For the past several months, I’ve been on a quest to make a veggie burger that had everything on our wish list. I’ve probably made over 100 veggie burgers and they all came up short, either by just a tiny bit or by a landslide.
I’m always asked what I do with failed recipes and my answer is usually the same- I eat them! An imperfect veggie burger crumbled over a salad is quite tasty. Same goes for a doughy muffin crumbled over a bowl of Vegan Overnight Oats. Unless something I make is really gross, I eat it.
However, I am picky about three things:
1) The recipes that I post on the blog
2) Homemade Veggie burgers
3) Tying my running shoes before a run (I always stop once to re-tie them, lol)
Now you know. :)
Eric and I put together a ‘must-have’ list of requirements during our mission. Veggie burgers are serious business around here and we have quite a checklist. ;)
Our veggie burger must haves:
- Can’t be mushy in the middle (the problem I have the most)
- Crispy outer shell
- Lots of flavour from fresh herbs & spices
- No tofu (not a fan)
- Crunchy, chewy texture is a must
- No cracking or falling apart (another common problem)
- Must cook well 3 ways: frying pan, oven, and BBQ
- Could make a grown man shed a tear of joy (ok, that was my requirement, heh)
If one of those elements is missing, the recipe is as dead to me as the burgers flippin’ on the McDonald’s grill!
After writing about my most recent Lemon Rosemary burger fail (that drove me to make PB Crunch Blizzards), I received an email from a lovely reader named Jenny who must have known that I was one failed veggie burger short of being buckled into a straitjacket.
Jenny writes, “After reading your post today, which has me day-dreaming about cookie dough blizzards by the way, I wanted to share with you the best veggie burger recipe our family has come across (even my meat-lovin’ husband requests them from time to time!). The recipe is from the Whitewater ski area in Nelson, BC and hasn’t failed us yet. It isn’t vegan but I’m sure you can work your magic to make it so.”
Isn’t Jenny great?
After reading Jenny’s email, I flew into the kitchen so fast my processor spun. I figured there was a 0.0002% chance they would work, so I was quite hopeful.
As luck would have it, magic did happen in my kitchen that fateful evening as Eric patiently awaited the outcome, fearing he’d be served yet another bowl of cereal.
He wasn’t. :)
Oh She Glows
Our Perfect Veggie Burger
Crunchy, chewy, with a crispy outer shell, these delicious veggie burgers have all the right elements we love in a veggie burger. Light on the beans, these burgers aren’t mushy in the middle, but have a nice mixture of breadcrumbs, chopped almonds, sunflower seeds, and seasonings to round them out. Best of all, they work great in the oven, frying pan, or even on the BBQ. They can also be made gluten-free by using gluten-free oats, Tamari, and breadcrumbs. Don’t have breadcrumbs? Just process a few slices of bread in the food processor for instant breadcrumbs. I used 3 slices of Ezekiel bread.
Inspired by Whitewater Cooks.
Yield: 8 burgers
Ingredients:
- 1/2 cup onion, diced
- 1 large garlic clove, minced
- Flax eggs: 2.5 tbsp ground flax + 1/2 cup warm water, mixed in bowl
- 1 cup oats, processed into flour* (other flours might work)
- 1.5 cups bread crumbs (I processed 3 pieces of Ezekiel bread until fine crumb)*
- 1 cup grated carrots
- 1 cup cooked black beans, rinsed and roughly pureed or mashed
- Heaping 1/4 cup finely chopped parsley (or fresh herb of choice)
- 1/3 cup almonds, chopped (toasted if preferred)
- 1/2 cup sunflower seeds, (toasted if preferred)
- 1 tbsp. Extra Virgin Olive Oil
- 1 tbsp Tamari (soy sauce)
- 1.5 tsp chili powder
- 1 tsp. cumin
- 1 tsp. oregano
- Kosher salt and black pepper, to taste (I used about 1/2 tsp kosher salt)
Directions:
1. Preheat oven to 350F (if baking). In a large skillet, sauté onions and garlic in 1/2 tbsp oil. Mix your flax egg together in a small bowl and set aside for at least 10 mins while you prepare the rest of the ingredients.
2. Place all ingredients (except spices and salt) into a large mixing bowl and stir very well. Now, add seasonings and salt to taste.
3. With slightly wet hands, shape dough into patties. Pack dough tightly as this will help it stick together. I made 8 medium patties.
4. Cooking methods: You can fry the burgers in a bit of oil on a skillet over medium heat for about 5 minutes on each side. If baking in the oven, bake for 25-30 mins (15-17 minutes on each side) at 350F, until golden and crisp. For the BBQ, pre-bake the burgers for about 15 minutes in oven before placing on a pre-heated grill until golden and crisp on each side. Our preferred method of cooking was frying in the skillet!!
GF Note: To make these burgers gluten-free, use certified GF oats, GF Tamari, and gluten-free breadcrumbs.
