The Best Veggie Burger (Better Than Store-bought)

These veggie burgers are packed with vegetables! See how to make homemade veggie burgers that are hearty, flavorful and full of vegetables. These delicious vegetable-packed burgers are high in fiber (5 grams) and come in at just under 200 calories for one patty. Vegan substitutes are included in the recipe. Jump to the Best Veggie Burger Recipe

Watch The Video

Veggie Burger Recipe Video

How to Make the Best Veggie Burgers

When setting out to create this veggie burger recipe, we had one major goal. If we are going to call this a veggie burger, let’s make sure there are actually vegetables in it. Have you noticed that most of the veggie burger recipes, we stumble onto online are almost 100% beans. We add beans to this recipe, but they are far from the star. (If you are looking for a simple black bean burger recipe, though, here’s our favorite version. They are so easy!)

How to make veggie burgers that are hearty, flavorful and full of vegetables.

We add more than 8 cups of vegetables — that’s 1 cup of veggies for every burger. We aren’t trying to imitate a real meat burger here — see our no-fuss hamburger recipe or this seriously good turkey burger if that’s what you’re craving.

Mimicking meat is difficult to do and to be honest, I think it discredits how delicious vegetables can actually be. These meatless burgers hold up when cooking, fit nicely on a burger bun and don’t smoosh out the sides when you take a bite. Most importantly, they are delicious.

We have a meatball recipe, too! Try our plant-based vegan meatballs recipe made with lentils, mushroom, and onion. They are delicious!

Let’s Make Veggie Burgers, You Can Do This!

There’s no getting around the fact that vegetable burgers take more time to make than regular hamburgers, but they are well worth it (trust us).

Nothing is difficult about the process, so stick with us. You can do this!

Rule one when it comes to making a great meatless burger — get rid of excess moisture. It’s the extra moisture that causes some vegetable or bean burgers to smoosh so easily in the middle. We deal with this in two ways:

  • Roast the vegetables until caramelized and extra moisture has evaporated. We chop the veggies into tiny bits first and then roast them.
  • Roast the beans for about 15 minutes so they split open and dry out a bit (see the photo below).
Roast the beans for about 15 minutes so they split open and dry out a bit.
Roasting the beans until they split open and look dry minimizes moisture in the burgers, which makes a better veggie burger.
Veggie burger patties

Rule two for making the best veggie burger — keep lots of texture. No one wants a boring burger, right?

See how you can actually identify different textures and ingredients in our photos? That’s a good thing. Instead of biting into a patty with one color and one texture, these feel more “meaty” and have more oomph when you bite. We add texture four ways:

  1. A food processor helps to chop vegetables so they look like coarse crumbs. This makes up most of the burger, which means you see the little bits of vegetable throughout the patty (see the photo below).
  2. Two eggs help firm up the middles of the burgers so they stay together when you take a bite. If you don’t eat eggs, don’t worry, flax eggs are an excellent substitute. I’ve shared our tips below.
  3. Watch out for over processing the burger mixture.
  4. Fold in cooked brown rice before forming the burger patties. The rice gives extra texture and bites back a bit when you take a bite.
Veggie burger ingredients in food processor
Using a food processor to chops the veggies until they are tiny bits gives the burgers great texture.

Making Vegan Veggie Burgers

When we first created this recipe, we called on eggs to help bind the burger together. They work like a charm, but since sharing these burgers with you, many of you have asked about making them vegan friendly.

Flax eggs are perfect in this recipe! They help bind and firm up the middles of the burgers. Here’s what you’ll need to make these veggie burgers vegan:

  • Use 2 flax eggs instead of the 2 eggs called for in the recipe. (Readers have commented that chia eggs work, as well. We have not tried this, yet.)
  • To make 2 flax eggs, whisk 2 tablespoons flaxseed meal with 6 tablespoons water. Set the mixture aside for 15 in the refrigerator then use in the recipe below.

Make Ahead Tips

Once you make the burger mixture, you can keep it in the fridge for 24 hours. Or you can form the patties, cook them and freeze up to three months (this is what we do).

Cooking The Veggie Burgers

Cooking the burgers is simple. Use a skillet over medium-low heat. You can do this on the stovetop or on a grill. (If you are grilling, we recommend still using a cast iron skillet or griddle). Baking them is an option, too (although, we do prefer the crunchy exterior you achieve when cooking them in a skillet).

These are still vegetable burgers after all, so take care when you handle them. They hold up well, but it is best to use a soft touch when moving them around or flipping.

More Vegetarian / Meatless Recipes

The Best Veggie Burger Recipe - Better Than Store-bought

The Best Veggie Burger (Better Than Store-bought)

  • PREP
  • COOK
  • TOTAL

There’s no getting around the fact that vegetable burgers take more time than regular hamburgers, but they are well worth it (trust us). Nothing is difficult about the process, so stick with us. You can do this! Once you make the burger mixture, you can keep it in the fridge for 24 hours. Or you can form the patties, cook them and freeze up to three months (this is what we do).

