For the past few months, I’ve been experimenting with different veggie burger recipes. This is my conclusion: making a pretty good veggie burger is easy; making a great one is a lot harder. By “great one” I mean a veggie burger that isn’t too dry, doesn’t fall apart, isn’t too mushy in the middle, has a crispy outer shell, and retains a chewy texture. A pretty extensive list, I know.
I can’t tell you how many veggie burgers I’ve tried and how many recipes failed. Fortunately, there’s lots you can do with a veggie burger that hasn’t quite worked out. You can:
- Crumble it over a salad.
- Heat up some corn tortillas and top them with the burger crumbles, fresh salsa, and cilantro.
- Mix the burger crumbles with some pureed red lentils and flax egg, and make it into a loaf.
It’s so easy to get frustrated by mistakes and mishaps, but sometimes those are the best learning experiences. Maybe, if I haven’t failed like hundred times at making a great veggie burger, I might have never come up with THIS veggie burger that not only tastes great, but it also holds really well on a grill. You can make it either on a grill or a skillet. The grill does provide a bit more blackening, but with the skillet you get a more evenly browned surface. So pick whichever method you prefer.
Tips for Making Veggie Burgers
Ingredients
Even before I made my first veggie burger, I knew that beans would be one of the main ingredients because the texture of beans is perfect for making tender yet hearty patties. The trick is to cook the beans from scratch. I’ve said it before and will say it again – the flavor and texture of dried legumes is so much better than that of the canned kind. Of course, you can use canned beans. However, they can (and often do) have a mushy texture. To reduce their moisture content, a chef James Kenji López-Alt recommends roasting the beans in the oven first. Also, mushing the beans with a fork instead of using a food processor will help retain some of their texture better.
Using aromatic vegetables, such as onions and garlic, is also important. These vegetables have the ability to bring out the savory qualities of the other ingredients they are cooked with. You can use shallots, red onions, white onions, leeks … pretty much anything that falls into the allium family. Another vegetable I like to use when making veggie burgers are mushrooms. Mushrooms are rich in glutamates, which provide an umami (savory) taste to food. If you’re not a fan of mushrooms, you could use other glutamate-rich foods, such as seaweed or soy sauce.
To add a wonderful chewy texture, add some brown rice. Brown rice is on the starchier side so it absorbs quite a bit of moisture, helping to hold the burgers together. If you’re not a fan of brown rice, you could experiment with oats instead. Since grains themselves aren’t enough to prevent the veggie burgers from crumbling, I always add some breadcrumbs as well. As Mark Bittman writes in New York Times, breadcrumbs do a great job at bridging the gap between liquids and solids by capturing the moisture and transforming it into a binder. Without a binder, your burger might completely crumble and fall apart the second it hits the grill or when you bite into it. This doesn’t necessarily mean you need to use breadcrumbs. Any binder will do, including flax seeds, mashed potatoes, or ground nuts.
I do love using ground nuts in veggie burgers because they add a nubby meta-like texture. The pastiness of nuts also helps hold the veggie burgers together, so it’s a win-win. The burgers will remain soft but with enough texture that you feel like you’re actually biting into something.
Finally, every burger needs some seasonings. The sky is the limit when it comes to spices and herbs. Actually, that’s not true. With veggie burgers, I wouldn’t recommend using any liquid-based seasonings, such as soy sauce, mustard, Worcester sauce, Sriracha sauce … Opt for dry seasonings to avoid too much moisture.
Technique
You can make veggie burgers out of almost any vegetable. The trick is to sauté the veggies first to eliminate their water content and condense their flavor. Same as legumes, veggies are high in moisture and can cause your burgers to turn out soggy and mushy on the inside. This is the number one reason veggie burgers don’t hold well on a grill. Another benefit of cooking the vegetables is that you can season them to make them even more flavorful.
Preparing the beans is the trickiest part. If you’re using dried beans, cook them to the point that they’re just done – still firm and not falling apart. This way, the beans add a creamy texture without turning mushy. The degree to which you process the beans after they’re cooked is really important. If you don’t mash the beans enough, your patties will fall apart. If you mash the beans too much, the patties will be too mushy, having a paste-like texture. I prefer to mash them well, yet leaving about 3/4 of the beans only partially mashed.
The one advantage veggie burgers have over regular meat-based burgers is that you can taste them as you go. There’s no raw meat or raw eggs. So consider tasting the veggie burger mixture before forming it into burgers to see if it needs any additional seasoning.
