Hatch Green Chile Burger

Featuring: Hatch Green Chile Burger · Roasted Hatch Green Chile · See also: Cooking with Frozen Roasted Chile

This Hatch green chile cheeseburger is everything a backyard cookout should be — juicy, smoky, and loaded with New Mexico flavor. It's a bacon-smashed Hatch chile burger piled with Roasted Hatch Green Chile and melty cheese, finished with a drizzle of Hatch Red Chile crema. This is the green chili burger that'll have everyone talking long after the grill cools down.

There's nothing quite like firing up the grill and filling the backyard with the smell of burgers and green chile — it's basically a New Mexico summer tradition. These burgers are seasoned with both Hatch Green Chile Powder and Hatch Red Chile Powder right in the patty, so the flavor goes all the way through. Then you pile on the Roasted Hatch Green Chile, melt a slice of cheese over the top to hold everything in place, and finish it all off with a drizzle of smoky Hatch Red Chile crema. It's the kind of burger that makes people stop mid-bite just to appreciate it. Whether you're feeding the family on a weeknight or hosting a crowd on the weekend, this one is a guaranteed hit — just make sure you make enough, because they go fast.

What makes a real green chile cheeseburger

The green chile cheeseburger is a New Mexico institution — so beloved the state has an official Green Chile Cheeseburger Trail. What separates a true Hatch green chili burger from a basic backyard patty comes down to the chile. You want fire-roasted Hatch green chile, chopped and warmed, layered thick enough that you get its smoky brightness in every bite. The cheese (American or cheddar) goes on while the chile is still on the patty, so it melts down and locks the chile in place. That's the magic: the cheese isn't a topping, it's the glue.

Choosing your chile & heat

Our family has farmed the Hatch Valley for five generations, and we'll always tell you: the chile makes the burger. Roasted Hatch Green Chile is fire-roasted and peeled, ready to chop and warm. Choose medium for a flavor-forward burger or hot if your crowd likes heat. In peak season, grab Fresh Hatch Green Chile and roast it yourself for that just-off-the-grill aroma. Skip canned chile if you can — it's watery and flat next to the real thing.

Pro tips & serving

Smash the patties thin on a screaming-hot griddle for that lacy, crisp-edged crust — that's where the bacon-smashed method shines. Don't press the patty after the first smash or you'll squeeze the juices out. Toast the buns in the bacon fat. Build it in order: bun, patty, chile, cheese (melted together), crema, top bun. Serve with a side of fries or a simple slaw, and a cold drink to cool the heat. Leftover roasted chile? It's just as good piled on our green chile breakfast burrito the next morning.