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 }
Made these a few weeks ago and they were delicious and addicting! I ate the whole batch in an embarrassingly short period of time! I will definitely be making more and the extras will go straight to the freezer!
I made these and brought them to my friend’s house yesterday, and they were AMAZING! These are absolutely my new favorite veggie burger! We were all raving about their deliciousness!
I have tried and tried different vege burgers and I finally found a WINNER!! We had these on WW buns, fresh veges and salsa. My husband raved and raved on the texture and taste. They do take more time than others but I will double the recipe next time and have plenty on hand.
BTW I made my own Oat flour in my coffee grinder and used cilantro as I was out of parsley.
whoo!!!!
If you wanted to use real eggs in this recipe how many would you use? Thanks!
I made this recipe and it was awesome! I threw in some dill and it made it taste so good. I am thinking of making a meat loaf with it!
Coming up with a signature veggie burger is definitely on my cooking “to-do” list. Crazily, I have never tried making my own, either from a recipe or on the fly. Perhaps this is the kick in the pants I need to try making my own – I definitely have the flavour combination already mapped out in my head :)
Made these awhile back when you first posted, and loooved them! The texture was exactly what I had been looking for in a veggie burger.
I want to make them again this weekend for some friends who are coming over, but one of them might be allergic to black beans, but not kidney beans. Was wondering what your thoughts were on substituting red kidney beans for the black beans?
I would like to think that any type of bean could be substituted quite well. I hope it works for you! Im sure navy beans would work too.
i noticed your comment before i put in mine…i know its been a few days but i used chick peas instead of black beans (we didn’t have any) and they came out great!
Just tried the recipe and it was delicious! Even my non-vegetarian friend loved them! I just have one question…mainly about aesthetics. I ground my oats into flour like you said in the recipe but I noticed in your pictures that you left oats whole…did you add more oats or just leave them whole? I love the way you can see all the ingredients in the burgers themselves!
Thanks for the great recipe!
Hey! The whole oats was for my first trail (which crumbled) second trial I followed the recipe as printed above :)
Ahhh, everything I love in one veggie burger. Thank you!
I just made these and they ARE the best veggie burgers EVER!! I didn’t have sunflower seeds so I used pumpkin seeds. YUM! These will be a staple in my house forever!! Thank you!
Its make me hungry . and i m just going to make this on upcoming weekend so delicious.. wow..
Angela, these were AMAZING! I finally made them Sunday night for my boyfriend’s birthday and we were both enamored. This recipe is a gem and you are a beautiful person to share your glow with us daily. Thanks for the burgers and everything else :)
I made these this weekend and we loved it. You are right, this packs plenty of texture and crunch, which is great for veggie burgers.
I should have made double batch, will do that next time. Thanks for this delicious recipe Angela.
I made these tonight, halving the recipe, and they were by far my favorite homemade burger. This recipe will definately be added to my book of make again, and again recipes. Thank you for sharing this recipe. I have been disappointed over and over again with veggie burger recipes. This one is a keeper!
Being vegetarian I definitely will try these. I like my burgers lightly fried but I will try all the
methods. They look very nutritious and are packed with flavours. Thanks for sharing your recipes with us. Oh and I will also try the buns.
Surprised my neighbours with your veggie burgers and they totally loved them! Great recipes, thank you!
Holly
nice! :)
Hi, I just had to stop by and leave a comment because I made these burgers last night for me and a friend who was visiting and OMG, AMAZING. Really.,… we both liked these even better than meat burgers any day! I will totally make this recipe forever!!!! Thank you!!! I did add a little curry powder to the mix as well…. YUMMMMMMMMMMM
So glad to hear that Bridgette! Thanks for letting me know :)
Have been wondering…. Can the “raw” patties be frozen and cooked at a later time?
think Ive heard from readers in the comments who have done this successfully. Just make sure to thaw completely before cooking and it should be fine, but I havent personally tried it myself. Goodluck and let me know how it goes!
My daughter just gave me the veggie burger recipe. she said it was fabulous. Just one question, do I freeze them uncooked or cooked? Plan to make tommorow night.
Im glad to hear your daughter enjoyed the burgers Sue. :)
I think Ive heard from readers in the comments who have frozen the raw patties successfully. Just make sure to thaw completely before cooking and it should be fine, but I havent personally tried it myself so im not 100% sure. you might want to take a look through the comments. Goodluck and let me know how it goes!
I’d like to hug you or shake your hand or write you a thank you note. These were perfect! They stayed together well and made my 4 year old happy. The instructions are thorough and easy to follow. Huge thanks!!!
Omg! Amazing recipe! Tweaked it a bit for my taste buds, but on a toasted bun with a side of sweet potato fries, this is seriously the best veggie burger I’ve had. Thanks for sharing!
served these at a backyard picnic last night with mostly carnivores. They loved them! They asked me to rename them “awesome burgers” because veggie burgers are mushy and bland.
Hi,
What do you think would be a good almond and tamari substitute? I have such a hard time with vegan/vegetarian recipes because my son is allergic to all nuts, dairy, soy, goat, sesame seed, kiwi, gluten and egg whites. So whenever it calls for almonds or cashews or soy I don’t know what to do.
Any advice?
TIA
Danielle
I was thinking cooked chickpeas for the almonds and chickepea miso for the tamari?
For the chopped almonds I would just use more sunflower seeds if you want to. Chickpea miso sounds good- I havent personally tried it, but if you like the taste then go for it. Otherwise just omit the tamari add a touch more liquid and then season with salt and other herbs to taste.
