This delicious veggie burger recipe is coated in barbecue sauce and won’t crumble on the grill! It really is the best you will find.
This veggie burger recipe was developed in collaboration with Kroger. All opinions are ours.
are you ready for our better veggie burger Recipe? Alex and I saw it so much Veggie burgers have been falling apart on the grill for 10 years. That’s why we’re excited to share this recipe with you: a grilled veggie burger that doesn’t crumble. And tastes great too. This recipe is part of our 6 episodes Summer barbecue series The hosts are Alex, myself and baking expert Tessa from Handle the Heat. Scroll down to see how we do it in our kitchen!
Another great burger (which is also vegan)? Try our best chickpea burgers.
Video: How to make our BEST veggie burger
Why make this veggie burger?
Alex and I are 90% vegetarian, so our website is full of our healthy everyday vegetarian recipes. We call it flexitarians! When we fire up the grill for some summer entertainment, Alex often eats a real burger. However, I’m even more vegetarian than he is, so I usually prefer something without meat. There are plenty of summer veggie recipes and barbecue veggie recipes that are outside of a bun (like these grilled nachos). But sometimes you just want a big burger, right?
That’s why we present you: our best veggie burger recipe! And we promise, hand on heart, this grilled veggie burger recipe won’t turn to pulp on your bun. It has a sturdy texture and a big, big taste. In this recipe, we used Simple Truth Organic Garbanzo Beans and Kingsford Charcoal for the grill.
How to make a good veggie burger
It’s kind of embarrassing how many times Alex and I have made a failed grilled veggie burger recipe. The reason it’s so difficult to make a veggie burger recipe that won’t crumble on the grill is because, well, some news emerges: it’s not a meat burger! Grinding a bunch of veggies and grains together doesn’t necessarily have the consistency of a burger.
The problems with grilled veggie burger recipes are that they are too dry and crumble on the grill or are too mushy. And there’s nothing worse than biting into a burger the consistency of mashed potatoes! After 10 years of experimenting, here are all our secrets to our best veggie burger recipe that won’t crumble on the grill:
- Rice & Nuts: The rice imparts a firm texture and adds to the visual appeal. The nuts provide a firm texture and add protein.
- Chickpeas: Chickpeas are the main vegetable here; We mash them up with a fork to get some of their texture too.
- Plain Flour: The flour acts as a binder to hold everything together. You can use any type of flour, including gluten-free flour if you like.
- Protein: We tried to make this burger recipe vegan but unfortunately it needed a different binder to hold it all together! Egg white is the last secret ingredient that holds it all together. (Feel free to try a flax egg—and let us know how it went!)
- BBQ sauce: We painted these burgers with barbecue sauce to achieve a color and shine similar to a beef burger. Try our homemade barbecue sauce, which you can make in just 10 minutes!
And how does it taste?
To us, this is the best veggie burger recipe we’ve ever made. And we still can’t believe how beautiful it turned out! It has no taste Exactly like meat, but the experience feels like eating a burger and is incredibly delicious in its own way. Even better, it really is a burger recipe that won’t crumble on the grill. And you: would you try this grilled veggie burger recipe? Tell us in the comments below.
Can you bake this veggie burger recipe in the oven?
Yes! If you want, you can bake this veggie burger recipe outside of the grilling season! Preheat oven to 375F, then bake 30-40 minutes, until browned evenly on both sides, turning once. Brush both sides with barbecue sauce, then return to the oven for 2 minutes.
This recipe is…
This recipe is vegetarian. For gluten-free, use gluten-free flour and gluten-free buns.
*For vegans and vegetarians you can try a flaxseed egg substitute for the egg – we haven’t tested it but let us know if it works!
The description
This delicious veggie burger recipe is coated in barbecue sauce and won’t crumble on the grill! It really is the best you will find.
For the burger
- 2 cups cooked white rice (1 cup uncooked)
- 2 large cloves of garlic
- 1 medium yellow onion
- 3 tablespoons olive oil, shared
- 1 cup Mother
- 1 15 ounce can of Simple Truth Organic Garbanzo Beans
- ¾ cup whole wheat flour (or gluten free)
- 1 tbsp cumin
- 1½ teaspoons garlic powder
- 1½ teaspoons onion powder
- 1½ teaspoons kosher salt
- 1 teaspoon black pepper
- 1 Protein**
- barbecue sauce
Serve
- Prepare rice according to package directions or use our Instant Pot method. If you’re making the rice just before grilling, quickly chill it by spreading the rice in a single layer on a baking sheet and placing in the freezer for 2 minutes, until chilled. Alternatively, you can prepare the rice ahead of time and refrigerate until ready to use.
- Preheat grill to medium-high.*
- Chop the garlic and onion. In a large pan, heat 1 tablespoon olive oil. Add the onion and sauté 3 minutes, then add the garlic and sauté another 2 minutes until golden and translucent. Remove from fire.
- Roll over the nuts with a rolling pin until thin and crumbly.
- Drain and rinse the chickpeas. Place them in the bottom of a large bowl and mash them up with a fork. Blend until about 90% of the chickpeas are blended; some may remain whole.
- Measure out 2 cups of rice and add it to the bowl with the chickpeas. Then add the onion-garlic mixture, 2 tbsp olive oil, walnuts, flour, cumin, garlic powder, onion powder, kosher salt, black pepper. Mix, breaking up the rice clumps so everything mixes evenly. Beat in 1 egg white, then mix until everything comes together into a sticky dough.
- Using your hands, form five or six 1-inch patties by patting and squeezing the dough firmly (5 makes a very thick burger; 6 makes medium-sized burgers). Place the patties on a baking sheet or griddle. Brush both sides of the burgers with olive oil.
- Place the burgers on a grill and grill on one side until firm grill marks appear, 10 to 12 minutes. Flip the burgers carefully and brush with barbecue sauce. Grill the other side for another 10-12 minutes, then serve immediately.
- To serve, place burgers on a bun, top with guacamole or other creamy sauce, tomato, and lettuce (or your favorite burger topping).
Remarks
* You can make this grilled veggie burger even when it’s not grilling season! Preheat oven to 375F, then bake 30-40 minutes, until browned evenly on both sides, turning once. Brush both sides with barbecue sauce, then return to the oven for 2 minutes.
- Category: main course
- Method: Goal
- Kitchen: American
Keywords: burgers, veggie burgers, veggie burgers recipe, best veggie burgers recipe, grilling veggie burgers, grilling recipe
Looking for more summer grilling recipes?
Apart from this best veggie burger recipe, here are the other summer barbecue recipes:
