Vegan burgers and fast-food meals are becoming more and more popular, as the biggest chains are starting to include meatless alternatives in their ever-growing menus. However, there is much debate regarding how healthy fast food vegan meals really are, as they still come with plenty of fat and carbs. That’s why we should learn how to prepare these vegan meals at home, as we will be able to personalize our recipes and enjoy the benefits of a healthy and delicious homemade veggie burger.
Before we start looking for the best meat substitute for our veggie burgers, we need to go over the recipe we will follow. This is because every veggie burger needs a binder to hold everything together. One of the most common binders is egg, but if we are looking to prepare a vegan burger instead of a vegetarian one, we can use wheat germ, bread crumbs, oats, or ground flaxseeds.
Another great ingredient for veggie burgers is beans or legumes, including kidney beans, soybeans, and lentils. As a matter of fact, black bean burgers are the most popular type of bean burger nowadays. However, if you are looking to add your own special touch to the mix, you can try pinto beans or white beans instead, since they will give a more neutral flavor. This way, you’ll be able to personalize your recipe if you are using your own mix of herbs and spices.
When it comes to grilling veggie burgers, there are some aspects we need to keep in mind in order to get the best results. Because they just don’t have as many juices and fat as regular burgers, adding oil to our grill beforehand will help us avoid our burgers from getting stuck there. Before you start cooking, make sure you clean your grill and scrape off any bits and pieces that might be left. Then, you can rub the oil across the grates using a paper towel dipped in oil.
More often than we think, many of us end up with crumbly veggie burgers the first time we cook them. In order to avoid this, we need to check that our ingredients do not have too much water, and the best way to ensure this is by draining and drying our ingredients before mashing them. We can also pat them with a paper towel to get rid of any water excess. This way, we will have a great texture and avoid our veggie patties from crumbling or breaking before the first bite.
