Building the Best Veggie Burgers

CALORIES:

164.5

PROTEIN:

10.8 g

SERVINGS:

6

It’s time to get creative and construct the most delicious veggie burger. There are a number of meat-free burgers on the market these days that will give you a quick fix for that burger craving, but how about building your own with whole food ingredients, packed with nutrition? This recipe is more of a formula that gives you the opportunity to combine your favorite flavor profiles while highlighting ingredients you have on hand. Simply follow the steps to choose your ingredients and instructions for assembling.

Recipe by Chad Sarno

Choose 1 cup of cooked grains: cooked brown rice, quinoa, barley, buckwheat, millet, or oats
Choose 2 cups of plant-based protein: a combination of cooked beans, black beans, white beans, lentils, ground nuts and seeds, or diced, ground or minced tofu, tempeh or plant-based meat
Choose 1+ cup of non-starchy vegetables that can be raw shredded or diced, roasted, steamed, or sautéed: broccoli, cauliflower, mushrooms, onions, peas, peppers, hearts of palm, artichokes, zucchini, tomatoes, eggplant, carrots etc
Choose 1+ cup of your “binder”. This ingredient will help your mixture hold together when forming. Keep in mind some of these binders may be some of the ingredients already listed above such as mashed beans, cooked grains such as oatmeal, cooked rice, blended tofu etc. Cooked starchy mashed vegetables work great such as potatoes, yams, sweet potatoes, butternut, pumpkin etc
Now it’s time to kick up the flavor with herbs, spices and additional flavor components. Choose your favorite fresh herbs, chopped or minced, fresh and dried spices and aromatics such as onions, garlic, ginger, chilies etc. Flavorful liquids such as hot sauces, low sodium soy sauce and citrus are also great additions
Fresh whole grain burger buns or wraps of choice
Sauce of choice. The Ultimate Burger Sauce is the perfect addition to many burgers. Also try the Classic Sour Cream, Cream Sauce, or Queso, warmed.

Preheat oven to 400ºF/205ºC .
Once you have chosen all your ingredients, add them to a bowl and mix thoroughly. Depending on what you are using for a binder, you may need a potato masher to help soften some of the ingredients.
Season with additional flavor components to your taste and continue to mix by hand.
Form the mixture into a ball with your hand. Note: if your mixture is too wet add in more dry ingredients to bind, if its too dry, add a bit more moisture. The mixture should stick together as a ball.
Form mixture into 4-ounce patties and place on non-stick or parchment lined baking sheets, or pan sprayed lightly with olive oil to prevent sticking.
Bake the patties for 10-12 minutes until a bit crisp around the edges. Remove from oven and flip gently.
Continue to bake for 8-10 minutes depending on the size of the patties. Remove from oven and set aside to cool a little. This will also help most burgers tighten up.
Assemble your burgers with your desired toppings. If you have leftover burgers, store in freezer with parchment paper in between, and pop in toaster for a quick meal on the go.

Nutrition FactsAmount Per Serving

Calories:

164.5

Protein:

10.8g

Total Fat:

3.8g

Sat Fat:

0.65g

Trans Fat:

Cholesterol:

0mg

Total Carbohydrate:

23.9g

Dietary fiber:

5.1g

Total sugars:

2.1g

Added sugars:

Sodium:

79.7mg

To increase the protein, add raw or toasted ground nuts or seeds into your burger mixture. You can also cut back on the cooked grains and increase the amount of protein used in step 2 or top your burgers with slices of Baked Tofu or Tempeh Bacon.

Nutrition FactsAmount Per Serving

Calories:

164.5

Protein:

10.8g

Total Fat:

3.8g

Sat Fat:

0.65g

Trans Fat:

Cholesterol:

0mg

Total Carbohydrate:

23.9g

Dietary fiber:

5.1g

Total sugars:

2.1g

Added sugars:

Sodium:

79.7mg

Building the Best Veggie Burgers

164.5

10.8 g

6

Nutrition FactsAmount Per Serving

Nutrition FactsAmount Per Serving

Share this Recipe