Oh boy, do I love me a veggie burger. Not a fan? Let me tell you why I love them. Maybe I can change your mind.
But FIRST, let me tell you about the newest addition to my blog! See that page at the top of the page called “How to Start a (food) Blog?” I created a resource for anyone who thinks they may be interested in starting their own blog (food or other) with a tutorial of how to set it up in three easy steps. You should check it out. And, you should send it along to anyone else who you think may benefit from it! Thanks :-)
OK. Back to the deliciousness that is these veggie burgers.
First of all, you can’t go for a veggie burger expecting to fulfill your craving of a regular burger. It’s NOT the same. If you are craving a burger, have one! Sometimes, you just have to have a burger. Here’s how to make an awesome simple cheeseburger. The beef kind.
But, if you are looking for a hearty, tasty way to enjoy a big dose of healthy whole grains and veggies, a veggie burger is the way to go. And these quinoa, mushroom, and zucchini veggie burgers are simple, hearty, extremely nutritious and delicious.
There is a secret to the perfect homemade veggie burger. I wrote about it in my last veggie burger post (wild rice and black bean burgers). Here it is… BAKE THEM! A lot of veggie burger recipes will instruct you to only fry them. When you fry veggie burgers, the inside doesn’t bind together as well, causing a mushy (albeit tasty) mess when you bite into the burger. It also means they have a greater tendency to fall apart when you reheat them if you have leftovers.
These veggie burgers are fried first, THEN baked. Think of it like pan roasted chicken thighs or searing and then baking a good steak. First, you sear the burgers on both sides in a skillet (I used a Calphalon non stick skillet), then bake them on a parchment covered baking sheet to finish cooking the inside. AMAZING. The result is a solid burger with a crispy outer layer that won’t fall apart or turn to mush, and that holds up well as leftovers (in the fridge or freezer) and to any toppings you want to add to it.
Speaking of toppings! My favorite part! These veggie burgers taste fresh and healthy, with an earthiness from the quinoa and mushrooms and a hint of spice from the crushed red pepper. They have a more simple flavor, whereas my wild rice and black bean burgers have more of a flavor punch. I topped mine with sliced cucumber, crisp lettuce, with lemon garlic mayo (just mix mayonnaise with a minced clove of garlic and some lemon juice). DELICIOUS. The coolness of the toppings paired so well with the simple spiciness of the burger. Yummm.
I’ll be honest- veggie burgers are kind of a lot of work to make. But, if you make a bunch of them, they freeze beautifully for an easy make-ahead meal, and it’s totally worth it. This recipe makes 6-8 burgers, which is perfect for just me and Zach for multiple full meals. If you have a bigger family, you may want to consider doubling the recipe so you have leftovers to freeze for another time.
First, cook the main ingredients going into the burger: quinoa, mushrooms, and zucchini. You really have to cook veggies before you add them to veggie burgers in order to get the liquid out of them. Then, mix them with some spices, an egg to bind it together, and some bread crumbs (I make my own whole wheat bread crumbs with toasted whole wheat bread in my food processor) to soak up the liquid. THEN, form patties, fry them, and bake them. Really, it’s not that complicated… it just takes some time. Totally worth it.
I’m always looking for new veggie burger recipes. What are your favorites? Leave them in the comments below!
Enjoy :-)
Quinoa, Mushroom, and Zucchini Veggie Burgers
Ingredients
- 16 oz. mushrooms chopped
- 1 small zucchini grated
- 4 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil divided
- 2 cups cooked quinoa (3/4 cup dry)
- plenty of salt and pepper to taste
- 1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper or more, if you like spicy!
- 2 cloves garlic minced
- 1/2 cup green onions chopped
- 2 eggs
- 1 cup breadcrumbs preferably whole wheat
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 375 degrees and line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
- Cook quinoa according to directions, if it's not already cooked.
- Sauté mushrooms and grated zucchini in 2 tablespoons olive oil with a generous pinch of salt over medium-high heat. Stir only once in the beginning, and allow liquid from vegetables to evaporate. Continue cooking until vegetables are tender and most of the liquid has evaporated.
- Mix cooked quinoa, sautéed vegetables, and all remaining ingredients (except for the extra olive oil) in a medium-sized bowl.
- Form 6-8 patties with the mixture and fry over medium-high heat in 2 tablespoons of olive oil in a nonstick skillet. Cook for 2-4 minutes on each side, or until browned.
