This is a Veggie Burger recipe created by a carnivore, for carnivores. It is not a vegetarian burger pretending to be a meat burger, packed with obscure ingredients. This is just a flavour packed, juicy veggie patties that’s satisfyingly meaty with great texture!
Veggie Burger
A vegetarian burger will never taste like a beef burger. So forget trying to fake meat. Just make a tasty, meat free burger!
My idea of a perfect Veggie Burger is one that has less beans* and more veggies, a golden crust on the outside, moist on the inside but not soggy ( <– notorious problem with veggie burgers), with a nice meaty texture.
It only contains “normal” ingredients and most importantly, it has to be ultra tasty. I’m not willing to compromise on deliciousness just because this is meat free. It has to be just as tasty in its own right!!!
The BEST veggie burger gets a savoury flavour boost from mushrooms and parmesan. It has a meaty texture and a golden crust!
* Most Veggie Burgers are quite high in beans, presumably because it’s the easy solution. But beans tend to have a dense mushy texture, rather than a meaty texture, and they make the flavour of the veggie pattie excessively “beany” which is not what I wanted.
The secret to a killer veggie burger Veggie Burger….
Bake the beans and vegetables to dry them out slightly. This serves three purposes:
removing excess water to eliminate the soggy patty issue
improving the burger texture
intensifying flavour.
For the vegetables, I use mushrooms and carrots.
Mushrooms add great savoury flavour and add to the “meatiness” of the patty;
Carrots – I use carrots because it’s a low water content veg plus I like that it adds little bits of colour to the burger.
As for the beans, I use cannellini beans mainly for colour purposes. Other beans will work just fine – I’ve made this with red kidney beans, black beans, butter beans and chickpeas.
When you pull them out of the oven, they will look thoroughly unappetising. Wrinkled and dry. And that’s exactly what you want!!!
↑↑↑ Always amazes me how much mushrooms shrink. 🙂
Veggie burgers are healthier than beef burgers because they’re loaded with more nutrition and have far less fat.
4 STAGE BLITZ
I think you’ve already got the gist that texture is key with Veggie Burgers. Biting into a glorious towering burger only to find the patty is so soft it oozes out the sides and has the texture of baby food is truly one of the saddest food experiences you’ll ever have.
So here’s my (other) rule for a killer Veggie Burger – a 4 Stage Blitz. It’s key to control texture.
Blitz 1:
The cashews. Trust me, you need them. They add soft bits of texture into the Veggie Burger Mixture. Can’t separately identify it in the end result, but when you bite into it, you’ll notice if they’re absent. Blitz these first until they are chunky breadcrumbs.
Blitz 2:
Add the wrinkly dried out beans, carrots and mushrooms. Blitz again until they are crumbs. Don’t blitz into powder otherwise you lose texture – and remember, there’s still 2 blitzes to go!
Blitz 3:
Add the Flavourings. Parmesan, garlic, paprika, mayo (bit of fat + flavour), salt and pepper, plus egg to bind and some breadcrumbs to reduce some of the moisture content of the Veggie Burger mixture. Blitz again until it’s all well combined and it has a texture like meat mince (ground beef).
There’s room to move on the amount of blitzing in this step, as long as you can still see “bits” in the mixture. In the burger photo at the top of the post, I blitzed the mixture more than pictured in the step photo below so the side of the burger looks smoother.
Blitz 4:
Add brown rice and shallots / green onions, then blitz very quickly just to disperse. Don’t over blitz – if the rice gets mushed up, it turns gummy and gluey.
The brown rice adds more texture and oomph to the Veggie Burger. I tried it with and without, and it really makes a difference to make the Veggie Burger more “meaty”.
The shallots add freshness – you could sub this with chives or parsley, but don’t sub with onion or leek (they’re too watery).
The mixture should be wet enough so it holds together when you make patties, but it shouldn’t get stuck on your hands. If the mixture is too wet, add a touch of extra breadcrumbs and blitz quickly to disperse.
Not too thick, not too thin
I know, I know, you want gigantic, super thick Veggie Burgers. I’ve been there, and discovered the hard way that you can’t be greedy when it comes to Veggie Burgers.
Anything thicker than 2cm / 0.8″, and you’ll started experiencing soggy insides.
Any thinner than 1.3 cm, and it starts becoming more like crisp fritters.
So use this mixture to make between 4 to 6 patties that are about 10cm / 4″ rounds and no thicker than 1.8 cm / 0/7″ thick. Sensible size (6 patties), Standard (5 patties) or Mega (4 patties).
Golden crust
With beef burgers, it’s all about cooking hard and fast, and ensuring the inside isn’t overcooked. With Veggie burgers, it’s the opposite – ensuring the heat is low enough so it cooks all the way through without burning the outside.
