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This Veggie Burger recipe is one of the best you’ll ever make. These burgers are loaded with vegetables, gluten-free, and made without eggs!
This particular veggie burger recipe comes from my friend Erin’s book, The Well Plated Cookbook. If you haven’t seen it yet, it’s gorgeous! (And thank you to Erin, for sending me an early copy.)
Erin’s recipes are always well-tested, and this book includes a huge variety ranging from whole wheat pancakes, to easy sheet pan chicken dinners, to decadent desserts– including a fudgy cookie recipe made with avocado.
As soon as I saw Erin’s veggie burgers, I knew this was a perfect recipe to share with you. The ingredient list is surprisingly simple.
Ingredients You’ll Need
These veggie burgers contain plenty of veggies, including mushrooms, shallots, and roasted red bell peppers. They are seasoned with smoked paprika and cumin, but you can add more flavor with chili powder, garlic powder, or other spices you love.
Paired with rolled oats and walnuts, these burgers stick together without using eggs or bread crumbs.
How to Make Veggie Burgers
Add a drizzle of olive oil to a skillet over medium-high heat. Sauté 8 ounces of chopped mushrooms, 3/4 cup chopped red bell pepper, 1 medium shallot (or a 1/4 cup red onion), and 2 minced garlic cloves.
Season with 1/2 teaspoon of salt and stir often. Cook until the veggies have finished releasing liquid, about 8 to 10 minutes.
While you wait on the veggies to cook, add the remaining ingredients to a 12-cup food processor fitted with an S-blade. You’ll need to add:
- A (15 ounce) can of black beans, drained and rinsed
- 3/4 cup old-fashioned rolled oats
- 1/2 cup walnuts
- 1/2 teaspoon smoked paprika
- 1 1/2 teaspoons ground cumin
- 1 tablespoon vegan worcestershire sauce
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
When the sauteed veggies are done cooking, let them cool briefly. Then add them to the food processor as well.
Secure the lid and pulse the mixture 6 to 8 times, until the mixture will stick together when pressed between your fingers. It should not be totally pureed for the best texture.
Detoxinista Tip
If the mixture feels too wet, you can add a tablespoon of ground flax seeds and pulse again. They will help absorb any additional moisture and add extra fiber to your veggie burgers. You can also place the patties in the fridge to chill for 1 hour before cooking to help them firm up. (The oats will absorb more moisture that way.)
Use a 1/3 cup measure to scoop the burger mixture, then flatten it into a patty between your hands. Repeat with the remaining mixture, transfering the patties to a parchment lined plate as you go.
You should get roughly 8 burgers from this mixture.
To cook the burgers, heat a 1/2 tablespoon of olive oil in a skillet over medium heat. Arrange 3 of the patties in the skillet and cook for 3 to 4 minutes. Slide a sturdy spatula under each burger patty and flip them over to cook the other side, about 3 more minutes.
Transfer the cooked patties to a plate to cool and repeat with the remaining burgers until they are all cooked. Serve these veggie burgers warm with your favorite toppings, like lettuce, tomato, and mustard.
Leftover patties can be stored in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 3 days.
Looking for more vegetarian recipes? Try Sweet Potato Black Bean Burgers, Vegan Meatloaf, and Vegan Quesadilla for more options.
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoons olive oil , divided
- 8 ounces cremini (baby bella) mushrooms , roughly chopped (about 2 1/2 cups)
- 2 cloves garlic , minced (about 2 teaspoons)
- 1 medium shallot , minced (about 1/2 cup)
- 4 roasted red bell peppers (about 3/4 cup, diced)
- 1 teaspoon fine sea salt , divided
- 1 (15 oz) can black beans , rinsed and drained
- ¾ cup old-fashioned rolled oats , plus more as needed
- ½ cup raw walnut halves
- ½ teaspoon smoked paprika
- 1 ½ teaspoons ground cumin
- 1 tablespoon vegan Worcestershire sauce
- ¼ teaspoon ground black pepper
Instructions
- Heat 1 tablespoon of oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat, and add the mushrooms, garlic, shallot, red peppers, and ½ teaspoon of salt. Sauté until the vegetables soften and most of the liquid has cooked away, about 8 minutes.
