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Discover a recipe packed with flavor and texture! This grilled veggie burger is easy to grill, satisfyingly hearty, and sure to please even the most devoted meat-eaters.
Are you ready for the best veggie burger recipe? I’ve seen so many veggie burgers fall apart on the grill over the past 10 years, so I’m beyond excited to share this one with you. This is a grilled veggie burger that doesn’t fall apart and tastes amazing. I bet the meat-eaters out there will agree, too!
What I love about this burger
When I fire up the grill for summer entertaining, my husband Alex will often eat a real burger, but I love eating something meatless. There are lots of vegetarian grill recipes that are outside of a bun, like these grilled nachos. But sometimes you just want a burger, right?
This grilled veggie burger doesn’t fall apart into a mush on your bun. It has a sturdy texture and big, big flavor!
What you’ll need
Often, grilled veggie burgers are dry and crumble on the grill, or they’re too mushy. There’s nothing worse than biting into a burger with the consistency of mashed potatoes! Here are the ingredients you’ll need for a veggie burger with great texture and flavor:
- Rice & walnuts: Rice gives a firm texture and helps the visual appeal. Walnuts create a firm texture and add protein.
- Chickpeas: Chickpeas (or garbanzo beans) are the main veggie here. I 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: I 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 me know how it goes!)
- Barbecue sauce: I painted these burgers with barbecue sauce to get a color and shine that looks similar to a beef burger. Try my Homemade BBQ Sauce that you can make in just 10 minutes!
The verdict?
To me, this is the best veggie burger recipe I’ve ever made. I 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.
Can you bake it, instead?
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.
Dietary notes
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. I haven’t tested it, but you can let me know if it works!
More summer barbecue recipes
Outside of this best veggie burger recipe, here are a few more summer barbecue recipes:
- Try grilled corn or other grilled side dish ideas.
- Make potato salad, cauliflower salad, or dill pickle pasta salad.
- Mix up grilled veggie kabobs or try a grilled buffalo cauliflower sandwich.
Grilled Veggie Burger Recipe
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.
- Prep Time: 30 minutes
- Cook Time: 20 minutes
- Total Time: 50 minutes
- Yield: 6 1x
- Category: Main Dish
- Method: Grilled
- Cuisine: American
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 garbanzo beans
- ¾ cup whole wheat flour (or gluten free)
- 1 tablespoon cumin
- 1 ½ teaspoons garlic powder
- 1 ½ teaspoons onion powder
- 1 ½ 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 my 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.
- Add the onion and garlic mixture, 2 tablespoons olive oil, walnuts, flour, cumin, garlic powder, onion powder, kosher salt, and 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.
Absolutely delicious! My whole family loved these burgers… they have a great taste and texture, and the bbq sauce on the outside gives them a real meaty look. We will definitely make them again
So glad you enjoyed!
We made these as a veggie option for a family bbq and the carnivores and vegetarians were all fighting over them! I also added some sautéed mushrooms to the mix. So so good!
If you’re allergic to nuts do you recommend a substitution for the walnuts?
Great question! Sunflower seeds should work here. We might suggest trying 1/2 cup sunflower seeds and 1/2 cup panko breadcrumbs.
O M G Yes, this is the best veggie burger. I, who am not a fan of garbanzo beans, made these for supper tonight. I’m ready to tell the world how wonderful they are!!! For the rice, I used cauliflower rice and I cooked the garbanzo beans instead of using canned. But, my oh my, what a wonderful supper we had. I used lettuce, tomato and mayo and was in heaven.
So glad you enjoyed! Thanks for the comment.
This looks amaizing. Can I substitude the nuts for seeds and what seeds will you recomment? Thank you
I think sunflower seeds would work! You might need a bit less too.
Btw, that trick of using a rolling pin to break up nuts? Sheer friggin’ GENIUS!!
Well finally! A non-black bean, unmushy (if that’s a word!), toothsome veggie burger that tastes delicious! Well done you guys. Second recipe of yours I’ve made today as a newbie to your site and I am duly impressed! I made these with a whole egg based on comments that indicated they weren’t holding together too well. Worked a treat. Added a little less cumin because I like it, but don’t love it. Baked them on the oven, then slathered with some BBQ sauce (will try yours when mine runs out) and stuck them under the broiler for a few minutes. Seriously. Soooo good. Thank you!
A 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.
I’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!
Do 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!
Yes, that should work great!
Came out great — thank you very much for the recipe! :-D
Yum! 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!
These burgers were amazing!! Even my carnivore fiancé agreed, and that’s a big feat! We will definitely be making these again :)
So glad you enjoyed! :)
My husband and I agree with the name- The Best Chickpea Burger (and that was even before we added the delicious Russian Dressing)!
So glad you enjoyed! :)
Delicious, 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.
I 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!
Haha! Glad you could salvage it :)
you 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 ?
We tested this one a bunch to make sure it’s reliable! Did you press them really tightly together when shaping?
Really 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.
Have you tried 1/4cup of the garbanzo liquid? Instead of egg?
Hi! We have not tried this but let us know if you do!
I made the hamburger today and it was great. Can these be frozen?
Hi! We haven’t tried it but I think they would freeze well. Try freezing them uncooked and then thawing before throwing on the grill!
Would love to see a PRINT button.
Hi! There’s a gray Print button inside the recipe card just above the ingredients!
Can we make them ahead of time and freeze them?
We haven’t tried it but I think that would work fine!
This ultimate grilled veggie burger looks so delicious!! I am gonna prepare it this weekend!!
Thank you so much! Let us know what you think!
I made it and was really impressed! This burguer is scrumptious. Thanks for sharing the recipe!
It 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.
These burgers look delicious! Do you think I can use sunflower seeds instead of the walnuts? I have to avoid nuts.
Hi! I’m not the creator of this recipe, but a good replacement for walnuts in a veggie burger recipe is breadcrumbs!
Love how well these hold together on the grill…impressive! And they look so much like real burgers too :)
Thank you so much! We were pleasantly surprised at how much the look simulates a real burger!
These look FABULOUS!!! Can I use brown rice instead of white?
Yes, you can definitely use brown rice instead of white! I’ll add that in the recipe too.