I once dated a guy who was a vegetarian and regularly ate the veggie burgers from Harvey’s (a fast food chain). He claimed to be veg for enviro reasons but as far I’m concerned, buying veggie burgers, most likely made of genetically modified soy waste and fried up in genetically modified corn or soy based oils, isn’t really doing much for the planet, or his health.
Despite being mostly veggie, I have never once ordered a ‘veggie burger’, ‘garden burger’, or ‘hamburger’ in a restaurant. Even when I did eat meat, I rarely ate hamburgers from restaurants. I just never knew exactly what was in them. I know that veggie burgers are often soy + mushrooms + something green, but no one can ever tell me for sure and given my challenging black pepper allergy, I always ask what’s in stuff before I order it.
When Ricki over at Diets, Desserts and Dogs posted a veggie burger recipe, actually made from vegetables, I was inspired to try them myself. In the past I have made veggie burgers made primarily with almond and flaxseeds- but these were always bordering on being an onion/garlic version of the cookies I make with almonds and flaxseeds. I had a moment as I was scooping the mix out of my food processor where I thought about smearing it on to a dehydrator tray for some yummy veggie crackers- but in the end stuck to the burger goal.
Using Ricki’s recipe as inspiration, I came up with this mix of plant based, patty-riffic deliciousness.
Vegetable Veggie Burger
1 cup cooked chickpeas (can use bean of choice of course)
1 cup mixed veggies (I used a carrot, broccoli stalk and 1/4 of a tomato)
2/3 cup fresh spinach
1/2 onion cut into chunks
1/4 cup cilantro (can sub with parsley if you’re a cilantro hater)
1 clove of garlic
2 Tbs pumpkin seeds (raw, ground)
1/2 cup almonds (raw, ground)
1/2 cup walnuts (raw, ground)
1 tsp flaxseeds (ground)
1 Tbsp tamari (could also use soya sauce)
1/2 tsp dill seeds, ground
1/2 tsp dried basil
1/4 tsp sea salt
dash cayenne
2/3 cup gluten-free flour (I used buckwheat)
- Preheat oven to 375F .
- Place all ingredient except the flour in a food processor or vitamix and blend until almost smooth
- Transfer mix to a bowl and sprinkle with 1/4 cup flour to start. Mix together and add more flour gradually until the mixture is thickened. It will be very moist still but will hold together.
- Shape the mixture into 12 burgers, depending on how big you’d like them. Flatten each burger to 1/2 inch (2.5 cm) thickness and place on the cookie sheet, spacing evenly (these won’t spread as they bake).
- Bake about 20 minutes on one side, then flip and bake another 15 minutes on the other side, until lightly browned.
Yum!! Your version looks great. I think the original recipe said you could also grill these (for those who are desperate for something bar-b-que’d!), so I may give them a go on our indoor grill if I get a chance to make them again. Love the spinach in them!
Yay!!! I am going to make these. I love showing up at BBQ’s with my strange alternative “burgers.” Everyone always asks me what they are made from and then they make yucky faces. It’s quite entertaining! The yucky faces don’t bother me much because I know what I am doing for my health. The faces are even better when I pull a green smoothie out of my bag!!
Hope you are doing well Meghan
I was just browsing looking for a real veggie patty and came across Heidi’s, 101 Cookbooks, Ultimate Veggie Burger Recipe, then I clicked on Facebook and lo and behold you posted your recipe!
Just read the recipe…1/2 tsp dried seeds, ground…and was wondering what kind of seeds you are referring to here, any kind?
I’ve recently been learning about how soaking beans, oats, etc. makes them more digestible and nourishing. Did you? Could I do it with the dried beans in this recipe?
Do you think I can use whole wheat flour, pastry flour or even white flour instead?
I want to try these and will be assembling the ingredients this afternoon to make them for dinner. Thanks!
Excellent! I love “real” veggie burgers and will definitely be trying these this summer!
I am so with you on the eating “veggie” only to eat junk. It isn’t a positive trade in my book.
Awesome.
I think that the veggie burger at Mitzi’s Sister is grain-based. It’s dense, though. I ordered it expecting something lighter.
