The best vegan burger loaded with flavor and suitable for the grill or stovetop. Hearty and satisfying with a delicious texture.
This vegan burger recipe is seriously the best ever.
My mother and her non-vegan partner were here for a visit while we were testing these burgers on the grill and he was raving about them.
He said they were the best burgers he’s had, and this was from a card carrying carnivore my friends! He was also raving about our vegan nacho cheese, basically he was a happy dude with the food offerings around these parts.
Anyway I have to agree, these vegan burgers are amazing.
They are meaty, but don’t worry you would never mistake them for actual meat. But they are nice and fat, super hearty and filling, with a mix of spices that creates that wonderful BBQ flavor.
We did also baste them with vegan BBQ sauce, so there’s that. But I don’t think that’s cheating.
How To Make Vegan Burgers
You will find full instructions and measurements in the recipe card at the bottom of the post. This is a summary of the process to go along with the process photos.
- Add walnuts to the food processor and process until crumbly. Transfer to a mixing bowl.
- Add chickpeas, soy sauce and tomato paste to the food processor and process until well mixed. Transfer to the mixing bowl with the chopped walnuts.
- Add vegan mayonnaise, hoisin sauce, dijon mustard, garlic powder, onion powder, salt, ground black pepper, smoked paprika and liquid smoke to the mixing bowl.
- Add cooked couscous and vital wheat gluten.
- Stir until slightly mixed and then get in there with your hands and form it into a big ball and knead it 20-30 times so that the vital wheat gluten can activate.
- Divide the burger mix into four sections and form each section into a burger shape. You can form them into a burger shape with your hands or by patting it down into a round cutter to make a flat round patty shape.
- Heat olive oil in a pan and when hot, add the burgers. Brush on vegan BBQ sauce as they cook.
Fry or Grill
We tested them in the pan and on the grill and both ways are super fabulous.
So whatever suits!
If you’re frying them in the pan then fry them in olive oil – and baste them with a bit of vegan BBQ sauce – and they come out wonderfully.
If you’re grilling them on the barbecue then make sure your grill is oiled a little. This ensures that the grill doesn’t stick to your burgers.
As long as you’ve done that, you can get a perfect grilled vegan burger. And you definitely still want to put on some vegan BBQ sauce.
The Perfect Texture
The texture of these burgers comes from walnuts, chickpeas, couscous and some vital wheat gluten to hold it all together.
I decided to use couscous because it’s so easy to make and cooking the couscous doesn’t add any extra time to making these burgers. While you’re preparing your other ingredients, you just have your couscous soaking in some hot water and then it’s ready!
Whereas if you use something like brown rice or quinoa you are going to have to spend some time cooking it first.
However, if you want to try this vegan burger with brown rice or quinoa you could give it a go. I have not tested it like that though so can’t be sure of the results.
How To Make Couscous
The best way I’ve found to make couscous is just to put equal amounts of couscous and boiling water in a bowl. Cover with a cloth and leave for a few minutes. Then fluff with a fork. Done!
What About Gluten Free?
I don’t know how this vegan burger recipe could be adapted to gluten free, it wasn’t my focus with this recipe as I wanted to use vital wheat gluten because of the great texture it creates.
If you want to experiment then a version with quinoa rather than couscous and gluten-free all purpose flour is probably what I would try as a first go, but just know I haven’t tested it like that and it would be a total experiment.
For other burger recipes that could more easily adapt to gluten-free check out our vegan black bean burgers and vegan chickpea burgers.
Serving Suggestions
If you want to serve your burger with some fries then our baked potato fries are a winner.
A side salad like a vegan Greek salad or vegan chickpea salad would also go great, as would our vegan coleslaw.
We’ve topped our burger with some vegan thousand island dressing but other great options are vegan aioli or vegan yum yum sauce.
It’s also wonderful topped with vegan nacho cheese or vegan queso.
Storing and Freezing
Leftovers keep very well in the fridge and can be enjoyed over the next 3-4 days. You can reheat them in the frying pan or in the microwave.
You can freeze them cooked or uncooked for up to 3 months. Let them thaw in the fridge overnight and then reheat, or just cook them directly from frozen.
More Vegan Burger Recipes
Did you make this recipe? Be sure to leave a comment and rating below!
Vegan Burger
Ingredients
Vegan Burgers:
- 1 cup Walnuts (100g)
- 1 cup Chickpeas (164g) canned, drained well
- 1 Tablespoon Soy Sauce
- 2 Tablespoons Tomato Paste
- 1 Tablespoon Vegan Mayonnaise
- 1 teaspoon Hoisin Sauce
- 1 teaspoon Dijon Mustard
- ½ teaspoon Garlic Powder
- ½ teaspoon Onion Powder
- 1 teaspoon Salt
- ¼ teaspoon Ground Black Pepper
- ½ teaspoon Smoked Paprika
- ⅛ teaspoon Liquid Smoke
- 1 cup Cooked Couscous (157g) Packed cup
- ½ cup Vital Wheat Gluten (75g)
Basting:
- 2 Tablespoons Vegan BBQ Sauce
Frying:
- 2 Tablespoons Olive Oil
Serving:
- Hamburger Buns
- Lettuce
- Sliced Tomato
- Sliced Pickles
- Sliced Avocado
- Sliced Red Onion
- Vegan Thousand Island Dressing Optional
Instructions
- Add the walnuts to the food processor and process until crumbly. Transfer to a mixing bowl.
