How to Make BBQ Friendly Mushroom & White Bean Veggie Burgers Recipe

Classic American Summer BBQs involve beer, burgers, and potato salad. However, in our ambition to reduce our beef intake, veggie burgers have been gaining popularity. Homemade veggie burgers are easy to make, delicious, and low cost. While there are many great store-bought veggie burgers to try, meat-like alternatives can be highly processed and nutritionally similar to a traditional beef burger — with a few exceptions like cholesterol. Today’s mushroom and bean burger recipe will provide you with nutrition and taste right from home. Best of all, you don’t need a grill!

While I fully support the mission of alt meat-based foods, they can be very high in sodium and fat from the way plant-based proteins are processed. Additionally, the cost can add up quickly of these alt-meat burgers when you’re serving your family or many people. Beyond and Impossible have been working to bring the cost down to the same or lower than the price of meats to appeal to more consumers. But still, they can add up. This recipe for veggie burgers uses wholesome ingredients. It is made with ingredients you can find in your kitchen cupboard, or as Michael Pollan declared in Food Rules, ingredients that your great-grandmother would recognize. Best of all, most of the ingredients may already be in your pantry or can be purchased for a low cost. 

If you’re a skeptic about processed food, or you just prefer the joy of making food for yourself, this recipe is for you. Using white kidney beans and mushrooms, this recipe satisfies the craving for a juicy and savory backyard sandwich while also adding protein and fiber. Best of all, we have provided you tips to make sure your burger doesn’t fall apart and does not dry out.

Mushroom & White Bean Burger Recipe

Ingredients	Imperical
Cremini mushrooms	10 oz
Cannellini beans	1 15 oz can
Yellow Onion	1 medium onino
Panko breadcrumbs	1/2 cup
Flaxseed meal	2 tbsp
garlic	4 cloves
Rosemary, dried or fresh	1/4 tsp
Worcestershire sauce (option for vegan)	1 tsp
Liquid Aminos	3 sprays
salt	1/2 tsp
Pepper	1/4 tsp
Low Sodium Soy Sauce	1 tbsp
Parsley, fresh	4 sprigs
Optional: potato starch	2 tbsp

Ingredient spotlight:

Liquid Aminos – liquid aminos can be derived from either soy or coconut. Liquid aminos are amino acids that come from the proteins of their respective sources. While they are not a significant source of protein, they can help enhance the savory flavor of your dish because they contain essential aminos acids. While aminos can add great flavor, they are often very high in sodium. If you are closely monitoring your sodium, you can omit this ingredient.

Amino acids such as glutamate are known to give an umami flavor. This compound, is commonly found in animal protein, and provides the flavor that is characteristic to meat. If you don’t have this readily available, you can replace it with more soy sauce. 

Flaxseed meal – Flaxseed meal is produced from ground-up flaxseeds. While you can make flaxseed at home by blending in a blender. Oftentimes, the store-bought version will have a better, more homogenous grind based on the equipment used. According to Bob’s Redmill, Flaxseed Meal is high in dietary fiber containing both soluble and insoluble fibers, and it’s also a powerful natural cholesterol controller.

Preparation Instructions:

This recipe is straightforward to produce, providing you have a food processor. If you do not have a food processor, the recipe may take a bit longer to compensate for the extra chopping.

1. Quarter the onion into pieces and place in the food processor. Then add the mushrooms to the food processor. 
2. Blend in the food processor until homogenous, scraping as needed (See the video for clarification) 
3. Next, add the white kidney beans and pulse to blend again
4. Transfer the mixture into a mixing bowl and begin to season with salt, pepper, parsley, and rosemary
5. Add soy sauce, liquid aminos, and Worcestershire sauce to the mixture
6. Last, add the breadcrumbs and flaxseed meal
7. Mix together, mashing out any large pieces with a wooden spoon
8. Let the mixture sit for fifteen to twenty minutes to allow the flaxseed and breadcrumbs to hydrate
9. Form into patties and place into a heated cast iron skillet with vegetable oil (See FAQ for subs)
10. Cook for about 3-5 minutes per side, or until seared. Limit the amount of flipping so prevent your burger from falling apart
11. Assemble your burger to your liking, and enjoy!

FAQ 

Do I need to use a Food Processor?

For this recipe, we recommend using a food processor. However, if you don’t have one, you can chop all of the vegetables into small pieces, and then mash with a fork or a masher. You can see in the video, that we used a wooden spoon to get any remaining pieces. 

If you don’t have a food processor, you can find a relatively inexpensive one here. Food processors are the purchase that keeps on giving!

How do I prevent my veggie burger from falling apart?

This recipe adds flaxseed meal and bread crumbs to help bind the mixture together. We recommend waiting 15-20 minutes before making the burgers, so the flaxseed meal has time to hydrate and gel. Traditional burger recipes call for eggs and breadcrumbs to hold them together, but this recipe does not call for eggs as it is vegan.

Why do you have the option for potato starch?

This recipe makes a veggie burger that can stay together on its own. The texture of the burger can be soft or not chewy like a real burger. Although we should expect this because it is not meat, some people do prefer a firmer burger. We have included the option to add potato starch to the burger to help create a more firm texture. The potato starch will activate during the cooking phase and gel upon cooling. Potato starch will help with the bite of the burger and create a more firm texture when served. Feel free to omit this step if you don’t mind a softer texture. 

How do I make the veggie burger?

To form the patty, we recommend forming a ball of the mixture in your hand, then lightly pressing it together with both hands. You can also use a patty former if you prefer, which is essentially a large cookie cutter to form more uniform patties. Next, place the patty in a heated pan with oil to begin cooking. You can follow along with the cooking video above to see how it’s cooked.

Can I use Olive Oil instead of vegetable oil?

While olive oil is a highly beneficial oil to our health, it will not work here. If you don’t have vegetable oil, make sure you use a liquid oil with a low smoke point such as corn, canola, or peanut oil. Using olive oil here will cause your burgers to burn more quickly.

How do you recommend serving the burger?

I like my veggie burgers best on a sesame seed bun or brioche roll topped with lettuce, tomato, and onion. I highly recommend serving with a mild cheese like Colby Jack or cheddar, but vegan cheese is also an option here if you prefer. As a condiment lover, I would recommend topping the burger with a honey mustard sauce.

You can also serve with a side of green beans which you may have seen in my previous recipe! This will make a healthy and delicious meal.