Veggie Smash Burger – Thee Burger Dude

A simple, savory and delicious Veggie Smash Burger made with actual vegetables! Smash ’em thin for a win! Freezer Friendly too!

Like I’ve said when I made my other Vegan Burger, I do love a good Impossible or Beyond Burger, but sometimes a good old fashioned Veggie Burger is what I need!

And these are inspired partly by Burgerlords which used to serve my favorite Veggie Burger before they got bought out. I recently had one by Smashed in Burbank and was inspired to make my own and now I think I might actually like this better than Impossible!

This Veggie Burger Recipe also makes 3 pounds (1.3 kg) so it’s perfect for burgers all week, and you can freeze them for later too!

ingredients for a Veggie Burger

• Mushrooms – You can use any kind or combo of mushrooms you like, but to make these as accessible as possible I made these with plain button mushrooms. Cremini, Baby Portabello will work great.
• Carrot & Celery – If you hate either one of these vegetables, you could probably sub with a bell pepper or something similar.

• Onions & Garlic – Can probably use Shallots, but any variety of Onion should work fine!
• Chickpeas – Could likely use any bean you like, but Chickpeas do great in this recipe!
• Cooked White Rice – I’ve been using pre-made sushi rice, the kind you get in a microwaveable bowl. But use any cooked white or brown rice that you like.
• Potato Starch – This is the main binder, I didn’t test this recipe out with other starches, but you could likely use All Purpose Flour, and possibly Cornstarch or Rice Flour.
• Flavorings – Soy Sauce, Vegan Worcestershire, Miso Paste, Tomato Paste, Vinegar, Smoked Paprika, Nutritional Yeast, Cayenne
• Panko – Optionally, you can coat the burger patty in Panko Breadcrumbs to get it a little crispier.
• Optional Binders – I tested out Ground Psyllium Husk, Vital Wheat Gluten, and Methylcellulose and they all did a great job at firming the mixture up a bit. It’s totally optional though as they are great without the extra help too!

How to make a soy and gluten free Veggie Burger?

For Soy and Gluten Free, swap the Soy Sauce for Coconut Aminos, and the Miso Paste for more Nutritional Yeast. If you can’t find Soy Free Vegan Worcestershire, you can use Vegan Steak Sauce instead.

And obviously for Gluten Free, use GF Panko, Buns, etc.

how to make a Veggie Burger

Dice the mushrooms, onions, carrots and celery into about 1/2 – 1″ cubes.

To a cold non-stick or well seasoned cast iron skillet, add the mushrooms. Cook the mushrooms until they are well browned and taste delicious. Remove from the skillet and reserve for later.

Cook the onions, celery and carrots.

Add in the minced garlic and stir, cook for about 1 minute.

Whisk the Soy Sauce, Vegan Worcestershire, Miso Paste, Tomato Paste, Vinegar, Smoked Paprika, Nutritional Yeast and Cayenne.

Add that mixture and everything but the potato starch and panko to a large bowl, and toss to combine. Then add half that mixture to a food processor.

Pulse the food processor until the mixture is cohesive with some good chunks still. Do not process until it’s completely smooth. You should still be able to see chunks of veggies.

Add all of the processed mixture to a bowl and then add in the potato starch and any optional binders if you are using them. Knead the starch into the mixture until it stiffens up.

Refrigerate for at least 30 minutes to firm up. Overnight works too!

Add a burger bun to a cold skillet, set it to medium. Once buns are lightly toasted, pull them off the skillet and set aside on a wire rack.

Pull out a 2 oz. chunk of the veggie burger mixture and roll it into a ball. Add a little cooking oil to the pan, then place the veggie ball in the center. Add a piece of burger paper / parchment paper to the top of the veggie ball, then press down with a burger smasher / stiff spatula.

Cook for about 2 minutes. Flip, cook on the other side for another 2 minutes, then flip one more time. The patty should be pretty well cooked by now, but to make sure, lightly press the middle with your fingers to test and make sure it’s firm and not mushy. If it’s still mushy, cook and flip until it’s firm.

