High-Protein Veggie Burger

This recipe was adapted from the Compassionate Cuisine cookbook recipe, Scarlet Black Bean Burger. Photo credit goes to Alexandra Shytsman.

High-Protein Veggie Burger

Makes 10 burgers, perfect for freezing

Equipment: Food processor

If you’re shifting to a plant-based diet, you’ll want to have a high-protein veggie burger recipe in your repertoire. Mastering meatless burgers provides an endless variety of healthy, hearty dinners. Flexibility and creativity are hallmarks of homemade burgers. Using what’s on hand, making substitutions to suit your taste, and considering the seasonality of ingredients means you’ll never be bored by a burger made from plants.

This high-protein veggie burger uses humble, whole foods like mushrooms, oats, walnuts, and black beans. Baked in the oven, these veggie burgers are ample and satisfying and hold together on a bun or on a bed of salad greens. This recipe calls for vegan mayonnaise which is easy to find in the condiments aisle or in the refrigerated section. Vegan mayo is made without eggs so there is no added cholesterol.

Experiment by substituting your favorite beans, vegetables, and spices to make an endless variety of high-protein veggie burgers - just keep the proportions relatively similar and the sky is the limit! Serve these with your favorite sauce or a few slices of creamy avocado to complete the experience. This high-protein veggie burger recipe intentionally makes a big batch because they’re perfect for freezing after you bake them, which means you’ve got a healthy dinner in the bag on a busy night!

This recipe is featured in our cookbook Compassionate Cuisine: 125 Plant-Based Recipes from our Vegan Kitchen (Skyhorse Publishing, 2019). Photo credit: Alexandra Shytsman.

INGREDIENTS

Oil spray or oil for brushing parchment, optional

1 medium beet, peeled and cut into 1-inch pieces, about 1 cup

2 medium carrots, peeled, roughly chopped, about 1 cup

1 small onion, peeled, cut into chunks

5 oz button mushrooms (half of a standard 10-ounce package)

3 large cloves garlic, peeled

1 cup old-fashioned oats

½ cup walnuts (or substitute sunflower or pumpkin seeds)

2 teaspoons chili powder

2 teaspoons ground cumin

1 teaspoon salt

1 (15.5-ounce) can of black beans (or choose your favorite canned/cooked beans), drained and rinsed

½ cup vegan mayonnaise

To Serve

Buns, lettuce, tomato, avocado, your favorite sauce (or mix mayo, ketchup, mustard, and lemon juice for a quick and delicious topping)

DIRECTIONS

1. Preheat oven to 375ºF. Line a baking tray with parchment paper. Brush or spread the oil on the parchment paper and set aside. Parchment is non-stick so omit the oil, if you prefer.

The ingredients are blended in several steps so that ingredients get broken down into the right texture without turning everything to mush. Place beets, carrots, onion, mushrooms, and garlic in the bowl of a food processor. Pulse until finely chopped. Empty into a large bowl.

2. Next, place oats, walnuts, chili powder, paprika, cumin, and salt into the processor and pulse several times, leaving some texture to the nuts and oats. Empty into the bowl with the beet mixture.

3. Finally, place beans and mayonnaise in the processor and pulse to combine, leaving some texture to the beans. Empty into the bowl with the other ingredients and mix.

4. Use a portion scoop or ⅓ measuring cup to scoop the mixture onto the prepared baking tray. Use a spatula or knife to flatten and create uniform burgers that are about 1 1/2 inches thick and about 3 to 4 inches wide.

5. Place the tray in the oven and bake for about 30 minutes. Remove the tray from the oven and let the burgers sit for about 5 minutes to set. Serve alone, on buns, or in lettuce wraps with all of the fixings. Refrigerate leftover cooked burgers for up to 5 days, or freeze between layers of parchment paper in a covered container.