preheat the oven to 450 degrees F. Line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper or a silpat.
  • To make the onion rings, whisk together the flour, buttermilk, beer and dijon mustard in medium size mixing bowl. In another shallow bowl, mix together the cheddar cheese cracker crumbs, Panko bread crumbs, smoked paprika, salt and pepper.
  • Now take the slices of onion and dip them through the buttermilk/beer mixture, making sure they are completely covered in batter. Using your other clean hand, dredge the onion ring through the cheddar crumbs, coating completely. Place on the prepared baking sheet and repeat with the remaining onion slices. Once you have coated all the onions slices, lightly spray them with olive oil or cooking spray.
  • Bake for 20 to 25 minutes, or until coating is crisp, flipping half way through. Season with salt, to taste.
  • While the onion rings are baking, cook the burgers. Heat a large skillet over medium heat and add 2 tablespoons olive oil. Remove patties from the fridge and place in the hot skillet. They will be moist and sticky. Cook for 5-6 minutes, then if needed add more oil and flip the burgers very gently (be gentle, they crumble easily when hot). Cook for another 5-6 minutes. It is important to not flip the burgers until they are ready. During the last minute or so of cooking add some cheddar cheese to the top of each burger, cover the pan and cook 2-3 minutes or until the cheese has melted. My burgers were a little moist and very delicate, if they break on you, just put them back together the best you can. Once you remove them from the skillet and they cool slightly, they will firm up.
  • To assemble the burgers, place each burger on a bun (or lettuce), top with an egg and a few onion rings.

Notes

*Adapted from my [Roasted Garlic Sweet Potato Ranch Burgers | https://www.halfbakedharvest.com/roasted-garlic-chipotle-cheddar-sweet-potato-burgers-with-avocado-ranch/].
View Recipe Comments

Sweet Potato Black Bean Chili Burgers w/Baked Cheddar Beer Onion Rings + Fried Egg | halfbakedharvest.com @hbharvest

Don’t let these pictures mislead you, these aren’t really fork and knife burgers. They’re more of a double hands, get messy kind of burger. Which is obviously the best kind of burger.

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Comments

  1. 5 stars
    Made these tonight. They were great! I cut back on the chilli powder and cayenne pepper, which was perfect for us. Just a little kick. I made the patties last night and cooked them tonight.

  2. Hey there! Would these freeze well? I have some black beans to use up and would love to make these ahead of time and just pop them on the grill when needed.

    1. HI! Yes, these freeze great! Please let me know if you have any other questions. I hope you love this recipe. Thanks so much! x Tieghan

  3. 5 stars
    I finally got to make these sweet potato black bean chili burgers this past weekend and it was such a hit!! Thanks, Tieghan for sharing!

  4. This is the first recipe i have made from your site and definitely won’t be the last! This is sooooo good!!! Can’t wait for my vegetarian daughter to try it. I now wish i would of made the onion rings. I had the pleasure of meeting your brother,Brendon, while he was in Spokane and he told me all about your site and I fell in love with how beautiful everything looks. He couldn’t say enough great things about you and your family! Keep up the great job and can’t wait to try the next recipe i will find here.

    1. Hey Julie! Your comment has me smiling ear to ear! So excited you loved this recipe and the site! How cool you have met my brother too, I love when connections like that are made! Hope you continue to love everything! Thanks again1 🙂

  5. I always come to your blog to browse ideas when I have a few specific ingredients I want to use but can’t think of what to make. Today I searched “sweet potato” and was immediately drawn to this recipe. I wanted to let you know that instead of using the stove top, I baked the burgers at 425° for 8 minutes on a greased foil-covered baking sheet, then flipped and cooked for another 4 minutes and they stayed together perfectly! No crumbling whatsoever. The only change I made to your recipe was to add 1/2-2/3 cup of panko bread crumbs. Keep up the great recipes! You’re my favorite foodie.

  6. Wow! these were good burgers! I made them tonight and even though I messed up the recipe they were still delicious; so what did I do? I didn’t have smoked paprika so I add ed Chipolte pepper, My onion rings were way too hot and spicy although we ate a few of them. the burger was a bit spicy too so I ended up adding another 1/2 cup of black beans. Thank you for the creative recipe! It was really good!
    Robyn

  7. I prepared a bunch of patties and have them in the freezer ready to go! Thank you for an awesome recipe! Can these be baked in the oven? I’m worried about them crumbling all over!

  8. Hi! I absolutely love this recipe! I was just wondering if I can get the recipe for the whole grain pretzel buns, I would love to make them!
    I hope you had a wonderful christmas!

  9. I love your recipes but this website is monstrous. Every time I visit your site, I’m constantly being redirected to download stuff without even clicking on anything, and the ads are overwhelming. I just thought I would give you a head’s up in case you weren’t aware. This is the only page where that happens to me :/

    1. Hi Marry,

      I AM SO SORRY! I am aware of the issues and am launching a new site soon. Hopping the site problems will be fixed soon. SO SORRY!!

  10. Hi Tieghan!
    I was wondering how I could make these without the beer. Is there something I could sub?
    Thanks!!

    Nicole

  11. I can’t wait to try these amazing looking baked onion rings! Last week, I got a HUGE bag of baseball-sized onions from my last CSA box of the season and this is going to be such an awesome use for some of them. We love onions in this house! And how can you go wrong with beer and goldfish crackers?!?! Thanks so much for sharing this recipe. Also, the pictures are absolutely gorgeous!

    1. I think it will work great. Just be sure to layer the burgers with wax or parchment before freezing so they do not stick together.

      Hope you love these!!

  12. Looks good! One note, though: the Worcestershire sauce needs to specifically vegan or vegetarian if you wanna make this a vegetarian meal. Worcestershire sauce is made with fish (although if you’re pescetarian, no worries.)

    1. Hey Sam! Yes, I know this, but thank you for letting me know I did not mention that. I will update the recipe now.
      Thanks again and have a great weekend!:)

  13. Hi Tieghan, great dish! How about adding it to the Food on Friday: Cheese collection over at Carole’s Chatter? Cheers