Vegan Burger

Vegan burger, a simple recipe that only requires 30 minutes. It’s grillable, full of flavor, and a healthy alternative that even meat-eaters will enjoy!

This is my all-time favorite vegan burger recipe. It’s a simple way to include more legumes into my diet and it tastes amazing!

Homemade vegan burgers are much healthier and more affordable than store-bought, so I hardly ever buy vegan burgers at the supermarket.

You can use all kinds of legumes, but pinto beans are my go-to. Black beans are also a good choice. I cook them using my Instant Pot, but canned beans are also great.

I always add lots of spices, herbs, and condiments, like liquid smoke or barbecue sauce to get a meaty flavor, but please feel free to any ingredients you have on hand.

This recipe contains gluten, soy, and nuts, but I give you alternatives, so you can enjoy this amazing burger, no matter what diet restrictions you have.

Serve it with or without bread, with your favorite veggies or ingredients, with a side of French fries, rice or salad and feel free to add any sauce you like. It goes well with pretty much everything and it’s SO good!

How to make vegan burger – Step by step

• Add the walnuts to a food processor or a powerful blender and pulse until they are ground into a powder-like consistency (photo 1). Transfer to a large bowl and set aside.
• Add the beans, tamari or soy sauce and tomato paste to the food processor and blend until smooth (photo 2).
• Transfer the mixture to the large bowl (photo 3).
• Add also all the remaining ingredients except the barbecue sauce: breadcrumbs, nutritional yeast, liquid smoke, garlic powder, onion powder, salt, cumin, paprika and pepper (photo 4).
• Mix until well combined (photo 5). If the dough is too watery, add more breadcrumbs and if it’s too dry, add a little bit of water. 
• Make 4-6 patties with your hands (photo 6).

• Heat a little bit of oil in a frying pan or a griddle and then add the patties (photo 7). Oil is optional, but it prevents the patties from sticking to the pan.
• Then brushing on barbecue sauce onto the tops of the patties (optional) and cook for 3-5 minutes over medium heat or until golden brown (photo 8). Flip them brushing barbecue sauce onto the other side (I usually add one slice of vegan cheese onto every patty after flipping them, but it’s completely optional), and cook for another 3-5 minutes or until golden brown (photo 9).
• Serve just by themselves or on buns with your favorite ingredients (photo 10). I added lettuce, vegan cheese, tomato slices, and red onion.

Pro tips

• If you’re gluten-free, use gluten-free breadcrumbs, oats or almond meal instead of the regular breadcrumbs.
• The amount of barbecue sauce may vary depending on how many patties you’re making and how much sauce you want to add.
• Walnuts can be replaced by any other nut or even by seeds if you are allergic to nuts. Flaxseeds are my favorite choice.
• This recipe can be made with any other canned or cooked legumes.
• Tamari or soy sauce can be replaced by salt, but in that case, add 2 tbsp of water as well.
• If you can’t find tomato paste, use some tomato sauce instead, although tomato paste works amazingly.
• Nutritional yeast can be replaced by more breadcrumbs or the gluten-free alternatives I told you before. However, nutritional yeast is the best choice.
• Liquid smoke is optional, but your vegan burgers will taste even better if you use it.
• Add any spices or herbs you have on hand.
• Omit the salt if you want to reduce the amount of sodium in this recipe.

How can you cook this vegan burger?

I usually cook my vegan burgers in a frying pan with a little bit of extra virgin olive oil, but feel free to use a grill or griddle instead. Oil is optional, but it prevents the burgers from sticking to the pan.

You could also bake the vegan burgers, but I prefer the other 2 cooking methods, especially if I’m only using the oven to make the burgers.

Can you make this vegan burger gluten-free?

Yes, you can. Just use gluten-free breadcrumbs, oats or oat flour or even almond meal instead.

You can also omit the bread or serve your patties onto gluten-free burger buns. It’s up to you!

Can you freeze vegan burger?

Of course! I prefer to cook the patties first and when they’re at room temperature I freeze them in an airtight container for up to 3 months.

Looking for more vegan burger recipes?

