Homemade Grilled Veggie Burger
Making a grilled veggie burger from scratch used to produce a crumbly mess. But thanks to the smart use of chickpeas and other healthy binders like mushrooms and black beans, these veggie burgers bring a whole new level of delicious awesomeness.
Heading out the door? Read this article on the new Outside+ app available now on iOS devices for members! Download the app.
Ingredients
- 8-oz pack baby bella mushrooms, sliced
- 1½ red onion, sliced
- ½ bell pepper, sliced
- 5 cloves garlic
- Olive oil (for coating veggies and basting burgers)
- 1 cup chickpeas
- 1½ cups black beans
- 2 eggs
- 2 Tbsp soy sauce
- 2 Tbsp sriracha
- 2 Tbsp BBQ sauce
- ¼ tsp salt
- ½ tsp black pepper
- 2 tsp cornstarch, mixed with 2 tsp water
- ⅓ cup parmesan cheese
- 1 cup breadcrumbs
- ¼ cup almond flour (more may be needed for consistency)
Burgers (all are optional)
- Burger buns
- Cheddar cheese Lettuce Tomatoes Mustard Mayo Pickles
- Lettuce
- Tomatoes
- Mustard
- Mayo
- Pickles
Special equipment
- Food Processor
Preparation
1. Preheat your grill to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. Before you make the patties, you must first dehydrate excess moisture from the veggies so the burgers will keep their shape.
2. Place mushrooms, red onion, bell pepper, and garlic cloves in a grill basket. Coat with some olive oil, season to taste with salt and pepper, and mix well. Set aside.
3. Punch a couple of small holes in the bottom of a foil pan, then fill it with your chickpeas and black beans. The holes will allow excess water to drain from the veggies while roasting. Set aside.
4. Before placing veggies on the grill, toss some hickory wood chips on the coals.
5. Place the grill basket and foil pan on the grill, and roast them with the lid closed for about 30 minutes. Stir them about halfway through the cook.
6. Once roasted, remove veggies from the grill and allow them to cool. You can extinguish the grill if you’re roasting the vegetables well ahead of time, or you can let it cruise while you prepare your patties if you’re doing this recipe in one go.
7. Once cooled, pour the veggies from the grill basket into a food processor. Add eggs, soy sauce, sriracha, BBQ sauce, salt, pepper, and the mixture of cornstarch and water, then blend until fairly smooth.
8. Add chickpeas, black beans, parmesan cheese, and breadcrumbs to the food processor. Lightly pulse a few times in the food processor — you want the beans in your burger mix to maintain some varying texture, so don’t fully purée as in the above step.
9. Pour burger mix into a bowl, gradually incorporating a little bit of almond flour at a time. Aim for a consistency that’s thick enough to form a patty that’ll hold its shape.
10. Once your mixture can be easily formed into burgers, sprinkle a light layer of flour onto a dish. Create 3–4 patties and place them on the floured dish to prevent sticking.
11. Brush olive oil on top of the patties. This will be the side that hits the grill first. The olive oil will help the patties receive some color and easily release from the grates.
12. Place patties in the fridge, uncovered, for at least 10 minutes before grilling. This will help them keep their form when they hit the grill.
13. Preheat your grill to 350 degrees, adding more charcoal if necessary.
14. Brush the grill grates with olive oil just before placing your patties on the grill.
15. Grill the veggie burgers for about 6–8 minutes a side, until crisp and golden brown on each side. Keep the grill lid down during the cook, lifting it only to baste the top side of your burgers with olive oil before flipping them. OPTIONAL: After flipping, baste the top of the burgers with a bit of melted butter.
16. Melt slices of cheese over the patties before removing them from the grill. Adding cheese during the final minute of the cook should get the job done.
17. Plate and serve the burgers with your toppings of choice, and enjoy!
Nutrition Information
- Serving Size 1 burger