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.
How much longer do you suggest baking the frozen veggie burgers? I’ve tried baking mine a few times, but I haven’t found the perfect baking time. And I don’t want to thaw out the veggie burgers because I think it defeats the purpose of frozen convenience (call me lazy if you want lol).
Glad to see you have so many lovely followers!
Yeas, don’t buy prefab. food. Buy organic and prepare everything yourself.
That way you know what you are eating.
Avoid the gm foods.
Personally I would use a dehydrator rater then a freezer. That way you maintain your nutrients and get a better pH balance.
Your doing a very good job of it! Good luck with the follow up.
Angela,
Thats such an amazing idea Angela…It looks so yummy! You dont have enough freezer space. Left to me I would like to have a double door deep freeze…I freeze just about anything…from dals, to tikka gravy to bread dough…
Shobha
I love these. I sometimes add organic taco seasoning, black beans, and trader joes tomatoless corn salsa for a southwest flair, and then I will cook and crumble them over a salad for a taco salad type effect.
I make double batches of these Perfect Veggie Burgers and I actually cook them in a nonstick pan before freezing them. I dont like sunflower seeds so I use pecans or even chopped almonds and its still fabulous. I make a wonderful snack for my seventeen year old son with these by taking Romain lettuce leaves and smearing them with a mixture of Veganaise and nutritional yeast . I then lay thin strips of purple onion on the leaves and top it with the pan warmed veggie burgers cut into thick strips . Its refreshing on a warm day and if you like more crunch you can use double leaves. After trying many homemade veggie burger recipes these are hands down the best and I will never use any other now that I have found these!
These are my favourite veggie burger recipe! I made one batch and just kept them in the fridge and used them within a few days, cooking them off the day I’d have them. I’m not sure if someone’s mentioned this, and I know you said you had trouble with these falling apart after freezing, so I cooked the next batch I made, let them all cool and come to room temperature, and then froze them. Just have to reheat them now, and even in the microwave the outside still has a bit of crispness too it. Just wanted to let you know another method that worked! I just had surgery on my wrist, and cooking is very difficult, so making these burgers ahead of time and freezing them has really been saving me from endless soup and take out! Thanks for sharing the recipe!!
these look great! Gonna have to try them soon!
I never defrost my veggie burgers. I find they hold together better when cooking from a frozen state
I am constantly making double batches of things and freezing half of them, so my family can have fast and easy (and non-processed food) meals in the future! Soups, stews, curries, muffins, pancakes, waffles, etc. The one we use most is: fully cooking waffles in huge batches, freezing them, then popping them in the toaster for breakfast to defrost and heat them. So much better than store bought frozen waffles, cheaper, and I can control the ingredients and minimize sugar content, since I don’t like feeding my toddler a lot of sugar first thing in the morning.
love this idea!
I’m so glad I stumbled across this recipe! My mouth is watering just looking at this recipe! I love freezing meals; for now I make basic breakfast burritos and freeze them for an easy grab-n-go in the morning. Can’t wait to make these this weekend!
I am adoring your recipes. Thanks so much for sharing!!!
Hi I’ve been following your blog about two weeks now and it’s been an incredible inspiration. I have been living in the kitchen making all sorts of recipes, including a double batch of the chickpea burgers which taste amazing! Thank you for sharing all your recipes. We are not a vegan family, but due to my sons food allergies I’ve learned to cook so many things from scratch to safely feed him. In our journey to eliminating dairy egg and nuts from our diet I’ve founds that the vegan lifestyle just suits us. I especially appreciate how easy it is to navigate your site and the fact that you include nut free alternatives. I have already made so many of your recipes, all fantastic. THANK YOU!!!
I will definately have to try these “make ahead and freeze” ideas. I have a bunch of leftover cooked lentils I’m trying to use up. Supper has been served and I don’t have much time after work to make them fresh so this would be a great idea.
One of my favorite things I like to make ahead is homemade vegetable broth. As I go along my daily routine, making salads or soups or any other recipe, I put them ends or “bruised” produce in a ziplock baggie and freeze them. This includes broccoli ends, carrot ends, celery ends, etc. I may even buy some produce from the clearance section if they are jusst beyond ripe. Then I add my seasonings like garlic and herbs from the garden and boil it all for about an hour (or simmer for less). I always put my steamer basket in the bottom of the pan so when it’s time to clean it out, most of it comes out with the basket. This reduces the straining. Then I use empty yogurt containers or freeze in ice cube trays. WAY better than canned…
Burgers were delicious. I doubled the recipe and put them in the freezer. I cooked 4 and they were yummy. I’m going to try this recipe using black beans next time.
Did you cook them straight from the freezer in the oven?
These were delicious! I froze a batch and they came out well. Has anyone tried to make fruit patties and if so can you share the recipe. We received a huge fruit hamper from igiftFRUITHAMPERS.com.au and need to use the fruit up :)
i was wondering how much of everything do i need ?
Want to know if something other than brown rice can be used. Am on LCHF diet.. and can’t use b. rice
sign me up for recipes
I made these and put them in the freezer. Then this morning took out some to thaw for dinner later (about 8 hours) I thawed them in the fridge.
Okay 8 hours later they were still solid as a rock!. They were quite thick so maybe that’s why. I had to leave them thawing, and won’t be able to use them til tomorrow night. Is it okay to leave food thawing so long in the fridge?
has anybody tried frying the patties from frozen?