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.
Hello. I was so excted about this recipe! This was more like falafel and not a burger. I am not sure what I did wrong. I did not enjoy the taste or the textture. I did eat one and I have five more. Iput them in the freezer and will not let them go to waste. However, I don’t think I will be making them again. Thank you for sharing but I was not impressed.
Hand’s down the best vegan burger I have ever made. Served them to meat-eaters the other night and everyone wanted seconds. I followed the recipe except for the bbq cause and the hoisin sauce. I’m going to experiment with a gluten-free option next time (and/or read reviews of someone who has already done there). Thank you!
Thanks for your great review Sarah!
I’ve made bean burgers before and was looking forward to a different recipe. Many different ingredients in these that i haven’t used in a burger before, such as the liquid smoke for starters.
These held together better than any bean burger recipe I’ve used and the flavor was excellent!
Really enjoyed these.
That’s awesome Gail! So happy to hear that the recipe worked out for you and you enjoy the flavors! Thanks so much for your great review!
These were. awesome! My quest for great tasting, nutritious, and non mushy vegan burgers is OVER! (Many years of trying different recipes). Thank you so much for your clever recipe! I baked mine for 10 minutes each side on parchment paper and they came out great (another 10 for your burgers) as this is no easy feat to taste good without using oil! And NO sticking at all! Thanks again.
Thanks for sharing Kathy!
Can these be made into a Vegan Loaf that can be baked? If you’d care to comment on doing that it would be amazing. We made the burgers and they were fantastic so my wife thought “Why not make a loaf of this recipe.”
Hi David, We haven’t tested the recipe as a meatloaf, but you can definitely try. We also have a vegan meatloaf recipe if that’s what you’re looking for.
Excellent Burger. Thank you so much for the recipe. The flavors are amazing the firmness is good as well. I’ve had vegan burgers in the past and they are to mushy. This one is just right not falling off the bun. New to being vegan and having recipes like this helps in so many ways.
That’s great Brittney! Happy to hear you enjoy the recipe and thanks for your awesome review!
Loved this great recipe for vegan burgers. Very creative and loved the flavors
Thanks so much Patrick!
Awesome firm burger and FYI, if you eat whole food plant based and avoid frying or using oil as I do, painting on a little tahini or nut butter and air frying works excellent too!
That’s so clever Char! Thanks for sharing and for your great review!
wow just made these burgers and they are super great just the right amount of vital wheat gluten. I didn’t have couscous so I used quinoa, and I didn’t have garbanzo beans so I used black beans. and that was a awesome burger. thank you for the recipe. Jeff
Thank you so much for sharing your additions and your great review Jeff!
Is there a substitute for vital wheat gluten?
Hi Keisha, we haven’t tested a version without the vital wheat gluten.
The addition of wheat gluten is genius. First vegan burger that didn’t collapse during cooking. AMAZING..!!!!
Awesome! Thanks Matt!
Thank you Alison for always sharing these delicious and healthy recipes ❤️
This is great , my daughter loves it and thinks it’s the best ever
I made the burgers last night and they were delicious! Such a good flavor!
I didn’t have couscous or vital wheat gluten, so I used cooked brown rice and egg whites instead. I made 6 patties rather than 4, and they held together well. Because the patties are smaller, they will not need as much cooking time.
Will be making them again soon!
I followed the recipe precisely and these turned out really well. My partner is a former meat-eater turned vegan and I’m a life-long vegetarian who’s never eaten meat and is completely put off by ‘fake meat’ so I’m always keen to find burger recipes that will please us both and hold together well! I really like that this is primarily made of nuts and legumes but the vital wheat gluten adds just the right amount of firmness. We got 6 burgers out of this batch so have 4 in the freezer to enjoy at a later date. I’m already planning to make these for our first camping trip of next Spring – I think they’ll be even better cooked on a grill. Thanks for a recipe that is every bit as good as it looks!
So happy you enjoyed it Sarah!