So I think this vegan burger recipe is the best one I’ve made so far.
Not that I’m throwing shade on my other burger recipes, those were damn good too! But this one, oh my, it’s something else!
My mother and her non-vegan partner were here for a visit this past week while we were testing these burgers on the grill (yes they are totally grillable!) 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.
I do love getting the validation that our recipes are good from the non-vegan folks so that was awesome.
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 barbecue flavor.
We also did baste them with some vegan barbecue sauce, so there’s that. But I don’t think that’s cheating. 
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 with some olive oil – and baste them with a bit of vegan barbecue 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 barbecue sauce. 😋
The texture is perfect!
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.
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!
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.
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.
So I think you’re going to really really love this vegan burger, it is:
- Super hearty
- Filling and satisfying
- Flavorful
- Grillable
- High in protein
- Popular with vegans and non-vegans alike!
Leftovers keep very well in the fridge and can be enjoyed over the next couple of days, either reheated or just eaten cold.
Want more vegan burgers?
For more delicious vegan burger recipes, check out our tofu burger with creamy mushroom sauce, our vegan chickpea burgers and our vegan black bean burgers.
And if you want to serve your burger with some fries then our baked potato fries are a winner!
And if you like ‘meaty’ vegan foods, then our vegan steak is a definite winner.
So please share your thoughts about this vegan burger recipe in the comments and please rate the recipe too, thanks!
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Vegan Burger
- Prep Time: 30 mins
- Cook Time: 10 mins
- Total Time: 40 minutes
- Yield: 4
Print Recipe
Pin RecipeDescription
Super hearty vegan burger! Perfectly grillable, highly flavorful and extremely satisfying, this is a burger that vegans and non-vegans alike will enjoy!
Ingredients
For the Vegan Burgers:
- 1 cup (100g) Walnuts
- 1 cup (164g) Chickpeas (canned, drained well)
- 1 Tbsp Soy Sauce
- 2 Tbsp Tomato Paste
- 1 Tbsp Vegan Mayonnaise
- 1 tsp Hoisin Sauce
- 1 tsp Dijon Mustard
- 1/2 tsp Garlic Powder
- 1/2 tsp Onion Powder
- 1 tsp Salt
- 1/4 tsp Ground Black Pepper
- 1/2 tsp Smoked Paprika
- 1/8 tsp Liquid Smoke
- 1 cup (157g) Couscous (Cooked, Packed cup)*
- 1/2 cup (75g) Vital Wheat Gluten
For Basting:
- 2 Tbsp Vegan Barbecue Sauce
For Frying:
- 2 Tbsp Olive Oil*
For Serving:
- Hamburger Buns
- Lettuce
- Sliced Tomato
- Sliced Pickles
- Sliced Avocado
- Sliced Red Onion
- Vegan Thousand Island Dressing
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 then 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 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 on vegan barbecue sauce onto the tops of the burgers. Fry for 5 minutes on medium high heat and then flip them brushing barbecue 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 barbecue 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.
Notes
*The couscous should be packed into the cup very well, 157g which is the standard cup measure for a cup of cooked couscous is a for a very packed cup, so pack it in and press it down with a spoon and then pack in some more.
*If you’re frying the burgers in a pan then use the 2 Tbsp 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.
*Nutritional information is for burger patties only (including olive oil for frying and barbecue sauce for basting) and excludes what the burgers are served with.
- Category: Entree, Dinner, Savory
- Method: Food Processor, Stovetop
- Cuisine: Vegan
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 Burger Patty (of 4)
- Calories: 449
- Sugar: 6.6g
- Sodium: 1068mg
- Fat: 26.8g
- Saturated Fat: 2.7g
- Carbohydrates: 30.6g
- Fiber: 5.9g
- Protein: 23.4g
Keywords: vegan burger
What can you use instead of wheat gluten
You could try all purpose flour, I have not tested this but I think the flavor would still be very good but they might not hold together quite as well. They would likely not be as firm either. If I was using all purpose flour for this I might pop them in the freezer for around half an hour to firm up nicely before frying.
Chickpea flour holds things together well.
Very tasty and a magic solution for vegan burgers!
★★★★★
Thank you, Alison for your research and diligence. I wonder if xanthan gum or agar could be substituted for gluten for those of us restricted from gluten?