• Black Bean Burgers
• Veggie Burgers
• Veggie Patties
• Sweet Potato Veggie Burgers

Did you make this vegan burger recipe?

Please leave a comment below, share it or rate it. You can also FOLLOW ME on FACEBOOK, INSTAGRAM, and PINTEREST. I’d love to see what you cook!

Vegan Burger

• Author: Iosune
• Prep: 15 mins
• Cook: 10 mins
• Total: 25 mins
• 4–6 1x
• Main Dish, Grilling
• Vegan, American

★★★★★ 5 from 2 reviews

Servings 4–6 1x

Scale 1x2x3x Tap or hover over number to scale servings

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Vegan burger, a simple recipe that only requires 30 minutes. It’s grillable, full of flavor, and a healthy alternative that even meat eaters will enjoy!

Ingredients

• 1 cup walnuts (100 g)
• 2 cups canned or cooked pinto beans (340 g), rinsed and drained
• 2 tbsp tamari or soy sauce
• 2 tbsp tomato paste
• 1 cup breadcrumbs (110 g), see notes for a gluten-free alternative
• 1/2 cup nutritional yeast
• 2 tsp liquid smoke (optional)
• 1 tsp garlic powder
• 1 tsp onion powder
• 1 tsp salt
• 1/2 tsp ground cumin
• 1/2 tsp paprika
• 1/4 tsp ground black pepper
• 1/4 cup or 4 tbsp barbecue sauce (optional), see notes

Instructions

1. Add the walnuts to a food processor or a powefull blender and pulse until they are ground into a powder-like consistency. Transfer to a large bowl and set aside.
2. Add the beans, tamari or soy sauce and tomato paste to the food processor and blend until smooth.
3. Transfer the mixture to the large bowl.
4. Add also all the remaining ingredients except the barbecue sauce (breadcrumbs, nutritional yeast, liquid smoke, garlic powder, onion powder, salt, cumin, paprika, and pepper).
5. Mix until well combined (you can use a spoon, a spatula or even your hands). If the dough is too watery, add more breadcrumbs and if it’s too dry, add a little bit of water. 
6. Make 4-6 patties with your hands.
7. Heat a little bit of oil in a frying pan or a griddle and then add the patties. Oil is optional, but it prevents the patties from sticking to the pan.
8. Then brushing on barbecue sauce onto the tops of the patties (optional) and cook for 3-5 minutes over medium heat or until golden brown. Flip them brushing barbecue sauce onto the other side (I usually add one slice of vegan cheese onto every patty after flipping them, but it’s completely optional), and cook for another 3-5 minutes or until golden brown.
9. Serve just by themselves or on buns with your favorite ingredients. I added lettuce, vegan cheese, tomato slices, and red onion. Feel free to serve them with French fries on the side or to add any sauce you want, like ketchup, vegan mayo or extra barbecue sauce.
10. Keep leftovers in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 1 week or in the freezer for up to 3 months.

Notes

• If you’re gluten-free, use gluten-free breadcrumbs, oats or almond meal instead of the regular breadcrumbs.
• The amount of barbecue sauce may vary depending on how many patties you’re making and how much sauce you want to add.
• Walnuts can be replaced by any other nut or even by seeds if you are allergic to nuts. Flaxseeds are my favorite choice.
• This recipe can be made with any other canned or cooked legumes.
• Tamari or soy sauce can be replaced by salt, but in that case, add 2 tbsp of water as well.
• If you can’t find tomato paste, use some tomato sauce instead, although tomato paste works amazingly.
• Nutritional yeast can be replaced by more breacrumbs or the gluten-free alternatives I told you before. However, nutritional yeast is the best choice.
• Liquid smoke is optional, but your vegan burgers will taste even better if you use it.
• Add any spices or herbs you have on hand.
• Omit the salt if you want to reduce the amount of sodium in this recipe.

Nutrition

• Serving Size: 1 burger of 6
• Calories: 302
• Sugar: 5.6 g
• Sodium: 1213 mg (see notes)
• Fat: 14.8 g
• Saturated Fat: 1.6 g
• Carbohydrates: 34.3 g
• Fiber: 6.6 g
• Protein: 10.9 g