You are here

The official Best Veggie Burgers on the Planet review thread (to be updated).

Add recipe reviews for The Best Veggie Burgers on the Planet: 101 Globally Inspired Vegan Creations Packed with Fresh Flavors and Exciting New Tastes by Joni Marie Newman here, and they will be added to the compilation. Thanks to Eldsjal for this list!

Burgers for breakfast
Denver omelet burger

Bacon and egg breakfast burger
I love this burger so much! I add a bit of nutritional yeast and use black salt to get a really eggy taste. (eldsjal)
Garlicky ranch potato patties
Garlic and potato, a winning combination. I ate it without a bun, accompanied by baked beans, tofu bacon and of course: Lots of ketchup. (eldsjal)
Chicken fried steak burger

Log cabin burger
Didn't like this at all. I can tolerate tempeh sometimes but this was not one of those times. It was supposed to be like a breakfast burger but it just tasted like maple syrup + peanut butter + liquid smoke. Pass. (intheend)
O’Brien burger

Sweet caramelized onion burger

Peaches and cream burger

PB and J burger

Cherry oatmeal protein packed energy burger

Burgers from the far East
Thai inspired black bean tofu and potato patties

Chinese take out burger
I didn't feel like making buns, so I made these as meatballs. They were absolutely fabulous. The sauce has a lot of ingredients and is a little sweet, but it comes together quickly and counteracts the bitterness of the tempeh beautifully. I served them with sesame green beans and rice, and ended up mixing them all together, which worked quite well. (sweetgeorgiapeach)
Chow Mein burger

Sweet and sour pork mini burger

Three pepper stir fry burger

Beef and broccoli burger

Moo goo gai pan burger

Edamame burger
I wasn't too fond of these. I guess you REALLY have to love chickpea flour in order to enjoy them, since the recipe calls for 3 1/2 cups (!). I didn't add the full amount, but it was still pretty much all I could taste. But maybe that was because I didn't have enough edamame so I had to add some green peas as well (the only substitute I could think of). They turned out a bit like baked falafel, except they lacked spice and was dry. (eldsjal)
Wasabi burger

Korean BBQ burger
This was surprisingly excellent. I was a little annoyed/disgusted at the thought of instant potato flakes, but I guess they really work in this. There are quite a few ingredients in this burger, but the flavor is outstanding. I actually used toasted cashews, which usually don't work when a recipe calls for raw, but I think they really add good flavor here. My mix was actually a bit dry, so the patties were kind of crumbly, but I think that is easily fixed. I panfried mine. Will make again! (have to use up that huge box of potato flakes, anyway...) (AC)
Burgers from the Middle East
Baba Ghanoush burger
Fantastic! I wasn't too fond of eggplant before, but now I'm hooked. My favorite way of eating this burger is in a 50/50 flatbread with dill/garlic sauce made of silken tofu. (eldsjal)
Curried split pea burger

Curried chickpea and broccoli burger

Lizzy’s lentil daal burger
Yummy! I used curry powder instead of garam masala. Great with tzaziki or a similar sauce. (eldsjal)
Masa masala burger

Tabbouleh burger

Curried macadamia nut crusted tofu burger

Potato samosa burger

Falafel burger

Burgers from the boot
Sundried tomato and pesto burger
Used edamame pesto instead of the one listed in the book. Tasty, but this is the burger I've liked the least so far. Still, I'll definetely make it again. (eldsjal)
Fire roasted red pepper burger

Zucchini mushroom burger
This had the most bizarre texture from all of the flax mixture that went into it. I honestly don't think it needed it at all. It just made it gross and slimy. The taste was actually good though so I would make it again but just not put the flax in or not as much. I need to experiment with this one. I also had to fry it instead of baking it as it was taking forever to firm up in the oven. (intheend)
Couscous pantry burger

