Learn how to use the ingredients you already have on hand to make the best ever veggie burgers. Our Vegetarian Burger Topic is brought to you by Produce for Kids. Your healthy family resource for nutritious meals.
There’s nothing more frustrating than wanting to make a veggie burger and realizing you’re missing half the ingredients. With this easy formula, you can create your own awesome veggie burger recipe with whatever you have lying around! Feel free to use fresh or frozen vegetables and leftover grains from a previous dinner (or last night’s takeout!) to make these burgers even easier.
Video: How To Make Vegetarian Burgers
The Formula For Vegetarian Burgers
What you’re going to do is build your burger mixture using the lists and amounts below. The formula is…
The Best Veggie Burger = Standard Ingredients + 2 Cups Chopped Soft Veggies + 1 Cup Cooked Grains + 1 and 1/2 Cups Cooked Legumes + 1/2 Cup Flavor/Texture Booster + 3 Tsp. Spices + 1/2 Cup Dry Base
Choose your ingredients from the lists below based on what you have and then follow the instructions to build your best veggie burger. Yay!
Can You Freeze Homemade Veggie Burgers?
Yes! These veggie burgers can be frozen for up to three months. I think it’s best to cook them first, then freeze them so they can just be heated through from the freezer. Wrap them individually and then store in a zip-top freezer bag. The recipe as written makes 8 patties, so it’s great to enjoy some right away and store the extras for an easy and delicious meal later on.
Frequently Asked Questions
If you cooked them before freezing, you can simply microwave the frozen patties for 30 seconds at a time until heated through.
You could also bake them in the oven straight from frozen. Bake at 350°F for 15-20 minutes, until heated through, flipping them halfway through. Or they can be cooked in a skillet on the stove over medium heat for 12-14 minutes, flipping every few minutes.
I have found that they don’t need it to hold together. If you’d prefer to use egg, use it in place of the reserved liquid from the legumes.
Podcast Episode On Making Veggie Burgers
Listen to our editor, Christine Pittman, explain briefly how this veggie burger formula comes together, with great tips along the way, by clicking the play button below:
Listen to more Recipe of the Day episodes here.
Print
The Perfect Veggie Burger Formula
Learn how to use the ingredients you already have on hand to make the best ever veggie burgers.
- Prep Time: 5 minutes
- Refrigerate: 30 minutes
- Cook Time: 20 minutes
- Total Time: 55 minutes
- Yield: 8 burger patties 1x
- Category: Entrée
- Method: Stovetop
- Cuisine: American
Ingredients
STANDARD INGREDIENTS
- 1 medium onion, diced
- 1–2 garlic cloves
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- oil for cooking (e.g. olive oil, coconut oil, peanut oil)
2 CUPS COOKED VEGETABLES, FINELY DICED OR CHOPPED (PICK 1-3)
- sweet potatoes
- beets (golden or red)
- carrots
- mushrooms
- spinach
- kale
- corn
- squash
- broccoli
- cauliflower
- artichokes
- zucchini
- bell peppers
1 CUP COOKED GRAINS (PICK 1)
- millet
- quinoa
- bulgur
- rice
- buckwheat
1½ CUPS COOKED LEGUMES, LIQUID RESERVED (PICK 1-2)
- canned beans (e.g. black, pinto, cannellini, kidney)
- lentils (red or green)
- chickpeas
- soybeans
- mung beans
- adzuki beans
- black eyed peas
½ CUP FLAVOR/TEXTURE BUILDERS (PICK 2)
- fresh herbs, finely chopped (e.g. cilantro, basil, dill, parsley, thyme, sage, chives)
- scallions, thinly sliced
- chopped nuts (e.g. walnuts, almonds, pecans, cashews)
- chopped sundried tomatoes
- chopped olives
- flax seeds
- chia seeds
- sesame seeds
- mashed avocado
- unsweetened nut butter (e.g. peanut, almond, cashew)
- tahini
3 TEASPOONS SPICES (PICK 2-4)
- cumin
- chili powder
- smoked paprika
- cayenne powder
- Italian seasoning
- black pepper
- fennel
- oregano
- curry powder
- coriander
- cinnamon
- turmeric
- citrus zest
½ CUP DRY BASE (PICK 1)
- ground oats
- cornmeal
- bread crumbs
- panko
- almond meal*
Instructions
- Heat 2 tablespoons of oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add the onion, garlic, and salt and cook until the onion is translucent, 2-3 minutes. Add vegetables and cook until soft, 5-10 minutes.
- Transfer the cooked vegetables to a food processor**. Add all remaining ingredients except the reserved bean liquid and frying oil. Pulse 5-10 times to combine. Don’t overdo it; you don’t want a paste!
- Press the mixture between your fingers. If you can form a patty with it, you’re good to go. If it’s too crumbly, add the reserved bean liquid, 1 tablespoon at a time, until it sticks together. If the mixture is too wet, add more of the dry base ingredient, 1 tablespoon at a time, until you reach the right consistency. Taste the mixture and add salt to your taste.
- Form the mixture into 8 patties (about ⅓ cup of the mixture each) and place on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Refrigerate the patties uncovered for 30 minutes. (Don’t skip this step! Resting will help the patties stay together.)
- When ready to cook, heat 1 tablespoon of oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat until shimmering. Cook 3-4 patties at a time until brown on one side, then flip and brown the other side. It should take about 3-4 minutes per side. Heat 1 tablespoon of oil in the pan before cooking each batch of burgers.
- Serve immediately or cool and then wrap each burger in foil, place them in a freezer bag, and freeze for later. Reheat in a dry pan on the stove, in the oven or in the microwave.
Love this recipe? I’d appreciate it if you could scroll down and add a *5 star rating* to help others know they’ll love it as well!
