The burgers They are a very versatile fast food that can be perfectly healthy without using strange ingredients or complicated techniques.

Currently there are a lot of trading optionsbut they are far from ideal. They use low quality ingredientsthey prioritize appearance and aroma over nutrition, etc.

advantages

Therefore, the best solution is to make your own homemade vegan burgers, everything is

:

• You you choose the ingredientswhat you want them to have and what they don’t, always what you like
• They come out very cheap and they last a long time frozen
• They allow you take advantage of leftovers from the refrigerator
• Tea they save time: From a good amount of dough you get enough to store and then you just have to open and heat it.

Select the best ingredients to cook your vegetable burgers

For your burgers to turn out perfect, you have to keep these three keys in mind:

1. Choose as a base or main ingredient a protein food: legumes such as lentils, chickpeas or beans, and derivatives such as tofu, tempeh and textured soybeans.
2. The idea is power shape it by hand or with a moldcompacting well before storing or cooking.
3. You must balance the mass so that it is neither dry nor too soft. This depends on the ingredients you use (I’ll tell you more about it now).

The protein part

The legumes They can be cooked and drained or sprouted and drained. In the case of cooked legumes you just have to mash them with a fork or a potato masher to form the dough and mix with the rest of the ingredients. If they are germinated, put them through the chopper first, this will make it easier.

He tofu It can be shredded with your hands, the tempeh can be grated with a grater and the textured soy that is best is the fine one, which is similar to minced meat.

Unlike cooked legumes, sprouted legumes, tofu, tempeh and textured soybeans They are not very clumpingthat is, when you take a portion and squeeze it, it does not retain its shape. For these cases you can add cerealsflours, other legumes, etc., in the right amount to make a compactable dough.

Texture and nutritional value

The cereals and seeds They provide a lot of flavor and very good texture, especially if they are integral. Brown rice, quinoa, oats, barley, bulgur wheat, buckwheat, millet, spelled…

The oatmeal in flakes or flakes absorbs moisture of the dough, so if you add liquids to make it softer, the oats will also absorb them and act as a binder thanks to the starches they contain.

He rice and darling Cooked they can be crushed or left as is, they clump a little and above all they give texture. I really like to add cooked brown rice that I have left over from another meal.

The quinoa It looks especially good. Made al dente, it does not fall apart and provides texture and very good flavor, especially if you toast it a little before boiling it.

The rest of the cereals and seeds are great for give colors and textures to the burgers. They are not as clumping but you can always add a small amount of whole grain flour or legume to bind.

The dried fruits They are also a hoot on hamburgers. Try chopped walnuts, flaked almonds, pine nuts, etc. They don’t agglomerate either, but they provide very good flavor and different textures.

The vegetables and greens They give a lot of play: they can add from small amounts of color and flavor to changing the entire texture, color and aroma.

• Roasted pumpkin, carrot and beet always turn out very well, they can be crushed with the rest of the ingredients and they also agglomerate.
• The potato is not bad, but it can be a little heavy.
• Peppers, both raw and roasted, are very good, as are onions, garlic, leeks, spinach, etc.

As vegetables in general provide liquid Your dough will be less dry. If it is too soft you can always add oats, whole wheat flour or chickpea flour.

To give them flavor and aroma

To give flavor it is essential to use spices and sauces that give it that aroma and flavor that we are looking for. Although the ingredients we use will determine the flavor of the burger (for example, chickpeas and sweet potato), we can improve them even more with spices such as thyme, rosemary, parsley, oregano, basil, etc.

In general, the spices used in marinades and roasts are the ones that work best. Try thyme, rosemary, black pepper, smoked paprika, etc.

The soy sauce (shoyu or tamari) is also essential for a taste more similar to commercial burgers. You need a very small amount and when the dough browns you will notice it. a much more appetizing aroma.

And there are many more ingredients that we can use to taste: breadcrumbs (preferably whole wheat), different flours (such as gluten powder, which is what seitan is made with), liquids (water, vegetable milks…), pastes such as tahini or miso, etc.

5 Vegan burger recipes to put all this into practice

Try making these burgers and varying them to your liking with other ingredients to create your own different burgers. gluten free, soy free…tailored to you!