I’ll be bookmarking your recipe and Ricki’s. I bet that the almond pulp from almond milk would work in this. Not sure if it will work in the Magic Bullet but we’ll see.
Delicious! I just made them to set aside for dinner tonight, since my baby is having an extra long nap and I had some cooking time! I helped myself to half of one and really love the flavour! Thanks so much for posting the recipe. I agree that most of the veggie burgers out there are not so healthy… esp for those of us who don’t eat soy or gluten! Yours are true veggie burgers.
I also made your kale chips the other day and enjoyed the crunchy texture. Yum!
These sound delish! Quick question- it says ’1/2 tsp dried seeds-ground’ – should this be cumin seeds?
Thanks so much for sharing!! I can’t wait to try this recipe out! Looks so amazing! Yum!
Gorgeous! I wanna make my own veggie burgers now too
I love your veggie combo. I always forget to use dill as a seasoning–thanks for the reminder!
Yum! Your veggie burgers look great. I always worry about ordering any type of burger because I freak out about what may be inside. Homemade is ALWAYS the way to go. Just stumbled across your site for the first time and am loving it btw!
My veggie boyfriend is going to LOVE this. He has requested that we go to a place where I cannot eat anything on the menu for his birthday (As a rule I don’t do grains, processed soy, sugar…) because this is the only day he is allowed to be selfish. So he wants to go get a big veggie burger and a milkshake (I limit dairy too). I am giddy now because this recipe is without soy and I can sub the GF flour for something I can tolerate. Hooray! I bet I can make him a milkshake with coconut milk ice cream
Can these be frozen (before baking)?
I actually thought I would have some leftovers to freeze. Hubby, my 2.5 year old and I had some for dinner last night and then I had a few for lunch today. The 2.5 year old ate what was left. She loves them — the perfect texture for a toddler.
Sadly, the 4.5 year old wouldn’t go near them. She has a list of what she’ll eat and veggie burger isn’t on it.
Fortunately green smoothie is! 
Meghan, how many burgers did this make? I have a family of 5 to feed, so need to know if I should double. Thanks!
P.S. Had the Kale Boost smoothie this morning… excellent… even my 4 year old daughter loved it!!
Jennifer, I would double the recipe. I’ve made the recipe twice. Last night, I played around with the veggies (used tomato, orange pepper and corn). Instead of chickpeas I used black beans and added some leftover brown rice. They’re great for a meal or to snack on.
We made these tonight — LOVED them!! Even my meat-loving husband said they were A+!! My kids (10,8,4) all gobbled them down too (none leftover!). I did make a double batch, but froze the extra for another yummy meal after the Green Smoothie Cleanse. Enjoy your weekend!
Ok, these burgers look absolutely delish!
I have to confess, raw burgers have never been one of my favorites (blasphemy for a raw foodist, I know), but they’ve always been a bit on the greasy side texture wise for me so I haven’t had a burger in ages…and I really miss them.
Being the adventurous soul that I am, I’m willing to try a burger that’s 100% whole food if not 100% raw. They’re still far better for you than anything packaged or processed.
The fact that they’re gluten-free is another plus!
Can’t wait to try them!
Rebecca A.
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This sounds great! It’s always nice to find a soy free vegetarian burger option.
thanks!
Andrea- I am sure the almond pulp would work really well. Ricki had also suggested the left over fibre from juicing which is a great option too!
Hey Nicole- It should have said dill seeds. I updated the recipe… you are seriously the best proof reader ever!
Absolutely- though I froze them after the baking.
Too bad about the 4 1/2 year old. Wouldn’t life be simpler if everyone in a family would eat the same food. You could always try cutting it up into cubes and mixing it with things she will eat, disguised in a sandwich, or topped with a homemade tomato sauce or sweet chutney. The green smoothie is huge though! I can’t even get my 32 year old brother to drink one!
Jennifer R. I would recommend doubling the recipe in that case which will leave you with leftovers too. Once you are doing the work- might as well have a second meal out of it.
Jennifer R. I love hearing this. So many people think veggie/vegan foods are birdseed and tasteless. Your anecdote will be added to my repertoire when clients tell me their kids would never eat the foods I write about.