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. :)
Our Perfect Veggie Burger
Yield
8 burgers
Prep time
Cook time
Total time
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 veggies, bread crumbs, chopped oats, sunflower seeds, and spices to round them out. This recipe is inspired by Whitewater Cooks.
Ingredients
- 3 tablespoons ground flax
- 1/3 cup (80 mL) warm water
- 1 (14-ounce/398 mL) can black beans, drained and rinsed
- 1 tablespoon (15 mL) extra-virgin olive oil
- 3/4 cup finely chopped red onion or yellow onion
- 2 large garlic cloves, minced
- 1 cup grated carrots
- 1/3 cup finely chopped fresh parsley or cilantro
- 1/2 cup sunflower seeds, toasted
- 1 to 2 tablespoons (15 to 30 mL) tamari, to taste
- 1 teaspoon chili powder
- 1 teaspoon dried oregano
- 1 teaspoon ground cumin
- 1/2 cup rolled oats, processed into a coarse meal*
- 1/2 cup spelt bread crumbs (or bread crumbs of choice)
- 1 to 2 tablespoons oat flour (or flour of choice), as needed
- 1/2 to 3/4 teaspoon fine sea salt, to taste
- Freshly ground black pepper, to taste
Directions
- Preheat the oven to 350°F (180°C) and line a large baking sheet with parchment paper.
- Whisk the ground flax and water in a small bowl and set aside for about 5 minutes so it can thicken.
- Into a large mixing bowl, add the drained black beans. With a potato masher, mash the beans until 2/3 of the mixture is a bean "paste" while leaving about 1/3 of the beans mostly intact.
- In a medium skillet, add the oil and increase the heat to medium. Stir in the onion, garlic, and a pinch of salt. Sauté for 3 to 5 minutes, until the onion softens. Transfer the onion mixture into the bowl with the mashed beans.
- Stir in the flax egg, grated carrots, parsley (or cilantro), sunflower seeds, tamari, chili powder, oregano, and cumin until thoroughly combined.
- Now, stir in the coarsely chopped oats, bread crumbs, and oat flour until the mixture comes together. It should be easy to shape the dough into patties. Stir in the salt and pepper, to taste.
- Shape the dough into 8 patties (roughly 1/3 cup of dough per patty). Pack the dough together tightly as this will help it stick together. Place onto the baking sheet.
- Bake patties for 15 minutes, gently flip, and bake for another 15 to 20 minutes until patties are firm and golden.
- Cool the patties on a cooling rack for 5 to 10 minutes before serving. This helps them firm up a bit.
- Serve in a bun or lettuce wrap with your desired toppings. Leftover burgers will keep in an airtight container in the fridge for 2 to 3 days, or you can freeze cooled patties for up to 1 month. Simply wrap each patty in tinfoil and then place all of the wrapped burgers into a zip freezer bag.
Tip:
- * To coarsely chop the oats, add 1/2 cup rolled oats into a food processor. Process the oats until a coarse meal forms (the chopped pieces will be a mixture of powder and chopped oats just smaller than rice). Be sure not to process too long or the oats will turn into flour.
- Make it gluten-free: Use certified gluten-free oats, gluten-free Tamari, and gluten-free breadcrumbs.
Nutrition Information
(click to expand)
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:
I love my silpat, but you can also use parchment paper.
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!
I think this comment from Dawn says it all:
“Throw out any of your other veggie burger recipes! Seriously. This. Is. The. One! No weird ingredients. I’m no gourmet foodie, I’m just plain jane and have regular things in my pantry and fridge and I had all of these ingredients. I added about 1 Tbsp chopped jalapeno (from a jar of sliced jalapenos). Love the sunflower seeds!! Do not over chop the black beans. I recommend mixing by hand in a bowl. I used my kitchen aid and they were too mush-i-fied. Even with my mess ups, these were very, very good. I immediately ate one from pan fried. The others I baked and will freeze. Then I will give them a try on the barbecue. Truly. I am going to remove other recipes from my Pinterest, and toss the others from my recipe box.
Thank you for making the Perfect Veggie Burger recipe!”