Also – no skimping on oil! You need it, to ensure you get a nice golden crust on the burgers. Veggie Burgers have very little fat compared to beef burgers. So you need it!
And here it is! Hopefully you can see from the photo that the inside looks firm but still moist, with plenty of texture. It’s by no means crunchy at all, all those “bits” you see give the patty meatiness so you feel like you’re biting into something substantial rather that something soft and wimpy.
Just like a meaty beef burger! 😂
Worth the effort
There’s no denying it. Veggie Burgers take more effort than making beef burgers.
Is it worth it?
YES. No question about it.
It is actually really hard to buy a good veggie burger, at least here in my area. The ones at the supermarket are just offensive. And every time I’ve taken the plunge and chosen a veggie over a meat burger when I’m eating out, I’ve always been disappointed.
And it was one such disappointing experience that kicked me into action to make a killer homemade Veggie Burger.
It’s everything a burger should be – it’s satisfying, it’s juicy, it’s “meaty” and most importantly of all, it’s so darn tasty! – Nagi x
More really great recipes that just happen to be Vegetarian
Chickpea Curry with Potato (Chana Aloo Curry)
Browse Vegetarian recipes
WATCH HOW TO MAKE IT
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Veggie Burgers
Ingredients
Beans and Veggies:
- 250g/8oz mushrooms, sliced
- 2 tsp olive oil
- 400g / 14 oz can cannellini beans, drained (Note 1)
- 1 large carrot , grated
Patties:
- 1/2 cup (70g) cashews, raw unsalted (Note 2)
- 1/2 cup (55g) panko breadcrumbs (Note 3)
- 1/2 cup (50g) grated parmesan
- 1 egg
- 2 tbsp mayonnaise
- 1 garlic clove , minced
- 1/2 tsp each paprika, salt and pepper
- 3/4 cup (150g) cooked brown rice (Note 4)
- 3/4 cup green onions , sliced
Burger:
- 2 – 3 tbsp olive oil (or other)
- Soft buns, lettuce, tomato, cheese, pickles, sauces, avocado, beetroot
On the side
Instructions
Beans and Veggies:
- Preheat oven to 180C/350F (standard) or 160C/320F (fan/convection).
- Pile mushrooms on a baking tray. Drizzle over oil, toss, then spread on the tray.
- Spread beans on another tray, sprinkle carrots all over.
- Put beans on top shelf and mushrooms on the shelf underneath.
- Bake for 15 minutes or until surface of beans is dried out and splitting and they look thoroughly unappetising, and the carrots around the edge of the tray are a bit golden. (Note 5) Remove tray with beans from oven.
- Move mushrooms to top shelf, bake for further 10 minutes until dried out and wrinkly. Remove from oven, cool.
Patties:
- Place cashews in food processor. Blitz until they are breadcrumb size, don’t blitz to powder.
- Add beans, mushrooms and carrot. Blitz on high for 10 seconds or until chopped to large crumb size (see video and photos).
- Add breadcrumbs, egg, parmesan, garlic, paprika, mayonnaise, salt and pepper. Blitz for 15 – 30 seconds until it comes together like meat burger mixture but you can still see bits in it. (Note 6)
- Add rice and shallots, blitz for 2 seconds until just dispersed (over blitzed rice = gluey).
- Mixture should hold together well to form patties, but not stick to hands. If too wet, add breadcrumbs. If too crumbly, blitz more.
- Shape into 4 – 6 patties, between 1.5 – 1.8cm / 0.6 – 0.7″ thick and 10cm / 4″ wide (Note 7). Refrigerate for at least 1 hour.
To Cook – Stove:
- Cook burgers cold, straight from the fridge.
- Heat 2 – 3 tbsp olive oil skillet on the stove over medium to medium-high heat.
- Add 3 – 4 patties and cook until deep golden and crispy, 4 minutes. Carefully flip then cook the other side for 4 minutes until golden, then transfer to paper towel lined plate to drain.
BBQ:
- Cook cold, straight from fridge. Brush BBQ and Veggie patties with oil. Heat BBQ to medium high. Cook 4 minutes each side until a nice dark crust forms.
Assemble:
- Toast buns, spread top bun with relish or sauce of choice. Top with your choice of burger fillings and the Veggie Burger, then more sauce if desired.
Recipe Notes:
Nutrition Information:
LIFE OF DOZER
At a weekend gathering. His eyes are just at eye level. What torture for him! 😂
Hi Nagi, tried these tonight and they were so good! Only question though – I found when I pan fried them, they absorbed a LOT of oil. Any tips on how to minimise the level of oil absorption? Thanks!
I am making these tomorrow night… I quick question… Looks like the beans should not be rinsed, only drained?
LOVE the details/notes!
Hi Lynn, I usually just drain off the excess liquid – no need to rinse. N x
Hi Nagi
I enjoyed your veggie burger and still experimenting with different flavors. Will keep you posted on anything I discover.
