Vegetarian (and Vegan) Burger Recipe
I have searched for umpteeth tofu burger recipes. Even tried a bunch of them to "Blech!" results! One thing that beats me is why in the name of "health" yucky recipes are created. Either you find sinfully rich recipes that you hate to indulge cos of the calories or you find "healthy" recipes that are so bland and sub standard that you don't want it. How about - something in between?! Sounds logical doesn't it? Well you would think so, wont you?. When I had all but given up my search for a good tofu burger , came this recipe from this cookbook called Vegetarian - tasty Recipes for Everyday that I happened to find in an acquaintance's  house. I made a note of it and oh boy! Am I glad that burger gods have finally blessed me with a 'never-to-part-with' recipe. We loved it immensely.
Vegetarian (and Vegan) Burger Recipe
The Changes I Made Since we all have our tastes, I made the following changes from the original recipes. It keeps in mind both our requirements and also the fact that I made use of what was available in my pantry. Instead of Swiss Brown mushrooms that the recipe called for, I used cremini mushrooms. The Basil got replaced with cilantro. The regular wholemeal breadcrumbs was replaced with wholegrain flax seeds bread crumbs that I had in hand and which I freshly ground to make the crumbs. The 1 egg used in the original recipe got replaced with 1 heaped spoon of tomato paste. Also I did not have either the sweet chilli sauce/ arugula or semi dried tomatoes. So I used chilli garlic sauce to our taste, spinach leaves and sun dried tomatoes in oil respectively. Vegetarian (and Vegan) Burger Recipe I am guessing you can use Extra firm Tofu, pressed well with paper towel to drain the water , for this recipe. But I use the one which does not come with water. This is a super firm variety and it holds up very well when it comes to grilling, frying, stir fries, burgers etc and I use it regularly. I get it from Whole Foods. Please note that I am not paid by the company to talk about them. I mention it cos I use it regularly and it works well for my needs. Vegetarian (and Vegan) Burger Recipe
  • Cook time:
  • Prep time:
  • Serves: 3 people
  • Yields: Makes 6 burgers
Ingredients
  • 1 red onion, finely chopped
  • 200 gms (6-1/2oz) cremini mushrooms,finely chopped
  • 350 gms (11oz) hard tofu (see my notes above)
  • 2-3 cloves of garlic
  • 3-4 tbsp cilantro
  • 2 cups (200gms/6-1/2oz) wholegrain flaxseed bread crumbs (or use gluten free)
  • 1 heaped tbsp tomato paste
  • 2 tbsp balsamic vinegar
  • 2 tbsp chilli garlic sauce , or to taste
  • 1-1/2 cups (150gms/5oz) wholegrain flaxseed bread crumbs, extra
  • 6 wholegrain bread rolls (or gluten free rolls)
  • 1/2 cup Mayo (try Vegan Mayo to make this eggless)
  • Sun dried tomatoes in olive oil to taste
  • 60 gms (2oz) baby spinach leaves
  • hot chilli sauce to serve
Method
1. In a pan, heat about a tsp of olive oil and sauce the onions until soft. Add the mushrooms and cook for another 3-4 minutes and cool slightly.
2. In a food processor, blend 250 gms (8 oz) of the tofu with garlic and cilantro. Or you can use basil like in the original recipe
3. Blend until smooth.
4. transfer this to a bowl and stir in the onion- mushroom mixture, breadcrumbs, tomato paste, vinegar and hot sauce (or sweet chilli sauce).
5. Grate the remaining tofu and add it to this mixture.
6. Stir until well mixed and then refrigerate for about 30 minutes.
7. Divide this mixture into 6 patties, pressing together well.
8. Coat them well all around with the extra breadcrumbs
9. In a pan ( i used the same where I sauted the onion and mushroom mixture), add some olive oil to coat the pan and shallow fry or pan fry the patties. Preferably you would want 1 cm (1/2 inch) oil in a deep frying pan.
10. Cook them 4-5 minutes on each side or until they are golden. Make sure to turn them carefully to prevent them from breaking up. Drain on paper towels. (you can also season them with salt now)
11. Now starts the assembly. I know you dont need pictures for this - but in the spirit of this website I thought I will humor myself and you :) Toast the bread. Spread some mayo on one side of each roll.
12. Layer the semi dried tomatoes - as many as you like :)
13. Then comes the tofu patty
14. top it off with spinach/rocket leaves. You can drizzle some more of the chilli sauce
15. Press it down with another roll with the spread facing below.
The Burger all dressed up and ready for Super Bowl/Potluck/Picnic/or lazy movie day :) Dont forget a chilled beverage to go with these :) Vegetarian (and Vegan) Burger Recipe

Recipe Reference

recipe mildly adapted from vegetarian cook book

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4 Member Reviews

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By Jeff on May 7, 2013

I loved the flavors even without any mushrooms on hand.  I did however have to add an egg (I'm not vegan anyway) to get it to bond together better for the second batch after the first crumbled to pieces when trying to flip it.  I likely didn't have the correct tofu as you stated in the recipe and should have let more water seep out before making them but I was pressed for time.  I finished it off with some dill pickles and homemade "secret sauce".  Nice work, I'll be making them again! 

