Best Homemade Veggie Burgers
by Tracy Shaw
Looking for a healthy alternative to the traditional burger? These veggie burgers are easy to make, ready in 30 minutes and are loaded with nutrients.
This is healthy, easy alternative to the traditional hamburger. These Healthy Homemade Veggie Burgers are packed with heart healthy oats, barley, and vegetables! So you can finish the whole burger and feel good about eating them.
One nice bonus of the vegetable burger that often gets overlooked, is that they offer a clever, healthy way to utilize leftovers. Substitutions can be made with almost any vegetable, just chop them up or grate them in a cheese grater.
Why we love this Healthy Homemade Veggie Burger Recipe
- Uses fresh vegetables, oats, barley, and egg whites
- Comes together quickly in one bowl
- Loaded with nutrition
- Freezes well
Tips for making the best vegetable burgers
If the mixture is too dry, add a tablespoon or so of milk until the mixture is easy to work with. The optional refrigeration step gives the mixture time to get good and sticky and malleable.
Can you freeze these vegetable burgers?
The burgers freeze well, just allow them to cool first, before placing in a zip lock baggie – squeezing out the excess air to prevent freezer burn.
Key Ingredients for these Veggie Burgers
We used canned mushrooms in this recipe to help with the moisture, but if you have fresh that works too you may just need to add more egg whites or milk to help it bind.
How to serve this Vegetable Burger
Sometimes the texture of a veggie burger can be quite different from a traditional beef patty so you may not be sure what goes with it. We served ours up with a quick and easy peach tomato salsa and some fresh romaine lettuce. You can experiment with what you like with fresh sliced tomatoes, additional onions, pickles, or even a sweet mustard!
Then for sides try some baby carrots with dip, pretzels, a salad, or even some potato salad for a classic burger side.
Check out our Easy Peach Tomato Salsa Recipe here!
How to make these Healthy Vegetable Burgers
Step 1: Mix the ingredients in a large mixing bowl until combined. If desired, the mixture can be covered and refrigerated for a few hours for easier handling.
Step 2: Heat a non-stick pan over medium heat and add olive oil. Form patties with the vegetable mixture as you would for a hamburger.
Step 3: Take an eighth of a cup of the mixture in the palm of your hand and press it into a three fourth inch thick patty, using your thumb to pack in the sides as you rotate the patty in the palm of your hand, making sure that it is tightly packed. (If the burgers are too dry, add a couple tablespoons of milk.)
Step 4: Once the oil is hot, place the veggie burgers on the skillet. Cook on each side for about 5 minutes, or until brown.
Serve the veggie burgers as is, on buns with toppings of choice, or with a dollop of salsa.
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Healthy Homemade Veggie Burgers
Ingredients
- 2 cups cooked pearled barley or brown rice
- 2 1/2 cups old fashioned oats
- 5-7 egg whites adding more as necessary to bind
- 3 cloves garlic minced
- ½ cup finely grated carrots
- 2 celery stalks thinly chopped
- 1/2 red onion finely chopped
- 1 8 oz. can of sliced mushrooms diced
- 2 Tbsp basil or other herbs fresh if possible
- Salt and pepper
- 2-3 tbsp milk optional -see notes
- 1-2 Tbsp olive oil for cooking
Instructions
- In a large mixing bowl thoroughly mix the above ingredients in the order given. If desired, the mixture can be covered and refrigerated for a few hours for easier handling.
- Heat a non-stick pan over medium heat and add olive oil. Form patties with the vegetable mixture as you would for a hamburger.
- Take an eighth of a cup of the mixture in the palm of your hand and press it into a three fourth inch thick patty, using your thumb to pack in the sides as you rotate the patty in the palm of your hand, making sure that it is tightly packed. (If the burgers are too dry, add a couple tablespoons of milk.)
- Once the oil is hot, place the veggie burgers on the skillet. Cook on each side for about 5 minutes, or until brown.
- Serve the veggie burgers as is, on buns with toppings of choice, or with a dollop of salsa.