Makes 8 (3 1/4 ounce) veggie burgers

Watch Us Make the Recipe

You Will Need

8 ounces (225 grams) mushrooms

1 medium carrot

1 ½ cups (85 grams) broccoli florets

1/4 medium onion

2 medium garlic cloves

2 tablespoons (30 grams) oil such as olive oil, avocado oil or grape seed, plus more for cooking

1 teaspoon smoked paprika

1 teaspoon chili powder

3/4 teaspoon fine sea salt

1/4 teaspoon fresh ground black pepper

1 (15-ounce) can black beans, drained and rinsed

1/3 cup (35 grams) walnut halves (about 14 halves)

2 cups packed (85 grams) spinach leaves

Handful tender fresh herbs like chives, parsley or cilantro (optional)

1/2 cup (35 grams) panko breadcrumbs or use homemade breadcrumbs

2 large eggs or flax eggs

1 tablespoon (15 grams) tomato paste

3/4 cup (115 grams) cooked brown rice

Bread rolls, lettuce, tomato, cheese and favorite burger sauces

Directions

  • Prepare Veggies and Beans
  • 1Heat the oven to 400 degrees F. Line two rimmed baking sheets with foil, parchment paper or silicon baking mats.

    2Using a damp paper towel, brush all dirt from mushrooms. Cut away and discard any hard stems. Roughly chop the mushrooms, carrot, broccoli and onion into 1/2-inch chunks. Toss vegetables into the bowl of a food processor. Add the garlic, olive oil, smoked paprika, chili powder, salt and pepper. Close the lid and pulse 10 to 20 times until coarsely ground.

    3Spread the ground vegetables onto one of the lined baking sheets. Pat them down with a spatula until a very thin layer of vegetables covers the majority of the baking sheet. Roast the vegetables for 15 minutes. (If the veggies around the outer edges start to turn dark brown, stir and press them back down into a thin layer).Spreading the Vegetables

    4Meanwhile, spread the drained black beans onto the second baking sheet in one layer. When the vegetables have roasted for 15 minutes, stir them and press into a thin layer once more. Transfer both baking sheets (vegetables and the black beans) to the oven. Roast until the beans begin to split and look dry and the vegetables look drier and toasted, about 15 minutes. Let everything cool.

  • Make Burger Mix
  • 1While the beans and vegetables roast, rinse the food processor bowl and pat dry.

    2Place the walnuts, spinach and fresh herbs in it. Pulse until they are about the size of breadcrumbs.

    3Add cooled beans and pulse 5 to 10 times until the beans look crumbly with large crumbs.

    4Add the roasted vegetables, panko breadcrumbs, eggs and the tomato paste. Pulse until everything is just combined. You want to keep some texture, don’t pulse until a smooth mixture.

    5Scrape the mixture into a bowl and fold in the rice.

    6Refrigerate the veggie burger mix up to 24 hours. Or make patties, cook them and freeze wrapped in foil up to 3 months.

  • Cook Burgers
  • 1When you are ready to make the burgers, divide into 8 equal portions (about 3 1/4 ounces or 90 grams each). Form each portion into a 1/2-inch thick patty.

    2Heat a skillet over medium-low heat, add oil, and then place patties in one layer. (We use about 1 tablespoon of oil to cook 4 burgers). Cook until heated through, firm and browned on both sides, about 4 to 6 minutes on each side. If any bits fall from the sides as you flip, press them back into the sides of the patty. Be careful when flipping so they stay together.

    3For an outdoor grill, we recommend placing a cast iron pan or griddle over a low fire to cook the burgers.

    4To reheat frozen cooked burgers: Bake in a 350 degree F oven until heated through, 15 to 20 minutes. Or reheat in a skillet over medium-low heat until heated through, 5 to 10 minutes on each side. We do not recommend microwaving the patties (they steam and become floppy).

Adam and Joanne's Tips

  • One (15-ounce) can of beans has approximately 1 1/2 cups of cooked beans (here’s our recipe for home cooked black beans).
  • Other beans work for this recipe. Try cannellini beans, kidney beans and chickpeas.
  • Cooking brown rice: We love the texture and flavor of brown rice, but you can use white rice in its place. To cook brown rice, forget the package directions and cook it like you would pasta. Fill a large pot with lightly salted water, add the brown rice then let it cook, uncovered, at a simmer for 30 minutes. Drain the rice then add back to the pot off of the heat with a lid covering it so that it steams for an additional 10 minutes. This method is from Saveur and it really does make perfect brown rice.
  • Vegan / egg-free veggie burgers: If you don’t eat eggs, you can leave the eggs out and use flax eggs as a substitute. Whisk 2 tablespoons flaxseed meal with 6 tablespoons water. Set the mixture aside for 15 minutes in the refrigerator, and then use in the recipe to replace the eggs.
  • The nutrition facts provided below are estimates. We have used the USDA database to calculate approximate values.

