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.
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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.
I have made this at least 50 times without fail. I have switched the combinations up and never once had a complaint. I love using beets and sweet potatoes in mine!
Beets and sweet potatoes sound great, Alaina. Thank you for sharing!
I’ve used this recipe many times. I love the flexibility it offers. I get a different but always healthy and tasty result. They also freeze well.
Love to hear that, Deborah! Thank you.
These burgers turn out amazing every single time I make them. I have switched up every time…and it is a no fail. Thank you so much for this recipie. It is perfect.
I’m so thrilled to hear that, Stacey! Thank you for taking the time to let us know.
My goodness! These were delicious! My sister complained because I only cooked three. They are really tasty. They held together pretty well. Next time I will use more grounded oats.
Thank you, Robin! So glad you enjoyed.
I just emailed you. I gave you the wrong title for the recipe.
Here is the one I am talking about. Cooking the beans. The Perfect Veggie Burger Formula
I am going to make your A Formula For Making The Best Vegetarian Burgers. It says 1 1/2 cups cook legumes. How do I cook the beans. I get an email from you. Can you please email me to let me know about my email.
Thank you
Can I sub more vegetables instead of the ½ CUP FLAVOR/TEXTURE BUILDERS? Would adding a flax seed egg hold it together?
I haven’t tried it, but I think you probably can use more vegetables. Since some of the items that I’ve tried in this section are things like olives and green onions, I think it should work fine. I’d just make sure that they’re cooked and dry.
After cooking them, lay them out on a few sheets of paper towel and squeeze a bit to remove excess liquid. I don’t think you need to add an egg or a flax seed egg to this. If the added vegetables act like the olives/green onions, then it should be fine as is. You might end up having to add a bit extra dry base, but that should fix it.
If you make it, come back and let us know how it turned out 🙂
Great recipe. I have made this a few times now. I use pinto beans and barley.
Wonderful, thanks for sharing your combination with us, D!
This sounds great! Would barley work for the grains?
I haven’t made them with barley, but I’ve had readers that have used barley and enjoyed. Thanks for you question, Robin!
This is so helpful, thank you.
I’m so glad, Nikki! Enjoy!
LOVE THIS FORMULA! JUST BRILLIANT!
Telma, I’m delighted that you like it so much. Thanks for letting me know!
Can you put it all in a loaf pan & cook it like a meatloaf? If so, what degree & how long is cook time?
Carrie, I’m not sure. I’ve never tried this. I think it could work, but it could be too dry. If you end up giving it a go, come back and let us know how it turned out!
It’s a bit daunting the first time you make it. But for the confident cooks among us you gotta just go for it.
I love trying out diff flavour combinations. I am so bored of ‘spicy bean burger’ recipes and of that ilk. I did herbs and paprika last time and this time herbs and lemon zest, both an absolute win.
I also oven bake too.
Thanks for this recipe.
Thank you for sharing, Rose! I love that you are playing around with the flavors.
Looks very savory while healthy. I will give it a try. Thank you
You’re welcome, Ginnett! I hope you enjoy.
Please send me the recipe.
Looks delicious!
Thank you, Christine! You should have the recipe in your email.
Brilliant recipe, so adaptable, thank you! I made these using quinoa, cannellini + black beans, carrot + broccoli + sweet potato, ground oats, and oregano + turmeric + black pepper. Our daughter who is often fussy devoured them!
That’s wonderful! Thank you for sharing your combo, David.
I have salvaged many failed recipes with this. It’s not unusual to see me using chopsticks to separate a soup or stew recipe into its separate components so I can remeasure and repurpose them for this recipe.
Oh interesting, Bethany! That’s pretty clever, glad you are able to turn it into something delicious.
I have made this many times and just absolutely love the versatility of this recipe and the wonderful way it is laid out. Since I have started making these, my food waste has gone way down.
I’m so happy to hear that, Evelyn! Thanks for letting me know. 🙂
Wow! This makes so much sense to me! Thank you!
You’re welcome, Sudharma!
I made this recipe for the first time just a few minutes ago and I over mixed it. I now have a dough. I am chilling the mixture in hopes of having something that will form into patties. Thoughts?
I made these today for the first time with the intention of freezing them for later use, but the mixture smelled so good, we had to have these burgers for lunch. Amazingly delicious! They truly tasted better than any of the veggie burgers I have ever tried. I used an oiled 1/3 measuring cup, so that they were all uniform in size and got 10 burgers out of it! Yay!!!
I was wondering if anyone has tried baking these and if so, how they turned out. I am planning on making several batches of these for my son and his wife, and baking would be a more efficient way to cook them.
You can probably bake them instead of frying. 8-10 per side at 350°F should be good. However, if I was going to use an oven, I would probably try broiling them instead of baking them. Put them on a pan about 8 inches from the heat source and broil until browned a bit, flip and do the other side. Enjoy, Jacalyn!