Thick and Crispy Veggie Burgers for the Stove or BBQ

These Thick and Crispy Veggie Burgers for the Stove or BBQ hold together in the pan and build a heavy crust. You roast the vegetables first to dry them out so the patties stay firm. This recipe yields 4 to 6 individual patties that never turn to mush.

The Roasted Vegetable Base

Excess water ruins most homemade patties. You will bake the beans, mushrooms, and carrots in a 350°F (180°C) oven to remove moisture. High ratios of beans often create a dense and mushy center. This drying step improves the final texture. The carrots provide color and have a naturally low water content.

Spread the sliced mushrooms on a pan with olive oil. Mushrooms provide a savory taste but shrink during roasting. Put the cannellini beans and grated carrots on the empty side.

Bake the beans until they split open and take on a little color. The mushrooms should dry out and turn wrinkly. Avoid baking the carrots and beans for too long. Too much time in the oven leaves hard pieces in the final burger. Let the roasted ingredients cool off the heat.

The Burger Mixture

The food processor breaks down the ingredients. You need to keep the pieces coarse. First, pulse the raw unsalted cashews until they look like chunky breadcrumbs. Do not turn the nuts into fine powder. The cashews add soft bits of structure.

Next, pulse the Roasted Vegetable Base into a crumb-like texture. Add the egg, mayonnaise, panko breadcrumbs, grated parmesan, and spices.

Run the equipment until the base looks like ground beef with distinct coarse pieces. Puréeing the ingredients into a single solid color will eliminate the required meaty consistency. Next, drop in the cooked brown rice and the sliced green onions. The brown rice supplies a firm and meaty bite to the final patty. The green onions bring freshness without the high water content of standard onions. Adding regular onions or leeks will dump excessive moisture into your bowl. Run the machine for exactly two seconds to scatter the additions without crushing the grains. Grinding the brown rice down turns the whole batch into a sticky, dense paste.

Shaping the patties

Divide the Burger Mixture to create individual rounds. Flatten each portion until it is 4 inches (10 cm) wide. You need to keep the depth between 0.6 and 0.7 inches (1.5 to 1.8 cm) to balance a crusty exterior with a cooked interior. Building the height past that maximum measurement causes the inside to remain excessively soft.

Refrigerate the shaped patties for at least one hour before cooking. You can keep raw patties in the refrigerator for up to 24 hours. Longer storage or freezing draws out water and makes the insides too wet.

Stovetop Cooking and BBQ Cooking

Take the patties directly from the refrigerator to the heat. For Stovetop Cooking, heat plenty of oil in a skillet over medium to medium-high heat. Fry the patties for four minutes per side. The generous amount of oil develops a dark and crunchy crust without burning.

For BBQ Cooking, preheat the grill to medium-high. Brush oil onto both the hot grates and the cold burgers. Grill the burgers for four minutes on each side.

Burger Assembly and Serving Suggestions

Swiss cheese fits the taste of these patties nicely. Right after turning the rounds over in the pan, set a slice of cheese on each one and put a loose cover over the skillet so the dairy melts. For the Burger Assembly, pile the hot rounds onto soft buns layered with lettuce, tomato, pickles, avocado, and beetroot. To prepare a fast condiment, stir diced dill pickles, hot sauce, salt, and pepper into sour cream, yogurt, or mayonnaise. French fries or baked potato wedges work perfectly as your Serving Suggestions.

Ingredient substitutions

You can swap several components of the Burger Mixture based on your pantry.

• Chickpeas, butter beans, or black beans make excellent swaps for the cannellini beans.
• Macadamia nuts, almonds, walnuts, or roasted unsalted cashews work interchangeably.
• Sunflower seeds can replace the nuts for allergy accommodations.
• Rice crackers processed into crumbs provide a gluten-free substitute for the regular breadcrumbs.
• Cooked quinoa, bulgur, buckwheat, or any cooked rice can replace the brown rice.
• Swap the green onions for chives, or use parsley as a replacement.

Leftovers

You can keep your cooked patties in the refrigerator or the freezer, and they will maintain their texture. Always let frozen burgers thaw completely before warming them. Heat the patties in a skillet or a 350°F (180°C) oven. Avoid using the microwave to reheat them, because it generates steam that destroys the crispy crust.