Notes
*We’ve heard from a reader that almond flour doesn’t work in place of almond meal. We’re doing testing now and once we know for sure, we will revise the recipe to reflect this issue. Until then, be sure you’re using almond meal and not almond flour.
**You can also do this in a large bowl with a potato masher. Just make sure your veggies are cooked so they are soft enough to mash! Use a potato masher or large mixing spoon to mix and mash the ingredients together.
This post originally appeared in July 2016 and was revised and republished in October 2022.
This is exactly what I was looking for! A totally adaptable burger blueprint. I tripled this recipe and ended up making 3 burger flavors: Southwest (Cajun seasoning, corn kernels, cilantro, lime juice), Italian (pizza seasoning, sundried tomatoes, feta cheese), and Herbs (ground almonds, basil, parsley). I baked them on 350*F for 15min, flip, bake another 15min. Freezer is stocked with flavorful healthy burgers!
Wow, that sounds amazing LC! Love the different combinations and now you have burgers for weeks to come!
This looks so great. Will try this weekend. I did have one question: I noticed that the recipe does not call for or suggest eggs as an ingredient anywhere, and many of the other veggie burger recipes I have seen used an egg to bind the mixture. Would you recommend using an egg, perhaps in place of some of the flavor/texture enhancing ingredients?
Thanks, Safiyyah! I do put an egg in my meat burgers but not in veggie burgers. I find that they hold together without the egg. But if you really want to use one, I would suggest it in place of another liquid, like the legume liquid in the recipe.
this is really great, love the way you give a generic formula with so many options. might want to add dried dill to the spice mix; it complements the veggie-bean mixes. also, rolled oats work as well as ground for “dry”.
Thanks so much for your suggestions! We love being able to have options to make delicious veggie burgers.
Thanks so much this is very helpful. I will just say though that like Bill, when I printed (from ipad through google) i too didn’t get the amount headings but thankfully could come back and copy them down. I love that this gives me the freedom to be creative AND use what I have on hand with a framework that takes a lot of the guesswork out.
Sorry you had trouble with it printing properly, Iris. Hope you get lots of use out the guide!
Hello, I Love your formula, now I can finally make my own. I have a question, I have seen other recipes that include vinegar, lemon juice, and other liquid ingredients ; would theae ingredients be considered as Texture builders?
You can add a little bit of liquid, like lemon juice, to the mixture. You’ll just end up needing less of the reserved legume liquid. Thanks for your question, Lynette!
Thanks for this recipe! Love being in control of what goes into the veggie burger. Made a double batch to freeze for later. Used spinach, carrots, mushrooms, quinoa, oats, cashews, basil, cayenne…. just to name a few ingredients. Absolutely delicious!
You’re welcome, Gina! They sound fabulous.
My wife is vegetarian, and I make a similar black bean burger with quinoa, navy beans and barley, How can i make a simple vag Burger.
Mine were perfect when i formed them before putting in the fridge. Then when I went to pan fry they all fell apart. i crumpled what i hadn’t pan fried and added a chia binder and they held together better but were very delicate.
What is the binder? I don’t see any ingredient (like a flax egg) to hold it together… Thanks!
For the spices, you say 3 tsps pick 2-4.
Does that generally mean 3tsps of each spice? Or in total their should be 3 tsps?
Thanks
Jordan, in total there should be 3 teaspoons. So use about a teaspoon of each of three spices, for instance.
I love this idea…so many variations and flavors! First, can these be baked in an oven if I’m trying to cut down on the oil, and can you freeze these after you let them set in the refrigerator and cook them later?
Thank you so much.
Lynda, I haven’t tried baking them so I’m not sure. If you try it, do let us know how they turned out. As to freezing, it is best to cook them first and then freeze them. Defrost and reheat to serve.
Any tips on downsizing this recipe for a lone vegan?
Malakai, I think this recipe should be easy to halve and should work. Then you’d end up with 4 patties, which will keep in the fridge for several days of dinners and lunches. Alternatively, I bet you could freeze these easily. I’d say wrap them individually and then freeze.
I am a ISKCON Indian chef and was looking for a solution to use up fresh (same day) left overs. I always have rice, beans, chapattis, curry base, left. Today, using your formula I made Punjabi Veg Burgers. We do not use garlic or onion, so I substituted capsicum and pureed tomatoes, and fried them as you would the onion garlic. I sauteed them in a punjabi spice mix. Then added mixed vegetables. Mixed well, then added to processor. Added basmatti rice, chapattis, sun dried tomatoes, roasted salted cashews, cilantro and fenugreek leaved, red kidney beans (has been previously cooked punjabi style rajma), and blended. Afterward I shaped into 8 large patties, then refrigerated for 30+ min. Then cooked on flat grill using tiny bit of fry oil. The result: Gone in 10 minutes and everyone loved them. One food critic told me I deserved an award. Another stated it was the best he ever tasted. Big Thanks To You! Hare Krishna!
Chandra, How fantastic! They sound amazing. Thank you for sharing what you did.
if you want to use beets as one of the veggies – do you use canned or fresh?
Sherry, Canned are already soft and ready to eat so you can use those. Fresh beets would need to be cooked first. Here is my easiest (and not at all messy) way to cook beets: https://cookthestory.com/how-to-roast-beets/
I made a nice pdf version of this to print out at home if you would like it! I had to clean up a few things to make everything fit (such as removing the examples and combining two items). If you would like it to publish, let me know and I can send it to you
Reece, I would love that! Please email it to me at christine at thecookful dot com. Thanks!
Great post. I’m trying this tonight. Gonna make thinner than burgers to pour homemade gravy over them and serve over mashed potatoes 😋. Thank you much