Finally! A veggie burger that stays together! I’ve attempted a few different veggie burger recipes, but this one has by far been the best one! We already had all of the ingredients in the house, and the recipe was straight forward. I used homemade bread crumbs by baking 2 pieces of bread at 250 for 10 minutes and then put it in a food processor. I was able to get 7 Patties from the recipe. The texture of the burger was great and it had a ton of flavor!
I’m so happy to hear the recipe’s a hit, Ryan! It’s a big favourite around here, too.
I just made these and they are hands down the best veggie burgers i’ve ever had. Thanks for the recipe
So glad you enjoyed them, Susan!! They’re a big fave at my house, too. :)
This was delicious! I’m not a fan of burgers that just taste like beans and this was perfect! I really enjoyed the texture the oats gave it as well. Thank you for such a yummy recipe!
So glad the recipe was a hit, Allison!
I can confirm – these are easy and awesome. Likely to become a weekly staple in our house :)
This month I have been trying to do a healthier food choice, I’ve been trying veggie as well, this recipe sounds delicious and the comments prove that, definitely trying this very soon :D
Hope you enjoy it, Ana!
With the leftover mixture of this recipe I made a wonderful vegetarian “kofta” curry. I shaped the mixture into “balls” and fried them with very little sunflower seed oil. Once they were golden all over I set them aside and made my “kari” or curry. I browned some onions and put them aside, I made fresh crushed garlic, crushed ginger, ground cumin, cayenne, paprika, into a paste and fried it in some sunflower seed oil until the mixture separated the oil from the paste and salted to taste. I added the browned onions and finally slowly released the veggie balls into the “kari”. it was excellent. I served with Basmati rice and cucumber salad.
Thanks for your great recipe.
I read this article http://animal-welfare.org/worlds-best-burger/.
Found out that a foodie startup named Impossible Foods, has made a delicious vegan burger that meat lovers will enjoy.
The burgers are available at New York restaurant Momofuku Nishi, cost is affordable at $12.
These burgers are BOMB.
hearty, crispy, chewy- they even have a meat-like texture.
The preparation required some effort but it was WORTH IT!
will definitely make this again.
Thanks Angela!!
I’m so glad the burgers were a hit, Tiff!
Is this recipe for the perfect veggie burger in either of your cook books? I’d like to buy a book as a gift and this recipe is my fave
Ok, I tried this recipe last night. Loved it. it kept its shape, had great flavour and crunch and I could dress it up and it could take all the condiments. I love the texture so much that I am considering making into a vegetarian “kofta” curry with it, making them into a ball and releasing them into a spicy curry to eat with rice. Thank you!
Oh, that sounds like an awesome twist, Sonila! I’d love to hear how it goes if you try it.
Amazing!!!!! I couldn’t wait to go to the store so I used pink beans and added extra buckwheat flour instead of bread crumbs but this is now goin to be my go to burger recipe. I’m not just think My of all of the different spice combinations I might want to try. Thank you this recipe is fantastic
I love these veggie burgers!! I haven’t bought veggie burgers from the store ever since I tried this recipe. I double the recipe and freeze them so I can just take one out of the freezer whenever I want one (which could be 3 to 5 times a week lol). I don’t usually leave comments, but I just had to comment on this one because it’s hard to find a great veggie burger. Thank you for sharing this recipe!
Thanks so much for your comment, Traci! I absolutely love freezing homemade burger patties, too; it’s just such a great way to make sure you always have some on hand for when a burger craving strikes. ;)
These burgers were super easy to make, and now that I have all of the ingredients it will be much cheaper to keep making them. Forget the $7.99 bag of 4 patties, these are way better and cheaper in the long run! Thank you for the recipe!
Dear Oh She Glows:
I just ordered your two cookbooks on recommendation of my son’s girlfriend. This burger recipe looks wonderful, but I am wondering what to substitute for the oats, if anything. My son’s doctor has eliminated grains from his diet. I would like to make these burgers for them sometime. Do you have any suggestions for a substitute for the oats?
Thanks very much!
