This mouthwatering veggie burger recipe is slathered with barbecue sauce and doesn’t fall apart on the grill! It’s truly the best you’ll find.
This veggie burger recipe was created in partnership with Kroger. All opinions are our own.
Are you ready for our best veggie burger recipe? Alex and I have seen so many veggie burgers fall apart on the grill over the past 10 years. So we are beyond excited to share this recipe with you: a grilled veggie burger that doesn’t fall apart and tastes amazing, too. This recipe is part of our 6-episode Summer Barbecue Series hosted by Alex, me and baking expert Tessa from Handle the Heat. Scroll down to watch us make it in our kitchen!
Another great burger (that’s vegan too)? Try our Best Chickpea Burgers.
Video: how to make our BEST veggie burger
Why to make this veggie burger
Alex and I eat vegetarian about 90% of the time, so our website is full of our everyday healthy vegetarian recipes. We call it flexitarian! When we fire up the grill for summer entertaining, often Alex will just eat a real burger. However, I eat vegetarian even more than he does, so typically I’d prefer something meatless. There are lots of summer vegetarian recipes and vegetarian grill recipes that are outside of a bun (like these grilled nachos). But sometimes you just want a big burger, right?
So we present: our best veggie burger recipe! And we promise, cross our hearts, that this grilled veggie burger recipe doesn’t fall apart into a mush on your bun. It’s got a sturdy texture and big, big flavor. In this recipe, we’ve featured Simple Truth Organic Garbanzo Beans and Kingsford charcoal for the grill.
How to make a great veggie burger
It’s a little embarrassing how many times Alex and I have made a grilled veggie burger recipe that flopped. The reason that it’s so difficult to make a veggie burger recipe that doesn’t fall apart on the grill is that, well, newsflash: it’s not a meat burger! Molding together a bunch of vegetables and grains does not necessarily equal the consistency of a burger.
Problems with grilled veggie burger recipes are that they’re too dry and crumble on the grill, or they’re too mushy. And there’s nothing worse than biting into a burger with the consistency of mashed potatoes! After 10 years of experimenting, here are all our secrets to our best veggie burger recipe that doesn’t fall apart on the grill:
- Rice & walnuts: Rice makes a firm texture and helps the visual appeal. Walnuts create a firm texture and add protein.
- Chickpeas: Chickpeas are main veggie here; we mash them with a fork to keep some of their texture as well.
- Flour: The flour acts as a binder to hold everything together. You can use any type of flour, including gluten free flour if desired.
- Egg White: We tried to make this burger recipe vegan, but unfortunately it needed another binder to hold it all together! Egg white is the final secret ingredient to keep everything held together. (Feel free to try a flax egg — and let us know how it goes!)
- Barbecue sauce: We painted these burgers with barbecue sauce to get a color and shine that looks similar to a beef burger. Try our Homemade BBQ Sauce that you can make in just 10 minutes!
And how does it taste?
To us, this is the best veggie burger recipe we’ve ever made. And we still can’t believe how beautiful it turned out! It doesn’t taste exactly like meat, but the experience feels just like eating a burger and is incredibly tasty in its own way. Even better, it’s truly a burger recipe that doesn’t fall apart on the grill. How about you: would you try this grilled veggie burger recipe? Tell us in the comments below.
Can you bake this veggie burger recipe in the oven?
Yes! If desired, you can also bake this veggie burger recipe if it’s not grilling season! Preheat an oven to 375F, then bake for 30 to 40 minutes until evenly browned on both sides, flipping once. Brush both sides with barbecue sauce, then return to the oven for 2 minutes.
This recipe is…
This recipe is vegetarian. For gluten free, use gluten free flour and gluten free buns.
*For vegan and plant-based, you could try a flax egg replacement for the egg — we haven’t tested it but let us know if it works!
PrintBest Veggie Burger Recipe (Grilled or Baked!)
- Prep Time: 30 minutes
- Cook Time: 20 minutes
- Total Time: 50 minutes
- Yield: 6 1x
Description
This mouthwatering veggie burger recipe is slathered with barbecue sauce and doesn’t fall apart on the grill! It’s truly the best you’ll find.
