One of my goals for August (and onward) is to start making big batches of veggie burgers. I’ve been relying far too much on boxed frozen veggie burgers and the cost really starts to add up. I usually buy Amy’s California burgers and they cost between $6-8 for 4 patties, depending on the grocery store. Plus, homemade veggie burgers are just so much better.
On Sunday, I made a double batch of Our Perfect Veggie Burgers and this week I made a double batch of Spicy BBQ Chickpea Burgers. I’ll be bringing a bunch of them to Eric’s big 3-0 birthday party on Saturday. There should be about 40 people!
I must say, these BBQ chickpea burgers are a new fav. The prep is a bit quicker than the other ones and I enjoy them just as much.
(Edited to add: After defrosting the Chickpea BBQ Burgers this weekend, the burgers did not hold well together. They seem to have too much moisture after freezing. I would recommend using the Our Perfect Veggie Burgers recipe, as I have had good results when freezing these.)
Using the Spicy BBQ Chickpea Burger recipe, I doubled all of the ingredients and made 16 patties. I’ve also been making beans from scratch to save more money. I soaked 2 cups of uncooked chickpeas overnight in a huge bowl of water. Once they have soaked, it’s only about 35 minutes or so to cook them on the stovetop (throw in a piece of kombu for easier digestion). You can also make big batches of beans and legumes on the weekend and freeze them for quick weeknight dinners. I’m slowly starting to get into the habit of doing this on a regular basis!
While the chickpeas and brown rice cook, prep the veggies: fresh parsley, red onion, shredded carrot, red pepper, jalapeno, and garlic.
Place everything into a huge bowl. My biggest bowl still was not quite big enough for this double batch, but I managed ok!
Stir in the pepita and sunflower seeds, along with the other ingredients like ground flax, seasonings, breadcrumbs, etc.
Because I made two big pots of chickpeas and brown rice, I decided to throw the rice and chickpeas in the food processor instead of mashing by hand like I did the first time. This saved a lot of time!
Stir it all up – you can even get in there with your hands to mix it up really good! Season it all to taste. Don’t be shy with the salt – this huge bowl of batter needs a good dose to make it all pop. I used 1-1.5 tsp fine grain sea salt.
Now shape the batter into about 16 patties and place on a very large baking sheet lined with parchment paper.
Cover with wrap.
Clear out room in your freezer and place the baking sheet right in. Freeze the patties for about 45-60 mins or so.
[my freezer needs an intervention…]
Once the raw patties are frozen, place them in a freezer safe bag. If there are any ice crystals on the burgers, scrape them off first. I use Ziplock BPA-free large freezer bags (with the zipper). Don’t forget to wash the bags out and re-use when you are finished with the burgers!
I cut a piece of the parchment to place in between the layers so they don’t stick. Take a straw and suck out the air and seal quickly. Easy!
This is my first time freezing veggie burgers like this (I used to wrap them individually), but I’ve read this method should keep them fresh for up to 1 month in the freezer. Thaw on the counter or in the fridge before pan-frying.
It took me just under 1.5 hours to prep 16 veggie burgers – a lot less time than I thought and I saved quite a bit of money too.
While we’re on the topic of make-ahead foods, what are your favourite dishes to prep in advance? Let me know in the comments!
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It’s now day 9 of The August Challenge and I’ve been documenting my daily feats on the August challenge page to stay accountable. Time is a flyin’! There are so many great comments on the page with many of you sharing your stories. You know, I had my doubts about this challenge from the get-go (if I could even do it and if you’d be interested), but I’m really happy with how things are going. August is shaping up to be a great month! And don’t worry if you are starting late, jump in at any time. I’m already considering doing this into September because I’m enjoying it more than I thought I would.
That’s for sharing!
I am starting to get more organized by making double batches if recipes and storing them in the freezing. Soup is a regular , being winter over in Australia.
Storing veggies burgers sounds perfect for mid week meals!
Xx
Wow, those are some gorgeous veggie burger pictures!! Who knew food could look so beautiful??:D I love making curries and other Indian-spiced foods ahead of time; the flavors seem to develop SO much more after spending a night in the fridge. Also, I often make a big batch of brown rice in our cast-iron pot, and then keep it in the fridge to use for stir-fries and other recipes using rice.
