This is a Veggie Burger recipe created by a carnivore, for carnivores. It is not a vegetarian burger pretending to be a meat burger, packed with obscure ingredients. This is just a flavour packed, juicy veggie patties that’s satisfyingly meaty with great texture!
Veggie Burger
A vegetarian burger will never taste like a beef burger. So forget trying to fake meat. Just make a tasty, meat free burger!
My idea of a perfect Veggie Burger is one that has less beans* and more veggies, a golden crust on the outside, moist on the inside but not soggy ( <– notorious problem with veggie burgers), with a nice meaty texture.
It only contains “normal” ingredients and most importantly, it has to be ultra tasty. I’m not willing to compromise on deliciousness just because this is meat free. It has to be just as tasty in its own right!!!
The BEST veggie burger gets a savoury flavour boost from mushrooms and parmesan. It has a meaty texture and a golden crust!
* Most Veggie Burgers are quite high in beans, presumably because it’s the easy solution. But beans tend to have a dense mushy texture, rather than a meaty texture, and they make the flavour of the veggie pattie excessively “beany” which is not what I wanted.
The secret to a killer veggie burger Veggie Burger….
Bake the beans and vegetables to dry them out slightly. This serves three purposes:
removing excess water to eliminate the soggy patty issue
improving the burger texture
intensifying flavour.
For the vegetables, I use mushrooms and carrots.
Mushrooms add great savoury flavour and add to the “meatiness” of the patty;
Carrots – I use carrots because it’s a low water content veg plus I like that it adds little bits of colour to the burger.
As for the beans, I use cannellini beans mainly for colour purposes. Other beans will work just fine – I’ve made this with red kidney beans, black beans, butter beans and chickpeas.
When you pull them out of the oven, they will look thoroughly unappetising. Wrinkled and dry. And that’s exactly what you want!!!
↑↑↑ Always amazes me how much mushrooms shrink. 🙂
Veggie burgers are healthier than beef burgers because they’re loaded with more nutrition and have far less fat.
4 STAGE BLITZ
I think you’ve already got the gist that texture is key with Veggie Burgers. Biting into a glorious towering burger only to find the patty is so soft it oozes out the sides and has the texture of baby food is truly one of the saddest food experiences you’ll ever have.
So here’s my (other) rule for a killer Veggie Burger – a 4 Stage Blitz. It’s key to control texture.
Blitz 1:
The cashews. Trust me, you need them. They add soft bits of texture into the Veggie Burger Mixture. Can’t separately identify it in the end result, but when you bite into it, you’ll notice if they’re absent. Blitz these first until they are chunky breadcrumbs.
Blitz 2:
Add the wrinkly dried out beans, carrots and mushrooms. Blitz again until they are crumbs. Don’t blitz into powder otherwise you lose texture – and remember, there’s still 2 blitzes to go!
Blitz 3:
Add the Flavourings. Parmesan, garlic, paprika, mayo (bit of fat + flavour), salt and pepper, plus egg to bind and some breadcrumbs to reduce some of the moisture content of the Veggie Burger mixture. Blitz again until it’s all well combined and it has a texture like meat mince (ground beef).
There’s room to move on the amount of blitzing in this step, as long as you can still see “bits” in the mixture. In the burger photo at the top of the post, I blitzed the mixture more than pictured in the step photo below so the side of the burger looks smoother.
Blitz 4:
Add brown rice and shallots / green onions, then blitz very quickly just to disperse. Don’t over blitz – if the rice gets mushed up, it turns gummy and gluey.
The brown rice adds more texture and oomph to the Veggie Burger. I tried it with and without, and it really makes a difference to make the Veggie Burger more “meaty”.
The shallots add freshness – you could sub this with chives or parsley, but don’t sub with onion or leek (they’re too watery).
The mixture should be wet enough so it holds together when you make patties, but it shouldn’t get stuck on your hands. If the mixture is too wet, add a touch of extra breadcrumbs and blitz quickly to disperse.
Not too thick, not too thin
I know, I know, you want gigantic, super thick Veggie Burgers. I’ve been there, and discovered the hard way that you can’t be greedy when it comes to Veggie Burgers.
Anything thicker than 2cm / 0.8″, and you’ll started experiencing soggy insides.
Any thinner than 1.3 cm, and it starts becoming more like crisp fritters.
So use this mixture to make between 4 to 6 patties that are about 10cm / 4″ rounds and no thicker than 1.8 cm / 0/7″ thick. Sensible size (6 patties), Standard (5 patties) or Mega (4 patties).
Golden crust
With beef burgers, it’s all about cooking hard and fast, and ensuring the inside isn’t overcooked. With Veggie burgers, it’s the opposite – ensuring the heat is low enough so it cooks all the way through without burning the outside.
