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All-American Burger

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A hearty vegan burger that satisfies well enough to become the go-to house burger! The sixth of six recipes that create one epic seventh recipe, from Dustin Harder’s new cookbook, Epic Vegan: Wild and Over-the-Top Plant-based Recipes. This recipe is meatless, dairy-free, vegan, has a gluten-free option, and is easy to make.

A vegan burger piled high with multiple sauces, an extra bun, mac & cheese, and veggies, with a knife sticking out the top.

recipe 6 of 7: all-american burger

The sixth and final recipe to make the amazing (epic, really) Bacon Mac and Cheese BBQ Blue Burger from Epic Vegan is the burger itself. In the next recipe, we will be putting all these recipes together, and it’s gonna get messy in a good way!

There is a special burgeriness to these All-American Burgers, and I didn’t use the vital wheat gluten, which adds that burgery texture. It’s in the depth of flavor, and I think the key is the allspice. Specifically, the cloves in allspice - it adds an earthy note that balances the burger in a way that is often lacking in standard veggie burgers. This could easily become your new go-to burger!

all seven recipes

  1. Hemp Parmesan
  2. Easy Creamy Shells & Cheese
  3. Quinoa Bacon Bits
  4. Red BBQ Sauce
  5. Blue Cheese Dressing
  6. All American Burger
  7. Bacon Macaroni & Cheese BBQ Blue Burger
A closeup of half a burger with layers of lettuce, vegan patty, blue cheese sauce, bbq sauce, mac & cheese, and a bun.

Ingredients & Substitutions

Olive oil is used to cook the onion, baby bella mushrooms, and tempeh. If you'd like to avoid oil, omit it and be sure to preheat the skillet well before adding the ingredients.

If you don't have baby bella mushrooms, other varieties like button or shiitake will do.

Garlic, allspice, and thyme combine to provide a delicious, deep flavor.

Brown rice, vital wheat gluten, and bread crumbs are the binders in this recipe, helping the burger stick together. If you don't want to use vital wheat gluten, you can replace it with more bread crumbs, which can be gluten-free.

Soy sauce, salt, and red pepper flakes finish off the ingredients.

Let's make all american burgers

Preheat a large skillet and sauté the onion, mushrooms, and tempeh. Then, add the aromatics and spices.

Next, add all the ingredients to a food processor and process just until it starts to form a ball. You're ready to form and grill or bake your burgers!

other epic vegan burger ingredients

  • A ramekin of vegan hemp parmesan with a spoon in it, sitting on top of a weathered picnic table.
    Hemp Parmesan (vegan)
  • Creamy shells and cheese in a white bowl on top of a worn picnic table.
    Easy Creamy Shells and Cheese
  • A ramekin of homemade red bbq sauce on a worn wood table.
    Red BBQ Sauce
  • A white bowl of non-dairy blue cheese dressing on a picnic table.
    Blue Cheese Dressing (vegan)
  • A plate of bacon bits made using red quinoa.
    Quinoa Bacon Bits
  • Bacon Mac and Cheese BBQ Blue Burger

The Recipe

A closeup view of half a burger stacked with the works, including mac and cheese.

All American Burger Recipe

A hearty vegan burger that satisfies well enough to become the go-to house burger! The sixth of six recipes that create one epic seventh recipe, from Dustin Harder’s cookbook, Epic Vegan: Wild and Over-the-Top Plant-based Recipes. This recipe is meatless, dairy-free, vegan, has a gluten-free option, and is easy to make. Yield: 4 burgers (or 16 sliders)
5 from 1 vote
Print Pin Rate SaveSaved!
Course: Main Course
Cuisine: American
Key Attributes: burger, vegan
Prep Time: 20 minutes minutes
Cook Time: 1 hour hour 30 minutes minutes
Total Time: 50 minutes minutes
Servings: 4
Fiber: 2.7g
Prevent your screen from going dark

