Best Veggie Burger

If you make one veggie burger recipe, it has to be this one. These burgers have a wonderful savory flavor and hearty texture. They're grillable, too!

Best Veggie Burger

Say hello to the BEST veggie burger recipe! Of course, that’s just my opinion, but once you try it, I think you’ll agree. For one, these patties are grill-able! And if you’d rather be spending time in the sun than in the kitchen, you can even make them a day or two in advance.

But that’s not all. This veggie burger has an amazing meaty texture and savory, smoky flavor. It’ll keep its shape when it’s stuffed inside a bun, and it’s delicious with fancy fixings or with good old ketchup and mustard. Unlike many packaged veggie burgers, its incredible texture and flavor come from simple, plant-based ingredients, so it doesn’t just taste good – it’s good for you, too!

So many readers have made and loved this veggie burger recipe over the last few years. If it’s not already obvious, we’re also pretty obsessed with it. Jack and I are making it this weekend to celebrate the unofficial start of summer, and I hope you will too. Hearty, flavorful, and really darn fun, it’s not a recipe you want to miss!

Best Veggie Burger Recipe

Veggie Burger Recipe Ingredients

Instead of making a bean-based burger, I make this recipe with shiitake and portobello mushrooms! They give these meatless burgers a wonderful hearty texture and umami-rich flavor. Then, I round them out with these key ingredients:

  • Tamari, balsamic vinegar, and mirin bring out the savory flavor of the mushrooms.
  • Smoked paprika and sriracha make these burgers smoky and spicy.
  • Finely chopped garlic and shallots add depth of flavor.
  • Crushed walnuts give them a meaty bite.
  • Short grain brown rice, panko bread crumbs, and ground flaxseed help these burgers hold together. DON’T use long-grain brown rice here. It’s not as sticky as short grain rice, so it doesn’t yield cohesive patties.

Even if you’re not a mushroom person, I think you’ll love this recipe. Smoky, savory, and meaty, it makes a darn good veggie burger.

Find the complete recipe with measurements below.

Mushrooms in a skillet Veggie burger recipe ingredients in a food processor

Best Veggie Burger Recipe Tips

  • Use rice that’s hot off the stove. The rice has to be sticky in order to bind these patties together. As a result, your rice must be freshly cooked, as leftover rice dries out in the fridge.
  • Brush them with vegan Worcestershire sauce after cooking. These veggie burgers aren’t intended to imitate a beef burger by any means, but they do have a wonderful meaty texture and flavor. To add even more flavor and to make them slightly juicy, brush them with vegan Worcestershire sauce (I like Annie’s brand) when they come off the grill.
  • Get ahead. You have a few options for prepping this veggie burger recipe ahead of time. The patties can be made up to a day in advance and stored on baking sheets in the fridge until ready to grill. You can also grill them in advance and store them in the fridge for 3 to 4 days – they reheat surprisingly well! If you have leftovers, freeze them in an airtight container or freezer bag for up to 3 months.

Best Veggie Burgers on the grill Brushing cooked patties with Worcestershire sauce

Veggie Burger Serving Suggestions

Buns out (suns out)! Load your veggie burger up however you like – I like mine with avocado or guacamole, sliced red onion or pickled red onions, mustard, Sir Kensington’s Avocado Mayo (not vegan) or Fabanaise (vegan), sprouts, and a squirt of sriracha or chipotle sauce on a homemade bun. When I’m in the mood for extra heat, I’ll even add a few pickled jalapeños. If you simply like ketchup, mustard, and dill pickles, that’s fine too!

Since you’ll already have the grill going, I recommend serving these with grilled vegetables, grilled zucchini, or corn on the cob. They’d also be fantastic with sweet potato fries or any of these salad recipes:

For more salad ideas, check out these 37 best salad recipes!

Vegan veggie burgers

More Favorite Cookout Recipes

If you love this veggie burger recipe, try one of these fun cookout recipes next:

Then, find 85 more delicious vegan recipes here!

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Best Veggie Burger

rate this recipe:
4.91 from 387 votes
Prep Time: 20 minutes
Cook Time: 20 minutes
Total Time: 40 minutes
Serves 8
Even meat eaters will love this veggie burger recipe! These grill-able patties are tangy, smoky, and savory, with a hearty texture from walnuts and mushrooms.