Pizza burger
Pretty nice. Loved the texture. However, I didn't love the anise seed in it. Next time I'd omit it or use some ground fennel instead. This tastes a bit like the TVP pepperoni in Hearty Vegan Meals for Monster Appetites and since I wasn't crazy about that, I don't think the taste of these burgers are great, but you could easily change the flavor profile by changing the spices you add to the TVP. Will try that next time. (eldsjal)
Mushroom, asparagus and spinach burger

Sundried tomato and artichoke burger
Very good! Especially with hummus. I made a smoky tomato/roasted red pepper/balsamic hummus to go with these and it was pretty fantastic. Had them on rustica buns, worked very well together. But the recipe says that it makes 8-10 burgers, and I made 8. They were huge! They were too big for the buns! So next time I'd definitely divide it into 9 or 10 burgers. (eldsjal)
Broosketta burger

Fresh from the Mediterranean burger

Ravioli burger

Burgers from the heartland
All American burger
I loved this burger! It had awesome flavor that was somewhat cheezy from the nooch that was in it. The only problem I had was that they were starting to kind of break apart on the grill. I chopped my mushrooms pretty finely also so it's not like I had huge chunks. I would made these again but I'm thinking it would be better to use a food processor to get the mixture ground up better. (intheend)
The state fair burger

Scarborough fair tofu burger

Really meaty burger

Green castle sliders

Bacon cheeseburger
This reminds me more of peanut butter cookies than a veggie burger.  Definitely too sweet and too much oil. I will make it again as I like the texture, but with modifications (less BBQ sauce/add BBQ spices to compensate, replace some of the oil with water). (kindnesstoall)
Basic black bean BBQ burger
Sweet, smoky and with a bite. Delicious with the cheezy mayo from American Vegan Kitchen or with coleslaw and onion rings. A keeper. (eldsjal)
I don't like to use TVP, but wanted to try it in a burger. I couldn't really tell a difference between this and a similarly flavored regular black bean burger. The flavor is going to depend a lot on the BBQ sauce you use, so the flavor was pretty good, but my mixture was quite wet. I used garbanzo flour instead of soy (which has worked well in the past), and added extra. They did cook up fairly well, but were still a bit crumbly. Not a spectacular recipe, for me. (AC)
Popeye burger

Mind your peas and ques

Super quinoa burger
Just ok.  I didn't care for the cornstarch in the recipe; it feels rather chalky when eating it.  Next time I'll try using VWG instead. (kindnesstoall)
Mushroom chicken burger

Crab cakes

Sunday afternoon grillers
These are terrible. I had a huge texture problem with these, they ended up mushy for me. The taste was also bad too. I grilled them and although the top and bottom firmed up, the middle remained nasty so we just skipped on them. (intheend)
Seitanic stuffer

Smoky tempeh seitanic stuffer

Inside out cheeseburger seitanic stuffer

Spanakopita ish seitanic stuffer

Garlic, mushroom and onion seitanic stuffer

BLT and avocado burger
A big disappointment. I was really excited about making these because I love the bacon bits, and I love avocado. But they didn't taste very much (definitely needs salt! There is no salt listed in the recipe. A typo?) and they were too chewy in my opinion. I used brown rice flour instead of all purpose, maybe that's why? However, I like the idea of stuffing burgers with avocado, so I think I'll try that with some other burger recipe in the future. (eldsjal)
Confetti burger

The crunch and munch burger

The trifecta burger

Meatloaf burger
I used to love meatloaf and these burgers are so damn tasty! I cut the recipe in half and ended up being able to get 5 good size burgers out of them. I rehydrated the TVP using "beef" broth and omitted the cumin. She gives you the option of using ketchup or BBQ sauce and I used ketchup cause I wanted it to keep it old school. I was really happy with how these came out. (intheend)
Tofu n roots burger

