Garden Veggie Burger Recipes

I’m not a vegetarian, but I do love veggie burgers. The thing is, it’s tough to find a good one in your grocer’s freezer. Not only is flavor part of the issue, but you’ve got to consider what the heck’s in it and why it’s so relatively expensive. If you want a good veggie burger (chock full ‘o veggies), your best bet is to make it yourself, using garden vegetables you don’t see in the major brand selections. 

I’m not a vegetarian, but I do love veggie burgers. The thing is, it’s tough to find a good one in your grocer’s freezer. Not only is flavor part of the issue, but you’ve got to consider what the heck’s in it and why it’s so relatively expensive. If you want a good veggie burger (chock full ‘o veggies), your best bet is to make it yourself, using garden vegetables you don’t see in the major brand selections. 

Serious Eats did a veggie burger taste test a while ago, and the results were pretty grim. The main complaint was that many of the major brands were trying too hard to make it taste like meat. Texture is another issue.

I do eat turkey burgers and hamburgers, so I’m all set in that department. My main reason for eating veggie burgers is that I really like vegetables, and I want to use vegetables from my garden in the burgers. I’m not growing them just for show. Also, I’m notoriously frugal, and I’m not going to overpay for a pack of frozen veggie burgers made mainly from beans—one of the cheapest foods on earth. And if I wanted a slice of tofu, I’d just eat that instead of a veggie burger. What’s a girl to do?

Homemade Veggie Burger Recipes

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• Black Bean Veggie Burgers: A highly rated recipe using black beans, bread crumbs and spices. I think this one is a good start, especially when you’re getting four burgers from a single can of beans (which is a subtle reminder about how overpriced the major brands are.) I’d substitute oats for the bread crumbs and add chopped mushrooms, shredded carrots, maybe corn. They freeze well too.

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• Morgan’s Veggie Patties: I like this veggie burger recipe from Guy Fieri mainly because there’s so much good stuff in it. We’re talking artichokes, jalapenos, olives, fresh herbs and three kinds of beans. There’s a lot of chopping and measuring involved, but they come out well-seasoned with a nice texture. If you’re going to go to the work of chopping for this one, just round up the recipe to the nearest whole ingredient and freeze the rest.

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• Mighty Good Veggie Burgers: Another solid recipe with a black bean/kidney bean base. This uses oats and brown rice, which adds another element of texture and makes them very healthy! I’m thinking about replacing half the beans with chickpeas and adding some spinach or chard from the garden.

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• Zucchini Veggie Burgers: I included this recipe because it has potential. I’m attracted to the recipe conceptually because it includes zucchini and summer squash—some of my favorite garden vegetables, but I have concerns about how well it will hold up with all the moisture from the squash. It needs a little help in the seasoning department too. I’d suggest wringing out the veggies really well to start with, and I’d add extra oats and bread crumbs until it’s moldable. I’m also not crazy about the cheddar cheese. Sub Parmesan, crumbled feta or low-fat ricotta.

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