Ingredients

  • 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil, more for drizzling
  • 2 shallots, chopped (⅔ cup)
  • 16 ounces mushrooms, mix of shiitake + portobello, stemmed and diced
  • 2 tablespoons tamari
  • 2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
  • 1 tablespoon mirin, or ½ teaspoon maple syrup
  • 2 garlic cloves, minced
  • ½ teaspoon smoked paprika
  • 2 teaspoons sriracha, more if desired
  • ½ cup chopped walnuts
  • ¼ cup ground flaxseed
  • 2 cups cooked short-grain brown rice, freshly cooked so that it’s sticky*
  • 1 cup panko bread crumbs, divided
  • Vegan Worcestershire sauce, for brushing
  • Nonstick cooking spray, for grilling
  • Hamburger buns & desired burger fixings
  • Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper

Instructions

  • Heat the olive oil in a medium skillet over medium heat. Add the shallot and sauté until soft, 1 minute. Add the mushrooms and a generous pinch of salt, and sauté until soft and browned, 6 to 9 minutes, turning down the heat slightly, as needed.
  • Stir in the tamari, vinegar, and mirin. Stir, reduce the heat, then add the garlic, smoked paprika, and sriracha. Remove the pan from the heat and let cool slightly.
  • In a food processor, combine the sautéed mushrooms, walnuts, flaxseed, brown rice, and ½ cup of the panko. Pulse until just combined. The mixture should hold together when pinched, but it should still have some texture.
  • Transfer to a large bowl and fold in the remaining panko.
  • Form into 8 patties, place them on a large plate and chill in the fridge for 1 hour.
  • If you're grilling the patties, preheat a grill to medium-high heat. Brush the patties with olive oil and spray the grill with cooking spray. Place the patties on the grill and use a spatula to press down lightly. Grill for 7 minutes on the first side, flip, and grill for 6 to 7 minutes on the second side, or until well-charred and cooked through.
  • Alternately, cook the patties on the stove. Heat a cast-iron skillet over medium heat. Coat the bottom of the skillet with oil and cook the patties for 5 to 6 minutes per side, or until well-charred and cooked through.
  • Remove from the heat, brush with Worcestershire sauce, and serve with desired fixings.

Notes

The patties can be made in advance and stored in the fridge, on a tray, until ready to grill. They can also be grilled in advance and stored in the fridge for 3 to 4 days - they reheat surprisingly well.
You can also freeze the cooked burgers. Allow them to cool completely after cooking. Transfer them to an airtight container or bag, and freeze them for up to 3 months. Thaw frozen burgers in the microwave, or warm them in a 400° oven for 10-20 minutes, until heated through.
*It’s very very important that your brown rice is freshly made and sticky so that the burgers will be cohesive. (Long grain rice isn't as sticky, so be sure to get short grain rice).

 

465 comments

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Rate this recipe (after making it)




  1. Sara
    01.19.2024

    These were really good! I followed the exact recipe, and will definitely be making them again. Finally a meatless burger that has easy and healthy ingredients, and stays together when you cook it. Thanks for a great recipe!

    • Phoebe Moore (L&L Recipe Developer)
      01.19.2024

      Hi Sara, I’m so glad you loved it!

  2. Karen
    01.18.2024

    These are my go to veggie burgers and I’m not even a vegetarian. Just love to eat healthy. Thank you for this recipe. I make them on repeat and others love them every time too. I sub cashews for walnuts because it’s my favorite nut!

    • Phoebe Moore (L&L Recipe Developer)
      01.19.2024

      Hi Karen, I’m so glad you love the veggie burgers!

  3. Trying Chef
    01.13.2024

    Not sure what I did wrong, the “batter” in the food processor was absolutely mush and I had to add more panko. Was I supposed to drain the mushrooms before adding the tamari/mirin/balsamic since they cooked down to a lot of water?

  4. Chas
    01.12.2024

    What is a good substitute for the walnuts if you have a nut allergy?

  5. Lori Mesurier
    01.05.2024

    3 stars
    Love the burger but where is the nutritional information. I don’t feel it has much protein.?

  6. Sophia
    01.04.2024

    3 stars
    Came together well but taste and texture left something to be desired.

  7. Darren
    12.26.2023

    Also, can I freeze uncooked burgers?

  8. Darren
    12.26.2023

    Can I use Short grain Japanese rice for these? I cannot get short grain brown rice

  9. Jane T
    12.25.2023

    5 stars
    Excellent burgers! Best I’ve tasted!

  10. Kiki
    12.03.2023

    5 stars
    I have made these about 15 times. They are essential for my meal planning for the week. I have gluten-free family members so there are some changes I make. Instead of the panko I use oatmeal. Since I always have white rice in the house I use sushi rice instead of Brown Rice and always use day-old rice that I warm up. They come out perfect in the oven. These are so good, I’ve tried many recipes over the last 20 years, and this one is the absolute best. Thank you!