By Nicole on Oct 12, 2012

Made this recipe twice, improvised alot both times with comparable ingredients in recipe. Both times it tasted different, but both times it was really good.

Read All 4 Reviews →

55 Comments

By Cheetah on May 8, 2017

I've recently become vegetarian. And I'm so happy I found this recipe so early in the game. These are the best veggie burgers I tasted. And trust me, as a chef, I've tried so many veg burgers and alternatives. I changed a few minor details but I must say these burgers don't disappoint. Very hearty and flavorful. Truly delicious. Thanks

Glad to hear this. Thank you :) --DK

By Christine Smith on May 10, 2016

I made these tonight, these are the best vegie burgers I've made! Thank you, thank you, this will be a staple in my house. I just have to figure out a way to make a big batch and freeze without people eating them before I get to freeze them:)

I am glad to find a fellow lover of these burgers. Thank you for the feedback :) --DK

By jennifer on Mar 19, 2016

Where is the recipe???? I made these before, came back to make them again and I can see the steps but there's no outline of ingredients. How much of each ingredient is used??

We are fixing some code in the background. Will be up in a bit...sorry about that. --DK

By D on Jan 27, 2016

Awesome! Can't wait to try this. I've been trying to find the best recipe for a good veg burg and it's mostly been a bust. I mean they tasted good but were too mushy. So basically delicious mush. How's the consistency in these? I know an awesome egg replacement too! Tbs ground flaxseed or powder, in 3tbs water. Mix it up. Let sit for 10 mins or more. And BAM...the exact same consistency as egg. Just as sticky too!

By marti rice on Jan 15, 2016

Great tofu burger recipe. Replaced the egg with tomato paste as cooked for vegan. Bloody delicious

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By Deborrah on Feb 10, 2015

I was sent a link to this post and laughed so hard at your description of the nasty recipes people have the gall to post online. Been there. Can't tell you how many hundreds of dollars I've wasted on food creating those disgusting concoctions. Since you think like I do, I am gonna put some faith in you and try this recipe tomorrow. Thanks for sharing.

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By Reema on Oct 16, 2014

This recipe looks awesome. What a way to eat tofu! Its really impressive..Thanks

By sharon on Jul 21, 2014

:-P Sounds delicious! I'm making these for dinner tonight; one question- I have Cold Milled Golden Flax Seed, can I use this in place of the bread crumbs and if so, do I need to add anything else to the flaxseed?

By Karla on Jun 25, 2014

I've never made burgers in my life, and have never used tofu before either, but omg these burgers are soooo tasty its unbelievable! Thank you for sharing this recipe! If you've came across this recipe and hesitating weather to make it or not, you definitely should, these burgers are incredible! :D I used basil instead of corriander, and red wine vinegar instead of balsamic. Other than that I followed the recipe exactly! This is definatelly going to be one of the dishes I'll make again and again! :D

By Harsha on Jun 23, 2014

Hello I need to try these burgers.they look yummy. Thanks for the recipe.

By Monica on Apr 6, 2014

OMG! These are by far, the best veggie burgers I've had in my 23 years of eating a vegetarian diet! I added spices/herbs/spinach to the blender and used pita as the bun...thanks so much for posting this recipe :-P

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By Theresa on Mar 14, 2014

Hi they look so good never made them yet . But would like to know if I made enough of them can I freez them ?

By Amber on Jan 29, 2014

Where do u get the bread crumbs

I make my own with stale bread. You can use any brand as per your liking. --DK

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By Israel on Dec 5, 2013

I am about to make this recipe now..I am leaving out the mushrooms...I have tomato paste..but I see some are posting about using eggs and I don't hve any...do u think I should get one to make sure they do not fall apart...this looks delicious and I want my kids to enjoy it! Funny I did not know they had super firm tofu I haven't been to the health food markets in a while..kinda expensive...I am trying to see if making my own burgers will definitely save me money from buying those expensive processed ones. I hope this works out for us! Any suggestions, tips, or recipes on saving money througout the month? Thanks!

By Maria on Oct 12, 2013

Loved them and I plan on making a second bunch this week. They freeze amazingly well and don't actually need the extra breadcrumbs to cook well. I've cooked them on baking paper on a non-stick pan and they turned out great. An egg is definitely needed though, cause the ingredients don't blend together without it (I may have over-drained my tofu though)

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By Hillary on Jan 24, 2013

This recipe is delicious! I did change up a few things, but results are the same. :lol:

By Jason Pearce on Dec 26, 2012

8) greetings,have the tofuburger been tried on a grille?

By Janavi Rao on Nov 8, 2012

Made these today! I left out the mushroom and added chopped spinach instead. I also used basil and 1 egg white as per the original recipe.And I broiled them instead of frying. They came out REALLY well! Will definitely use this recipe again! Thanks so much!