- Move patties to parchment covered baking sheet. Bake at 375 degrees for 20 minutes.
Notes
- If the mixture seems too sticky and won't hold together, try either adding more breadcrumbs or refrigerating the mixture for a couple of hours before forming the patties.
- The amount of time this recipe takes to make will vary based on if you already have cooked quinoa, how much water there is in the veggies (which affects time it takes for them to sauté), and of course speed and efficiency in the kitchen.
- The provided nutrition information does not include any added sodium from seasoning to taste, any optional ingredients, and it does not take brands into account. Feel free to calculate it yourself using this calculator or by adding the recipe to Yummly.
Nutrition
Nutrition Information Disclaimer
The provided nutrition information is my best estimate and reflects one serving of the recipe (total servings indicated at top of recipe card). It does not include any added sodium from seasoning to taste, any optional ingredients, and it does not take brands into account. I use an automatic API to calculate this information. Feel free to calculate it yourself using one of these tools:
Zita Gelencser
The amount this makes is at least twice like you stated, also, it takes for anyone like 2hours to prep this.
Come on!
Elizabeth Lindemann
Thanks for bringing up your concerns about this recipe. This recipe is from my beginning days as a food blogger, almost 10 years ago! I’ve improved over the years with recipe writing and admittedly did not do as great of a job estimating times back then, so I’m happy to go back and double check this one based on your feedback.
For this particular recipe, I did not count cooking the quinoa in the overall prep time (I believe I used leftover quinoa when I made it!). So that should also be factored in if you need to do it. I agree that 15 minutes prep is too low of an estimate even using cooked quinoa, since there is a lot of grating and sautéing and whatnot.. I will update it to 25 minutes, which of course will vary based on personal speed and efficiency, how much water the veggies have in them (so how long they will need to sauté), etc. I also updated the zucchini to specify a small zucchini, which may help with sautéing speed and with overall portioning (the instructions say to form them into 6-8 patties, so if you got double that amount perhaps they needed to be formed in a larger shape).
Anyway, hope that helps! I’m always happy to go back and review my recipes, especially some of those older ones I haven’t taken a look at in years. Take care! -Elizabeth
EJ
Really enjoyed these. Always looking for a good gluten free recipe. Used 8 oz mushrooms and 8 oz red and yellow peppers as that is what I had on hand. Used one 1T oil to cook on stovetop, followed directions to cook out liquid. Added extra bread crumbs from GF bread. Made these in the air fryer so skipped the pan frying step. Experimented with different times. Best was preheat air fryer to 375, 5 min then flip, and cook for 5 more min.
Also refrigerated the mix overnight, these held together better.
We want to try these in mini loaf pans next time. Has anyone tried an egg substitute for these? Interested in hearing how that worked!
Elizabeth Lindemann
So glad you liked it! Great tip to refrigerate the mix overnight. I think they would work well in a mini loaf pan. I would try a flax egg as a substitute here.
Pramee
Hi! I really want to try this recipe but I can’t eat onions.. is there an alternative you could suggest? Thank you!!
Elizabeth Lindemann
I would just leave them out! Hope you like them :-)
Beth Meredith
Hello Elizabeth!
I am a newbie to your site and am super excited I found you!
I’d like to try these veggie burgers. I am wondering about a measurement/amount for “1 Zucchini”. 1 Cup?
Thank you in advance!
Going to the store now and can taste these burgers already!
Elizabeth Lindemann
Good question! I used a medium sized zucchini- which is about 1.5-2 cups. Hope you like the recipe!
Angela W Broyles
These were a hit!! My vegetarian daughter loved it with melted provolone. Tastes very meaty. I did not put them in the oven, just cooked a little longer on low heat on the stove after they were browned. They held together for the most part.
Elizabeth Lindemann
So happy you and your daughter liked it!! Oh wow, I haven’t made these in forever… thanks for commenting, now they’re on my mind and I think I’ll make them this week!