Then, add a slice of vegan cheese on top. Add a few drops of water to the pan, then cover immediately to steam and melt the cheese. Cook for another 1 minute or until cheese has melted.

Remove burger from the pan and add to the bottom bun. Then slather on your favorite Burger Sauce or condiments, pickles, onions, lettuce, tomato, whatever you like and enjoy!

additional tips and tricks

I tested out a few ways to cook these. In the US, there are two commonly sized burger buns, small and large.

For a super thin, smashed burger style patty, I recommend 2 oz for a larger burger bun and 1.5 oz for a smaller bun. Below is a larger bun with two (2 oz) patties.

For a thin patty like a McDonald’s style burger, you can do 2 oz for a smaller bun and 3 – 4 oz for a larger bun. I personally would not go above 2 oz for a smaller bun as I prefer a thinner, crispier veggie burger.

Below is a smaller bun with two (2 oz) patties.

And this is a smaller bun with two (3 oz) patties. This wasn’t my favorite, but it’s still good! I wish I would’ve done three (2 oz) patties instead though!

You can also coat them in a little panko before smashing, this will add a little more crispiness to the crust.

storage

Store in the fridge for up to 1 week or freeze for later!

how to freeze veggie burgers

To freeze these for later, simply smash 2 oz. balls into patties. I like to use some Burger Paper, but Parchment will work too. Use a Burger Press or Stiff Spatula.

Add the patties to a baking sheet and flash freeze for 1 – 2 hours. Then add them to a freezer safe bag or container. Store for up to 6 months.

Cook from frozen in a preheated pan over medium heat for about 3 minutes per side, or until browned and cooked through.

How to avoid Mushy veggie burgers

I’ve gotten a couple comments that these came out mushy, so here’s a few things you can do to avoid that. First, I should note that these won’t be as firm as an Impossible or Beyond Burger, they will be softer for sure. Here’s some tips to help!

• Cook all the water out of the Mushrooms.
• Don’t Over Process the Veggies.
• Add 1 of the optional binders, or even some breadcrumbs.
• Let the mixture chill in the fridge for at least 30 minutes, but longer is better.
• You can also bake the patties for about 20 minutes at 350 F before cooking them in the pan.
• Cook them over medium – medium low heat and flip often, every 2 minutes. Lightly press the middle with your fingers to test if they are firm before adding any cheese to melt.

other recipes you’ll dig!

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Veggie Smash Burger

Course Burgers

Cuisine American

• 1 lb. Mushrooms (Button, Shiitake, Portobello etc)
• 1.5 lb. Onions (White, Yellow / Brown)
• 8 Minced Garlic Cloves
• 2 – 3 medium Carrots
• 3 – 4 medium Celery Stalks
• 1 15 oz. Can of Chickpeas
• 1 cup Cooked White Rice
• 3/4 cup Potato Starch
• 2 Tbsp Soy Sauce (or Coconut Aminos)
• 2 Tbsp Vegan Worcestershire
• 1 Tbsp Miso Paste (or Nutritional Yeast for Soy Free)
• 1 Tbsp Tomato Paste
• 2 Tbsp Vinegar
• 1 Tbsp Smoked Paprika
• 1/4 cup Nutritional Yeast
• 1 tsp Cayenne
• Salt & Pepper (to taste)
• Panko (Optional for Coating)

Optional Binders (Choose 1)

VEGGIE PATTIES

• Dice the mushrooms, onions, carrots and celery into about 1/2 – 1″ cubes.

• To a cold non-stick or well seasoned cast iron skillet, add the mushrooms. You will likely need to do this in batches or 2 skillets at a time. I’ve been cooking these in both my non-stick and cast iron pans.

• Set the heat to medium and cook the mushrooms, stirring every minute or so, for about 10 minutes or until the mushrooms have sweat all their water out. Add a drizzle of oil, and a pinch of salt, stir and cook for another 4 – 5 minutes or until they are well browned and taste delicious. Remove from the skillet and reserve for later.