- While the vegetables are cooking, add the black beans, oats, walnuts, paprika, cumin, Worcestershire, black pepper, and the remaining ½ teaspoon of salt to the bowl of a large food processor fitted with an "S" blade.
- When the vegetables are tender, transfer them to the food processor, too. Pulse the mixture in 5-second bursts until it's combined, but still slightly chunky. (about 15 to 20 seconds total) The burger mixture should stick together easily when you press it between your fingers, without being totally pureed.
- Scoop the mixture using a ⅓ cup measure, then press it between your hands to shape the patties. You should get 8 patties from this recipe, that are 3/4-inch thick.
- To cook the burgers, use the same skillet you used for sauteing the veggies. (See the notes for an oven-baked method.) Add 1/2 tablespoon of oil to the pan and heat it over medium-high heat.
- When the pan is hot and the oil is easy swirl around (but not smoking), add 3 patties to the pan and cook until the first side is crispy, about 3 minutes. Flip and cook until the other side is crisp, and the burgers are heated through, about 3 additional minutes.
- Remove the burgers to a plate lined with towel, then repeat with the remaining burger patties, using the remaining oil to grease the pan again. Serve warm with your favorite toppings.
Make Ahead & Storage Tips:
Video
Notes
Nutrition
Nutrition information is for 1 veggie burger. This information is automatically calculated, and is just an estimate, not a guarantee.
If you try this veggie burger recipe, please leave a comment below and let me know what you think! And if you make any modifications, I’d love to hear about those, too. We can all benefit from each other’s experiences!
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Reader Feedback: What’s your favorite meatless meal? My Lentil Bolognese and Vegan Meatloaf are also family favorites, if you need some fresh ideas!
These were delicious!
Hi,
I make my Bolognese with melongene. It is delicious and has the right texture. 😊
Maybe I am missing it, but at what point do you add the oats? I don’t see it mentioned in the recipe
They are added in step 2, along with the black beans!
These were really good! Often I find my veggie burger patties fall apart but these held together nicely and had really good flavor. I added in a dash of apple cider vinegar, some liquid smoke and cayenne – yummy!
Dynamite recipe!! Thank you!! Followed along as written but used avocado oil. Quadrupled the recipe to make it easy to have them on hand this summer. My freezer is stocked with healthy meaty goodness now!!
Aloha! Do you have a suggestion for substituting the red peppers?
I cannot have nightshades, and I seldom can find gluten free along with nightshade free recipes! Any help is appreciated…
Jan
Don’t bother with any other veggie burger recipe. This is the one! So good with hummus or creamy garlic spread.
My husband has an issue with digesting walnuts. Do you think pecans could be substituted in place of the walnuts in this recipe with a similar outcome in texture? I’m concerned that they might not lend a good texture to the burger, since pecans tend to have a softer bite and seem to absorb moisture more quickly than walnuts.
Very tasty and easy to make! Mine were too wet (I don’t always follow recipes exactly so I’m sure this is why) to mold with my hands but the 1/3 measuring cup worked great. Just scooped the mix and dropped them on my pan lined with parchment paper. I planned to cooked them stovetop but since they were so wet, I decided to bake them for 15 min first, then finish them in the pan with a bit of oil.
Like some have said, they are soft in the middle but all homemade/restaurant veggie burgers I’ve had always are. It doesn’t take away from the taste. My husband loved them too and he can be picky!
thanks Megan!!
Made the veggie burgers last night! Fantastic with the avocado potato salad. Will be adding to the menu rotation! Thank you!!
I am also wondering what to sub mushrooms for? My son can’t eat mushrooms but the rest sound so delish. Might make original for me..any suggestions on the mushrooms? Or do I need to just pass on this one?
I can’t have mushrooms either. In recipes where they are an important ingredient I use finely diced eggplant steamed in a little water until it is cooked, then sauted in a little oil until most of the water evaporates and they are lightly browned, chewy, mushroom-like bits. The French cook mushrooms down like this to add flavor to recipes (called duxelles). If you like the eggplant version make big batch and freeze portions in ice cube trays to add to future recipes calling for mushrooms.