Summer squash burger

Split peas with ham burger
I made the "ham" portion of this to perhaps use in sandwiches or the Denver omlette burger in this cookbook.  The texture was off for me, it came out more like a bread than a mock meat.  Of course it tasted nothing like ham, which I didn't expect it to.  Also it was too sweet for my tastes using two tablespoons of brown sugar.  It calls for a whopping 1/4 cup of oil and still came out on the dry breadlike side.  Fail. (tweety)
The ham recipe is the same as the ham seitan in 500 VR, and it was pretty horrible. Definitely bread-like, with a non ham flavor. The flavor was very bland. It was hardly edible after adding salt, bragg's, and liquid smoke, and frying it to crisp it! (AC)
Noochy burger
This is a little dry but it has great flavor going on. No problems holding together and baked in the oven. (intheend)
Burger roll ups

Burgers with Latin flavors
Ortega burger

Jalapeño cornbread burger
These are really dry so you definitely need a cheezy sauce to go on top. The taste is fine but I wasn't really impressed. This book relies heavily on TVP so if that isn't your thing you won't be into this book. (intheend)
Chipotle sweet potato burger

Black bean tamale burger with mole sauce

Sarah’s Southwest burger

Enchilada burger

Pintos and rice burger
At first I thought this one was a huge miss.  They're better after freezing and reheating.  The cornmeal and pinto beans are great together, and these can baked (vs. fried) to increase the health factor.  My favorite thus far. (kindnesstoall)
Where do I begin to describe how much I disliked this? I picked this because I had all the ingredients without making a grocery store run and the one review above was encouraging.  I followed instructions but I used canned diced tomatoes and blech.  It needed salt, which I forgot (the canned tomatoes were saltfree), the texture was messed up.  I used the baking method but it took longer than her suggested 15 minutes on each side (but then again, I got seven burgers when she said eight). Finally one cup of onions is just too much, it overpowers the burger since it's raw...perhaps sauteeing them first would have been better.   I came real close to throwing them away but am going to take the advice of the reviewer above and freeze them and reheat....I'll probably fry them.  Total disappointment. (tweety)
Like! I didn't expect them to taste very much but they were just right. Liked them best with guacamole and salsa. I used black beans instead of pintos. (eldsjal)
Travis loves cilantro burger

Jalapeño cheddar burger
This is my favorite so far, it's incredible! May very well be the best burger I've ever had! It's so cheezy and great with a hint of smokiness. Too bad my stomach isn't too fond of vital wheat gluten, otherwise I'd make this way too often! (eldsjal)
Great burger but I also love jalapenos too so there's that. The texture was fantastic also and held up good in the oven. (intheend)
loved them. With the vital wheat gluten, the texture is actually very chewy and somewhat stringy. But I like it. It would definitely hold up to grilling. There was nothing cheddar-y about these, but I loved the texture. The spice level is really up to you. I used chipotle chilis and red miso and it would do it just like that next time. (schmige)
Three bean chili burger

Burgers from around the world
Jamaican jerk burger

Coconut rum rice burger

Ethiopian berbere patties
I did not use the author's berbere recipe as I already had some made from something I made a while back, and I was glad to use it up.  I liked the taste of the spices in the burger, but the burger was meh.  Thank goodness I only made 1/2 a recipe.  The texture was all wrong...it was dense in the middle, too firm and rubbery.  Not sure what could improve it, but the ratio of 2 cups of whole wheat flour and 1 cup of VWG seemed a bit off.  My journey for a good vegan burger hasn't been satisfied with this one I'm afraid.  Her advise to make sure they don't stick to the pan is a good one as mine stuck to the pan as the liquid went down. (tweety)
Aloha teriyaki burger

Kasha burger

Slovenian fritaja burger

Quiche lorraine burger

Chorizo and egg burger

Swedish potato dumpling burger

Burger Oscar

Brisbane burger from down under

Earth burger

0 likes

Burgers for the holidays
Fruity holiday brunch burger

Savory noodle kugel burger
I made this into a casserole because Joni suggests that in the recipe note. I don't think it was that special, but maybe it would have been more impressive as burgers. It wasn't bad at all, I mean, it has pasta and potatoes and cream cheese and nooch and crushed cornflakes (!), but when I want to have a creamy/fatty/comforting pasta casserole in the future, I won't turn to this one. (eldsjal)
I made this as a casserole and it sucked. Totally bland and it definitely didn't hold together for me so I'm glad I didn't try forming it into burgers. (intheend)
Matzo burger