    • Jeanine Donofrio
      12.05.2023

      Hi Kiki, I’m so glad you’ve loved them!

  11. Emma
    11.13.2023

    Is there something about brown rice in particular or would a short grain sticky white rice work just as well? eg arborio rice

    • Jeanine Donofrio
      11.16.2023

      Hi Emma, hmm, arborio rice would probably stick together well enough, but I still suggest brown rice for it’s nutty whole grain flavor.

  12. Matt
    10.28.2023

    Has anyone tried baking these in the oven? My grilled died, but can’t live without these!

    • Janet
      11.24.2023

      5 stars
      These were a hit with the whole family!

  13. Sarah
    10.15.2023

    i would like to make these low protein (because of a medical condition), can I omit the walnuts and flaxseeds. Otherwise, what could be some low pro replacement options? thanks!

  14. Trinity
    10.14.2023

    5 stars
    Absolutely fantastic! Made this for me (not vegan but follow Mediterranean diet), my sister (vegan), and my brother (meat eater). We all loved them and my brother even had 2 helpings. My sister is allergic to crimini/white mushrooms so I used shiitake and king oyster mushrooms and then brushed some Korean BBQ sauce on top of each patty. I cooked these in the air fryer at 360 for about 10 min. Then I topped mine with some fried mushrooms and onions, spinach, tomato, mustard and mayo and some melted havarti cheese. Then had some sweet potato fries on the side. So so good! Will definitely make more in the future.

    • Jeanine Donofrio
      10.15.2023

      I’m so glad they were a hit! The Korean BBQ sauce sounds delicious.

  15. Nancy
    09.17.2023

    Could you kindly advise on the calories for “BEST VEGGIE BURGER” please.

    • Jeanine Donofrio
      09.20.2023

      Hi Nancy, I’m sorry, we don’t calculate nutrition facts but you could plug the ingredients into a site like my fitness pal.

    • Paula G
      09.22.2023

      I plugged it into My Fitness Pal & it’s 178 calories per burger excluding the bun.

  16. Nancy
    09.17.2023

    May I have the nutritional/ calories to this delicious receipe. The Best Veggie Burger.
    Thanks

  17. Holli
    09.07.2023

    4 stars
    I was so insanely surprised by how delicious these are! I could eat them as a replacement every single time my family has burgers. I was so shocked by how good they are that I shared the recipe with like 10 people immediately lol.
    FANTASTIC!
    Like the person before me, I’m working on the nutritional profile.

    • Phoebe Moore (L&L Recipe Developer)
      09.08.2023

      Hi Holli, I’m so glad you love the veggie burgers!

  18. True
    09.05.2023

    Hi, do you have the nutritional value of the recipe? Protein/calories?

    Thank you!

  19. Christine Whittington
    09.04.2023

    5 stars
    I have about 50 veggie burger recipes in my recipe database and I bunch call themselves “best” or “easiest.” I’m beginning a project to try a select few, after paying more than I should have for veggie burgers at the grocery store. Many have beans, tofu, eggs, squash, edamame, or–the most interesting ingredients, halloumi or sun-dried tomatoes. I think these really are the best. They are the best I have ever made. I was meticulous at following the recipe and instructions exactly.

    I did hand chop everything before zapping it all in the food processor. It would have taken me less time if I had just used the Cuisinart for the mushrooms, shallots, and garlic as well.

    These are just awesome. Ten stars. They hold together and gril beautifully and they have an out-of-this world flavor–loads of umami and crunchy on the outside. No sticking or falling apart whatsoever. They look just like the photo! We ate two of them with all of the fixin’s and I am cooking the remaining 6 for the freezer.

    We also had my favorite recipe for air fryer French fries, which I realized is also from Love & Lemons.

    • Jeanine Donofrio
      09.05.2023

      I’m so glad you loved the burgers and the fries!

  20. Kathleen
    08.26.2023

    5 stars
    These are delicious! I make them for almost every camping trip and they are a huge hit. Usually I prep them the night before I leave. This time I need to make them Sunday for the following weekend. Should I freeze them or refrigerate if I’m prepping them 5/6 days before cooking?

    • Jeanine Donofrio
      08.26.2023

      Hi Kathleen, I think it should work to freeze them until you’re ready to leave – then just keep them in a cooler before ready to cook.

A food blog with fresh, zesty recipes.
Photograph of Jeanine Donofrio and Jack Mathews in their kitchen

Hello, we're Jeanine and Jack.

We love to eat, travel, cook, and eat some more! We create & photograph vegetarian recipes from our home in Chicago, while our shiba pups eat the kale stems that fall on the kitchen floor.