Great idea to freeze your own! I love freezing fresh fruit for smoothies, and containers of soup when I make a big batch… sadly, I have a side-by-side fridge/freezer, and there is NO room to place a cookie sheet! It’s the worst design imaginable, imo… just ordered a new fridge with a top freezer, so pretty soon I’ll be on my way to freezing anything and everything I can think of! :)
OMG–Angela, I’m having a party for my husband’s 30th birthday on Saturday too! And I’ll be making veggie burgers from scratch to serve to our guests. Great (vegan) minds think alike, no?
okay – I’ve been buying pre-frozen and albeit delicious this is such a fabulous idea! thank you! (plus I’m sure WAY less in sodium!)
Whenever I make pumpkin-black bean enchiladas I make single-servings in small freezer-safe corningware dishes. That way I can just pull them out and stick them in the oven. I put them in before I turn on the oven, that way they can defrost a bit while the oven preheats. :)
Angela – I must again remark that your spicy chickpea burgers are my all time favorites…plus I finally mastered the art of veg burger making w/your initial tutorial. I think hand mashing is a major key. I tried a variation of these – azuki beans, sweet onion, mushroom – w/most of the other ingredients remaining the same and they were really great too. These appeal to me more than your original favs b/c for me they offer a better balance of carb/fat/pro than the seemingly more nut heavy ones. plus the spice profile of this one is simply perfect. I have a bunch in the freezer too and they taste just as good reheated. Your guests are in for a treat!
I LOVE your blog angela. (even though I almost never comment.) And I find you super inspiring. Also its my birthday and I just had a delicious margarita. Your original veggie burgers are always a hit when I make them.
Love those perfect veggie burgers! I haven’t made them in a while, but this post made me want to soon! I think my favorite things to make and freeze are marinara sauces and pestos. Anything that requires me cleaning the food processor, I like to eliminate. Such a pain in the arse! :)
I love this! I’m pregnant and am trying to stock my freezer with healthy convenience foods. I’ll definitely be making these. :)
Great idea! Now I don’t have to make individual batch veggie burgers. Thanks for sharing :)
I will definitely be making these to freeze ahead of time! This will be perfect for me and my roommates’ crazy schedules!
They’re so colorful <3, Definitely love the convenience of frozen patties :)
I love the idea of making these burgers ahead of time and having them available at a moment’s notice. However, the future dietitian in me is forcing me to comment that food shouldn’t be thawed on the counter, use the fridge as suggested. :)
Thank you, thank you, thank you!!
This tutorial was much-needed. I’ve been relying way too much on boxed burgers lately too. As soon as I have a free afternoon, I’m definitely going to make a double-batch of homemade ones. I can’t wait!
I am in love with the veggie burgers wanted the recipe from a long time and finally got it. My kids can’t wait and keep on asking me to make the burgers.
These look insanely good, I really must get round to making my own veggie burgers :D
I love make-ahead meals. Both my sister and myself have coeliac disease, and are both vegan, so we never want our family to have to worry about cooking for us. It’s great when we’re both here, but if it’s just me I often get a bit lazy about cooking, especially if I’ve been working all day.
Some of my freeze aheads include fruit, butternut squash (it’s such a faff to prepare that I prep a few at the same time and freeze it chopped and ready for use), mexican lasagne, and muffins :)
Hi Angela,
Friends of mine made these veggie burgers and I thought if they like them, I’m sure we would too.I made a small batch which turned out 6 burgers and I foze the remaining 4. We BBQ the others and they were really good BBQed. I found they tasted better on BBQ than cooking them on stovetop. This will be a repeat recipe in our house. Hubby and I are always looking for meatless healthy protein alternatives – which are also quick and tasty. Thanks Angels!
Hey Carolyn, Im so glad you enjoyed the brugers. I agree I love them bbq’d!
SO colourful, antioxidant-packed, fresh and delicious! Yum, will definitely have to give these a go sometime over the weekend. Thanks for sharing :)
Your veggie burgers look amazing! Thanks for the freezer tips! Time to check out your recipe!