Oktoberfest kraut burger

Cinco de Mayo burger

All the fixins holiday burger

Green bean almondine burger

Loose meat sandwiches
Deli style no tuna melt

Tofu egg salad sammy

Chicken salad sammy

Pulled pork sammy

Philly cheese steak

Condiments and sauces
Nacho cheesy sauce
I found this disgusting, it was way too sweet and I think it's because creamer is used. I'm thinking about trying it with an unsweetened milk, but I was so turned off by the taste that I'm not sure if I want to try it again. (intheend)
Good. Not very cheesy, just creamy. I used soy milk instead of creamer. (eldsjal)
Tangy tahini sauce

Quick and simple BBQ sauce

Indian spiced mayo

Chipotle dipping sauce

Taco seasoning

Imitation bacon bits
This is the same recipe as can be found in 500 Vegan Recipes, Vegan Diner, Complete Guide to Vegan Food Substitutions etc. Still, it's the best fake bacon bits recipe out there. And really easy to make. (eldsjal)
Mom's mango salsa

Simple pesto

Sundried tomato aioli

Garlic artichoke spread

Chunky marinara
This accompanies the zucchini mushroom burger and is so good. It's more of a sweet marina sauce so it definitely appeals to me.  (intheend)
Aioli dipping sauce

Creamy balsamic dressing

Vegan mayonnaise

Nondairy sour cream
Didn't work for me. All I could taste was tofu, and I couldn't get it smooth. The texture wasn't anything like sour cream either. (eldsjal)
Sweet mustard sauce
Joni recommends that you eat this with the jalapeño cheddar burger, so that's what I did. Or rather, I used it as a dressing and put it on the salad I had with my burger. It was a great combination of flavors, but the sauce was a little overpowering in too large quantities. I used maple syrup instead of agave.  (eldsjal)
Awesome!! This goes with the jalapeno cheddar burger and I nominate it for the best condiment on a burger. Done. (intheend)
Pineapple orange pomegranate sauce

Tzaziki sauce

Thai peanut sauce

0 likes

Buns and breads
Plain white buns
Really, really good. I used flax egg even though Joni states in the recipe that the buns won't turn out as fluffy with flax as with commercial egg substitute. I think they were very fluffy (and big!) and soft anyway. Not very different from the agave bun taste-wise. (eldsjal)
50/50 flatbread
A good basic recipe (but cut down on the salt!)! I like to add cumin seeds, garlic and parsley, I'm going to try other spices and herbs too. It doesn't work very well to freeze them, so I always half the recipe. (eldsjal)
Simple biscuits
I was drawn to this recipe because of its simplicity, but I was also a bit wary because of the large amount of flour, and the fact that the intro says "not as fluffy...." However, very pleased! These are like a cross between the common fluffy biscuit and a bun. I just used the rest of my EB container, so I don't think it was 1/2 cup, but I wasn't skimpy. These would be good for a sandwich, but also just good to eat. They are not dense. I increased the salt because I thought they might need it, but don't think so. Super simple, and very good. I used 3 cups AP flour, and 1 cup white whole wheat. (AC)
Rustica buns
Nice flavor, I think these would work great with a soup. But they didn't really rise so much, so they were much smaller than the other buns. But still good, have already made them twice. (eldsjal)
Molasses buns

Sweet potato buns
I had a bit of a hard time with these, but the result was great. I think the sweet potatoes I used were too small or something because my dough was extremely sticky, and I had to add lots and lots of extra flour. But they turned out soft and fluffy and tasty. Couldn't taste much of the sweet potato, but I think that was my own fault for not using enough sweet potato... (eldsjal)
Bagel buns

Agave wheat buns
Great flavor and they are super soft and fluffy. I just dumped everything into my breadmaker to make the dough then shaped them into buns. Very satisfied with these and will definitely make these again. (intheend)
This is it. I won't have to look any further for the perfect burger bun recipe! It's so soft and sweet I have to force myself not to just eat the buns plain straight out of the oven. Mmmm....(eldsjal)
Sides and salads
Sweet potato fries