Hey Nora, Thank you so much for supporting my cookbooks. I hope you enjoy cooking your way through them! In terms of the veggie burger, I’m sorry I don’t have an alternative at this time. I will definitely keep your question in mind the next time I make them though. If I was going to try something I might try a mix of almond meal or flour and arrowroot or potato starch (for binding), but I really wouldn’t know until it was tested a few times. All my best!
I have this same issue. Have you managed to do this burger grain free in the meantime?
These look great; thank you for providing the recipe. I wonder, though, about the discussion in the comments about using flax eggs versus real eggs. I don’t see eggs in the recipe list at all. Can you please clarify whether you still recommend them for the recipe and how many? Thank you.
Hey there! Thanks for the great question. The flax “eggs” are really just the 3 tablespoons of ground flax and 1/3 cup of warm water that you whisk together and set aside for 5 minutes or so in the second step. This little mixture helps everything stick together! (One flax egg is 1 tablespoon of flaxseed and 2.5-3 tablespoons of water, so this recipe takes the equivalent of about 3 flax eggs.) Does that help clarify things at all? Please let me know if you have any further questions!
I love this recipe…use it all the time.. it also makes a wonderful veggie loaf too. Absolutely yummy!!!
I’m so happy to hear that, Tanya! And what a great idea to use the recipe as a veggie loaf, too. :)
!!!@#$!! Trying to overcome a lifetime’s suspicion of vegetables and this marks a revolutionary moment in the evolution process! LOVE it! Thanks for sharing your awesome skills :-)
Aw, I’m so happy this recipe was a winner for you, Alex! :)
This is the fourth recipe I’ve made from your website, and it did not disappoint! I’m not a vegetarian or a vegan, but I absolutely love your recipes. You are so talented, Angela! The veggie burgers were wonderful. I used just one egg white and they bound together perfectly. I’ll be making these again.
First, I want to congratulate you on your blogging style. You didn’t drone on and on in the begining about irrelevant chatter. And you got right to the recipe. I despise scrolling for so long that my hand hurts just to read the recipe! Next, and most importantly, the recipe is awesome! Thanks so much!!?
Good recipe but wish I would have read the whole thing til the end. I baked the patties in the oven as indicated in the recipe and the burgers turned out dry. The skillet with oil is really the best way to go. I would have known this if i had read on! I froze the remaining patties. Next time, I’ll heat one up in a skillet with a good quality oil and flip it a few times til it’s nice and warm. That way, hopefully it will be more moist.
you may think they are dried out, but if you freeze them like they say, they are great warmed up and not dry at all.
What an awesome recipe. I made it last night and it was good but it got better after a night in the fridge. Its moist and packed with great flavors. The sunflower seeds were a great addition to this recipe.
Simply the best veggie burgers! We’ve tried so many, and this is finally the real deal. A great tasting burger that’s satisfying and delicious and healthy too. Thank you for a fantastic recipe!
Thanks for trying it, Stacy! I’m so glad the burgers were a hit.
I used this recipe as my inspiration but used some different ingredient, i.e. chickpeas not beans, mashed up broccoli not carrot, etc. just cuz those were what I had in my fridge. Also the BEST vegan burgers I have EVER made, so thanks!
hi there! with all the praise for this recipe, I feel like I must try it! only problem is, our son is allergic to oats. do you know if there would be a way to omit them?
Hi Cyndil, I’m sorry, I don’t have an alternative to oats at this time. But, if I were going to try something, I might try a mix of almond meal or flour and arrowroot or potato starch (for binding), but I really wouldn’t know how it’d work until it was tested a few times. If you decide to experiment, please let us know how it goes!
I plan on making these tomorrow but subbing almond meal for the oats. I’ll let you know how they turn out!
Hope they’re a hit, Shannon!!
Finally made these tonight…wow! They are really, really good. Simple recipe. EXACTLY as described. Thanks so much….sooooooo good!
I’m glad they were worth the wait, Nancy! ;) If you have any leftovers, enjoy!
Where do you buy a 14ounce can of beans? I can only find 540mL (19ounce) cans.
Hi Jacquie, You should be able to find them at your grocery store. If not, you can always measure out the amount you need (1 1/2 cups cooked chickpeas per 14-ounce can), and use the leftovers for sprinkling on top of a salad!