If you make this recipe, snap a photo and hashtag it #inspiredtaste — We love to see your creations on Instagram and Facebook! Find us: @inspiredtaste

Nutrition Per Serving Serving Size 1 burger patty (no bread/cheese/toppings) / Calories 188 / Protein 8.3g / Carbohydrate 22.7g / Dietary Fiber 5.4g / Total Sugars 2.8g / Total Fat 8g / Saturated Fat 1.3g / Cholesterol 46.5mg / Sodium 321.2mg
AUTHOR:  Adam and Joanne Gallagher
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380 comments… Leave a Comment
  • Candace May 18, 2023, 8:12 pm

    Great recipe the whole family enjoyed!

    Reply
  • Lois April 11, 2023, 3:14 pm

    What is the best way to reheat?

    Reply
    • Joanne April 13, 2023, 5:42 pm

      I reheat in the oven (325F) or in a skillet over medium heat.

      Reply
  • Jane April 5, 2023, 12:05 pm

    Hi. I’ve made these burgers several times now and they turn out so well. Is it possible to make them without the walnuts – my little grandson doesn’t eat them.

    Reply
    • Joanne April 13, 2023, 5:43 pm

      Yep! You can leave them out, or use different nuts. My favorite substitution is sunflower seeds.

      Reply
    • Manjari May 20, 2023, 4:05 pm

      I tried with pumpkin seeds and worked just fine!

      Reply
  • Maria April 1, 2023, 7:16 pm

    Made these burgers this evening. Absolutely delicious. Wonderful selection of vegetables. Nutritionally very balanced. Will be having them regularly. Thank you!

    Reply
  • Ido March 28, 2023, 9:13 am

    Best veggie burger I have ever had. I found this recipe a week ago and since then I have been making it for me and my friends 3 times already lol.
    This one is healthy for real and not just healthy in relation to other unhealthy versions (you can lower the amount of rice and panko) so I eat it with joy. Thank you! *tips: 1. To get the beautiful thick even circle patty shape, I pressed the mixture with a spoon, into a round flat in the bottom plastic food container with the radius of a meat patty (its easier to shape it while its cold from the fridge). 2. small food processor works too. just work in cycles and put every blended mixture in a large bowl and then mix well (silicone spatula is you best friend).

    Reply
    • Joanne April 13, 2023, 5:44 pm

      We are thrilled you enjoy it! Thanks for sharing your tips.

      Reply
  • Rose March 21, 2023, 9:07 pm

    Just out of curiosity why don’t you roast the veggies before you put them in the food processor?

    Reply
    • Joanne April 13, 2023, 5:44 pm

      It speeds up the roasting and gets more moisture out of the veggies.

      Reply
  • Eric March 18, 2023, 11:17 pm

    Absolutely delicious

    Reply
  • Kimberly Davis March 12, 2023, 9:23 pm

    My son is vegetarian and my husband isn’t. With grocery prices increasing this was a nice addition to my freezer options for my teenager versus paying 11$ for 3 chick’n patties. I’ve frozen chickpeas fritters, but I precooked them froze. Any good ideas on how to freeze the mix? Tried molding them into Pattie’s and freezing like I would ground beef. Not sure how they will turn out

    Reply
    • Joanne April 13, 2023, 5:45 pm

      Hi Kimberly, freezing the uncooked patties should work. I also have success with freezing cooked patties.

      Reply
  • Monica Sekhon March 4, 2023, 10:50 pm

    Mine were mushy in the center. I’m thinking next time I’ll pan fry to brown. Then bake to cook the center a little more firm. Flavor was on point tho.

    Reply
  • Dee February 12, 2023, 7:56 pm

    Decided I wanted to make my own veggie burger rather than buy them. Very tasty and easy to make. I didn’t have Panko so I made breadcrumbs from a slice of yeast free sourdough bread.appreciate the flax egg recipe as a sub for the eggs. Also froze them looking forward to reheating the frozen burgers Next time I might add more cilantro n garlic.

    Reply
  • LinRP February 11, 2023, 5:05 pm

    These are delicious! They came out perfectly. I have been trying to find a plant-based burger that isn’t full of things I don’t want to eat. This recipe hits all my markers. Thank you!

    Reply
  • Claire January 30, 2023, 2:20 pm

    Really good recipe ! We’ve been eating too much meat so found this recipe for meatless Monday . Struggled in past to find a good veggie burger recipe. Kids ( teenagers ) came home and pulled faces when they heard what was on the menu. Guess what ? They ate the lot !!! I was a bit unsure as the mixture seemed really wet compared to the video. I added a few more panko breadcrumbs, it was still wet but amazingly all held together in the pan and was perfect in the buns. So much goodness too.
    A winner in this house 🙂

    Reply
    • Joanne January 31, 2023, 1:27 pm

      That’s amazing, Claire! Thanks for coming back and sharing.

      Reply

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