Equipment

  • skillet
  • food processor
  • grill or oven

Ingredients

  • 2 tablespoons olive oil 30 ml
  • 1 cup onion 160 g (roughly chopped)
  • 1 cup baby bella mushrooms 70 g (stemmed and chopped)
  • 1 cup tempeh 125 g (crumbled)
  • 2 cloves garlic minced
  • 1 teaspoon allspice
  • 1 teaspoon dried thyme
  • ¾ cup brown rice 140 g (cooked)
  • ½ cup vital wheat gluten 50 g (see Tip below for gluten-free option)
  • ¼ cup bread crumbs 30 g (dried; gluten-free if desired)
  • 2 tablespoons soy sauce 28 ml
  • 1 teaspoon sea salt
  • ¼ teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
  • canola oil or cooking spray

Instructions

  • To make the burgers: Heat the olive oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add the onion, mushrooms, and tempeh; sauté for 5 minutes, until soft. Add the garlic, allspice, and thyme, and cook 1 additional minute, until fragrant.
  • Add the brown rice, vital wheat gluten if using, bread crumbs, soy sauce, salt, and crushed red pepper to a food processor. Add the onion-and-tempeh mixture, and process on low speed until a ball of dough is just starting to form; do not over-process; there should still be some texture to the mixture.
  • Let the mixture cool slightly, then form the mixture into a 4-inch-long (10-cm) log (see Tip). Cut the log crosswise into 4 patties (1 inch [2.5 cm] thick) and form to desired shape.

Slider Option

  • If you wish to make sliders, cut each patty into 4 sections and re-form into 16 slider patties. Cook following the directions for the burgers. Heat ¼ inch (6 mm) of canola oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add 2 patties and fry 2 to 4 minutes on each side, or until browned and crispy. Repeat with the 2 remaining patties. Serve burgers topped as desired.

Baking Option

  • Preheat the oven to 350°F (175°C, or gas mark 4). Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Place the prepared burgers, patties, or meatballs on the baking sheet and coat lightly with cooking spray. Bake for 15 minutes, and remove from the oven. Flip, spray again lightly with cooking spray, and bake an additional 15 to 20 minutes, or until browned and firm.

Notes

Author’s Note: It’s important for me to offer a multipurpose recipe for vegetable-grain meat in this book so you can make delicious burgers, sausage patties, and meatballs to have on hand, even if your local grocery store sells the latest in plant-based meats. This recipe is so versatile with just the switch of some spices. Also, if frying isn’t your thing, I’ve included a general baking option.
Tip: If you don’t have vital wheat gluten, don’t stress; you can still make these meats delicious, though they won’t be as firm or have the same chew. Just add ¼ to ½ cup (30 to 60 g) extra bread crumbs until you get a dough-like texture. To create the “log” for the burgers and sausage, transfer the mixture onto a surface and form it into a ball. Push it down on the surface and roll it back and forth with your palms flat, forming it into a log shape with smooth sides, until you reach the desired length.
Kari's note: For an oil-free option, pre-heat the skillet well and dry sauté the veggies. Add a touch of water if sticking.

Rough Nutrition Estimate provided by WPRM (based on generic ingredients and limited specification options)

Nutrition Facts
All American Burger Recipe
Amount per Serving
Calories
382.7
% Daily Value*
Fat
 
13.21
g
20
%
Saturated Fat
 
2.24
g
14
%
Polyunsaturated Fat
 
2.96
g
Monounsaturated Fat
 
6.8
g
Sodium
 
1146.63
mg
50
%
Potassium
 
466.27
mg
13
%
Carbohydrates
 
43.99
g
15
%
Fiber
 
2.7
g
11
%
Sugar
 
2.59
g
3
%
Protein
 
24.52
g
49
%
Vitamin A
 
13.13
IU
0
%
Vitamin C
 
3.75
mg
5
%
Calcium
 
116.89
mg
12
%
Iron
 
3.66
mg
20
%
* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.
Tried this recipe?I'd love to see! On Instagram, mention @beautifulingredient and tag #beautifulingredient!

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Welcome to a world of beautiful food!

I'm Kari, and this is where I celebrate beautiful ingredients and focus on ways to make eating more plants easier. Recipes are centered around whole foods and are vegan, cooked without the need for oil, mostly refined sugar-free and gluten-free. And so delicious!


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