Kat
Fell apart, not even extra eggs or leaving a mixture in the fridge helped
Elizabeth
Oh no! I know how frustrating that can be. I’d love to help you figure out what went wrong- did they fall apart as you were trying to form them into patties, before baking? If it was before, then I can tell you right now: adding an extra egg probably hurt you, not helped. What you need is a little more bread crumbs, which help soak up the liquid from the veggies and eggs to make the mixture more firm and therefore stay together a bit easier. Speaking of liquid from the veggies, it’s also VERY important to get as much liquid out of them as possible before adding them to the mixture. I sauté them until they’re very well cooked and the liquid has evaporated as much as possible, so when I move them around in the pan there is absolutely no liquid left at all. If, however, they fell apart after baking, then it’s possible you had the opposite problem: the batter was too dry. If it’s too dry, then they may crumble apart after baking (in which case, fewer breadcrumbs or an extra egg would help). Anyway, hope that helps, and better luck next time!
Lauren
Hello! These are super yummy, so glad I found your site. The recipe made way more than we could finish. Any tips for storing? I only cooked 1/2 the batch..
Elizabeth
So happy you like them! I would “flash freeze” them by placing them on a parchment covered baking sheet, uncovered, and popping in the freezer for about 20-30 minutes, until they are pretty frozen. Then, transfer them to an airtight freezer bag or container. Flash freezing them will prevent them from freezing together and sticking, so you can remove one at a time when you want to cook one up. Hope that helps!
Elizabeth Sheiman
This is a delicious DELICIOUS veggie burger. My daughter detests mushrooms but didn’t even realize that there were mushrooms in the burger. SCORE! I suggested we add a slice of cheese and ……She said ” This burger is so good it doesn’t need anything with it” My sentiments exactly. Thanks for a great recipe. We subbed in Oats instead of breadcrumbs because we need to be gluten free. I will make this whenever I need an excellent veggie option for a large picnic or gathering, or just for a wholesome meal. THANK YOU!
Elizabeth
I’m so happy you and your mushroom-hating daughter loved it!! :-) Love the idea of using oats instead of breadcrumbs for a GF option. Thanks for the tip!
Tracey G
These were amazing! I used gluten-free bread crumbs and they were delicious! I’m not quite sure how I stumbled on your site – but I can’t wait to try some of the other recipes!
Elizabeth
I’m so happy you liked the recipe, and so happy you stumbled on my site! Happy to have you here :-)
Christine
Hello, I would love to try theses burgers, but can I make them without the bread crumbs? Would you suggest substituting something else for the bread crumbs?
Thank you!
Elizabeth
The bread crumbs help bind the burger together by soaking up the moisture so they don’t fall apart. While I think they definitely work the best, you can substitute something else for them. If you are trying for a gluten free approach, crumbled tortilla chips would work (and then take it easy on seasoning with salt since they will already be salty!). Along the same lines, cornmeal would work. I’ve also used almond flour as a grain free/paleo substitute in meatballs, so I think that may work as well. Experiment with the amounts and add a little at a time until the texture holds together well. Hope that helps! :-)
Elizabeth
Or oats! Oats work too :)
Skb
No matter what I tried, these crumbled apart. Complete waste of time and money.
Want to leave 1 star, but selecting only one selects all 5. BEWARE!
Never again!
Elizabeth
Oh no! I’m so sorry this recipe didn’t work out for you. You sound very frustrated from the way this comment is written- hopefully I can help a bit :-)
I’ve often made veggie burgers that crumbled apart, and it can be very frustrating, so I’d love to offer some troubleshooting advice for next time (for these or other veggie burgers). The biggest factor is too much moisture from the veggies. For this recipe, make sure to sauté them with plenty of salt (which will draw out the moisture) over medium-high heat (or sometimes even high, depending on the power of your burners). This, plus barely stirring them while they cook, will allow most of the moisture to evaporate from the heat- it’s important to be patient during this step, I know I’ve rushed it before which led to crumbly burgers. On that note, it may be worth checking that the quinoa is as dry as possible too, meaning when you cooked it, it absorbed all the water and wasn’t left sitting in any.
In addition, One reader mentioned she added an extra egg to help bind the patties together- the egg solidifies when the patty cooks, helping to make it more solid. Finally, something else that can help is refrigerating the mixture before forming the patties, since the coldness will help it stick together a bit better (and I’m actually going to add this as a note to the recipe card, based on this feedback!) :-) If all else fails, you can also bake the patties- since there is less handling of them, they cook away slower in the oven and stay together a bit better than trying to flip them.