I now make these every week. On the weekend i made a double batch. They are so great for an easy delicious lunch. I leave out the sunflower seeds though. just a preference.
OMG you aren’t kidding!! I am in “squirrel mama” mode today – doing a sh*t ton of cooking to stock my freezer for the upcoming school year. So I made a batch and tested it on the fam to see if it was worthy of making more to freeze. And boy howdy were these a hit!! We ate the whole first batch!! Now on my way to making a double batch. Fingers crossed that some of them will make it to the freezer. Thanks so much! Deelish!
Just leaving this comment here so that everyone knows how multipurpose these veggie burgers really are! I have crumbled them and added them to a tomato sauce to make the easiest and most delicious meat free ‘bolognese’ sauce, which I served over spaghetti squash ‘noodles’ and it is honestly better than regular spaghetti! Also have crumbled and added them to salads for a bit of extra protein. The taste of these burgers is not overwhelming, and really seems to complement a variety of dishes.
These are great ideas, Liz! Thanks for sharing :) I’m so happy you’ve been loving the recipe.
Hi question the flax egg is just the flax with water ? Right
You got it, Janeth!
Okay so I have to leave a reply. These burgers blew my mind. I didn’t exactly have everything correct. Here’s a few things I did differently due to lack of ingredients: used pinto beans instead of black beans. Used Panko breadcrumbs. Used raw sunflower seeds. Skipped the fresh herbs just because we’re not such a fan. I baked these at 350 for 10 minutes and then gave them a quick grill. Put them on a brioche bun with our homemade honey mustard pickle chips, goat cheese and sliced avocado. My family literally devoured these. My husband said to me “the flavor of these is better than any burger I’ve ever had” and he is HARD to please with none meat products. Will be making these honestly at least once a week. Amazing!
I’m so glad this recipe was such a big winner, Gina–even with those subs! Thanks so much for taking the time to leave this lovely review. :)
Ok. Just made these burgers, and they are fantastic! My daughter asked if she could try one, broke In half, and gave the other half to her brother. After her first bite she snatched her brothers piece before he could get it to his mouth. I can’t wait to try these on the grill with some BBQ sauce! Great recipe!
I followed the recipe exactly, especially the cooling on a rack. BEST burger recipe and though they a good alone, the guacamole topping surely will be dish as well.
Thank you Liz, so happy they’re a hit!
These look delish! Unfortunately our oven is on the fritz. Can I just throw these on the BBQ?
thanks!
Hi there, I find the unbaked patties can stick to the grill if they aren’t pre-baked first. Are you able to pan-fry?
Is there anything we can use in substitute for the ground flax? I live extremely rural and the closest place I could buy it is over two hours away by car. Would it be OK to leave out? Thanks!
Hey Ael, Oh good question! The flax helps bind these so I’m not sure it would hold together without it. You could try chia seeds if you have some, or some readers have commented that they have swapped in real eggs I think.
I have to say my pet peeve is people that have not tried the recipe and put comments like ” looks great…must try this” I personally check review to see what people say AFTER they try the recipe. I am looking for tips on what went right and what didn’t and most importantly how it tastes. Sorry but I hardly saw any comments from people who have actually tried this recipe. I am going to post my review after I try it. I always enjoy OH SHE GLOWS RECIPES ?
Hi Marg, Thanks for your kind words about my recipes! A tip if you’re looking strictly for recipe reviews: Look for the comments with the star ratings, starting around comment #731 and below.
What can I use as a supstitute for carrots? I can’t eat carrots for health reasons.
Hey Jenena, Grated sweet potato should work just fine instead of the carrot. It’s perhaps a bit more dry than carrot so you may need to bake it a minute less or so, but not sure it would make a big difference. Hope this helps.
Can these be made ahead and frozen?
These are delicious. I used regular flour, cilantro, and a can of spicy chili black beans. I tossed the carrot in the blender as well as the onion and garlic because I hate chopping veggies. My boyfriend asked that next time I grind up or omit sunflower seeds, but I liked the crunch. Great flavor. Texture does not resemble meat but I do not mind. Made them for dinner and put the rest in the fridge for lunch and dinner tomorrow. thank you!!!!
