Plant Based Veggie Burgers

Plant Based Veggie Burgers

What I love most about my homemade plant based burgers is that there are lots of good ingredients in here that you likely already have in your kitchen: rice, mushrooms, black beans, and oats. These four ingredients are all you need to make a tasty veggie burger at home.

My absolute favorite meal in the world is burgers and fries. Back in 2009 ,when I went vegetarian for the first time, the only way I could satisfy that craving was through Garden burgers and Boca burgers, which are frozen veggie burgers that really only resemble burgers in shape alone.

Veggie burgers back then were flat and not really tasty, but those were the only options available. Today, veggie burgers are pretty easy to find in most restaurants and they don’t just taste like plain tofu any more (thank you, Impossible Burger). But making your own veggie burgers at home is even better for you and guess what? These vegan burgers are TASTY.

Here’s what I look for in a perfect veggie burger: I like a patty that’s thick, juicy, and made with veggies. Most veggie burgers on the market are made with soy, which is cool every now and then but I like to put the VEGGIE in my veggie burgers. And these hearty homemade plant based burgers do just that.

What I love most about my homemade plant based burgers is that there are lots of good ingredients in here that you likely already have in your kitchen: rice, mushrooms, black beans, and oats. These four ingredients are all you need to make a tasty veggie burger at home. Black bean veggie burgers are pretty common, but I like that these have more variety in them which makes them taste even better.

These veggie burgers are a winner because they hold their shape well, aren’t too moist or too crumbly, and take just a few minutes to prepare. This recipe will make about five nice sized burgers. What I like to do is freeze the rest so I can have veggie burgers ready to go anytime I want, which to me is a dream come true!

As a bonus, I’ve also added in my recipe for burger sauce which I like to slather on all my homemade burgers and eat with fries. This burger sauce recipe is a combination of all your favorite sauces thrown together. I originally saw this recipe on Food52, and it’s so, so addictive. It really takes these burgers from a 10 to a 20, so when you do make this recipe be sure to have it with the burger sauce, too!

INGREDIENTS

Burgers

• 1 1/2 cup brown rice, cooked and cooled

• 12 oz sliced mushrooms

• 1/2 cup black beans rinsed, drained, patted as dry as possible

• 1/2 cup oats

• 1 tsp salt

• 1/2 to 1 tsp black pepper

• 1 tsp garlic powder

• 1 tsp onion powder

• 1/4 tsp red pepper flakes

• 2 tbsp olive oil

• hamburger buns

• Lettuce, vegan cheese, caramelized onions for topping (optional)

Burger Sauce

Mix together equal parts:

• Ketchup

• Vegan Mayo

• Relish

• Mustard

• Dash of soy sauce

• Pinch of pepper

• Minced garlic

DIRECTIONS

1. Saute the mushrooms in a dry pan to brown and remove most of the moisture, about 5-7 minutes.

2. Add the rice, mushrooms, beans, oats, and seasonings to a food processor. Pulse several times to mince and combine the ingredients until well processed.

3. Let mixture rest for about 20 minutes. Then, form the mixture into about 5-6 burger patties that are well compacted and hold together.

4. At this point you have two options: cook or freeze. To freeze, wrap the patties in parchment paper and place them in a gallon Ziploc bag in the freezer, where they will keep for several months. To cook them immediately, keep reading:

5. Heat olive oil in a skillet. Fry the burgers one at a time about 4 minutes over medium heat on each side. Turn once.

6. Serve on the buns slathered with burger sauce, and with your toppings of choice.

Adapted From: Planted 365