Tools You’ll Need
1. Food Processor (Breville Sous Chef) | 2. Cookware Set (Calphalon, Stainless Steel) | 3. Knife Set (6 Pieces, Utopia, Stainless Steel) | 4. Cutting Board (24″x 18″, Michigan Maple Block, Maple) | 5. Mixing Bowls (Set of 3, Pyrex, Glass) | 6. Measuring Cup (2 cups, Pyrex, Glass) | 7. Mesh Strainers (Set of 3, Cuisinart, Stainless Steel) | 8. Measuring Cups (Set of 6, Bellemain, Stainless Steel) |9. Measuring Spoons (Set of 6, 1Easylife, Stainless Steel)
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- 1 Tbsp. olive oil
- 1/2 red onion, diced
- 1 clove garlic, minced
- 1 cup crimini mushrooms
- 1 Tbsp. cumin powder
- 1 Tbsp. smoked paprika
- 1/2 Tbsp. chili powder
- 1 tsp. dried thyme
- 1/2 tsp. ground black pepper
- salt, to taste
- 1 cup raw walnuts
- 3/4 cup dried black beans, soaked*
- 1/2 cup brown rice, uncooked**
- 1/4 cup breadcrumbs
- 3 Tbsp. ketchup
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Put the beans in fresh clean water and cover them with at least 2" (5 cm) of water. Bring to a boil and remove any foam that forms. Reduce heat to a bare simmer and cook until tender. The time will vary depending on your own beans, but you are looking at approximately 45 minutes. Remove lid off to cool and set aside. Drain if there is any water left. If you're using already cooked black beans, use 1 1/2 cups,
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While the beans are cooking, prepare the brown rice. Using a large pot, cover the brown rice with 1 1/4 cups (300 ml) of water. Bring it to a boil. Then reduce heat to low and simmer, covered, until tender (for about 40-50 minutes). Let stand 5 minutes, then fluff with a fork.
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Heat a skillet over medium heat. Once hot, add raw walnuts and toast them for about 8 minutes or until they start turning golden brown. Let cool.
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In the same skillet, heat olive oil over medium heat. Once hot, add the onions and garlic, and saute until soft, about 5 minutes. Then add mushrooms and salt. When the mushrooms start releasing water, add the cumin, chili powder, smoked paprika, chili powder, thyme, and black pepper. Keep sautéing until all the liquid evaporates.
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In the meantime, grind the toasted walnuts in the food processor until they resemble a loose meal (breadcrumbs).
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In a large bowl, add the cooked black beans, cooked brown rice, sautéed mushrooms with all the spices, ground walnuts, breadcrumbs, and ketchup. Mix until everything is well incorporated. Taste and adjust the seasoning as needed.
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Divide the burger mixture into 5 patties. Pack them firmly.
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To grill the burgers, preheat your grill over medium heat. Cook for about 5 minutes, then flip gently. Cook for 4-5 minutes on the other side. To bake the burgers, arrange the burgers on a baking sheet coated with olive oil. Bake at 375°F (190°C) for 30-40 minutes, flipping halfway through. To fry the burgers, heat a little bit of olive oil in a frying pan and cook the burger on one side until golden, about 6 minutes. Then flip and cook on the opposite side.
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Serve on a bun with toppings of your choice. I used some lettuce, tomatoes, and mustard.
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Store leftover veggie burgers covered in the refrigerator for 3-4 days.
For long term storage, cook burgers as instructed on the grill or in the oven. Then set on a baking sheet or plate and freeze. Once completely frozen, place the burgers into an airtight container and store for up to 3 months. Reheat in a 325°F (165°C) oven on a bare baking sheet until warmed through.
*Soak the beans in water for at least 8 hours (or overnight). To quick-soak beans, pour boiling hot water over the beans and soak for 1 hour uncovered. When the beans are done soaking, drain the water and rinse the beans thoroughly.
*3/4 cup dried black beans is equivalent to 1 (15 oz/398 ml) can or 1 1/2 cups (278 g) cooked (drained) beans.
**1/2 cup uncooked brown rice equals 1 cup (150 g) cooked rice.
***Prep time does not include soaking the beans (8 hours). Cook time includes cooking the beans, the rice, and grilling the burgers.
I see you use glass pyrex mixing bowls , and other glass cooking utensils but you say it is ok to use canned beans in your burger recipe. In America all canned products are processed and stored in aluminum cans. These cans are sprayed on the inside with bpa plastic to give the product a longer shelf life, and prevent the cans from rusting. Please go to Google and just look at the letters bpa. You can also go to our cbc web site, centre of disease controll and look it up there. It not only is in aluminum cans, but bottled water, aluminum and bpa aroma sealers, it is used as a cover over many micro wave food products, honestly it is endless as you will find, baby bottles!
