These are the vegan veggie burgers I make for every cookout. They are smoky, savory, hearty, and charred, made with lentils, cremini mushrooms, and walnuts. The fennel seeds and smoked paprika spices give them an almost sausage-y warmth. You can actually taste the vegetables in here, which is sort of the point of a veggie burger and something that gets lost in a lot of recipes that are trying to mimic meat. The mushrooms stay earthy, the lentils stay tender, the walnuts add richness.

There is no meal I love more than a veggie burger on a paper plate in a backyard. I like to form the patties nice and fat. Partly because they look great that way, partly because I like when a little falls onto the cookout plate and I get to eat it with a fork later. The texture is exactly what a veggie burger should be: sturdy enough to hold up on the grill and in a bun, with a rustic bite when you dig in. Not a dense puck, not a mushy bean patty. A real veggie burger with real veggie burger texture and flavor. You get lentils and walnuts and mushroom bits in every bite.

Not grilling? No problem. I give directions for cooking these burger patties at home in a skillet, too.

These originally appeared in Superfun Times as the Classic Veggie Burgers.

About That Potato Salad On Top

This is actually how I ate burgers before I was even vegan. At every cookout, the burgers came with a big scoop of something creamy next to them (potato salad, coleslaw, macaroni salad, sometimes all three) and I always piled it right on top and smooshed it into the bun. It translates perfectly to vegan cookout food, because a creamy scoop on a hot savory burger is one of the great food combinations and it doesn’t need cheese to work.

You can of course serve it on the side like a reasonable person. But if you want to do it my way, pile it up, let it fall wherever it wants to fall, and eat the messy parts with a fork at the end.

How to Make Sure Your Veggie Burgers Don’t Fall Apart

A lot of vegan veggie burgers fall apart on the grill because the recipe is leaning on whole beans or whole grains to somehow hold the whole thing together. I created this recipe after experiencing that heartbreaking fall-apart moment too many times. That is why I think it is the best veggie burger recipe for the grill: experience.

The lentils get pureed. Not mashed, not partially broken down. Pureed. The lentil puree acts as the structural base, almost like a paste that everything else gets suspended in. Whole lentils are there for texture, but they’re not doing the load-bearing work.

The vegetables get pulsed, not chopped. You want the mushroom and onion mixture broken down small enough that it disappears into the burger instead of breaking it apart, but not so small that it turns to mush. Pea-sized or a little smaller.

The walnuts get finely chopped by hand. Nothing bigger than a pea, and you use every bit, including the walnut dust from the cutting board. The crumbs are binding material. The pieces are texture. You need both.

The breadcrumbs go in last, in a bowl, off-heat. This is the real pro-tip. The breadcrumbs don’t go into the food processor with everything else. They get folded in at the end, so they stay intact and can do their job, which is to absorb moisture from the mixture.

Then the chill. This is non-negotiable. Thirty minutes in the fridge does two things: the breadcrumbs pull moisture out of the mix, and the whole thing firms up and becomes cohesive. A warm loose burger mix will fall apart on the grill no matter how perfectly you built it.

If you follow all five of these, the burgers will hold up on the grill, in a skillet, or on a griddle indoors. They’ll have a pleasant crumble when you bite in (as a veggie burger should), but they won’t collapse on you.

Grilling Veggie Burgers: How Not To Ruin The Cookout

Once you have a burger that’s built to hold together, grilling is pretty simple. A few things make the difference between a great grilled veggie burger and one that sticks to the grates and pulls itself apart.

Grease the burgers, not just the grill. Brush each patty with olive oil on both sides before they go on. Oil the grates too.

Use medium-high heat, not high. Too hot and the outside chars before the inside warms through, and a cold center makes a burger more likely to break when you flip it. You want a strong sear, not a screaming one.

Leave them alone. Don’t poke, don’t press, don’t try to move them around for the first five minutes. They need to form a crust before they’re ready to be flipped. If a burger is sticking when you try to flip it, it’s not done yet. Give it another minute.

