The Best Vegan Burger Patties: Beans, Lentils, Mushrooms and More

A great vegan burger is not about pretending to be beef. It is about a patty that holds together, has a crispy outside, a juicy inside and enough flavour to stand up to all the sauce you are going to put on it. Here is how to make one at home.

The golden rules of a patty that holds together

Most homemade veggie burgers fall apart for one of three reasons: too wet, not enough binder, or not chilled. Fix those and you are 90 percent of the way there.

• Dry your base. Pat beans dry, cook mushrooms until their liquid has evaporated, and squeeze grated vegetables in a tea towel.
• Use a binder. Breadcrumbs, oats, a flax egg, chickpea flour or a spoonful of vital wheat gluten all help.
• Chill before cooking. Thirty minutes in the fridge firms the patties so they do not crumble in the pan.
• Cook hot and leave them alone. Let a crust form before you flip.

Four patties worth knowing

Smoky black bean. Mash two cans of black beans (drained and dried), leaving some texture. Add sautéed onion and garlic, smoked paprika, cumin, a little soy sauce and enough breadcrumbs to form firm patties. Great with chipotle mayo.

Lentil and walnut. Cooked brown or green lentils, toasted walnuts, mushrooms and oats, pulsed together. Hearty, meaty and full of protein.

Mushroom and rice. Finely chopped mushrooms cooked down with onion, mixed with cooked short-grain rice for stickiness and a little miso for depth. Rich and juicy.

Crispy tofu. Press a block of firm tofu, slice it thick, marinate it in soy sauce, garlic and maple, coat in seasoned flour or cornflakes and fry until crunchy. Think crispy "chicken" burger.

Build a better burger

The patty is only half the story. The rest is the stack:

1. Toast the bun. A toasted, buttered (plant butter) bun stops everything going soggy. Check the label, since many brioche-style buns contain egg or milk.
2. Sauce both sides. Vegan mayo, burger sauce, ketchup and mustard, or sriracha mayo.
3. Add crunch. Pickles, raw onion, crisp lettuce or slaw.
4. Melt the cheese. Put a slice of vegan cheese on the patty in the last minute of cooking and cover the pan.
5. Something extra. Caramelised onions, grilled pineapple, jalapeños or smashed avocado.

Burger sauce in 30 seconds

Mix 4 tablespoons of vegan mayo, 1 tablespoon of ketchup, 1 teaspoon of mustard, a few chopped pickles and a splash of pickle juice. Done.

Make it a full fast-food night

A burger needs fries and a shake. That is exactly what Burgers, Shakes and Fries is about: plant-based versions of classic fast food, from juicy burgers to creamy shakes and crispy fries. It is the book to grab for a Friday-night feast without the takeaway bill.

If you are building burgers for protein, check out Protein Punk – 90 Ways to Save a Cow for more high-protein plant-based recipes.