Hey Madison, I’m so happy they were enjoyed…thanks so much for your review!
Can I use walnuts or pecans?
Hey Paula, Yes those nuts (chopped) should work just fine! I’d love to hear how it goes.
I just made your amazing veggie burger! I am such a happy camper ! It was delicious and of course healthy ! Is this recipe in a cookbook for purchase?
Hey Mary Anne, Oh that’s great news! Yes this recipe (or a very similar version) is in my first cookbook, The Oh She Glows Cookbook.
Thank you for this fab recipe – finally a veggie burger with the right texture and very tasty and nutritious! I made it tonight for my family and even my fussy 10 and 12 year old boys happily munched their way through two mini ones each in a soda bread bun served with salad and home made paprika potato wedges. I used 2 eggs instead of the flax meal, missed out the seeds (told you they were fussy) but substituted them with nutritional yeast flakes. I didn’t have tamari so I used light soy sauce instead and I substituted paprika for the chilli so they weren’t too hot for the boys. My husband and I had our topped with some sliced fried garlic mushrooms and a chilled glass of prosecco on the side (well it’s 22 years ago today that we met!) and we thoroughly enjoyed our dinner! Will definitely try out more of your recipes, thanks again :-)
Hey Wendy, Oh I’m so happy that you all loved it, and that it worked with the swaps! Thanks so much for sharing :) I’d love to hear what other recipes you try next.
I was raised eating veggie burgers that consisted of canned vegeburger, chopped onions and eggs. But now, I make mushroom oat burgers, that are delicious, without gluten. Nutburgers like the one in Fair Oaks, CA called the Sunflower drive in is really delicious; they use sunflower seeds and falafel seasoning. Walnuts or pecans are a must, to give a meaty texture. I use oats, cooked and raw, depending on the recipe, and always use eggs for a binder and flavor. Eggs can be omitted in you cook the oatmeal into mush to bind your burger together.
This is top-notch… I’ve tried veggie burgers at home a bunch of times and this is by far the best. Every bit as good as anything store bought IE Garden Burger brand or Bocca. This could be on any restaurants “vegetarian” selection. Really nice job coming up with this.
Hey John, Wow thank you so much…your kind words about this recipe made my day. So glad you love it as much as we do!
Hi! These sounds amazing! I’m alergic to sunflower seeds. ANY substitution ideas?
Thanks!
Hey Amanda, I would try chopped roasted pepita seeds. :)
Try adding cooked kamut. It gives a nice chewy texture. I’m going to try this! Thanks!
Did not have time to read all comments…when freezing can these be reheated in microwave? Making for mom who is getting too tired to heat pan/oven etc. Thanks
These veggie burgers are so delicious and filling. I love all of Angela’s recipes, but this is one of my favorites, because the ingredients are so accessible and easy to work with. These burgers are definitely going to become one of my staples.
Wow, thank you Courtney! I really appreciate your kind words :)
In my life of cooking (60+yrs) the best thing since sliced bread is Reynolds NON STICK aluminum foil. My suggesttion is this….don’t ever let yourself run out!! Absolutely nothing nothing nothing nothing sticks to it. Used it for kabobs….what a miracle. Don’t have to fight with rolling the kabobs around or anything. When I think of these veggie burgers being done on the grill…..this is the thing to use!! I give the foil a few slices to let the charcoal flavor come thru. You absolutely won’t believe how wonderful it is. Honestly….you won’t believe it. As for the recipe noted above……ITS NEXT ON MY LIST OF FIXING MY NUTRITIONAL LIFE. I have every intention of doubling the recipe and freezing them raw. I am single, so I want to be able to pull a few out at a time.
This is the first comment I have posted but feel compelled to say how awesome the black bean veggie burger recipe is…lots of ingredients but what flavor! Only drawback is that i’m being asked to continually make them. lol
Thanks again
p.s do you have any other veggie burger recipes that incorporate different beans?
Bob
Hey Robert, I’m so glad these were such a hit! I can relate to being requested to make them often ;)
You can definitely try changing up the beans and flavours in this recipe. I do have a couple recipes but they are very old so I would want to re-test/tweak them before recommending.