When you think of a traditional burger you think of a big, juicy burger made with your favorite ground beef. Some may also think of a burger made of ground chicken or turkey. But how many of you actually think of a veggie burger? You may also think what are veggie burgers made of? Vegetables, right? Not necessarily.
What are the Ingredients in a Veggie Burger?
Essentially, you can put any kind of vegetables in a burger that you want. However, you do need ingredients that will hold all of the veggies together in order to make it a burger. So you will want to include things like bread crumbs, rice, and beans to create that binding.
When using beans they will have to be smashed to make that foundational structure of the burger. It is also very popular in veggie burgers to add grains such as rice. This can be used as a base instead of beans but is also widely used as an addition to beans.
We can’t forget why it is called a veggie burger – the vegetables! Popular additions are grated carrots, mushrooms, onions (sautéed are nice), corn, and broccoli. You want to use veggies that won’t add a lot of water to the burger otherwise you will have quite a mushy burger.
You will see many recipes with the addition of nuts into the burger. Good choices are chopped pecans, walnuts and almonds. These add the protein you are looking for in your burger. Other protein choices might be soy and potatoes.
Are Veggie Burgers Healthier than Meat?
If you aren’t making your own veggie burgers, you want to be careful of the ingredients in pre-packaged burgers. You want to know what your veggie burgers are made of that you purchase just like you check the package of beef or poultry patties.
Some can be processed with lots of additional ingredients you don’t want. As with any processed food purchase, even the ground beef burgers, you want to read the label so you know exactly what is in the food you are purchasing.
Just because you are eating a veggie burger doesn’t necessarily mean you are fully on the healthy burger wagon. You have to consider the saturated fat content in veggie burgers such as soy proteins and certain oils that are high in saturated fats. Some of these plant-based burgers can also be very high in sodium.
Beef burgers do have a certain amount also of saturated fats. If you want to go even lower, opt for a white meat ground chicken or turkey burger. They taste great and you won’t have these concerns.
Again, make the veggie or beef patties yourself, if you can. If not, always know what you are buying.
What Does a Veggie Burger Taste Like?
When making or purchasing veggie burgers depending on the ingredients you use you may end up with a chewy hockey puck! Now nothing against hockey, but if you are like me you don’t want your burger to resemble the puck!
You also have to consider the texture of the ingredients you will use. Just like a meat burger, there will be certain textures you just don’t like thereby making the taste just plain yucky.
Popular and tasty ingredients include mushrooms and potatoes for a smooth texture and creamy taste. For other tasty ideas, what do you like? Grated carrots are very popular for veggie burgers along with cheese and avocado.
So as far as how does a veggie burger taste – this will depend on what the veggie burger is made of and the tastes you prefer. Just like any burger recipe, put in ingredients that you like so the burger is perfection on your level.
Consider the ingredients you will need to bind the burger together. Ingredients that have high water content are better if cooked first so you don’t have that soggy burger. Use ingredients such as breadcrumbs or oats to bind everything together. Think of it as a veggie meatloaf of sorts. You are adding several ingredients together to make a burger. Beef binds itself without fillers. The veggies won’t do that. So you have to think of what ingredients you want to use in order to keep your burger together and give it the taste you want.
As with beef or poultry burgers, be sure to season. With beef or poultry you, of course, cannot taste as you are seasoning. But with the veggie burger, you can absolutely do that. Season with your favorite spices or just salt and pepper to get the taste you want.
Be sure to season both sides of the burger again once you have made your patties just before you put them on the grill or skillet. Especially using salt will help give it that nice crust you like on burgers.
Benefits of Making a Veggie Burger
There are benefits to making a veggie burger – depending on what the veggie burgers are made of! Using the right veggies can make your burgers lower in fat – remember the saturated fat we talked about? They can also be lower in calories than their beef counterpart.
If you are looking to add more fiber into your diet a veggie burger could be the way to go. These burgers can be loaded with heart-healthy fiber and also if containing soy can help maintain cholesterol.
If you are making a burger that is pea-based you are working with antioxidants that are helping fight off the free radicals in your body. If you use soy-protein based burgers you will be getting the iron. But be careful as these may also be GMO.
Are Veggie Burgers Good for Weight Loss?
In order to lose weight, you do have to eat fewer calories, but you already knew that. So consider a veggie burger. It is made of veggies, but you do have to consider the veggies that are in the ingredients and also the size of the patty you are making.
A veggie burger, as opposed to beef or poultry, is going to be lower in calories. You also have to consider the protein content and fiber. Protein and fiber help you feel fuller which will help in controlling your weight due to eating less. (add weight loss pic)
According to Dad Goes Green, eating beans and veggies are eating low in fat and high fiber. Since you will be making your burgers with these ingredients you are already on the right track to achieving your weight loss goals.
Also using whole grains such as rice in your burgers helps with the binding of the burgers and adds to your goal of eating more plant-based foods.
Conclusion
The question was what are veggie burgers made of? The answer is basically what you want to put in them or your preferences when you buy them packaged. Now we aren’t saying that regular beef or poultry burgers aren’t good to eat. As with anything regulating your intake can make your diet healthy and you still enjoy the burgers you love to eat.
Remember you are adding toppings such as lettuce, tomato, onions and all kinds of other veggies to any burger you make. So enjoy your veggie, beef, or poultry burger at any time.
Let us know what you like in your veggie burgers. We love to hear your ideas.