• To one pan, add the onions, and to the other, add the celery and carrots. Drizzle with some oil and stir to coat. Cook the veggies for about 25 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the onions have browned, and the carrots and celery have softened. I like to get some char on my carrots and celery as well so I cook them in the cast iron. They should still have a bit of bite to them, but they should not be crunchy.

• To the onions, add in the minced garlic and stir, cook for about 1 minute. Remove the veggies from the skillet. Allow to cool for 10 – 15 minutes.

• Whisk the Soy Sauce (or Coconut Aminos), Vegan Worcestershire, Miso Paste, Tomato Paste, Vinegar, Smoked Paprika, Nutritional Yeast and Cayenne.

• Add that mixture and everything but the potato starch and panko to a large bowl, and toss to combine. Then add half that mixture to a food processor.

• Pulse the food processor until the mixture is cohesive with some good chunks still. Do not process until it’s completely smooth. You should still be able to see chunks of veggies. Remove and repeat with the other half of the mixture.

• Add all of the processed mixture to a bowl and then add in the potato starch and any optional binders if you are using them. Knead the starch into the mixture until it stiffens up.

• Refrigerate for at least 30 minutes. Overnight works too!

BURGERS

• Please check the notes section for more info on burger patty sizes and recommended portions!

• Add a burger bun to a cold skillet, set it to medium. Once buns are lightly toasted, pull them off the skillet and set aside on a wire rack.

• For a thin patty, pull out a 2 oz. chunk of the veggie burger mixture and roll it into a ball. Optionally, roll it in a some panko bread crumbs for a crispier crust.

• Add a little cooking oil to the pan, then place the veggie ball in the center. Add a piece of burger paper / parchment paper to the top of the veggie ball, then press down with a burger smasher / stiff spatula.
• Cook for about 2 minutes. Flip, cook on the other side for another 2 minutes, then flip one more time. The patty should be pretty well cooked by now, but to make sure, lightly press the middle with your fingers to test and make sure it’s firm and not mushy. If it’s still mushy, cook and flip until it’s firm. Then, add a slice of vegan cheese on top. Add a few drops of water to the pan, then cover immediately to steam and melt the cheese. Cook for another 1 minute or until cheese has melted.

• Remove burger from the pan and add to the bottom bun. Then slather on your favorite Burger Sauce or condiments, pickles, onions, lettuce, tomato, whatever you like and enjoy!

FREEZER OPTION

• To freeze these for later, simply smash 2 oz. balls into patties. I like to use some Burger Paper, but Parchment will work too. Use a Burger Press or Stiff Spatula.

• Add the patties to a baking sheet and flash freeze for 1 – 2 hours. Then add them to a freezer safe bag or container. Store for up to 6 months.

• Cook from frozen in a preheated pan over medium heat for about 3 minutes per side, or until browned and cooked through.

• I tested out a few ways to cook these. For a super thin, smashed burger style patty, I recommend 2 oz for a larger burger bun and 1.5 oz for a smaller bun.
• For a thin patty like a McDonald’s style burger, you can do 2 oz for a smaller bun and 3 – 4 oz for a larger bun. I personally would not go above 2 oz for a smaller bun as I prefer a thinner, crispier veggie burger.
• You can also coat them in a little panko before smashing, this will add a little more crispiness to the crust.

I’ve gotten a couple comments that these came out mushy, so here’s a few things you can do to avoid that. First, I should note that these won’t be as firm as an Impossible or Beyond Burger, they will be softer for sure. Here’s some tips to help!

• • Cook all the water out of the Mushrooms.

• • Don’t Over Process the Veggies.

• • Add 1 of the optional binders, or even some breadcrumbs.

• • Let the mixture chill in the fridge for at least 30 minutes, but longer is better.

• • You can also bake the patties for about 20 minutes at 350 F before cooking them in the pan.

• • Cook them over medium – medium low heat and flip often, every 2 minutes. Lightly press the middle with your fingers to test if they are firm before adding any cheese to melt.