Fried zucchini

Basic mac salad

Fiesta mac salad

Papa’s spicy mac salad

Cedar smoked tofu and pasta salad with chipotle roasted red pepper dressing

Mediterranean orzo salad
Pretty good. I used lettuce instead of spinach as suggested, and omitted the tofu. For me, a whole pound of orzo is too much for this, but maybe it would be ok with the tofu. This is a standard flavor profile, so nothing too special. Tasty enough. (AC)
Smoky potato salad

Creamy BBQ coleslaw

Cilantro lime rice

Traditional boiled seitan

A few desserts
Lemon poppy seed cake

Cherry oatmeal chocolate chip cookies

Blueberry mango upside down shortcake

Espresso chocolate chip cake

0 likes

Also, there are quite a few recipes on the amazon look inside preview. I'm going to try a couple, but plan to get this!

0 likes

Bacon and egg breakfast burger: I love this burger so much! I add a bit of nutritional yeast and use black salt to get a really eggy taste.

Garlicky ranch potato patties: Garlic and potato, a winning combination. I ate it without a bun, accompanied by baked beans, tofu bacon and of course: Lots of ketchup.

Baba Ghanoush burger: Fantastic! I wasn't too fond of eggplant before, but now I'm hooked. My favorite way of eating this burger is in a 50/50 flatbread with dill/garlic sauce made of silken tofu.

Lizzy’s lentil daal burger: Yummy! I used curry powder instead of garam masala. Great with tzaziki or a similar sauce.

Sundried tomato and pesto burger: Used edamame pesto instead of the one listed in the book. Tasty, but this is the burger I've liked the least so far. Still, I'll definetely make it again.

Basic black bean BBQ burger: Sweet, smoky and with a bite. Delicious with the cheezy mayo from American Vegan Kitchen or with coleslaw and onion rings. A keeper.

Jalapeño cheddar burger: This is my favorite so far, it's incredible! May very well be the best burger I've ever had! It's so cheezy and great with a hint of smokiness. Too bad my stomach isn't too fond of vital wheat gluten, otherwise I'd make this way too often!

Imitation bacon bits: This is the same recipe as can be found in 500 Vegan Recipes, Vegan Diner, Complete Guide to Vegan Food Substitutions etc. Still, it's the best fake bacon bits recipe out there. And really easy to make.

Sweet mustard sauce: Joni recommends that you eat this with the jalapeño cheddar burger, so that's what I did. Or rather, I used it as a dressing and put it on the salad I had with my burger. It was a great combination of flavors, but the sauce was a little overpowering in too large quantities. I used maple syrup instead of agave.

50/50 flatbread: A good basic recipe (but cut down on the salt!)! I like to add cumin seeds, garlic and parsley, I'm going to try other spices and herbs too. It doesn't work very well to freeze them, so I always half the recipe.

Agave wheat buns: This is it. I won't have to look any further for the perfect burger bun recipe! It's so soft and sweet I have to force myself not to just eat the buns plain straight out of the oven. Mmmm....

0 likes

All American Burger - I loved this burger! It had awesome flavor that was somewhat cheezy from the nooch that was in it. The only problem I had was that they were starting to kind of break apart on the grill. I chopped my mushrooms pretty finely also so it's not like I had huge chunks. I would made these again but I'm thinking it would be better to use a food processor to get the mixture ground up better.

0 likes

Does the jalapeno cheddar burger have TVP or tofu? or what kind of "meaty" stuff? That one sounds so good right now.

0 likes

Oh man, at first I found the other veggie burger book, and I was all wtf! not half of these recipes are vegan! But then I discovered there are TWO veggie burger books, this being the vegan one. ... I'll show myself out now.

0 likes

Does the jalapeno cheddar burger have TVP or tofu? or what kind of "meaty" stuff? That one sounds so good right now.