These burgers take a good 30 minutes of prep work, but the extra effort really paid off. You could also double this batch and freeze the leftovers for quick weeknight meals!
This veggie burger ‘dough’ is so good to eat straight from the bowl! Another thing I learned during my mission: if the ‘dough’ doesn’t wow you, the burgers won’t either. Don’t be afraid to adjust the seasonings to taste.
For my first trial, I didn’t process the oats into a flour and they didn’t hold together very well when frying. For my second trial, I used oat flour instead of whole oats and they held together very well!
Before baking in the oven:
After baking for 20 mins. on each side…crispy and golden!
Our preferred method of cooking is on the skillet, fried in a bit of oil. The burgers get this crispy shell similar to a hash brown! We already have plans to fry the ‘dough’ in a skillet for breakfast.
We also tried them on the BBQ, which also worked well. Pre-cook them in the oven for about 15 minutes first to firm them up a bit.
Then I raided the garden…
On the side, kale chips and ketchup.
On the burgers, we had homemade BBQ sauce, ketchup, mustard, lettuce, tomatoes. The second night, we had guacamole and pico de gallo on top- incredible!
I hope you love ‘em too!
Don’t forget, this morning is the last chance to enter the Glo bar Giveaway! (Your comments are amazing by the way)
{ 465 comments… read them below or add one }
Love this! So many great fresh ingredients :)
Hi Angela…I am going to try these … they look delicious … of course your amazing pictures making everything look good !
I have a recipe on my website that is similar … check it out …
http://healthymammas.com/2011/06/09/whitewater-veggie-burger/ (however it has eggs)
It’s from a cookbook from Canada called “Whitewater Cooks”.
:)
I made these veggie burgers last night for my brother who is visiting. He is 20 years old and works on a trail crew (ie: he eats more than anyone I have ever seen)! After eating half of the burger, topped with avocado, tomato, lettuce and catsup, he exclaimed, “this is delicious! Definitely the best veggie burger I have ever had!” Thanks for the great recipe, Angela.
Love making homemade veggie burgers! This recipe sounds [& looks] incredible – think I’ll make a gluten-free version of this. Thanks for sharing!
everything White Water is fabuulous. These look great!
Made these yesterday. The flax “eggs” gave them tons of moisture. They held together perfectly. I baked them and they were a little dry but absolutely delicious and very filling. I will fry them next time….there definitely will be a next time :)
glad you enjoyed them..they are AMAZING fried in a bit of oil!
Do you think these would freeze well? I need to find a burger I can make and freeze to bring camping. Any tips?
Here’s the nutritional info per serving (of one) –
Cal : 232
Carbs : 23
Fat : 10
Protein : 8
Sugar : 2
I will be making a double batch and will be freezing it. Thanks for your hard work =)
cool thanks!
What kind of buns are those? They look amazing!
Angela I just made these and they are AMAZING!!! You definitely have perfected your veggie burger recipe, I’ve been making your vegan black bean burgers and they’re really good but these are out of the world!! Thank you so much!
PS: I loved your post on how to organise your day, very useful :)
I made these last night and they were awesome! My non-vegan boyfriend even said they were better than any burger he’d ever had! And so filling too…I’m excited that we still have six more in the fridge!
Now these are GOOD veggie burgers, freezer ones hold nothing to these!!
I made them today and they are absolutely amazingly delicious!! We are taking them on our mountain hike tomorrow but I cannot resist nibbling on just another one… Thanks, Angela! :)
Made these last night and they were outstanding! Made a few changes to the original recipe by adding 4 ounces chickpeas (drained), 1/2 teaspoon paprika, 1/2 teaspoon chili powder, 1/2 teaspoon red chili flakes, and 1/2 teaspoon celery salt. I also substituted ground, roasted & salted pistachios for the almonds and sunflower seeds just out of personal preference. The result was magnificent! Thank you for sharing!
I also threw some corn, diced mushrooms, and diced orange bell pepper to the skillet along with the onions and garlic. (for color).
Picky about tying your shoes before a run!? Stopping to re-tie!
I COMPLETELY understand! Regardless of whether I’m running, training, sprinting, doing tabata – you name it, I re-tie. And you have to tie your shoes standing up. Otherwise you get up and they’re too loose.
Never thought I’d meet another picky shoe tie-r! Keep these rockin’ blog posts up!! Love the pictures =]
soul sista! or should i say sole…sista ;)
Thank you for the great recipe! These are delicious!!!
Wow; these look incredible. Such a pretty burger!
We made these here in Finland, they were perfect :-)
I’ve also been searching for a good veggie burger to make. I’m going to try this one!
I made these burgers tonight and they are FABULOUS!!!! I omitted the tablespoon of oil and the burgers were still moist. This recipe is definitely a keeper. Thanks for sharing!