Ingredients
For the burger
- 2 cups cooked white rice (1 cup uncooked)
- 2 large garlic cloves
- 1 medium yellow onion
- 3 tablespoons olive oil, divided
- 1 cup walnuts
- 1 15-ounce can Simple Truth Organic Garbanzo Beans
- 3/4 cup whole wheat flour (or gluten free)
- 1 tablespoon cumin
- 1 1/2 teaspoons garlic powder
- 1 1/2 teaspoons onion powder
- 1 1/2 teaspoons kosher salt
- 1 teaspoon black pepper
- 1 egg white**
- Barbecue sauce
To serve
- Guacamole, Special Burger Sauce, or other creamy sauce
- 1 tomato
- Lettuce leaves
- 6 hamburger buns (gluten free if desired)
Instructions
- Make the rice according to the package instructions or use our Instant Pot method. If making the rice directly before grilling, quickly cool it by spreading the rice into a single layer on a sheet pan and placing it in the freezer for 2 minutes until it cools. Otherwise, you can make the rice in advance and refrigerate until using.
- Preheat a grill to medium heat.*
- Mince the garlic and onion. In a large skillet, heat 1 tablespoon olive oil. Add the the onion and saute for 3 minutes, then add the garlic and saute for for 2 more minutes until golden and translucent. Remove from the heat.
- Roll over the walnuts with a rolling pin until they are fine and crumbly.
- Drain and rinse the garbanzo beans. Place them in the bottom of a large bowl and mash them with a fork. Mash until about 90% of the garbanzo beans are mashed; a few can remain whole.
- Measure out 2 cups of the rice and add it to the bowl with the garbanzo beans. Then add the onion and garlic mixture, 2 tablespoons olive oil, walnuts, flour, cumin, garlic powder, onion powder, kosher salt, black pepper. Mix together, smashing any rice clumps so that everything mixes evenly. Stir in 1 egg white, then mix until everything comes together into a sticky dough.
- Using your hands, form five or six 1-inch thick patties by firmly patting and squeezing the dough together (making 5 results in a very thick burger; making 6 makes moderate-sized burgers). Set the patties on a baking sheet or plate for grilling. Brush both sides of the burgers with olive oil.
- Place the burgers on a grill and grill for 10 to 12 minutes on one side, until firm and grill marks appear. Gently flip the burgers and brush them with barbecue sauce. Grill for an additional 10 to 12 minutes on the other side, then serve immediately.
- To serve, place the burgers on a bun, topped with guacamole or another creamy sauce, tomato and lettuce (or other burger toppings of your choosing).
Notes
*You can also bake this grilled veggie burger if it’s not grilling season! Preheat an oven to 375F, then bake for 30 to 40 minutes until evenly browned on both sides, flipping once. Brush both sides with barbecue sauce, then return to the oven for 2 minutes.
- Category: Main Dish
- Method: Grilled
- Cuisine: American
Keywords: Burger, Veggie Burger, Veggie Burger Recipe, Best Veggie Burger Recipe, Grillable Veggie Burger, Grilling Recipe
Looking for more summer barbecue recipes?
Outside of this best veggie burger recipe, here are the other summer barbecue recipes:
- Loaded Grilled Nachos
- Boiled Corn on the Cob
- Incredible No Mayo Potato Salad
- Crunchy Peanut Butter Cookies
- Vanilla Sheet Cake with Grilled Strawberries
- Grilled Buffalo Cauliflower Sandwich
- Summer Dinner Recipes to Eat Al Fresco
- How to Host a Simple Backyard Party
Looking for more vegetarian grilled recipes?
- Grilled Teriyaki and Mango Skewers
- Tomato & Grilled Eggplant Stacked Sandwich
- Grilled Mango Tacos with Dream Sauce
- Mint Pesto Grilled Cheese on the Grill
33 Comments
Jessica Flory
June 28, 2018 at 2:03 pmThese look FABULOUS!!! Can I use brown rice instead of white?
Sonja
June 30, 2018 at 1:38 pmYes, you can definitely use brown rice instead of white! I’ll add that in the recipe too.
Brittany Audra @ Audra's Appetite
June 30, 2018 at 1:33 pmLove how well these hold together on the grill…impressive! And they look so much like real burgers too :)
Sonja
June 30, 2018 at 1:38 pmThank you so much! We were pleasantly surprised at how much the look simulates a real burger!
Chantal
July 3, 2018 at 2:27 pmThese burgers look delicious! Do you think I can use sunflower seeds instead of the walnuts? I have to avoid nuts.
Becky Hardin
July 13, 2018 at 2:21 pmIt really is hard to find good veggie burgers! This recipe looks amazing, and I love how you explain what each ingredient does to make the burger so great.
Marcela
July 18, 2018 at 11:13 amI made it and was really impressed! This burguer is scrumptious. Thanks for sharing the recipe!
