Looking for a delicious vegan burger? Try these super tasty nut burgers. They're simple to make and oh so yummy!
One of our favourite things about running the blog is developing and testing recipes.
Sometimes we work for ages tweaking and perfecting a recipe, other times deliciousness lands straight on our plates, and we have to share it with you immediately!
These nut burgers came to us when testing a recipe for nut roast. We had some leftover mixture, shaped them into patties, and fried them up.
And the result is just so tasty! The burgers hold together so well, they are packed with nutty flavour and they get this yummy, crispy, brown crust that I love.
If, like us, you’ve been disappointed with bland and boring veggie burgers or meat substitutes, then we recommend you give these nut burgers a go!
Ingredient tips
Here’s what you’ll need for this recipe:
- Nuts - we use a mixture of peanuts, cashews and walnuts
- Breadcrumbs - you can make your own (instructions below) or use shop bought
- Onion
- Dried herbs - we like herbs de provence
- Veggie stock - we use Marigold Swiss Bouillon
- Soy sauce - our favourite is Clearspring Organic Soy Sauce. We use it so much we buy it in 1L bottles!
- Chia seeds - these help to bind the burgers and make them nice and easy to shape
- And some olive oil for sauteing the onion and cooking the burgers
Making breadcrumbs
Did you know bread is one of the most wasted foods? One of our favourite ways to stop it from going to waste is to turn it into breadcrumbs when it starts to turn stale.
You can use white, wholemeal, and other types of bread. Simply cut stale or toasted bread into cubes and whizz them up in a food processor until fine.
If the bread isn’t dry enough to blend finely, you can spread it out on a baking sheet and bake at 150ºC (300ºF) for a few minutes. Then blend again.
To make them by hand, you can put them in a bag and crush them with a rolling pin until fine.
Transfer into an airtight container such as a jar. We store them in the freezer for the longest shelf life.
You can use them straight away in any recipe needing breadcrumbs, like our Vegan Schnitzel or these nut burgers.
Step by step
Here's a visual guide to making the vegan nut burgers. You'll find the printable recipe card at the end of the post.
Step 1 - In a frying pan, saute the diced onion in olive oil until soft, translucent and just starting to brown.
Step 2 - Pulse the nuts in a food processor until fine.
Step 3 - Make the vegetable broth with boiling water and stock powder/bouillon.
Step 4 - In a mixing bowl, combine the ground nuts, sauteed onion, breadcrumbs, soy sauce, herbs, chia seeds and vegetable broth.
Step 5 - Set the mixture aside for five minutes to allow it to cool a little and the chia seeds to soak. Then shape the mixture into round patties. If the mixture is a little too sticky, add some more breadcrumbs.
Step 6 - Heat up a little oil on medium high heat, and fry for 3-5 minutes until each side is crisp and brown.
Variations & substitutions
You can vary the nuts to your taste. Experiment with pecans, hazels, almonds, or even pumpkin or sunflower seeds.
We haven’t tested a gluten free version yet, but we’d try using gluten free breadcrumbs, ground oats or cooked rice as an alternative to the breadcrumbs, and adjusting the amount of stock as necessary. Be sure to use tamari sauce instead of soy sauce and gluten free stock powder.
We prefer to cook these in a pan on the stove for best results and speed.
If you want to try grilling them in the oven, brush a baking tray and the tops of the burgers lightly with oil, and turn them over very carefully when the topside is browned.
If you want to cook them on a BBQ we’d recommend using a cast iron skillet or griddle, not placing them directly on the grill.
Serving
We love to have these nut burgers as part of a simple summer meal, with a couple of salads on the side. Of course, they go fantastic with some homemade chips too.
They’re also great in a fully loaded burger bun. Choose your favorite fillings - mustard, mayo, ketchup, tomatoes, lettuce, onion, some juicy mushrooms…
These nut burgers are tasty served cold as well.
You can store any leftovers in a container in the fridge and use within three days. To reheat, heat gently in a lightly greased skillet.
We hope you enjoy our nut burger recipe! We invite you to try our other ‘meaty’ vegan recipes too:
This Vegan Chorizo is a reader favourite for it's bold flavours!
Our Vegan Mushroom Pate is so good spread on crackers or as a dip.
And this Tofu Bacon is smoky, high protein and cruelty free.
📖 Recipe
Nut Burgers
Ingredients
- 2 tbsp olive oil
- 1 onion
- 1½ cups (220 g) nuts
- 1 cup (100 g) breadcrumbs
- 2 tbsp soy sauce
- 2 tsp dried herbs
- 1 tbsp chia seeds
- 1 cup (240 ml) vegetable stock
Instructions
- In a frying pan, saute the diced onion in olive oil until soft, translucent and just starting to brown.2 tbsp olive oil, 1 onion
- Pulse the nuts in a food processor until fine, and just sliightly grainy.1½ cups (220 g) nuts
- Prepare the vegetable broth with boiling water and stock powder/bouillon.
- In a mixing bowl, combine the ground nuts, sauteed onion, breadcrumbs, soy sauce, herbs, chia seeds and vegetable broth.1 cup (100 g) breadcrumbs, 2 tbsp soy sauce, 2 tsp dried herbs, 1 tbsp chia seeds, 1 cup (240 ml) vegetable stock
- Set the mixture aside for five minutes to allow it to cool a little and the chia seeds to soak.
- Shape the mixture into round patties. If the mixture is a little too sticky, add some more breadcrumbs.
- In a frying pan, heat up a little oil on medium high heat, and fry for 3-5 minutes on each side until crisp and brown.
Notes
Nutrition
This information is calculated per serving and is an estimate only.
Angie Lombardi says
Absolutely delicious we used to get these along time ago at this great little place at the beach in Santa Barbara. These were amazing too!!
Sophie and Paul says
Thanks so much Angie, glad we could bring back some tasty memories for you.
Richard says
Lovely - first vegan burger my wife loved. She hated all previous. I used pistachios, almonds, and pecans. Roasted the nuts first.
Sophie and Paul says
Hey Richard, glad she loved it! Hope you enjoyed it too 🙂 Take care