A SOLID Homemade VEGAN BURGER PATTY option, made with TVP! These are CHEAP, EASY and ready in about 30 Minutes!
These Vegan Burger Patties made with TVP are my go-to! They are cheap, and easy to make, ready in 30 minutes, and freezer friendly to boot! Plus they taste pretty dang good!
And while I do love a good Impossible or Beyond Burger, I realize that not everyone agrees or has access to them, so here’s a recipe for cheaper homemade burger patties!
Vegan burgers that are quick, cheap, and easy!
For me, one of the biggest reasons I dig this is for how quick and easy they are! I’ve made a few different vegan burger recipes, sometimes with black beans, or vital wheat gluten. They can sometimes take a long time or be laborious.
For these burgers, we’re using TVP as the base. No Vital Wheat Gluten needed, so we don’t need to steam them or anything like that.
All we need to do is mix a bunch of ingredients together, form some patties and then cook ’em on a pan! They are totally ready in 30 minutes or less!
They are also way cheaper! A bag of TVP costs me about $6 (they are actually almost half that price if you buy the 4 pack on Amazon), and for this recipe we are using $1.50 worth. So it’s substantially cheaper than pre-made burgers.
What’s the texture like of this vegan burger?
Now it’s important to note these are NOT like a Beyond or Impossible burger. The texture to me, is somewhere in between a Impossible burger and an old school Bean Burger.
They shouldn’t be mushy, but they will likely be softer than something like Impossible or Beyond. They taste just as good to me, and especially on a bun with some pickles, onions, ketchup and mustard, you can’t go wrong in my book!
ingredients for vegan burger patties
I do call for a bit of ingredients admittedly, but most of them are pantry staples. I have provided suggested substitutions as well!
- TVP – this is the base of our patty and is mandatory!
- Vegan Beef Broth – feel free to use veggie broth instead.
- Mushroom Seasoning – I use this quite often, it packs a lot of umami, but you can also sub Miso Paste.
- Nutritional Yeast, Onion and Garlic Powder etc. – We make good use of a few pantry staples for some beefy flavor.
- Vegan Mayo – you can sub for some neutral oil, but I like the tang and added binding of vegan mayo.
- Blackstrap Molasses – adds some nice iron flavor and color.
- Gravy Master, Worcestershire, Liquid Smoke – all add some nice flavor and color, but you can skip these if you can’t get them.
- Ground Flax – for binding, like a vegan egg!
- Flour – also for binding, but use GF flour if you wish.
- Breadcrumbs – another binder! Or use oats for gluten free! I recommend using finer breadcrumbs over Panko, however Panko will work.
how to make vegan burgers
This couldn’t be easier! First rehydrate the TVP with some Vegan Beef Broth (or Veggie Broth).
While that rehydrates, add all the non-binding ingredients to a bowl. Whisk that up!
Once the TVP is rehydrated, add the mixture, and combine with clean hands.
Then add in the flour and breadcrumbs. Mix again with clean hands.
It should come together and form a big ball with relative ease! I like to make a test patty and then toss it back and forth to each hand and make sure it doesn’t fall apart.
How to Form vegan Burger Patties
This recipe should give you about 1 lb. of vegan meat. You can make some thin 2 oz. patties, or some thicker 4 oz. I have been digging the thinner, but you do what you like!
Weigh out as much as you’d like for each patty. You can form them by rolling them into a ball and then smashing them between some burger paper with a burger press.
Or you can use a cookie cutter and press the patty by hand inside the cookie cutter. Either way works great.
I made a Double Double like In-N-Out with two (2 oz) patties. Check out my Double Double Recipe if you wanna make one too!
How to Cook vegan Burger patties
Grilling these burger is as easy as a regular burger! Simply add them to a skillet over medium high heat. Feel free to season with salt, black pepper, whatever you like!
I do recommend using a bit of oil since they don’t have a ton of fat. The oil will help them crisp up. I will even spray the patties with a little oil too!
For the photos, I brushed on a little more Gravy Master (or Kitchen Bouquet) to make them a little darker, but that’s totally optional of course!
Grill them for about 3 minutes per side. Add some vegan cheese, a little water and cover to steam and melt the cheese. It’s that easy!
Then load up a bun, and add whatever toppings you like!
Gluten-Free Option
To make this gluten free, just sub the bread crumbs for oats and the flour for gluten free flour (I like the Bob’s Red Mill All-Purpose GF Flour!) I recommend giving the oats a few pulses in a food processor or blender to get them into smaller bits. You’ll also wanna use Tamari instead of Soy Sauce!
Best toppings for a vegan burger?
Honestly, whatever you like will work, but here’s a few options!
can I make these in the oven?
I need to test this out, but my gut says that you really want that direct heat in order to get a decent sear on the patty. But if you try this out and have any luck, please let me know!
My Burgers are Mushy / Too Dry
Some folks have noted that their patties are a bit dry, or inversely that they are mushy. I’ve made these a few times, and I’ve found that the kind of bread crumb makes a big difference. The ones that seem to do the best job are the regular bread crumbs and not Panko. They should be finer like the ones I have below.
You can make these with Panko, they just might take a bit more bread crumbs. I suggest adding 1/4 – 1/2 a cup at first, and then adding more as you need it.
I highly suggest forming a patty and tossing it between your hands to make sure it stays together. And you can really toss it hard. If it stays together it should work.
Other things like what kinds of mayo or oil you use may affect the texture as well. So my big piece of advice is to add bread crumbs / oats a little at a time until the mixture holds its shape. Please let me know if you have any issues!
can I grill these burgers?
You sure can! I like to make sure they always have some oil brushed on them before flipping to keep them from drying out!
Storage
Store in the fridge and use within 3-5 days, or freeze for up to 1 month. If freezing, I recommend flash freezing on a baking sheet for about an hour. Then freeze in a freezer bag or freezer safe container.
You can freeze either before or after you cook them. Just thaw or cook for a bit longer if cooking from frozen. If cooking from frozen, just cook at a lower heat at first, until it’s heated through.
Serving Suggestions
This is pretty versatile! Use where you would normally use a vegan burger patty!
Check out all my VEGAN BURGER RECIPES HERE!
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Vegan Burger Patty
Rehydrate the TVP in the vegan beef broth (or veggie broth) for about 10 minutes.
While the TVP rehydrates, add everything but the flour and breadcrumbs to a bowl and stir to combine (you can also use clean hands to mix it) to make the marinade mixture.
Once TVP is rehydrated, add the marinade mixture to the TVP and combine with clean hands or a spoon / spatula. Add in the flour and breadcrumbs, and combine once again.
A quick note on bread crumbs, I recommend using finer bread crumbs over Panko. Start with 1/4 – 1/2 cup worth and add more as needed.
The mixture should come together easily and form a big meatball. You can make a quick patty and toss it from hand to hand to make sure it won’t fall apart.
You can also make a slider patty and fry it up to test out the seasoning if you wish, and then adjust as needed after tasting.
Form patties to preferred size, I recommend 2 oz. for a thin smash style patty. 4 oz. for a normal sized patty.
To cook, simply get a pan up to medium heat, add some oil and cook on each side for about 3-4 minutes or until nicely browned. Season as you like! When you flip the patty, add a slice of vegan cheese, then a little water to the pan. Cover to steam and melt the cheese, and then load up a bun with all the fixings!