Tiago Oliveira
March 2, 2019 at 1:24 pmThis ultimate grilled veggie burger looks so delicious!! I am gonna prepare it this weekend!!
Sonja
March 2, 2019 at 2:08 pmThank you so much! Let us know what you think!
Brandi
April 17, 2019 at 6:51 pmCan we make them ahead of time and freeze them?
Alex
April 18, 2019 at 10:06 amWe haven’t tried it but I think that would work fine!
Diann
April 18, 2019 at 5:00 amWould love to see a PRINT button.
Alex
April 18, 2019 at 10:06 amHi! There’s a gray Print button inside the recipe card just above the ingredients!
Hue Chon White
May 16, 2019 at 10:19 amI made the hamburger today and it was great. Can these be frozen?
Alex
May 16, 2019 at 10:21 amHi! We haven’t tried it but I think they would freeze well. Try freezing them uncooked and then thawing before throwing on the grill!
Karen
May 31, 2019 at 3:37 pmHave you tried 1/4cup of the garbanzo liquid? Instead of egg?
Alex
May 31, 2019 at 4:23 pmHi! We have not tried this but let us know if you do!
Naya
June 24, 2019 at 10:29 pmReally good! I made these tonight subbing oats for the walnuts simply because I didn’t have the latter. I topped mine with bbq sauce afterward vs painting it on prior. Will definitely try it your way next time.
karen
August 3, 2019 at 7:26 amyou guys all made this recipe and they didnt fall apart? What did I do wrong? At the first flip, they just broke apart and by the time we ate them we needed a spoon… The only thing I could think was – was the egg white too little and I should use a large egg or a whole egg? Any ideas ?
Alex Overhiser
August 3, 2019 at 12:20 pmWe tested this one a bunch to make sure it’s reliable! Did you press them really tightly together when shaping?
karen
August 3, 2019 at 9:16 pmI feel that I did but I will give it another try in a week or two. Your BBQ sauce recipe really saved the day as the burger crumbles topped with that were still very good!
Alex Overhiser
August 5, 2019 at 10:32 amHaha! Glad you could salvage it :)
katy
January 30, 2020 at 8:52 amDelicious, I didn’t have any cumin so I used curry which was a little strong but yummy. My two small kids ate and enjoyed also! Planning to try again and play with different spices, thinking Montreal steak seasoning style. I also used my food processor to save time instead of chopping, rolling or using a fork which did give me a smoother dough, which I think may have helped prevent any crumbling or falling apart.
Julie
March 2, 2020 at 8:36 pmMy husband and I agree with the name- The Best Chickpea Burger (and that was even before we added the delicious Russian Dressing)!
Alex Overhiser
March 3, 2020 at 9:13 amSo glad you enjoyed! :)
Daytona
March 21, 2020 at 11:16 pmThese burgers were amazing!! Even my carnivore fiancé agreed, and that’s a big feat! We will definitely be making these again :)
Alex Overhiser
March 23, 2020 at 8:12 pmSo glad you enjoyed! :)
Alice
April 18, 2020 at 3:46 amYum! I stumbled onto this recipe from Pinterest and I loved it. Yes, a flax egg worked for me HOWEVER I also had to make a few other substitutions (covid lockdown) including using buckwheat flour, so can’t guarantee it would work following the recipe more carefully. Thank you for this!
Jacq
May 1, 2020 at 2:44 pmDo you think the burger would hold together on the grill if pecans are substituted for walnuts? We have pecans but not walnuts, and going back to the grocery store during lockdown is not very appealing! Looking forward to trying out the recipe!
Alex Overhiser
May 1, 2020 at 3:45 pmYes, that should work great!
Jacq
May 4, 2020 at 10:49 pmCame out great — thank you very much for the recipe! :-D
Thom Benedict
May 25, 2020 at 11:48 pmA single egg white didn’t seem to be sufficient as the binder. Two of six patties completely fell apart as soon as they hit the grill (even though they were tightly formed). Overall, the flavors are pretty darn good. Next time, I might add a splash of liquid smoke or vegan Worcestershire, the entire egg, and let the patties set in the fridge for a while, before grilling.
Lindsay Goodson
June 1, 2020 at 3:59 pmI’m with you. My 12 yo loved them as is; I want some more flavor. I would’ve added Montreal Steak Seasoning had I had some. And, maybe some more sauteed veggies. But, this is an AMAZING base recipe! I’m excited to see where I can take it!