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 issueimproving the burger textureintensifying 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
Vegetarian LasagnaSpinach and Ricotta CannelloniChickpea Curry with Potato (Chana Aloo Curry)Cheesy One Pot Vegetable PastaSpinach and Ricotta RotoloBrowse Vegetarian recipes
WATCH HOW TO MAKE IT
LIFE OF DOZER
At a weekend gathering. His eyes are just at eye level. What torture for him! 😂