Also – no skimping on oil! You need it, to ensure you get a nice golden crust on the burgers. Veggie Burgers have very little fat compared to beef burgers. So you need it!
And here it is! Hopefully you can see from the photo that the inside looks firm but still moist, with plenty of texture. It’s by no means crunchy at all, all those “bits” you see give the patty meatiness so you feel like you’re biting into something substantial rather that something soft and wimpy.
Just like a meaty beef burger! 😂
Worth the effort
There’s no denying it. Veggie Burgers take more effort than making beef burgers.
Is it worth it?
YES. No question about it.
It is actually really hard to buy a good veggie burger, at least here in my area. The ones at the supermarket are just offensive. And every time I’ve taken the plunge and chosen a veggie over a meat burger when I’m eating out, I’ve always been disappointed.
And it was one such disappointing experience that kicked me into action to make a killer homemade Veggie Burger.
It’s everything a burger should be – it’s satisfying, it’s juicy, it’s “meaty” and most importantly of all, it’s so darn tasty! – Nagi x
More really great recipes that just happen to be Vegetarian
Chickpea Curry with Potato (Chana Aloo Curry)
Browse Vegetarian recipes
WATCH HOW TO MAKE IT
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Veggie Burgers
Ingredients
Beans and Veggies:
- 250g/8oz mushrooms, sliced
- 2 tsp olive oil
- 400g / 14 oz can cannellini beans, drained (Note 1)
- 1 large carrot , grated
Patties:
- 1/2 cup (70g) cashews, raw unsalted (Note 2)
- 1/2 cup (55g) panko breadcrumbs (Note 3)
- 1/2 cup (50g) grated parmesan
- 1 egg
- 2 tbsp mayonnaise
- 1 garlic clove , minced
- 1/2 tsp each paprika, salt and pepper
- 3/4 cup (150g) cooked brown rice (Note 4)
- 3/4 cup green onions , sliced
Burger:
- 2 – 3 tbsp olive oil (or other)
- Soft buns, lettuce, tomato, cheese, pickles, sauces, avocado, beetroot
On the side
Instructions
Beans and Veggies:
- Preheat oven to 180C/350F (standard) or 160C/320F (fan/convection).
- Pile mushrooms on a baking tray. Drizzle over oil, toss, then spread on the tray.
- Spread beans on another tray, sprinkle carrots all over.
- Put beans on top shelf and mushrooms on the shelf underneath.
- Bake for 15 minutes or until surface of beans is dried out and splitting and they look thoroughly unappetising, and the carrots around the edge of the tray are a bit golden. (Note 5) Remove tray with beans from oven.
- Move mushrooms to top shelf, bake for further 10 minutes until dried out and wrinkly. Remove from oven, cool.
Patties:
- Place cashews in food processor. Blitz until they are breadcrumb size, don’t blitz to powder.
- Add beans, mushrooms and carrot. Blitz on high for 10 seconds or until chopped to large crumb size (see video and photos).
- Add breadcrumbs, egg, parmesan, garlic, paprika, mayonnaise, salt and pepper. Blitz for 15 – 30 seconds until it comes together like meat burger mixture but you can still see bits in it. (Note 6)
- Add rice and shallots, blitz for 2 seconds until just dispersed (over blitzed rice = gluey).
- Mixture should hold together well to form patties, but not stick to hands. If too wet, add breadcrumbs. If too crumbly, blitz more.
- Shape into 4 – 6 patties, between 1.5 – 1.8cm / 0.6 – 0.7″ thick and 10cm / 4″ wide (Note 7). Refrigerate for at least 1 hour.
To Cook – Stove:
- Cook burgers cold, straight from the fridge.
- Heat 2 – 3 tbsp olive oil skillet on the stove over medium to medium-high heat.
- Add 3 – 4 patties and cook until deep golden and crispy, 4 minutes. Carefully flip then cook the other side for 4 minutes until golden, then transfer to paper towel lined plate to drain.
BBQ:
- Cook cold, straight from fridge. Brush BBQ and Veggie patties with oil. Heat BBQ to medium high. Cook 4 minutes each side until a nice dark crust forms.
Assemble:
- Toast buns, spread top bun with relish or sauce of choice. Top with your choice of burger fillings and the Veggie Burger, then more sauce if desired.
Recipe Notes:
Nutrition Information:
LIFE OF DOZER
At a weekend gathering. His eyes are just at eye level. What torture for him! 😂
Why do so many ‘vegetarian’ recipes use parmesan cheese? It contains animal rennet (usually made from the lining of a calf’s stomach). There isn’t even a note about it, so if someone is making it for their ‘vegetarian’ guest/s they probably have no idea they are feeding them animal products Even more awkward is the guest who has to inquire about it or worse, feel obliged to eat it for fear of being rude. Please stop using parmesan in vegetarian dishes unless it is specifically noted and an alternative is given.
