Burgers are one of the most popular foods in the world. They’re juicy, savory, and satisfying, but they’re not always healthy. However, with the rise of the vegan movement, plant-based burgers have become a popular alternative. If you’re looking for an easy and delicious vegan burger, you’re in the right place. In this article, we’ll show you how to create the ultimate vegan burger by providing tips, tricks, and recipes.
Choose Your Protein
The first step in creating the ultimate vegan burger is to choose your protein. There are a lot of options out there, including:
1. Legumes: Think lentils, chickpeas, beans (black, pinto, navy), and soybeans.
2. Grains / legume combos: Brown rice, quinoa, and farro mixed with chickpeas, lentils, or black beans.
3. Vegetables: mushrooms, eggplant, sweet potatoes, cauliflower, and zucchini.
4. Seitan: a wheat-based protein.
5. Tofu: A soy-based protein.
6. Combinations: Sometimes using a combination of plant-based proteins is a great way to get the flavor and texture you want.
Black Bean Burgers
Ingredients:
• 1 large can black beans (rinsed and drained)
• 1/2 cup quick oats or breadcrumbs
• 1 flax egg (1 Tbsp ground flaxseed meal + 2.5 Tbsp water)
• 1/2 red onion (finely chopped)
• 1/2 red pepper (finely chopped)
• 1 small jalapeño (finely chopped)
• 2 Tbsp fresh cilantro (finely chopped)
• 1 tsp cumin powder
• 1 tsp chili powder
• 1/2 tsp onion powder
• Pinch of sea salt
• Pinch of black pepper
Instructions:
1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
2. Mash black beans in a mixing bowl.
3. Add in the oats(or breadcrumbs), red onion, red pepper, jalapeño, cilantro, flax egg, and spices and mix.
4. Adjust seasonings to taste.
5. Form into patties.
6. Bake for a total of 30-35 minutes, carefully flipping at the 20-25 minute mark.
7. Serve with guacamole or a vegan chipotle mayo sauce.
Sweet Potato Burgers
Ingredients:
• 2 large sweet potatoes (peeled and roughly chopped)
• 1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro
• 1/4 cup cooked quinoa
• 1/4 cup quick oats
• 1 tsp cumin
• 1 tsp chili powder
• Salt and pepper to taste
Instructions:
1. Preheat your oven to 375ºF.
2. Pierce sweet potatoes with a knife and bake until cooked, approximately 30-40 minutes.
3. Once sweet potatoes are cooked, let them cool.
4. In a mixing bowl, mash the sweet potatoes.
5. Add in cilantro, cooked quinoa, oats, cumin, chili powder, salt, and pepper and mix well.
6. Form the mixture into patties.
7. Bake in the oven for 25 minutes or until golden brown.
8. Serve on your favorite burger buns with your favorite toppings.
Don’t Forget The Flavorings
While choosing the right protein is an essential step in creating a vegan burger, flavorings are as important. Flavorings help bring everything together and give your burger its unique taste. Here are a few ideas for flavorings that can make your vegan burger stand out:
• Smoky: Use smoked paprika or chipotle to spice up your burger
• Asian-Inspired: Add sesame oil, ginger, and garlic to your burger
• Herbaceous: Use fresh herbs like rosemary, thyme or basil to flavor the patty
• Cheesy: Nutritional yeast can help give your burger a cheesy flavor
Patties Need Binding
One of the biggest challenges when creating a vegan burger is getting the patty to stay together. Unlike traditional burgers that use egg to bind the ingredients, this a different ball game. Here are a few ways to solve this problem:
1. Use breadcrumbs or quick oats: They help absorb excess moisture from the mixture and act as a binder.
2. Flax or chia eggs: Mix 1 Tbsp of either flaxseed meal or chia seeds with 3 Tbsp of water for every egg. This mixture will swell and create a gel, acting as a binder
3. Cornstarch or arrowroot powder: These can be added to the mixture to bind it, in addition to adding some crispiness to the outside of the patty.
4. Potato starch: Mix this into your patty mixture to help hold it together.
Put it all together
Once you’ve chosen your protein, selected the perfect flavorings, and found the right binding agent, it’s time to put everything together. Here’s a quick rundown of how to assemble the ultimate vegan burger:
1. Prepare the patty according to the recipe you’ve chosen.
2. Choose a bun: Seeded buns, rye bread or lettuce wraps are all options.
3. Choose your toppings: lettuce, tomato, avocado, caramelized onions, pickles, vegan cheese sauce, vegan mayo, ketchup, and mustard are just some of the options.
4. Add your burger patty to your bun and then top with your desired toppings.
5. Enjoy your delicious, healthy, and cruelty-free burger!
In conclusion, creating the ultimate vegan burger is all about finding the right protein, choosing the right flavorings, and selecting the right binder. Once you’ve got the basics down, all that’s left is putting it all together and enjoying your delicious, plant-based burger. Happy cooking!