25 Jul 8 deliciously gourmet veggie burger recipes

As an ex-avid meat eater, my challenge in transitioning to veg patties has often been to find a combo of ingredients that doesn’t fall apart in the pan, or worse on the grill. There’s nothing quite like proudly parading your chickpea, lentil patty out to the grill in front of mince marinading friends, only to have it disintegrate into a messy shambles while the meat patties continue to char brazenly, retaining all their juices. To better equip you with worthy veggie burger patty contenders, I set about scouring the web for a top selection of veggie burger recipes by renowned local bloggers and dedicated international plant based recipe developers. Turns out they’re not all grill suitable. For all their highly gourmet and health oriented benefits, I’ve realised the veggie burger doesn’t rise to acceptance because it can compete with the tough knuckles of a meat patty. After all, the reason for advocating for a plant based diet is fragility; for the planet and her resources, for the well-being of her creatures and for our very own health. We’re not as tough as we think, and so I for one quite like that a lifestyle of delicate nutrition mirrors that.

Turns out they’re not all grill suitable. For all their highly gourmet and health oriented benefits, I’ve realised the veggie burger shouldn’t rise to mass-acceptance because it can compete with the tough knuckles of a meat patty. After all, the reason for advocating for a plant-based diet is fragility; for the planet and her resources, for the well-being of her creatures and for our very own health. We’re not the invincible species we like to think, and so, I for one quite like that a lifestyle of delicate nutrition mirrors that.

• The Minimalist Baker’s perfectly grillable veggie burger

A perfect synergy of texture and fry-ability.

• Sarah Graham’s Spicy Chickpea Nut Patties

Inspired by Jonathan Safran Foer’s ‘Eating Animals‘, this is Sarah’s contribution to the eat less meat movement.

• The Drizzle and Dip Veggie burger with mushroom and roast pesto

• Blood MarY Veggie Burgers from The First Mess

This is Laura Wright’s take on a heart, grain filled burger inspired by the spice and horseradish of the classic cocktail.

• Sprouted Kitchen’s Vegetable quinoa burgers

A recipe adapted from The Los Angeles Times from Cafe Pasqual, New Mexico, this is Sprouted Kitchen’s take on a simple week night, delicately seasoned burger, better suited to the pan than the grill.

• Tofu Tempura Burgers from Delicious from Scratch

This is Nancy Anne Harbord’s variation on using the ever structured and absorbent tofu in as a marinated veggie burger in a crisp batter, with avocado, red onion and coriander pesto in a sourdough bun.

• 101 Cookbook’s lentil burger recipe

Heidi Swanson finally discovered how to make the ultimate veggie burger that wasn’t too bread and dry. Her answer? Make it bunless.

• One of Robyn’s favourites, the carrot and sesame burger

Our founder says these are so good they’ll tempt even the meat eaters among our guests.

Also, do yourself a favour and read Candice’s take on the definitive guide to a veggie braai. You can’t go wrong with her humorous take on chip alternatives and the stuff stuffing is made of.

Now, regardless of the hero patty at the heart of our burger – a dry burger is going to require twice as much beer (or kombucha) to go down smoothly. Try this protein rich hemp and mushroom white sauce from the Superfood Kitchen.

Here’s hoping you discover your favourite veggie burger recipe in this selection of some of our favourites and the crème de la crème in the plant based culinary world.

So, what’s our favourite veg burger trick? We’d love to know.