Hi Rick, I included some options in the post that I would try first if I was doing this gluten-free. I don’t think xantham gum or agar would be options, but I would likely try gluten-free all purpose flour and quinoa instead of couscous as a first go and see how that works out.
The sodium level is very high at 1068 mg. How can that be lowered?
You could leave out the teaspoon of salt. That would more than halve the sodium content, but I can say that the overall result with the recipe as is, does not taste overly salty, so omitting the salt would affect the flavor. But if a lower sodium content is important then you can definitely do that. You could also use a low sodium soy sauce. 🙂
1500 mg of sodium amounts to 0.75 teaspoons – in the grand scheme of things1068 is very low and well under the daily intake.
What about using a combo of nutritional yeast and vital wheat gluten? I’m going to also experiment with subbing cannellini beans for the chickpeas.
★★★★★
If you wanted to add a bit of a cheesy flavor to the burgers then sure. I wouldn’t use it to replace very much of the wheat gluten though, as it’s important to hold the burgers together. Let us know how it goes! 🙂
Could I use brown rice in place of couscous so you think?
Yes, it should be fine, try and use short grain brown rice that should work best. 🙂
Is there a substitution for the walnuts?
I think you could try a different nut if it’s walnuts that you don’t want, but I have only ever tested it with walnuts. If you don’t want any nuts at all, then you can try just using a bit more vital wheat gluten to compensate and just leave the nuts out entirely.
I made this recipe today with a couple of changes and substitutions. I didn’t have hoisin sauces so I added 2 minced garlic cloves; I didn’t have dijon mustard so I added regular mustard and I only used half the amount of gluten flour and last but not least I added finely chopped up 5 mushrooms. Oh and I baked them for 20 minutes on each side. Next time I would bake them for 15 minutes on each side. Thanks for a great recipe.
★★★★★
Sounds great! Thanks for sharing your adjustments! 🙂
Hi and thank you very much. What can I use instead of couscous? I don’t know where to buy it!
You could try quinoa or cooked rice, I have not tested those options, but should work fine too.
The texture is amazing but mine were breaking apart a bit even after cooking. Any suggestions? Also, does the inside change color if you cook longer? Lastly can you freeze the burgers before and or after cooking? It’s just me so I made 6 burgers.
Thanks!
★★★★★
Hi Christina, I found that if you really limit the amount of times you flip the burgers, so cook one side and then flip only once to cook the other side, that really reduces them breaking up. I found this out when researching burgers generally, this is a recommended trick for all burgers to not have them break up. I don’t think the insides change color very much when cooking. If you look at our burger when cut in half, that is the color it should be pretty much. I think these should freeze perfectly! All the best! 🙂
Re. Jsrutt post, above; as an oldie, I have to monitor my diet’s sodium content. Reduce dramatically by using a 66% potassium chloride/33% sodium chloride blend, e.g. Lo-Salt, in place of table salt. My local supermarket offers this blend under its own brand now. A report in the BMJ, “Reducing salt and increasing potassium will have major global health benefits”, dated April 2013, cites the WHO recommendations, less than a teaspoonful of common salt a day. It’s unequivocal – we can achieve all the salty taste we like, with none of the guilt, by upping the potassium and reducing the sodium.
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Hi Trevor, thanks so much for sharing your tips! Sounds like a really smart way to reduce sodium intake.
I’m not a vegan, but this looked so delicious, I had to try it. I substituted almond flour for the gluten. They turned out just fine!
Hi Jenn, so happy to hear it was a success and that almond flour worked well! That’s super helpful info, thanks so much for sharing! 🙂
Where do you get the burger shaper to make them perfectly flat and round?
Hi Sydney, it’s just a large round cookie cutter. I use it to cut out scones and that sort of thing as well. You should be able to get them quite easily, but Amazon also definitely sells them.
Thank you! 🙂
Great recipe thank you 🤗 I’m just about to make it for a second time and realised I use quinoa instead of couscous last time by accident. I stupidly get them confused all of the time, but for the record it worked really well – the best vegan burger I have made for ages!
★★★★★
Fantastic! So glad to hear they were good with quinoa. Thanks so much for the amazing review! 🙂