Hi Pamela. Thank you for your message. I do use canned beans from time to time (when I forget to soak my beans ahead of time or just run out of time). I use a brand called Eden Organic (I am not affiliated with them or anything, I just highly recommend this brand). All their cans are BPA-free and the produce is all organic. I do prefer using fresh or dried produce whenever possible, but I think this is a decent alternative 🙂
Love this. I am going to try it I was giving up on making my own veggie burgers too, case they just wont hold up and the last was blah..Thanks for this recipe.
Yay! This is seriously our go to recipe – the burgers never fall apart and taste amazing. I hope you love these, Melissa 🙂
Hi Petra, I have to give you an update on this. I just made this burgers last night. I had a family cookout and these burgers were amazing. I loved them so much, I am the only vegan in the family and they also loved the burgers. Thank you so much for sharing the recipe.
That is so awesome Melissa! Thank you so much for taking the time to comment back. I am so happy you loved the burgers. You just literally made my day 🙂
Petra, How could I use baked yams to make the burgers (in addition to the beans)? There’s another veggie burger recipe that I like that has them and they have a good texture that helps bind everything together and they are full of so many nutrients. I’m wondering how I could include it in your recipe. I also want to substitute quinoa for the rice to reduce the carbs and increase the protein — would this be okay ? Also, Could I use oat flour instead of nuts to reduce the cost? Nuts are $7.50 per pound and oats are $1.00 per pound.
Hi Denise. I believe that you could just add the yams in without having to alter the recipe (you might need to use a bit more breadcrumbs though). Yes, the brown rice can be easily swapped for quinoa. The tricky part is the oat flour. The walnuts are there more for texture than anything else. Nuts are crunchy/chewy and prevent the burgers from being too mushy. If you use oats, the burgers will lack the nice bite. However, you could substitute the walnuts for sunflower seeds with similar results. Would that work for you?
Quinoa is pretty expensive compared to rice…$6 -$7 per pound for Quinoa versus $1-$2 for rice. Nuts also have protein and healthy fats…so protein and cost wise…it’s a wash to change the recipe but if you are aiming for lower fats, then it would make sense.
I made the burgers for my husband and I tonight, and they were delicious. He generally doesn’t like mushrooms; I left them in there and he didn’t notice them in his burger. Yay! 🙂 And they were quick to make. Thank you!
By the way, I was going to post a photo of it on Instagram to show you, but I couldn’t find your account.
Hi Lesley – that’s awesome! Yea, my husband usually doesn’t notice when I add things he doesn’t like into recipes either 😉 For instance, he hates garlic (at least he says he does), but never notices when I cook with it. Hopefully he doesn’t read this comment 😀 Anyway, I am so happy your husband liked the burgers. Thank you for the comment. And this is my account: https://www.instagram.com/nutritionrefined/ if you ever wanna tag me 😉
I made the burgers tonight. They were delicious and easy to make. My husband, who generally doesn’t like mushrooms, didn’t notice they were in the burger. Thanks for the recipe!
Hi Petra
Thank you for this, it looks yummy. Can you perhaps suggest a non-starch alternative to the breadcrumbs and rice? I’m definitely going to surprise my family with this!
I’m also wondering if you can freeze these?
Again, you have a wonderful site and recipes.
Hi Wade – Thank you! I am happy you’re enjoying my website and recipes 🙂 The breadcrumbs are there so absorb some of the moisture and help bind the ingredients. You could use coarsely ground rolled oats instead, but that will still be a starchy substitution. I can’t think of any other plant-based ingredient that would work here. However, you could certainly use any (low-carb) bread or crackers you like and grind it into breadcrumbs yourself. The rice is there more for texture so coarsely chopped nuts or seeds would work here as a sub. And yes, you can freeze the burgers. Simply cook the burgers as instructed. Then set the burgers on a baking sheet (or a plate) and freeze. Once frozen completely, seal in a freezer-safe bag or container. Reheat in a 375 degree F oven on a bare baking sheet for 20-30 minutes, or until warmed through and golden brown (or in the microwave for 1-2 minutes). Let me know if you have any other questions 🙂
Can I substitute wheat germ for the bread crumbs and add a lesser amount? Thanks.
Hi Janet, I have never tried it but wheat germs is a common substitute for breadcrumbs in veggie burgers, meatballs, meatloaf, etc. So I imagine that it would work. It usually is a 1:1 substitute but you could start with lesser amount and see if the mixture holds together. If it doesn’t, add more 🙂
Hi I am new to all this. I’m so glad I found you. I was beginning to think it looks to hard to convert but you make it look so easy and delicious compared to others. I have a question, I have a pecan tree so can I use pecans instead of walnuts in this recipe?
Hi Rachel – welcome to Nutrition Refined 🙂 So happy you found me! Wow – you have a pecan tree? How amazing is that?! Yes, pecans are an excellent substitute for walnuts. Hope you enjoy the recipe.