Since you said that “no matter what you tried” they crumbled apart, I assume that means you already tried many, many tricks for getting them to stick together, so I’m not sure if these suggestions are helpful or not- but thought I’d pass them along! Hopefully they will be helpful for other readers.
With regard to the ratings on the recipe card- thank you for bringing this to my attention. I experimented with it and found that it didn’t work on my phone, but it did work on my desktop computer. Hopefully the company that runs it can get that glitch fixed- I’ll contact them to try and figure it out!
I hope you have better luck next time :-)
angie
Yum!! Great flavor!! Mine had a little trouble sticking together so I ended up adding an extra egg. Used a lot less cayenne and some fresh thyme- so good!!
Elizabeth
I’m so glad you liked them! Thanks for the comment :-)
Megan
Made these tonight ! With kale instead of zucchini and 1/2 the bread crumbs , added vegetable spices ! Very delicious (:
Elizabeth
Love the idea of using kale instead of zucchini! Glad you liked them :-)
Mary
Great results. Big hit in my house. All I had was 2 zucchini and 8ounzes of mushrooms and it still worked. I used chilli powder instead of flakes and it was not spicy enough. I ended up making the mayo, garlic lemon sauce and added more chilli and it made the burgers pop with flavour.
Elizabeth
Yay! So glad you and your family liked it! That’s what I love about veggie burgers- the amount of ingredients is very forgiving. Love the idea of adding chili to the mayo. Thanks for coming back and leaving a comment!
Janel
When you freeze these how,do,you reheat them?
Elizabeth
I usually just pop it in the microwave for a few minutes!
Colleen
Can you bake these burgers instead of frying?
Elizabeth
Absolutely! They won’t get as much of a crispy sear on the outside, but I bake my veggie burgers all the time when I don’t feel like getting a pan dirty :-) Use parchment paper and flip halfway through.
Julia
I was super excited to try these, but they fell apart when I fried them (when I flipped them over). This has happened to me with just about every veggie burger recipe I have tried. What am I doing wrong?? (The flavor was awesome so I’d really like to figure this out!)
Elizabeth
Sorry to hear that, Julia! But I agree… this is the most difficult part of the process. It really does take some finesse, but maybe I can help a bit :-) One thing that works is ensuring that the burgers brown significantly before you flip them- kind of like making sure fish or chicken browns before flipping, otherwise it will stick. Use a higher heat and leave them on for a while until a brown crust forms- this will help keep them together a bit when you flip. The other option? Skip this step all together! While it does give the burgers a nice crunchy outer layer, they will be very tasty if you just bake them. I suggest brushing a bit of olive oil on top of the patties before you bake them so they crisp up a bit in the oven, flipping them halfway through, and brushing the other side with olive oil. That should do the trick :-) Hope this helps! One more thing- one of my other veggie burger recipes skips this step as well, and they always come out great! Here it is: https://www.bowlofdelicious.com/2014/05/08/wild-rice-and-black-bean-veggie-burgers/
Julia
Thanks! I realized later that I fried them on medium heat, not medium-high, so hopefully changing that helps. Also, I may try adding an additional egg…my bowl of ingredients looks a LOT bigger than yours, and my eggs were small.
Brenna
Hi Elizabeth, I’m going camping this weekend and would love to bring these along. Have you tried them on the bbq? Any tips if I go that route?
Elizabeth
Sounds so fun, and what a good idea to bring healthy stuff to cook with you! I have not tried them on the bbq, but I would definitely recommend baking them in the oven before you go, and reheating them on the bbq. Otherwise, I fear they will turn into a mushy mess on the grill! You can probably skip the searing part if you do this, since the grill will hopefully brown them up a bit. If you want to cook them from scratch on the bbq, I recommend bringing a cast iron skillet or something that you can put on top of the fire with a flat surface. Hope that helps, and hope you have a good time!
Susie
Can’t wait to make these tomorrow! just wanted to ask, if you are going to freeze the burghers, is it best to do it before or after they are cooked? thanks!
Elizabeth
I usually cook them, then freeze them. That way, all you have to do is defrost them/warm up in the microwave for a minute or so, and it’s ready! It saves a lot of time. I hope you like them!
Susan
Wow! It takes some time to make these, but I swear I’ll never buy store bought frozen veggie burgers again!
Elizabeth
So glad you liked them, Susan! I agree- they take a while, but they are totally worth the effort (especially if you are able to freeze some for a later time!).