Please give dozer a hug for me.
Your friend from Canada
Dennis
Great to hear Dennis!
Mmmmm. Great flavour and texture! My family calls it the “wrinkly bean burger”! We all love it. Thanks for the notes, so helpful.
I LOVE this 😂 I’ll never look at veggie burgers the same again!
We make a lot of veggie burgers around here (and meat burgers!) and these are the best of the best!! So so good.
That’s great to hear Jessica!! N x
Hello from Sydney, any recommendations to sub out the mayonnaise and the egg?
Many thanks,
Simone
Hi Simone – I haven’t tried with any substitutes sorry! N x
This was great !! A few different elements that needed to be put together but well worth the effort. It didn’t even taste vegetarian ! Thanks Nagi
I swapped the beans for chickpeas and the rice for quinoa.. worked out perfectly!
Nagi
We love you!! We have cooked quite a few of your recipes for our fussy teenage mutants and guess what:
=They love them.
=The dishes always work perfectly.
=We are now officially Cool Parents.
Thanks so much, your Veggie Burgers are now on our Family Hot Five! Along with four of your other Winners…
Hugs from Craig, Donna and the ‘Three Stranger Things’!
“Cool parents” this is the BEST! 😂
I am making these for dinner for my husband and me. Found out my processor is too small, but that’s okay. After today, I’m pretty sure that I’m getting a full sized food processor for my birthday. Thank you for all the hard work you put into your recipes so all we have to do is follow the directions for top quality meals.
You’ll find so many uses for it Lisa, they’re great!! N x
Now that I am retired and have time to cook, I’m trying all sorts of recipes. I look forward to your post every day…especially the stuff with Dozer. Oh, Hubby said that he’d be willing to eat these instead of beef burgers.
Just had this for dinner… With hummus, spicy onion relish, mayo and lettuce. Delicious. My husband went ‘where’s the wrapper for this? ‘ to read what’s in it. When I said I made them he was so impressed…Priceless. Thanks Nagi for all your brilliant recipes.
Will have some more tomorrow. Made a large batch blindly based on the other comments. 😁
I did the vegetable stir fry and ended up making 14 meals and put them in the freezer.I then have ready made meals that are microwaved and enjoyed, They are very tasrt indeed.
That’s amazing Kevin – perfect for those busy times!!
No one in my family likes mushrooms. Is there an alternative to replace the mushrooms with?
I haven’t tried without Virginia – I find the mushrooms give it an umami flavour but it doesn’t overpower the burger!
Oh Nagi, I haven’t made these yet but am soooo looking forward to doing so. There’s nothing better than a GOOD veggie burger, but yours sound SUBLIME! Can’t wait to make these next weekend! Thanks very much for the numerous recipes of yours that I have already made!
Oh my gosh I LOVE these burgers!!! I am a hardcore carnivore but most of the time, I would take these over beef burgers if I had the time to make them! That’s how much I love them!
These burgers ROCK! The flavor and texture are fantastic. Thanks
Wahoo, that’s great to hear!!!
I can’t tell you how much I love this recipe!! I work in the military with mostly males and brought these patties for myself to a social BBQ – ended up being asked for more and to bring extra next time!
That’s awesome Carly!!
Nagi you did it again! But with veggies!!! This is my first try at veggie burgers, and the family thought they were delicious! The texture of these burgers is sort of meaty and as a carnivore I really loved that. I didnt miss the meat at all! It was definitely worth the work. Even though I doubled the recipe and found that my small food processor wasn’t big enough to cope. Still very impressed.
I’m so glad you loved them Miri – such a good way to get in extra veggies without missing the meat ❤️
Great recipe! First try and a sceptical family was convinced! Thanks.
By far the best veggie burgers I have ever had. So tasty with great texture. It is so important to read thru all of your instructions and tips before starting. There were very helpful and important to the end product. I will spend more time forming patties too. I cannot use as much oil as recommended, but I used what I felt would work and maybe burgers were not quite as brown, but still
so good. Thank you for all your wonderful recipes. Will definitely try many more of the vegetarian dishes.
I’m so glad you loved them Judy!! Another option would be to spray with oil and oven bake it you’re trying to cut back ❤️
Great suggestion on the oil. I will definitely try that method next time. My husband tried one of my burgers tonite and loved it. That was a major event at my house! Thanks again for all your recipes and excellent instructions.
Yep definately the best veggie burgers I have made so far. Firm and tasty, even without the Parmesan cheese!
That’s great to hear Aaron!
This was sensational!
We’ve had home made veggie/bean burgers before but nothing that even came close to these.
The instructions were excellent and easy to follow.
The burgers were firm, meaty and hearty and tasted amazing.
As a bonus the pink sauce was delicious.
They can convert any carnivore can’t they Matt!