Vegan Vegetable & Tofu Burgers
These are what they say – vegan and vegetable tofu burgers! No nuts, no breadcrumbs, just vegetables, tofu and some spices of course! These can be quickly whipped up when you realise you’ve nothing to have dinner, or when you want something easy to snack on. Yes, nothing complicated about these burgers, just tasty delicious wholesome ingredients.
The burger recipe
So, of course, the most obvious ingredient in these burgers is the tofu. There is no substitute for this as this is the glue which binds these together. The vegetables however, can be anything you have to hand. Ideally a vegetable you can grate such as carrot or courgette, then smaller chunks such as peas and sweetcorn, but really anything goes in these! If you have nutritional yeast great, if not, you can leave it out or add a bit of grated cheese. Salt and pepper goes without saying, but the other spices can be swapped and changed to your liking. If you have some mixed seeds you can add them in, but no worries if not (we used sesame seeds both in and on the burgers). Make them spicy with red chilli flakes, smoky with smoked paprika, or Italian style with basil, rosemary and oregano.
- 350 g vegetables grated or finely chopped (selection such as carrots, courgette, celeriac, beetroot, peas, sweetcorn, peppers)
- 350 g tofu (medium to firm)
- 3 tablespoons nutritional yeast (or sub grated cheese)
- 1/2 teaspoon garlic granules
- 1/2 teaspoon paprika
- 1/2 teaspoon cumin powder
- 1/2 teaspoon salt (or to taste)
- 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
- *3 tablespoons mixed or individual seeds (sesame, sunflower, pumpkin) (optional)
- *3-6 tablespoons sesame seeds for coating (optional)
Peel your veg and grate on a regular setting (we used carrot and courgette). Squeeze out all of the water, then set aside. Chop any other veg into small pieces.
Drain and press your tofu then crumble into a bowl.
Squeeze out any more water from your vegetables, then weigh again. Add all your vegetables to the tofu.
Get your baking tray and burger mould/cutter/press ready. Put the sesame seeds for coating on a plate if using.
Ensure you have the nutritional yeast and all the spices ready, then it's time to get your hands dirty! Using your hands, mix the tofu and the vegetables together until they are fully incorporated. Add the nutritional yeast and spices (add the mixed/individual seeds if using) and mix them through. Do a seasoning taste check if you wish (if you're not used to eating raw tofu I would avoid this step).
Take a small handful of your mix and press it into a burger shape using your chosen method. We press the mix inside a pastry cutter and press it down firmly. The burgers should be about 1cm thick each. Repeat until all the mix is finished.
If you are using sesame seeds, lift a burger off the tray and press it gently onto the plate of seeds. Place seeded side up back on the tray. Repeat.
Bake at Gas Mark 6 (400f / 200c) for 20-30 minutes. The burgers should be golden brown and starting to crisp around the edges.
Enjoy!
Perfectly formed burgers pre and post baking. You can of course fry the burgers if that’s your style! Or lightly fry, then bake!
Burgers before cooking 
Burgers after baking
What do I need?
You can make these as simple or as complicated as you like! We generally use a pastry cutter for quick burgers and just press the mixture into the round until it is compacted. You can of course shape them by hand or use a burger press. If you’ve never used nutritional yeast before, (especially if you are vegan), this is a fantastic product to give a cheesy taste to dishes. If you are new to cooking or your kitchen needs a refresh, here are a few useful things for this recipe. We do receive a small commission if you click and purchase through these links.
How to serve your burgers
Oh these are so versatile you can do skinny and low calorie or full out laden with everything! Serve them naked with a mixed salad – try my favourite Shepherds salad, or make some of our extremely popular red cabbage coleslaw. How about making our go to bread rolls, then loading your burgers up with lettuce, tomato, cucumber, fried onions, mushrooms, cheeze and a smothering of mayonnaise and barbecue sauce! YUM!
Storing
These burgers store for 3-4 days in the fridge. You can also layer them individually on greaseproof paper, then pop in a freezer safe box, or wrap in foil. Remember to label and date them and use within 3 months. Cook from frozen in the oven, or defrost in the microwave first if you prefer, then gently pan fry. These burgers can be eaten cold straight from the fridge, or popped in a sandwich!
Other burger recipes
We love burgers! They are a great food to have on hand in the freezer for when you can’t be bothered to cook! Just pop them in the oven to heat up and add to your veg, salad, grain or bread – sorted! We already have quite a few burger recipes on the blog, but you can never have too many burgers right? One of my personal favourites are these green banana nut burgers – if you can get hold of green bananas (different to regular yellow bananas or plantain) you should make these! Or, try making falafel into burgers – pop them in a homemade pitta bread with your favourite salad and pickles!
Sharing
Oh yes! This batch makes enough burgers to share! I’m going to take these over to Angie’s Fiesta Friday where Angie is hosting the party by herself this week! If you’ve never been to the Fiesta, it’s a great place where everyone gets together virtually and shares their food. There’s also other posts to see – maybe sewing ideas or home decorating tips. As always, there’s loads of friends old and new to meet! Come over and say hello!
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Leave us a comment below and let us know how you’d serve your burgers!
Speak soon
Laurena x
Hi Laurena, I swear I learn something new each time I read your posts: I never thought to use a pastry cutter to form homemade burgers? Greetings from the Black Forest, by the way (was a bright 25′ on the way here, now a lot cooler and raining – and I’ve mostly bought summer clothes, eek). Have a nice weekend?☺
Excellent! That’s what I like to hear! Glad I’m able to teach you something! ??? Oh… Black Forest! I recall going to a Christmas shop there, probably around this time of year!!! Hopefully the rain will pour overnight and tomorrow will be lovely and sunny again! (I said sunny not hot?). Are you staying in a hotel? Are they open again there?
We always do the self-catering thing as it tends to be a lot more relaxed (apart from the cooking and cleaning hehe). Holiday apartments opened up again around 4-6 weeks ago, I think many hotels are still closed. I feel a bit annoyed I took out some pullovers from my suitcase thinking I wouldn’t need them after all? I’m glad I remembered to pack enough masks though??
I have read your blog its awesome.
Thank you!
Wow, that sounds so delicious. Tofu is so good. I don’t know why people think otherwise (looking at you, hubster!) My daughter and I will be all over this. It’s our kind of food.
Thanks Angie! I get where he is coming from though – I never used to like it until I worked out how to use it properly and how versatile it was! Hope you get your daughter to make these! 🙂 x
[…] can use almost any ingredient and create something which resembles a burger. Usually, I would use a tofu, bean or chickpea base to bind my ingredients together, this time I have used […]