Textured soy and leek burgers: recipe

Ingredients

• 1 cup fine textured soybeans
• ½ medium leek grated or chopped very finely
• 2 tablespoons soy sauce
• 4 tablespoons of flaked oats
• ½ cup of water
• ¼ teaspoon garlic powder
• ¼ teaspoon thyme
• ¼ teaspoon peppermint
• Olive oil to brown the burgers

Preparation

1. Mix all the dry ingredients in a bowl, add the water, mix well, cover and let it rest for 30 minutes.
2. Stir the dough, form medium-sized burgers (about 2 tablespoons of dough), pressing them well with your hands or a mold and grill them with a little oil, over medium heat, about 4 minutes per side.

Tofu, quinoa and vegetable burgers: recipe

Ingredients

• 250 g extra hard tofu
• 1 cup cooked and drained quinoa
• 2 roasted piquillo peppers
• 2 medium mushrooms
• 1 carrot
• ½ red onion
• 2 tablespoons whole wheat or spelled flour
• ¼ teaspoon garlic powder
• 2 tablespoons soy sauce
• 1 tablespoon tahini
• ¼ teaspoon thyme
• ¼ teaspoon parsley
• ¼ teaspoon chives
• A pinch of ground black pepper
• Olive oil to brown the burgers

Preparation

1. In a bowl, crumble the tofu with your hands, add the quinoa and mash everything together with a fork.
2. Finely chop the peppers, mushrooms, carrots and onion and add it, mixing very well.
3. Add the rest of the ingredients and mix it very well. Knead it by hand and if when forming hamburgers they fall apart, add a little more flour and mix very well again.
4. Make the burgers a little thick, with 2 tablespoons and a little more dough.
5. Grill them with a pinch of oil, over medium-low heat, about 5 minutes per side.

Seitan burgers with rice: recipe

Ingredients

• 1 cup wheat gluten
• 1 cup cooked brown rice (and drained)
• 2 tablespoons of flaked oats
• 2 tablespoons of rice flour
• ¼ teaspoon garlic powder
• ¼ teaspoon thyme
• ¼ teaspoon rosemary
• ½ teaspoon smoked paprika
• A pinch of ground black pepper
• 3 tablespoons soy sauce
• 1 tablespoon rice or apple cider vinegar
• 1 cup of water

Preparation

1. Mix the gluten with the oats, flour, garlic, thyme, rosemary, paprika and pepper in a bowl.
2. Add the rice, soy sauce, vinegar and water, mix it and knead it by hand for a few minutes. Cover it and let it rest for at least half an hour.
3. Form the burgers by flattening balls of dough, without paying too much attention to the shape (the important thing is that they are more or less the same thickness everywhere).
4. Grill over medium-low heat, covered, for 5-6 minutes on each side.

Lentil burgers with walnuts: recipe

Ingredients

• 1 cup cooked and drained lentils
• 1 cup of rolled oats
• ¼ cup wheat gluten powder
• 3 tablespoons soy sauce
• ½ cup peeled and chopped walnuts
• ¼ teaspoon onion powder
• ¼ teaspoon garlic powder
• ¼ teaspoon sage
• ¼ teaspoon rosemary
• ¼ cup of water
• Olive oil to brown the burgers

Preparation:

1. In a bowl, mash the lentils with the oats and walnuts. Add the rest of the ingredients and mix very well until you have a consistent dough.
2. Make the burgers of normal size and thickness, with about 2 tablespoons of dough, and grill them for about 4 minutes on each side over medium heat.

Tempeh and Black Bean Burgers: Recipe

Ingredients:

• 2.5 cups cooked black beans
• 100g tempeh
• 3 tablespoons soy sauce
• 1 teaspoon chopped parsley
• 1/4 teaspoon thyme
• 1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
• pinch of smoked paprika
• rice flour (optional)

Preparation:

1. Grate the tempeh with a large-hole grater and put it in a bowl.
2. Add the black beans and mash everything with a fork or potato masher, mixing well. It doesn’t need to be pureed.
3. Add the soy sauce and spices and mix it.
4. Form the burgers with 2 large tablespoons of dough, shaping them into a ball and flattening them. Make sure they are tight.
5. If you want, you can coat them in rice flour.
6. You can freeze them or make them immediately in a frying pan with a little oil, it will take 3-4 minutes on each side over medium heat.