Best Homemade Veggie Burger Recipe

[veggiequeen]

Looking for the best flavor'd homemade veggie burgers out there. My usual go to is a southwestern flavors (cilantro, garlic, cumin....) black bean mix -- need some new great ideas! Thanks V Hounds!

[Laura D.]

I tried two new veggie burgers lately and really enjoyed both of them.

The first is a sweet potato and white bean based burger:
http://kblog.lunchboxbunch.com/2012/02/easy-sweet-potato-veggie-burgers-with.html
This tasted delicious but unfortunately upset my stomach a bit. I have a pretty sensitive stomach, though.

The second one is a bit different but surprised me with how good it was. It is a quinoa and chickpea burger, though you don't taste the chickpeas at all:
http://www.howsweeteats.com/2012/09/c...
I made these full sized as opposed to slider sized. They do fall apart quite easily, but if you can get them into the pan and get the first side cooked without breaking them you should be okay. And, they are still delicious broken...just a bit challenging to eat on a bun.

Enjoy!

[ljamunds]

Isa Chandra's Beet Burgers are amazing!

http://www.theppk.com/2012/02/quarter...

We make big batches of 12 patties in the VitaMix and freeze 10 of them. They freeze and thaw quite nicely. I always have mine with a bit of hot sauce and goat cheese on a bed of greens, while husband has them with a slice of Swiss and a wholegrain bun. They're very filling, so you'll really only want one per person.

[free sample addict aka Tracy L]

Thanks for the link! Excellent site. I tried the olive lentil burgers. They were really good. The beet burgers are next.
http://www.theppk.com/2010/12/olive-l...

[Jpan99]

I make eggplant burgers. Don't have exact quantities of ingredients because I don't ever measure stuff. Basically I bake whole eggplants at 400 degrees until soft. 45 minutes to an hour, depending on how big. Use long, thin eggplants which tend to have less seeds. Prick all over with fork, place on foil lined cookie sheet and toss in the oven.

Let cool then scrape out flesh and mash it up.. Remove any large rows of seeds. Too many seeds makes it bitter. Saute veggies in olive oil. This can vary depending on taste. I've done onions and red peppers. Onions and carrots. Onions and zucchini. As you can see I always use onions and something else but you could do any combo of 2 or more veggies.

Mix saute veggies into eggplant then add cheese. What kind depends on veggies. For onion, red pepper and zucchini I use feta. I just did carrot and onion and used shredded cheddar. Add enough bread crumbs to be able to form into patties that hold a shape. Season with salt and pepper. Fry in non-stick pan with oil or cooking spray.

I make a bunch of these, lay them on a cookie sheet lined with plastic wrap and put in the freezer to harden. Then place in freezer storage bags. When I want to cook one I just cook it frozen in a non-stick pan with cooking spray over medium heat. Takes about 12 minutes or so to thaw and cook. Get's browned and crispy on the outside. Really good as is or made into a sandwich.

I've also made with brown rice, in which case you can cut down on the bread crumbs but it always needs a little crumbs to help hold it together.

[CulinaryColleen]

Kenji's from Serious Eats are amazing:

http://www.seriouseats.com/recipes/20...

They're a little involved, but totally worth it I think!

[jules127]

I made indian spiced red lentil burgers the other day and I really enjoyed them. Cooked red lentils, seasoned heavily with garam masala, cumin, onions and cilantro, fried then served on naan with a dollop of greek yogurt.

http://www.crumbblog.com/2012/03/indi...

[noya]

I really like chloe coscarelli's burger--yum yum yum!http://chefchloe.com/entrees/mexicali...

[Jetgirly]

I made a batch of these the other day, and they're good. They do have that southwestern seasoning but I think it would be easy to go Indian or Middle Eastern with chickpeas and different seasonings, or even Italian with cannellini beans and a seasoning change-up.

http://ohsheglows.com/2011/07/13/our-...

[marissaj]

http://danielletocker.blogspot.com/20...

[Funkalicious]

Have you ever a veggie burger from Houston's /J Alexander / Hillstone restaurants??

Houston's says the patty itself is vegan but the bun is grilled in butter which makes it so good!! They're so expensive in NYC $18, so this is my version which is pretty close to the taste & lot cheaper. I'm impressed, that I made extra batch of patties and froze them. If you have any suggestion to improve, please let me know.