Substitute with pecorino
Some people eat veggie burgers because they don’t like the taste of beef, not because they are vegetarian.
Great veggie burgers – I’m vego so have eaten a few, and these are much more interesting and have a nicer texture than your standard bean/lentil recipe, and a gazillion times better than anything you’ll find in a supermarket.
I was worried about accidentally over-blitzing (plus our food processor is really small), so I just did two blitzes, and for the last couple of steps mixed by hand in a bowl. This seemed to work fine. The mixture holds together well and is easy to shape into patties.
We had these with the special burger sauce as suggested in the recipe and it was also great – on the burgers and with chips.
Thanks for another ace recipe! As always, I love how you explain the reasons for each step, so if we’re tempted to skip something or do things a different way, we know what the change might affect.
Great Veggie burgers , crispy outside and texture perfect. Used smoked paprika which worked well with mushroom and beans. Definitely a regular item on the menu. Also great for the lunchbox with salad. Thanks Nagi
Nagi, these veggie burgers are scrumptious when eaten after prep; however, reheating next day to have with other veggies they lost appeal. As there is just two of us, we can’t eat that many burgers in one sitting! Looks like I’ll have to save this recipe for vegetarian guests to eat fresh on first day of prep.
Nagi, these veggie burgers are scrumptious when eaten after prep; however, reheating next day to have with other veggies they lost appeal. As there is just two of us, we can’t eat that many burgers in one sitting! Looks like I’ll have to save this recipe for vegetarian guests to eat fresh on first day of prep.
So writing says bake 15 minutes and then take out beans and carrot and then add mushrooms back for 10 minutes. In video you are showing bake 25 minutes for all. Misleading. I have made these and now in the fridge. Seem very heavy very thick shall we say. I look forward to cooking them
I loved the flavor, but they didn’t seem to cook through, even though I left the second batch on the stove much longer. The outsides got crispy, but when they were on the bun, the middle was soft and fell apart. Any suggestions?
Tried this last night. With a mushroom averse household member, I substituted steamed cauliflower, which was probably too cooked. Also used finely diced onions in place of the shallots. Great taste, but a little soft in texture, will add more breadcrumbs next time.
They were great!
This was the best Veggie burger recipe I have tried in 15yrs. I love it! I used Red Pinto beans.
Hey Nagi I will be trying these burgers I thought the mixture may be good in a vegi sausage roll. What are your thoughts
I just make them again and the second time was a winner. First time was good but used black beans a little crumble. This time used cannellini beans, I think it made a big difference as they are larger and juicier . My rice was a little starchy this time. Outstanding did add some red pepper flakes,
Like Nagi, I am tired of soggy, heavy veggie patties or those Vegan ones which are filled with preservatives. Thank you Nagi for a veggie pattie that is delicious, crispy, healthy and better than the meat version. The family loved these and I am going to make them again and again.
There are worth the effort! I prefer them to meat burgers now. The tips Nagi provides are ace and make it much easier to make the recipe perfect first time. Thanks!
Tried this recipe out for guests, a few days ago. Everyone loved it! Thanks, Nagi!
I love your recipes. I was really confused on the shallots as green onions and shallots are 2 very difference things. I read other comments and figured it out, you may want to change that I know it a language barrier. I have tried others, yours where easy and very tasty the only thing is that they where a bit crumbly when eating? Maybe I did something wrong but followed to a T
I put them in pita bread and the crumbed was no problem. Yummy I would make them again.
These were fantastic. A bit more faffing that I would usually do on a weeknight but it was worth it. Too late I discovered I’d run out of eggs but it didn’t matter. The mixture still binded well. Yes, meaty, juicy, delicious! Thanks again.
I would like to make these for vegetarians that do not eat eggs. Is there another alternative binding agent please…TIA x
Try using chickpea flour. As you need to mix it with water, you will probably need to look out for the moist content in the patty tho
I don’t love mushrooms, is the flavour of mushrooms very strong in the final pattie?
Delish! Shallots are in the narrative and video but I’m not finding them on the ingredient list. Looks like a teaspoon of minced shallot perhaps? THanks for your great recipes!!!
Hi Mary Jane. I notice that in the recipe details Nagi refers to green onions, which are also called spring onions. In Australia, they are unfortunately also sometimes called shallots. True shallots are completely different (though I don’t see why they wouldn’t work), but use green or spring onions as I think that’s what Nagi actually means. But these beauties are on my burger list.