By Michelle on Aug 13, 2012

:mrgreen: This was so good! I left out the mushrooms(i hate mushrooms) and used the cilantro, sweet chili sauce, and an egg instead of the tomato paste I also did not have the balsamic vinegar so I just left it out. It was so good! I've made it a couple times since and am making it again this week. I topped it with sweet chili sauce, goat cheese and bread & butter chip pickles...absolutely DELISH!

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By erin on Jun 10, 2012

This came out delicious. I didn't use balsamic vinegar because I did not have any. And I made it with 4ish tbsp of sweet chili sauce. I topped it with sweet chili sauce when it was finished and it was great! :mrgreen:

By Aarthi on May 20, 2012

This sounds so delicious !!! I will try it out soon and give you my feedback. My only doubt was..how can I prepare the patty from the ground mixture without it being "sticky"? It looks sticky in the pictures..Any tips for this?

You need the little stickiness for helping it to bind. If its too sticky for you, you can refrigerate it for some time - it will reduce the stickiness. --DK

By Karen on May 17, 2012

Do these freeze well? I would love to make ahead and have in the freezer whenever I need a protein fix.

By frustratedchef on May 16, 2012

i tried this and it did not come out, i guess i didn't drain the water that well, and since i couldn't find any that was dry i bought this one, and i opted out of the bread crums too, i just ended up cooking the whole thing and using it as a spread for the burger instead of a patty.

By River on Apr 16, 2012

NO OIL!!! When I made these I used my stove top grill and a little bit of Pam for nonstickiness and that worked well! :) I've got kids (7, 5, and 3) and I usually have to double the recipe for the four of us because they are that good!! Also, I skip out on the spinach and sun dried tomatoes (although very good) and go Old School with normal tomatoes, onions, pickles, veganaise, and ketchup; perfect! Another tips is J&D Bacon Salt is a good seasoner. Why did I add that comment? Well J&D is vegetarian and very low in sodium!!!! Yes, Bacon Salt. Vegetarian and very low sodium!

By Lleanne Faye on Jan 26, 2012

yummy grabeh sarap :!: 8) it's so cool astigggggg!!!!!!!

By whiteroses on Jan 20, 2012

:lol: yummy :) i luv it..

By whiteroses on Jan 20, 2012

:lol:yummy

By Shannon on Nov 10, 2011

Can you oven bake these, or dry grill them? Cutting out the oil? Or do they need the oil to hold together? Thanks :-P

I havent personally tried either of them but they do hold pretty well. So I personally dont think you will need all that oil.

By Johnnie on Nov 10, 2011

:-P I made these today and they're pretty good. I don't care for cilantro so I used basil as per the original. I love the addition of the balsamic vinegar. It gives it such a tangy bite. I chopped the mushroom and onion in my food processor to fine pieces. I also added salt, garlic and pepper. These held their shape surprisingly well. They didn't fall apart at all. Definitely a keeper recipe. Thanks for sharing. AND YOU GUYS SHOULD TRY IT!

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By sarada on Jul 15, 2011

simply super

By Morgan Anoinette on Jun 15, 2011

-------> Satya: Does your husband like beans? Cooked and seasoned black or refried beans would work in the same vein for this recipe. Maybe a bit less in the quantity than the mushrooms due to the starchiness, but it would probably end up fantastic and hold together a bit better if you wanted to grill them as well. :)

By Vijayalakshmi on May 25, 2011

Hi, I am getting error while uploading the picture of the tofu burger I made. -viji

By diana on May 17, 2011

hi i would like to grill them,fry food it is just to heavy to digest if i take the bread crumbs and just put a little bit of oil on them and put them in the grill will that work?? thank you

I have tried it in my indoor stove top grill pan and it worked without falling apart. Just be careful while turning it. I am not sure about outdoor grill

By Satya on May 5, 2011

HI Dk, Want to try these burgers but my husband does not like mushrooms so can u please suggest me the substitue for mushrooms. Thanks.

By alyce on May 5, 2011

Looks really yum.

By Shannon on May 3, 2011

Can you oven bake these, or dry grill them? Cutting out the oil? Or do they need the oil to hold together? Thanks :-P

By Brett Charlton on May 3, 2011

okay it looks delicious, but not very easy is it?

What do you think makes this hard? :)

By Priya on May 3, 2011

Very inviting and filling burger,simply irresistible..

By Sanyukta on May 3, 2011

Super yummy n healthy protein rich tofu burgers...looks so tempting.... Sanyukta http://creativesanyukta.blogspot.com/

By Nishi on May 2, 2011

The burgers look perfect and delicious!! Feel like grabbing one from the screen :)

By shifa on May 2, 2011

yumm yumm.. will sure try this :) but i prefer to grill the burgers instead of deep frying :-P

By Reva on May 2, 2011

Yummy burger... Superb combination of flavours:)I am sure it must have tasted heavenly .... looks delicious and wholesome... This is a must try recipe..

By Kalynskitchen on May 2, 2011

Love the sound of this, especially the addition of sun-dried tomatoes on the buns!

By Vardhini on May 2, 2011

I have been looking out for tofu recipes. Thx for sharing. Vardhini VardhinisKitchen