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These are, as the name suggests, better than burgers! You’ll never go back to meat burgers after trying this veggie burger recipe! It holds its form and tastes amazing! Do you struggle to have your plant-based burgers stick together and yet still taste good? If you answered yes to either of these questions then keep reading! I combined some of the most popular plant-based burgers recipes to bring you the ULTIMATE VEGAN BURGER! Your family and friends will beg you to make this for every get-together, I promise!
“How can you give up meat?!”
Like many vegans, I missed the flavor of the grill and juiciness of the meat so I set out to create the experience of eating a burger as close as I could! My husband is a grill master so it would need to pass his qualifications and this one sure did! He really, really REALLY likes his burgers! There are certain things a burger needs to be memorable in my opinion and this burger has it!
Before going whole food plant-based I had burgers weekly and I was spoiled: I had them made on the grill! My older brother Joseph is a grill master and with having to feed 10 kids, he got very good at grilling!
Then I married a grill master so we had meat on the grill all the time! Both my husband and I had heart issues but we didn’t connect it to our high meat consumption until we came across the documentary, Forks Over Knives which you can watch for yourself here for FREE! We decided to try the whole food plant-based diet and see what would happen.
Within weeks we began to see not only weight loss but also no more chest pains. No more heart arrhythmia. No more joint pain. We have never felt so good!! You can read more of our whole food plant-based journey here. All that said, we missed the flavor of the grill so we began to learn how to grill whole food plant-based food and this recipe was born!
I missed burgers but every plant-based one I tried was either too flaky and would fall apart or too dry and flavorless. There had to be a better way! After researching many different recipes and combining the most popular of them, I believe I have the best plant-based burger recipe out there! The walnuts give it a unique meaty taste and texture so do not omit this step! The flax egg makes it perfectly sticky and well combined, I promise you, you will be making these burgers on a weekly basis and they will be the talk of the town at your next picnic or grill out! Let’s look at a few of the MUST HAVE’s for any burger!
Fat
For a burger to be tasty it needs to have fat oozing out of it! For vegans, that can be a challenge but it is the walnuts in my recipe that help with the fat content! Walnuts are 65% fat (the good kind) so take a delicious bite into this burger and absorb that fat with no regrets! The walnuts help with another necessity all burgers must have and that is:
Texture
A good burger needs to be moist but also hold its form. Too moist and it will fall apart. As I mentioned previously, the walnuts give off a lot of fat, give a nice crunch, and also provide that meaty texture you’re looking for. Leaving some of the beans whole helps to keep the form of the burger. And speaking of beans, I sprout my own and drain them very well after cooking so they’re not as wet. (Don’t worry if you don’t have time for that; canned beans are just fine!) I add in flaxseed “egg” for extry stickiness which is needed with the oats to hold everything together.
Consistency
Many vegan burgers taste amazing but fall apart as soon as you bite into them or don’t hold their shape while cooking so to deal with this, I made sure my beans were a little on the dry side (I touched on this briefly in the previous paragraph). I like using old-fashioned oats and then letting the mix sit for about ten minutes so everything can start to combine together well. I’d like to try using Polenta instead in the future just to see what happens. I love creative cooking!
Put It All Together
Alright, let’s get this party started, shall we? So you put your ingredients in the blender, and may I just give a shout-out to this AMAZING blender my husband gave me for Christmas last year; it is my most used kitchen gadget! If you don’t have one, I highly recommend you get a quality one such as I have here. Any, back to the burger! Put all your ingredients in the blender (Remember to set aside some whole beans to mix in later) add your seasonings, form into your burger shape, slap them on the grill, top with your favorite whole grain bun and toppings, and voila! Dinner is served! Speaking of toppings, be sure to try out my Best Ever Burger Sauce for a creamy and delightful finish! I can’t wait to hear how much you love these burgers or your own suggestions so be sure to rate this recipe and leave me a comment!
Sarah’s Better Than Burgers
Equipment
- Spatula
- Mixing bowl
- Blender
Ingredients
- 2 15oz can of black beans drained and rinsed
- 5 cloves of garlic
- 4 green onions chopped
- 1/2 cup crushed walnuts
- 1 cup old fashioned oats
- 1 tsp chili powder
- 1 tsp smoked paprika
- 1 tbsp soy sauce or Bragg's Amino Acids
- 2 tbsp red wine vinegar
- 2 tsp maple syrup
- 2 tbsp flax seed meal Mix with 2 tbsp of water
Instructions
- Set aside one cup of whole black beans to add in later
- Combine the flax seed and water and set aside. Let sit for 5 minutes to thicken
- Chop up the walnuts fine and set aside
- Combine in a blender (or in mixing bowl if mixing by hand) the rest of the beans, garlic, green onions, oats, seasonings and wet ingredients. Blend until smooth
- Dump the mixture into a mixing bowl and pour in the flax egg and whole beans. Stir until well incorporated. Allow to sit for ten minutes. This will allow the oats to stick to everything.
- Heat a non stick frying pan over medium heat. Form your patties and place in the pan and cook 4 minutes on each side.
- Remove from heat. Serve on your favorite whole grain burger bun and top with your favorite burger toppings such as lettuce, tomato, pickles and burger sauce. Enjoy!