Never fret over another meatless burger falling apart on the grill again. The Ultimate Grillable Veggie Burger is vegan, gluten free and as satisfying as any other burger out there!

It’s time for the second installment of my Girl’s Guide to Grilling series, and today we’re talking burgers! Veggie burgers, that is.

Well, actually let’s talk all burgers. Here’s the thing: because I don’t consume much meat I wanted to feature a killer veggie burger recipe that is vegan and gluten free that you could actually GRILL without worrying about it crumbling and falling in between the grates (too dry).

I also wanted this Ultimate Grillable Veggie Burger to not be too moist or mushy either. My favorite veggie burgers have a ton of texture, which is achieved in this recipe by a variety of grains, veggies and kidney beans.

But, since I often prepare meat based burgers for my clients, I also wanted to address some tips for how best to cook those.

First let’s talk about this awesome Grillable Veggie Burger, though! I’m kind of into the fact that the color and texture actually make it resemble a meat-based burger, but there’s nothing but plant based goodness inside.

The key to a veggie burger that will hold up on the grill is striking the right balance in textures. You don’t want it to be so moist that it’s mushy and gross. Like I said before, some texture is important. But you do need the burger to be moist enough that it sticks together easily.

Here are the secrets to getting it right with a vegan/gluten free grillable veggie burger:

1. Chickpea flour as a binding agent. This stuff is what really holds your veggie burger together!
2. Cook your veggies first. The carrot and onion will release any moisture when cooking them first. If you put the vegetables in raw their moisture may seep out into the patty, resulting in a soggy burger.
3. Work those ingredients. I use my hands to mix all the ingredients together, squishing them between my fingers until I can feel that the texture is right where it needs to be to hold things together. You can mix the ingredients in a food processor, but I think that your hands are really the best tools for the job here.

Now what about if you’re making a meat based burger? This is the Girl’s Guide to Grilling week, after all, so I do want to cover all the bases for you.

Here are my top burger tips:

1. Don’t overthink your burger patties. Good quality, organic, ethically raised meat really doesn’t need much, just some salt and pepper…MAYBE a couple of other spices if you’re going for a certain flavor. Leave out the onions, eggs, breadcrumbs and other binders.
2. Remember how I said with the veggie burgers to really work the ingredients? well, for meat based burger, so the opposite. Work the meat as little as possible. If the meat gets really packed in, you’ll end up with dense, heavy burgers. Just like with the ingredients, keep it simple!
3. Burgers have a tendency to dome up into thick hockey pucks on the grill. In order to prevent this from happening, make a small divot in the center of the patty with your finger.

So there you have it, my top tips for ANY kind of burger. Check out the tips in my last recipe in the Girl’s Guide to Grilling series for more grilling success!

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The Ultimate Grillable Veggie Burger

Never fret over another meatless burger falling apart on the grill again. The Ultimate Grillable Veggie Burger is vegan, gluten free and as satisfying as any other burger out there!

Course Main Course

Cuisine American

Keyword best veggie burger recipe, grilled veggie burger, veggie burger

Prep Time 20 minutes

Cook Time 10 minutes

Total Time 30 minutes

Servings 6

Calories 600 kcal

Ingredients

• 1/2 cup quinoa
• 1/2 cup brown rice
• 1/4 cup red rice
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 1/2 cup onion, diced
• 1/2 cup carrot, shredded
• 1 clove garlic, minced
• 1/4 cup walnuts or pecans
• 1 14 ounce can kidney beans, drained and rinsed
• 1 teaspoon chili powder
• 1/2 teaspoon smoked paprika
• 2 tablespoons fresh oregano, chopped (if using dried oregano, reduce to 1 tablespoon)
• 1 tablespoon lemon zest
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
• 1/3 cup chickpea flour

Instructions

1. Cook quinoa, brown rice and red rice according to package instructions. Cool completely and add to a large mixing bowl.

2. In a medium skillet, heat olive oil over medium heat. Add onions and carrots and cook until onions are translucent, about 5 minutes. Add garlic and continue to cook for 1 minute more. Transfer to mixing bowl.

3. In a food processor, blend nuts until fine and crumbly and add to mixing bowl. Add beans, chili powder, paprika, oregano, lemon zest, salt, pepper and chickpea flour to mixing bowl. Mix ingredients with your hands until well incorporated, smashing between your fingers as you go. Mixture should stick together easily but still have whole pieces of beans and rice remaining.

4. Form mixture into 1/3 cup patties about 3/4 inch-1 inch thick. You should end up with 6 or 7 burger patties. 

5. Heat a grill, brush with oil and place patties on the grill. Cook for 3-4 minutes or until nicely browned, then flip gently and cook for 3-4 minutes on the other side. Remove burgers from heat and serve on buns with desired toppings.