Easy Vegan Burger Recipe (4 Ingredients) (2024)

FAQs

What makes vegan burgers stick together? ›

The binder holds the patties together and keeps them from falling apart as they cook, and can also add extra flavor to your burger. Common veggie burger binders include eggs, flax egg, wheat germ, breadcrumbs, oats, miso paste, or even water.

Use Silken Tofu, a Flax Egg, or Aquafaba as a Vegan Binder.

It is nice and thick, firms up similarly to how an egg cooks, and it's almost impossible for anything to fall apart when using it.

The binding agents are essential for ensuring your veggie burger stays intact during cooking. Common binding agents include flax eggs (a mixture of ground flaxseed and water), chia seeds, mashed potatoes, tapioca flour, or even your favorite nut butter.

What can you use to bind burgers instead of egg? In theory, you could use bread crumbs—I recommend using coarse, crustless fresh white bread crumbs—or even grated Parmesan cheese. The best way of getting your burgers to hold together is by using a medium grind 80% beef 20% fat ground chuck and a burger press.

If they aren't bound well, the patties will start to fall apart as soon as you start cooking them. The most commonly used binding agent for hamburger patties is eggs. They work well with ground meat and are easy to incorporate into the rest of your ingredients.

Chia seeds work as a great egg replacer. 2 tablespoon of Chia Seeds soaked in 3 tablespoon of water is the equivalent of one egg.

Chickpea flour

Because of its powerful ability to soak up moisture and bind ingredients together, it's no wonder that it makes the perfect ingredient to help keep your veggie burger from falling apart. If you're a big taste-as-you-go cook, then refrain from adding chickpea flour until the last minute.

Just as you would with egg whites, you can whip aquafaba to create a fluffy binder to use in macarons and meringues. A good rule of thumb is to use three tablespoons of aquafaba in place of one large egg. Flax seeds. Another great vegan egg substitute for baking is ground flaxseed.

Bind the patty together

If you're going for a leaner meat or adding bulky ingredients (eg spring onions, onions, chillies), add an egg and a handful of breadcrumbs to bind the burgers.

Researchers at Impossible Foods discovered that by adding heme to their plant-based burgers, they could capture a lot of the aromas we associate with meat. They call it their "magic ingredient," and, combined with yeast extract, it does seem to do a pretty good job.

How do you make homemade burgers stick together? ›

Add 1 egg yolk per pound of hamburger. It won't add appreciably to the fat content and will bind the meat beautifully. The other thing you can do is add canned, drained, crushed black beans or chickpeas to the hamburger. The starch from the beans will bind the meat together and add an interesting taste.

Adequate bread crumbs or oatmeal are required to soak in the moisture from the potato, beans, veggies, and whatever else goes into your veggie burger. Skimp on the bread crumbs and you'll be met with mush (I know from experience!).

If you want a veggie burger that holds together, use binding agents like cooked grains (rice, quinoa, millet), eggs, flax eggs, bread crumbs, oats, flour or nut/seed flours like almond flour. The amount of grains or flour will depend on the recipe, but it's usually anywhere from ¼ to 1 cup.

Add 1 egg yolk per pound of hamburger. It won't add appreciably to the fat content and will bind the meat beautifully. The other thing you can do is add canned, drained, crushed black beans or chickpeas to the hamburger. The starch from the beans will bind the meat together and add an interesting taste.

Ground flax seeds

This is made by combining ground (not whole) flax seeds with water and leaving to sit for 15 minutes until the mixture becomes thick, almost the same consistency as a regular egg. The binding properties of flax seeds make this a great addition to cookies, brownies and other sweet treats.

Bind the patty together

If you're going for a leaner meat or adding bulky ingredients (eg spring onions, onions, chillies), add an egg and a handful of breadcrumbs to bind the burgers.

Add cooked quinoa, cooled onion-garlic mixture, flour, spices, salt and egg. Stir or mash until well combined and place mixture in fridge to chill for 30 minutes (or up to overnight) – this will help the burger patties hold together better while cooking.