- Add the chickpeas to the food processor with the soy sauce and tomato paste. Process until well mixed in. You might have to stop a couple of times to scrape down the sides and start it up again before it will start to mix properly. Transfer to the mixing bowl with the crushed walnuts.
- Add the vegan mayonnaise, hoisin sauce, dijon mustard, garlic powder, onion powder, salt, ground black pepper, smoked paprika and liquid smoke to the mixing bowl .
- Add in the cooked couscous and the vital wheat gluten and stir until slightly mixed. Then get in there with your hands and form it into a big ball and knead it about 20-30 times so that the wheat gluten can activate properly. You don't have to worry about the wheat gluten being over-kneaded and causing them to be too tough because there is not a lot of wheat gluten used, so over-kneading is not too much of a worry here.
- Divide into four sections and then either form each section into a burger shape with your hands or pat it down into a round cutter to make a nice flat patty shape.
- Add the olive oil to a frying pan and then add in the burgers, brushing vegan BBQ sauce onto the tops of the burgers. Fry for 5 minutes on medium high heat and then flip them and brush BBQ sauce onto the other side. For best results don't flip the burgers more than this, burgers hold up best when flipped as little as possible, so ensure the pan isn't so hot that they burn.
- If you're cooking on the grill then make sure the grill is lightly oiled so the burgers won't stick. Brush the burgers with BBQ sauce and then grill on one side for 5 minutes and then the other for 5 minutes. The timing can be a little different on the grill so you can also just play it by ear. They're ready when they are nicely browned on both sides.
- Serve on hamburger buns with lettuce, sliced tomato, pickles, avocado, red onion and vegan thousand island dressing.
Video
Notes
- Couscous. The couscous should be packed into the cup very well, 157g is the standard cup measure for a cup of cooked couscous and this is for a very packed cup. So pack it into the cup, press it down with a spoon and then pack in some more. Or simply weigh it out on a food scale.
- Olive oil. If you’re frying the burgers in a pan then use 2 Tablespoons of olive oil. However, if you’re doing them on the grill then just make sure the grill is lightly greased so it won’t stick to your burgers.
- Storing: Leftovers keep very well in the fridge and can be enjoyed over the next 3-4 days. You can reheat them in the frying pan or in the microwave.
- Freezing: You can freeze them cooked or uncooked for up to 3 months. Let them thaw in the fridge overnight and then reheat, or just cook them directly from frozen.
- Nutritional information is for burger patties only (including olive oil for frying and BBQ sauce for basting) and excludes hamburger buns and everything else that the burgers are served with.
I can’t rate the original recipe but I did try substituting gluten flour with gluten-free chickpea flour (75 grams) and the result worked well. I also used barley (not gluten free) instead of couscous because it’s what I had. It’s a chewy veggie burger that holds its shape and isn’t squishy. Next time I’m putting marmite in the recipe as it works wonders for meaty flavors. Thanks for the recipe,I’m an omnivore but I wouldn’t mind eating these.
Thanks for sharing Didina!
Can I leave out the liquid smoke
Yes you can!
How important is couscous to the recipe? Can I leave it out?
Hi Almira. You can’t leave out the couscous as this contributes to the texture of the burger.
Thank you for this recipe!
Though I am not vegan, I am exploring the vegan cuisine because I want to at least significantly increase the number of plant-based main courses in my diet.
This is the best burger recipe I have found so far. Total comfort food and thanks to the gluten it still has a nice bite to it. Unfortunately I overpowered slightly on the liquid smoke as it is a new ingredient to me, but that just means that I will be forced to make these delicious burgers again soon.
That’s great Dennis! Thanks so much for sharing and for your great review!
These were maybe the best vegan burgers I’ve made! My family and I love them. Thanks so much for the great recipe – I’ll be making these on repeat!
That’s great Heather. Happy to hear you enjoyed the recipe and thanks so much for your great review!
I baked them without oil. They were delicious!
Awesome! Happy to hear you enjoyed the recipe, and thanks so much for your great review!
Will leaving out the hoisin sauce be ok or can it be replaced with something else?
Hi Darlene. You can leave it out or you can replace it with vegan barbeque sauce. Hope that helps!
Not a fan. It would be better as burrito meat
Sorry to hear you feel that way Rachel! All tastes are not the same and we appreciate your feedback. All the best!
Can I sub out quinoa for the couscous?
Hi Lainey. We haven’t tested this recipe with quinoa but if you do, make sure to cook it first before adding it in. Let us know how it turned out!
Hello! can we replace Vital Wheat Gluten with all purpose flour?
Hi Romis, we haven’t tested the recipe without the vital wheat gluten, but you are welcome to try.
Hello thankyou for sharing tips and tricks.
Super good, best veggie burger I’ve ever made. Smoke plus BBQ sauce is a winner and love the firmer texture from the wheat gluten.
Happy to hear you enjoyed the recipe! Thanks so much for your lovely review!
Hey there, I stumbled across this recipe in a very old email. I haven’t made it yet, but I plan on it. My question is why is there so much sodium and where is it coming from? My husband has to watch his sodium intake since his triple bypass surgery. Thank you very much for the recipe.
Hi Cyndi! I believe the sodium comes from the soy sauce, hoisin sauce and salt. If you want to reduce the sodium content, you can either reduce or omit those ingredients completely to make it a bit less salty.