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.
Simply delicious, very satisfying! Super good recipe!
Thanks so much Naimah!
Hi Alison! I must congratulate you for this burger and all the vegan heaven you always bring to us. Following you for a while now…never disappointed. But I must ask you about your opinion regarding the vital wheat gluten. I love it in everything but always in doubts when not cooking it through as I would usually do. In fact, steaming, baking, cooking is usually my practice, but with burgers I am not sure if it cooks long enough. I would appreciate your point of view. Thank you!
Hi Clara, I think if you try these burgers it will erase any doubt. There is nothing ‘uncooked’ in the final result. This is also because we don’t use a large amount. When I make something that has vital wheat gluten as the main ingredient then I will usually steam it, but it’s just not necessary in this recipe.
Good point! Thanks for your reply.
Hmmm. Is the tomato paste a must? I am allergic to tomatoes. I know it is vital sometimes but other times it can be left out. Thank you.
You can definitely leave it out. 🙂
Has anyone tried a different nut? Can’t have walnuts but cashews and almonds are fine.
I think almonds would work well!
These look like they hold together very well. I’ve pretty much given up on making vegan burgers as they all tend to fall apart when cooking. Can’t wait to try these out!!
Hi Ali! Yes they hold together super well, hope you enjoy them!
Wow, these are a winner! I have tried many commercial vegan burgers and after one tossed the rest because the long list of ingredients and chemicals didn’t agree with my digestion or the taste was not good. I was trying to find a way not to always make everything from scratch. These burgers check all the boxes! The gluten makes them stick together very well and not be crumbly. I fried mine in a little bit of oil but I can see how they would work well on the grill. I substituted Black Beans for the Chick Peas and Quinoa for the couscous. I mashed the beans with a potato masher and didn’t use a blender or food processor. Next time I would make them a little thinner–maybe 6 burgers instead of 4. I did use the barbecue sauce which is another fabulous recipe and some sliced dill pickles on a whole wheat bun.
So happy you liked them Sally! Thanks for the awesome review.
I am in the U.K. and looking for the vital wheat gluten and many say flour, is the vital wheat gluten flour the same thing or do I need to keep searching?
Was also wondering if this can be made with mushrooms instead of walnuts or possibly even both of them?
Thank you so much for your website, it is really helping me find things to eat daily as I have become vegan again but now in my adult years with a lot more resources available.
Hi Shaynie, it’s not the same as flour, it’s pure gluten powder, so it’s when all the starch has been stripped from flour leaving only the gluten behind. There is a method where you make it from scratch from regular flour but it’s very time consuming so it’s far easier to just buy it ready made. It can also be called gluten powder or gluten flour. I just checked Amazon UK and there is one called ‘Vital Wheat Gluten Flour’. I don’t recommend using mushrooms instead of walnuts as the water content will throw out the ratios. It’s best to make the recipe as is first and get the hang of it and then you can play around with adding things. All the best!
Hello, loving all of your recipes. 😀 You can also buy vital wheat gluten In Holland and Barrett in the uk for around £2.50 a bag.
Thanks Kelly!
Hi Shaynie, buywholefoodsonline.co.uk sells vital wheat gluten, also called seitan and many other great things as well, including the liquid smoke.
Thanks for sharing Mike!
You can buy vital wheat gluten on-line and if you ask in most health stores they will order it for you.
If only I could have gluten! This looks like it would be so good!
Made these for dinner tonight and the whole family loved them. I used seeds instead of nuts and brown rice instead of cous cous. Great recipe!
Awesome Mary! Thanks so much for sharing and the great review!
Would it be possible to replace the nuts with something else? Or could I leave them out entirely? Unfortunately i can’t have nuts.
Hi Hannah, it might be fine to leave them out but I haven’t tested it. We do have a delicious vegan chickpea burger that is nut free. All the best! 🙂
I used a combination of sunflower and pumpkin seeds and they turned out great.
I am planning on making these tonight but realized I have the medium grain couscous which is bigger than other couscous. Is this the same one you used?
Hi Allison, I think it would still work great either way.
I’m struggling with a tree nut allergy since going vegan. Do you have any suggestions that I can use instead of the walnuts?
Just wondering if TVP (soaked and hydrated) can replace the couscous in this recipe? Thanks!
Hi Linda! What a great idea. I haven’t tried that but I’m thinking it might work great!
This Vegan burger is so delectable! You’ll never realize that you are eating something vegan. I love it! Glad I got to get all my needed authentic Asian ingredients at Karman Foods. It’s fast and hassle-free!
So happy to hear you love it Mavee! Thanks for the great review!
Can you freeze these?
Yes definitely!
Great burger, so glad to find a vegan burger recipe that stays together while cooking and eating 🙂 That vital wheat gluten does wonders! Whole family liked it (which isn’t always easy with vegan recipes)
Awesome! So happy everyone enjoyed it! Thanks for the great review Jaime.
So no squishing out the sides when you bite down? It sure looks yummy, I want to try it but tired of squishy burgers
Nooo, not at all!