I’m a newbie 2 these deliciously wonderful healthier options of cooking. I wanted 2 tell u how plzd I was 2 stumble onto ur website via Pinterest! I haven’t had much experience in cooking this way, nor tried many recipes yet. But I wanted 2 tell u wat happened 2 me when I was making my first “raw” bread recipe. I added a few “extras” I had on hand which sounded like it would be yummy in the bread recipe, & after putting it together & spreading it on sheets for dehydrater, my friend & I tasted it, & both had the realization that they would b delicious prepared as “veggie burgers”! So we pan-fried them up in some coconut oil, & voila! The best veggie burger I ever knew could b had! We scraped a whole sheet of it off & made into more “burgers” to have later. Very “meaty”, chewy, well formed & stuck together texture. I actually think I could live w/o meat if I had 2 after this cooking adventure. I’m psyched 2 try different variations now. I am wanting 2 make it into a breakfast patty w/ the addition of fresh sage. The main recipe called 4 wheatberries sprouted, namu/shoyu or soysauce, sunflower seeds, & a few other ing. I added pulp from my omega juicer & some pumpkin seeds, & a cpl other things & BAM, Magic! Thx 4 sharing YOUR delicious endeavours! Keep em comin!
O, we had them on a delicious, healthy whole grain sunflower bread from Aldi’s that was only $1.49. I’ve seen it in the big chain groc store for $3.59. I made a mixture of sliced cherry tomatoes, splash of braggs apple cider vinegar, evoo, chopped cilantro, fresh crushed garlic & a pinch of seasalt to put on the sandwhich, & assembled w/ thinly sliced yellow & red sweet peppers, avocado slices, & spinach leaves. It was as beautiful as it was delicious.
Made this recipe for Mother’s Day (my daughter, son-in-law, and I are vegetarian), and they were the best veggie burgers I have made yet. I did pre-bake them, but they stayed together on the grill!!! Reheated leftovers were delicious too. I have yet to try pan frying them. I bit time consuming (most things worth eating are) but I am sure next time will be faster. Those flax eggs are amazing… Thanks for posting! They got an A+!
so glad to hear that Suz!
I’m bookmarking this website then promptly NOT looking at it any more tonight. An hour is enough
I made these yesterday.
My spin: added nutritional yeast, used cilantro, and opted for eggs (no flax seeds in house).
I topped with Kale pesto – ARGGGH so good.
thanks for sharing.
I look forward to your posts!
Angela,
I love making these. I wanted to make them for my gluten free friend and I have almond meal on hand, you think that would work for a good substitute for bread crumbs?
Thank you and thank you for all your fantastic recipes!
Hey Teresa, I think the breadcrumbs help it stick together, so I’m hesitant to say ground almonds would work perfectly. That being said, I think it would still hold up fairly well enough to enjoy them! Let me know if you try it :)
Hi Angela,
Thank you for the quick reply! I made them and they stuck together beautifully. They look just as great as the other times I made them.
Thank you for your help!
Wow. Made these for the first time today! They are fantastic!!
So nice to find a Soy-Free recipe for veggie burgers! Love the make ahead plan too, why not.
Thank You!
Looks amazing, I too have been on the quest for a perfect veggie burger. These look good and I love your criteria. I’m sure you saved me from 50 tries at a disappointing veggie burger. :-)
I made these tonight…BEST veggie burger ever! Thanks for the recipe!
thats great to hear!
Thank you, thank you, thank you! These burgers are amazing! It’s been so hard to find a vegan burger recipe that doesn’t fall apart AND tastes great. My partner and I were floored when we took our first bite – so good! Hooray! Thanks for this recipe, and your wonderful blog.
Hey Megan! Thank YOU for your lovely feedback! That makes me so happy. Enjoy
Thanks so much for posting these–we love love loved them! (FYI for other parents: kids thought the parsley was too strong, so I’ll cut that down next time…but it was mellower on day two.) The grown-ups, though, liked them more than the huge chipotle black bean burgers from Costco–previously the only kind of meatless burger my husband could tolerate! Yay!
Thats a great tip about the parsley and kids…I’ll keep that in mind!
I have these in the oven right now!!! I love them so far but i am so stupid and added way too much salt! :(((( i hope they still turn out. i will be making thesse all summer long!! <3
they turned out amazing!!!!! i had to have two :) omg i am going to make these all the time. thank you!!! ps my mom 21 yr old brother and his friend loved them too
oh and instead of fresh herbs i used spinach and it worked great. also didnt have chili powder on hand so i omited it. it was stil awesome!
Thank you Heather, I’m so happy to hear that!
I stumbled onto your blog searching for a veggie burger recipe. I’m so glad I did!!!! My son and I seldom eat meat but my husband prefers meat burgers whenever he has a choice. Since I already had all the ingredients, I made these tonight and let me tell you: THEY WERE THE BEST BURGERS EVER!!!!! My son asked for a second one and even my meat-loving husband declared that they were better than the beef burger!!! Now that’s a compliment! I’m looking forward to reading more of your blog and discover some more gems. Thanks so much for posting this recipe.
Thank you Maryse! That is great news :)
I could eat a veggie burger everyday, and everything you mentioned about MUSTS, I agree 100 PERCENT. I don´t like them mushy, I like them firm, I don´t want them crumbling. I do use tofu in mine, and one of my favorites is my portobello tofu burger, which is always PERFECT, but this is one I will definitely try with a few tweaks. Thanks!
I made these last night. They’re delicious!!