Yeah, it has TVP, but I'm sure you could substitute with lentils or bulgur or something. I'm gonna try that sometime!

0 likes

So, I went to the store with a loose list of ingredients for some of the recipes in the Amazon look inside. I bought buns thinking I'd have stuff to make at least 1 burger recipe in there, but looking back..I don't have all ingredients for any of those select recipes. :\  If anyone has the time or feels like it, find me a recipe for this week! I have chickpea flour, regular flour, cornmeal, panko...no TVP, VWG, tofu, or tempeh. I have rices and a variety of veg. Anyone up to the challenge? I'm beginning to think I might not use this book enough to own. 

0 likes

Bacon Cheeseburger- This reminds me more of peanut butter cookies than a veggie burger.  Definitely too sweet and too much oil.  I will make it again as I like the texture, but with modifications (less BBQ sauce/add BBQ spices to compensate, replace some of the oil with water).

Super Quinoa Burger- Just ok.  I didn't care for the cornstarch in the recipe; it feels rather chalky when eating it.  Next time I'll  try using VWG instead.

Pintos and Rice Burger- At first I thought this one was a huge miss.  They're better after freezing and reheating.  The cornmeal and pinto beans are great together, and these can baked (vs. fried) to increase the health factor.  My favorite thus far.

0 likes

Do tell, what's "VWG"??

0 likes

Do tell, what's "VWG"??

I would assume vital wheat gluten.

0 likes

Yep....thanks. 

0 likes

Split peas with Ham-burger - I made the "ham" portion of this to perhaps use in sandwiches or the Denver omlette burger in this cookbook.  The texture was off for me, it came out more like a bread than a mock meat.  Of course it tasted nothing like ham, which I didn't expect it to.  Also it was too sweet for my tastes using two tablespoons of brown sugar.  It calls for a whopping 1/4 cup of oil and still came out on the dry breadlike side.  Fail.

Pintos and rice burger - Where do I begin to describe how much I disliked this? I picked this because I had all the ingredients without making a grocery store run and the one review above was encouraging.  I followed instructions but I used canned diced tomatoes and blech.  It needed salt, which I forgot (the canned tomatoes were saltfree), the texture was messed up.  I used the baking method but it took longer than her suggested 15 minutes on each side (but then again, I got seven burgers when she said eight).  Finally one cup of onions is just too much, it overpowers the burger since it's raw...perhaps sauteeing them first would have been better.  I came real close to throwing them away but am going to take the advice of the reviewer above and freeze them and reheat....I'll probably fry them.  Total disappointment.

http://a5.sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-ash4/270253_1964691795793_1197836956_31781591_3989006_n.jpg

0 likes

I had the same initial reaction as you when I made the pintos and rice burgers, Tweety.  I almost threw them away, too, but hate to waste anything.  I hope you find some improvement after freezing/reheating as I did; I now find them to be a great comfort food.  My apologies if you don't; I'll feel as though I led you astray!  :-\

Peace out....
Kindness

0 likes

I had the same initial reaction as you when I made the pintos and rice burgers, Tweety.  I almost threw them away, too, but hate to waste anything.  I hope you find some improvement after freezing/reheating as I did; I now find them to be a great comfort food.  My apologies if you don't; I'll feel as though I led you astray!  :-\

Peace out....
Kindness

Not to worry.  There's hits and misses in cooking, but I do hate to waste food.  I'm going to have the frozen stuff tomorrow for lunch.  Hate to waste food. 

0 likes

My cousin surprisingly got this for me from my Amazon wish list! :D I'll have to find some TVP..

0 likes

Bummer that 1/2 of the few desserts in here use soy yogurt. I don't have access to it, but the chocolate espresso cake looks good. ;\

0 likes

Bummer that 1/2 of the few desserts in here use soy yogurt. I don't have access to it, but the chocolate espresso cake looks good. ;\

You could try subbing vegenaise. I do that sometimes if the recipe doesn't call for too much soygurt.

0 likes

Pages

Log in or register to post comments