2 tablespoons Soy
2 tablespoons Molasses
2 tablespoons Honey
2 tablespoon Hoisin

1 1/2 cups cooked brown rice (I used pre-cooked frozen rice from Wholefoods)
2 cups Soaked,cooked dry black beans, drained or (15 ounce) can black beans rinse& drained
1/4 cup oat bran
1/2 white onion, finely chopped
4 garlic cloves, finely chopped
2 beets,roasted, finely chopped or 2 tablespoons of canned beets (drained & chopped)
1 jalapeno pepper, finely chopped
2 Medjool dates, diced could also use prunes/ figs
1/4 teaspoon chili powder
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1 teaspoon kosher salt
2 egg portion of Ener-G Egg Replacer (to bind) or 2 egg whites
2 teaspoons olive oil

1. Homemade BBQ Sauce - Stir together 2 tablespoons each of Soy, Molasses, Honey and Hoisin. set to the side.

2. Salute Onion & Garlic until soft, not brown. At same time Roast two beets -little olive oil and salt sealed in aluminum foil at 375 till soft to the touch.

3. In a large bowl, mash the beans slightly. Stir in 3 tablespoons of the barbecue mixture (reserving remaining for brushing) and remaining ingredients -- rice through Ener-g egg. Place in Refrigerator for 1 hour prior to forming into into four 6 oz patties.

4. Get a cast iron skillet smoking, add a coat of olive oil. Grill burgers for 2 minutes on one side. Turn and brush with remaining BBQ sauce mixture, Top with your version of cheese if you wish & grill for another 2 minutes or until cheese is melted.

5. Serve with lettuce, tomatoes, pickles, onions and mustard on a bun which has been grilled in Earth Balance vegan butter spreads.

I think it nailed the patty really close to Houston's/Hillstone, but their homemade bun is very special too.

http://www.nytimes.com/2011/03/23/din...

[Jaimie]

I hate it when people comment about how delicious a recipe sounds before they have made it, but I so want to thank you for working to replicate the Houston's burger. I agree it is the best veggie burger out there and now there's a chance I can make it myself. It's hard to believe how much they charge for it, but it's worth it on the rare occasion I am somewhere I can enjoy it. I'll post again after giving it a try. I wonder if the potato buns in the July 2012 Cook's Illustrated would be a good substitue for the bun? I made them for Thanksgiving rolls and they weren't quite yeasty enough for that purpose, but they had a very nice grain and they aren't difficult to make.

[Funkalicious]

Have you try making these yet. I make a large batches and freeze the patties for when I in rush or don't feel like cooking. The only thing I haven't master is how Houston shape their patties without falling apart.

[Jaimie]

Finally had all the ingredients in the house and made this. It was delicious and very close to the original, especially with the charred barbecue sauce flavor. Thank you. I'm going to look for a rich dough to make slider buns for the patties this weekend because I want to serve them for my book club next week. I'll report back if I find a bun worthy of the burger.

[MplsM ary]

These are very good. I read all the comments and followed the suggestion of using rolled oats instead of flour. I also did double the brown rice and added diced chipotles. Excellent.
http://www.thekitchn.com/restaurant-r...

[Musie]

Did you use 2 tbsp of rolled oats or did you add extra?

[MplsM ary]

I added 2 Tbsp and then let it rest for a few minutes. It was still a little wet so I added another Tbsp or so. If I'd let the onions and beets cook longer I might've gotten by with 2. You just have to experiment.

[pinehurst]

If you're not vegan and you eat fish, these salmon burgers are awesome and very simple.
http://www.bbcgoodfood.com/recipes/77...

[MplsM ary]

Fish is not something vegetarians eat.

[alc]

Have you tried the one in the Mark Bittman How to C ev Veg with beets and dried fruit? I think it's called "winter veg burger" or something like that. For whatever reason I never set out to make veg burgers but have intended to try that one for some time becuase it looks quite good on paper. (My usual won't help here: put all the left overs in the food proc with rice, beans and spices and hope for the best . . . )

[jes7o]

We haven't tried that particular one, but we use the basic recipe from HTCEV and have made numerous combos....my favorite being a cashew curry burger

[noya]

What exactly do you use? 1 cup cashews, 1 teaspoon curry? Oats? And tahini? Would love specifics! Thanks!!

[GilaB]

I'm assuming that it's quite similar to his recipe from his NYTimes column, here: http://www.nytimes.com/2006/02/15/din... (See recipe links on the left; it's the nut burger one. I like the bean burgers as well.) It's a flexible set of guidelines, more than a recipe. I've enjoyed this with cashews, garam masala, miso/tomato paste/ ketchup, and oats, but play with various combinations.

[noya]

yes, I figured that too--just wanted specifics from the poster

[punto]

A much more recent recipe from Bittman was in the NY Times not too long ago:
http://www.nytimes.com/recipes/12221/...

My daughter, who is in a vegetarian phase, loves them and I have made them several times, with small adjustments according to mood and what is available. I find it hard to keep fresh coriander around, so I usually grind up some seeds as a replacement. I also have found a great dried black bean mix at a local organic market that allows me to use about 3/4 of a cup of the mix as a replacement for the can of beans (more environmentally friendly, I hope, and the seasonings in it only enhance the burgers' flavor). Sometimes, I finely chop up an onion and just toss it in. YOu get the idea; pretty much anything goes.