Dish × condiment pairing
Best chile for a green chile burger?
Season : summer, all-year · Occasion : cookout, weeknight
Hatch green chile. The New Mexico burger lives on roasted Hatch piled over the patty and melted cheese. Its grassy, charred heat cuts the beef fat and the cheese richness. Use roasted chopped chile on top; for the patty, work a little Hatch powder into the seasoning.
In detail
The chile for a green chile cheeseburger is Hatch green chile, the roasted New Mexico staple grown in the Hatch Valley along the Rio Grande and protected by name under state law. The green chile cheeseburger is a New Mexico institution, and Hatch is what defines it: roasted, grassy, and charred, it cuts the beef fat and the melted cheese with a clean heat that lands mid-tongue and climbs slowly, around 5 out of 10. Pile roasted chopped chile over the patty under the cheese for the signature look and texture, and work a little Hatch powder into the ground beef so the chile seasons it all the way through. Hatch is graded mild to hot, so you choose the level. A 2 oz jar of powder runs about $8 to $13. For a red version, Chimayo chile is the heirloom twist.
Our recommendation
Spice · Chile
Hatch Green Chile Powder
Hatch Valley, a 30-mile stretch of the Rio Grande between Hatch and Rincon, southern New Mexico, United States (Hatch Valley (geographic name, not a federal PDO; protected by the New Mexico Chile Advertising Act, 2012))
roasted green chile · fresh-cut grass · charred pepper skin
The green chile cheeseburger is a New Mexico institution, and Hatch is the chile that makes it. Roasted Hatch, grassy and charred, cuts the beef fat and melted cheese with a clean mid-tongue heat around 5 out of 10. Pile roasted chopped chile over the patty; work a little powder into the meat for an all-the-way-through hit. A 2 oz jar runs about $8 to $13.
Intensity 5/10
Where to buy it
Prices checked on
| Merchant | Price | Action |
|---|---|---|
| Burlap & Barrel (Hatch Green Chili) | — | Burlap & Barrel (Hatch Green Chili) |
| Amazon US (Hatch Green Chile Powder, Mild) | — | Amazon US (Hatch Green Chile Powder, Mild) |
| Hatch Chile Store | — | Hatch Chile Store |
Prices may vary depending on current promotions on the merchant site.
Affiliate links — La Pincée may earn a commission on some sales, at no extra cost to you. Read more.
The catch
The catch: the green chile cheeseburger lives or dies on roasted Hatch, and raw or canned-bland chile is what makes a sad imitation. The roast is the flavor; charred, blistered skin is where the grassy sweetness and smoke come from. Pile on under-roasted chile, or the watery canned kind with no char, and you've got a wet, vegetal topping instead of the smoky, blistered hit that makes a New Mexico burger worth the trip.
Chef's note
Season the patty with Hatch powder, then top with roasted chopped chile, so the heat comes from both inside and out. Work a half-teaspoon of powder per patty into the ground beef before forming it, and reserve the roasted chopped chile for the top under the cheese. Powder in the meat seasons all the way through; roasted chile on top brings the texture and char. One alone is half a burger.
Tasting note
roasted green chile · charred skin · grassy heat · melted-cheese counterpoint · about $8 to $13 for a 2 oz jar of powder, plus roasted chile on top. Worth it for a New Mexico classic.
These three sections appear on every one of our pairing pages — our methodology.
Alternatives to explore
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Spice · Chile
Chimayó Chile
Chimayó, Española Valley, Río Arriba County, New Mexico, USA
Intensity 4/10
Chimayo turns it into a red chile burger, earthier and fruitier. Not the classic green, but a New Mexico heirloom twist worth the splurge for variety.
Frequently asked questions
- Roasted chile or powder on a green chile burger?
- Both have a place. Roasted chopped Hatch chile goes on top, piled over the patty under the cheese, for texture and the signature look. A little Hatch powder worked into the ground beef seasons it all the way through. Together they hit the burger from both sides.
- Why is the green chile cheeseburger a New Mexico thing?
- Because Hatch green chile grows there. The state's roasted chile is a local staple, and piling it over a cheeseburger is a New Mexico tradition with its own trail of contenders. The grassy, charred heat is what makes the burger distinct from any other.
- How spicy is a Hatch green chile burger?
- Medium, around 5 out of 10. Hatch heat lands mid-tongue and climbs slowly, cutting the beef fat without overwhelming it. Since Hatch is sold in heat grades, you can choose mild for a gentler burger or hot if you want it to bite.
This pairing was validated according to our methodology. Purchase links are marked sponsored and may earn a commission — details on our Affiliations page.