I am eating this burger right now….it is delicious!!! Thank you so much for an unprocessed Morningstar alternative Angela and Jenny! Also a plus that I can freeze some for later. I am working 10 hr days so I always like big batches of food I can make in advance :)
I made the veggie burgers for the first time in my life and it worked very well! I changed the recipe a bit to use the stuff that I already at home: instead of oat flour, I used oat flakes (half) and oat brans (half). Also added a bit more soya and EVOO to stick them better together. I substitued the sun flower seeds with pumpkin seeds. For my own taste, I added more cumin, paprika and red hot chilli flakes.
And I am very proud to announce that after two failures I finally managed to make your vegan dinner rolls. They went so well together with veggie burgers! Thanks a lot, Angela :)
The burgers rock :D Since I didn’t have breadcrumbs and didn’t care to process oats into flour, I used chickpea flour and spelt flakes instead. It worked great :) They are so chewy and crunchy and delicious. Thanks for the recipe
You show them on a dehydrator tray. Has anyone tried dehydrating them for a more raw diet?
Nope thats not a dehydrator tray its a Silpat :)
Had to look that up. New to me.
Making the veg burgers today. Can’t wait!
This looks so delicious! I hate buying pre-made frozen burgers, too much soy!
P.S. I don’t know if you’re aware/care about this, but there are meat ads on your site! :\ http://img.skitch.com/20110718-p5wwrt9p7khwe1sr26ayi6yxak.jpg
Yes I do care about that. I’ve had them remove them a couple times before but it looks like they are back. Just emailed them again, thanks for letting me know (I dont see the meat ads on my PC for some reason)
These burgers were amazing! I have been following your blog for a few months now and have gotten some of my favorite recipes from you (your tomato basil sauce is life changing!). After reading about all of your trials with these burgers, I knew I had to try them just because of all the work you put in! They did not disappoint. The texture and flavor were perfect. Thank you so much!!
Hey Matti, So glad you enjoyed them…I always worry that they wont work for others! We’ve made them 3 times now and I love them more each time :)
absolutely delicious! so glad i took the time to make these!!
Glad you like them! =)
I can’t wait to try these! I was planning on making them for a dinner party, but one of my friends as a nut allergy. Do you think they would be okay without the chopped almonds?
This was my first try at making veggie burgers today and these were really good! I ended up making very thick burgers so I only had 4–I ate 1.5 little ones with a salad and some gluten-free chips for lunch. They were really good, except that I would probably use just a pinch of seasonings instead of whole teaspoons next time. Can’t wait to repurpose them this week!
Thanks so much for a non-intimidating receipe Angela!
Made these over a weekend for a friends and family bbq. Everybody was in love. I wish I had made a double, wait – TRIPPLE batch. Can’t wait to make more!
I made these today and they were excellent!
Made these the other night and thought they were fantastic! I used a dill yogurt spread and veggies to top it. These are going to be a staple in my freezer :)
Photo proof on my recent blog post, too:
http://slofoodie.com/2011/07/20/i-give-credit-where-credit-is-due/
I made these last night and they are AMAZING!! My favourite veggie burgers ever. We didn’t have almonds so I used all sunflower seeds, and my husband is GF so we used more ground oats instead of bread crumbs (we don’t keep GF breand crums around).
The best part about them is the crunchy texture. In attempting my own recipes, I’ve only ever achieved mushy bean lumps. I baked yours, and they got a gorgeous brown crust. I will make these FOREVER.
Thanks :)
I made these tonight and they were absolutely delicious, but they didn’t stay together like your’s did. I followed the recipe and cooked them in the skillet. Any suggestions?
This veggie burger is SO GOOD. I made them last night and I am going to make another batch today to freeze and eat whenever. The nuts in it really make the flavor and texture. This is so much fresher and tastier than getting the ones from the store, and easy to make too. I’m sending the recipe to my mom!
I am in the process of making these babies right now! I am super excited. The dough was yummy and I can hardly wait to eat the finished product! Thanks for sharing.
Tonight I tried your perfect veggie burgers…..I must say….pretty perfect. I must make really thin burgers ‘cos one recipe for me makes 12 burgers. Biggest test will be how they stand up after they have been frozen, as that is where most of the veg burgers have failed me.
I am hoping for the best ‘cos these were beyond good!!
I didn’t have any oat flour so I used garbanzo bean flour also to increase the protein. I also used pumpkin seeds instead of sunflower seeds and toasted all the nuts. These were so incredible! They made even picky eaters happy.
Thank you! I just made this recipe and these are the best veggie burgers i have ever tasted. I have had no luck finding any that didn’t get all soggy. I actually subbed walnuts for the sunflower seeds because i didn’t have any and they still turned out wonderful! :) keep up the amazing work!
Bekah
glad to hear that =) Enjoy!
It is hard to find a veggie burger everyone likes, but this one fit the bill, even my meat loving daughter liked them and wanted seconds!! Thanks for sharing.