Flip with a thin metal spatula, along the grain of the grill lines. A wide thin metal spatula gets all the way under the burger. Sliding it in the same direction as the grill lines means you’re not fighting the char marks. A flimsy spatula or the wrong angle is how burgers get torn in half on the flip.

One flip, that’s it. Five minutes on one side, flip, five minutes on the other. No repeated flipping.

Indoors on a skillet or griddle, same rules apply. Cast iron, medium-high, oil both the pan and the patty, leave them be, flip once.

Veggie Burger Make Ahead (Thank Yourself Later)

These are a good candidate for make-ahead cookout prep, which is useful when you have guests coming or just want dinner to come together fast later.

Make the mix ahead. Mix the burger mixture up to two days ahead and keep it covered in the fridge until you’re ready to form and grill. The flavors actually get better with a day of sitting.

Form the patties ahead. Shape the patties, stack them between pieces of parchment paper, and keep them in an airtight container in the fridge for up to three days before grilling. Let them sit at room temperature for about 15 minutes before they hit the grill.

Fresh From The Freezer Veggie Burgers

These freeze well, so having a stash in the freezer means a veggie burger dinner is always close by.

Freeze the mix. You can freeze the burger mixture (before forming into patties) in an airtight container for up to three months. Thaw in the fridge overnight, give it a stir to redistribute any moisture, then form into patties and grill as usual.

Freeze them after grilling. Grill or pan-fry the burgers, let them cool completely, then stack them between parchment in a freezer bag or container. They keep for up to three months. To reheat, pop them in a 375°F oven for about 10 minutes, or back on the grill for a couple of minutes on each side to warm through.

Can you form the patties and freeze them? To be honest, I haven’t tried that. If you try it, let me know how it goes. I would suggest forming the patties, stacking them between parchment paper, freezing in a single layer on a sheet pan until solid, then transferring to a freezer bag. Thaw in the fridge overnight before grilling. I think it should work, but report back.

At Your Service: How To Serve These Veggie Burgers

Once the burgers are grilled, the rest is the fun part.

Grill the buns. Slice the buns, brush the cut sides with a little oil or vegan butter, and put them face-down on the grill for about a minute until you get grill marks and a little char. It’s a small thing that makes a big difference.

The basics. Butter lettuce, sliced tomato, red onion, and pickles. Simple, cold, crunchy. Every bite needs some raw vegetable with the savory warm burger. Everyone knows this. I like to place the lettuce and stuff on the bottom of the bun.

The sauce. Obviously, you can also go classic with ketchup and mustard, or use my favorite vegan ranch if you want something creamy and herby. Hot sauce if you like, especially thick sriracha. Vegan mayo is always welcome on my veggie burger as well.

My favorite, though, is Dippy Sauce (my house sauce). Mix together ½ cup vegan mayo, 2 tablespoons mustard, ¼ cup ketchup, 2 tablespoons pickle juice, and 1 teaspoon smoked paprika.

Go cookout classic. For BBQ night, toss the cooked burgers in warm BBQ sauce and serve with grilled pineapple slices and avocado. Sweet, smoky, and worth the napkins.

The potato salad. You already know how I feel about this. Pile it right on top.

FAQ FOR The Best Veggie Burger

Can I make these veggie burgers gluten-free? You can! Swap out the breadcrumbs for gluten-free ones. I like gluten-free panko bread crumbs pulsed a bit finer in the food processor before adding. Use a gluten-free bun to serve (obviously.)

Can I use a different bean for these grillable veggie burgers? For sure. Black beans, white beans, or pinto beans all work in place of the lentils. Drain and rinse them well. The texture will shift a little but the structure holds. Of these, the best color is the pinto beans. I feel like chickpeas would work but I haven’t tried it. Let me know if you do.

Can I make these for meat-eaters? Yes, and they usually get converted. Well, not really. But tell them it’s a veggie burger, it’s not supposed to taste like meat. If you want a meatier burger try Meaty Seitan Burgers. But these are so yummy, and served with all the accoutrement you won’t get any complaints.

Can I use garlic powder instead of fresh garlic? I’ll allow it. Try a teaspoon. Don’t skip the fresh onion, though.