It's finally here: the best vegan seitan burger ever!!!!!!!!!! To say I'm excited is an understatement. This girl, loves a good veggie burger, and when I say good I mean it. In my opinion a good veggie burger has certain requirements. It need to have a nice bite and chew (no mushiness!), it needs to be juicy and packed full of flavour, and it has to be strong enough to hold up on the grill. These vegan seitan burger patties are all that and more!
To make this recipe, I decided to combine my very popular beet burger recipe with my seitan steak recipe to make the most perfect homemade vegan burger there is. And it worked!
The secret to making these burgers the best ever is the combo of ingredients.
The beets in this recipe add a deep earthiness that really makes these burgers taste authentic. Now if you aren't a beet fan, don't be scared, my Adam is a beet hater but is obsessed with these burgers! Lentils add heartiness, soy sauce adds salt and umami, peanut butter (trust me on this) adds just a bit of richness and good fat, liquid smoke enhances the meaty taste, and the vital wheat gluten is the key that gives these vegan burger patties the meatiest texture.
As with all of my setian recipes, these vegan seitan burgers require a few steps to make, but each step is super easy to follow. These burgers need to be prepared at least one day in advance, so this is the perfect recipe to meal prep and have ready to go for later. They will keep fresh when covered in the fridge for up to 5 days, or they freeze beautifully as well. So whip these up when you have time and then when burger time comes, just fry them up or grill them!
To Make The Best Vegan Seitan Burgers:
Add all of the ingredients except for the vital wheat gluten to a food processor. Pulse, stopping to scrape the sides until everything is mixed together into a mush.
Add the vital wheat gluten and pulse, stopping to scrape the sides as needed until combined into a crumbly dough.
Divide the dough into six and use your hands to form six burger patties. You could alternatively make mini patties for sliders!
Add several inches of water to a large pot with a steamer basket and bring to a boil. Once boiling, add the burger patties to the steamer basket, cover and steam for 25 minutes.
How to Shape Seitan Burgers:
The seitan burgers patties can become funny shapes if they are piled on top of each other so steam the patties in a single layer without overlapping, working in batches if needed. Or you could use layered bamboo steamer baskets if you have them.
Once steamed, the burgers will look kind of funny at this stage, but don't worry! Allow the burgers to cool completely, then cover and chill in the fridge overnight before serving. Chilling overnight ensures the best burger texture.
How to Serve Seitan Burgers:
Steaming the seitan is what gives it the perfect texture. Once the patties are steamed and chilled overnight, you can basically treat them as if they were raw burger patties. Pan-fry them or grill them for a couple minutes per side until browned and heated through.
Place the seitan burger patties on a burger bun and top with lettuce, tomato, red onion, pickle or whatever your favourite vegan burger toppings are. And then... prepare to bite into the BEST vegan seitan burger ever!!
Common Questions:
Can you freeze seitan burgers?
Yes, these freeze beautifully. For best results, freeze after steaming (prior to cooking). If kept wrapped tight or in an airtight container, they should last 2-3 months. To defrost, take them out of the freezer and let them defrost either in the fridge or on the counter. Once defrosted, grill or fry and enjoy!
Can these be made gluten-free?
As seitan is essentially gluten, the answer is no.
Bon appetegan!
Sam Turnbull
The Best Vegan Seitan Burger
Ingredients
- 1 large raw beet (200g), (about 1 cup), peeled and cut into chunks
- ½ cup cooked lentils, (I used canned brown lentils)
- ¼ cup soy sauce
- 3 tablespoons water
- 1 tablespoon natural peanut butter, (sub any other nut or seed butter)
- 1 ½ teaspoon onion powder
- 1 ½ teaspoon garlic powder
- ½ teaspoon liquid smoke
- ¼ teaspoon black pepper
- 1 ½ cups vital wheat gluten
Instructions
- Add all of the ingredients except for the vital wheat gluten to a food processor. Pulse, stopping to scrape the sides until everything is mixed together into a mush.
- Add the vital wheat gluten and pulse, stopping to scrape the sides as needed until combined into a crumbly dough. Divide the dough into six and use your hands to form six burger patties. You could alternatively make mini patties for sliders!
- Add several inches of water to a large pot with a steamer basket and bring to a boil. Once boiling, add the burger patties to the steamer basket, cover and steam for 25 minutes.For the best shape: the burgers can become funny shapes if they are piled on top of each other so steam the patties in a single layer without overlapping, working in batches if needed, or you could use layered bamboo steamer baskets if you have them.
- Once steamed, the burgers will look kind of funny at this stage, but don't worry! Allow the burgers to cool completely, then cover and chill in the fridge overnight before serving. Chilling overnight ensures the best burger texture. They will keep fresh when covered in the fridge for up to 5 days, or they freeze for up to 3 months.
- To serve: steaming the seitan is what gives it the perfect texture. Once the patties are steamed and chilled overnight, you can basically treat them as if they were raw burger patties. Pan-fry them or grill them for a couple minutes per side until browned and heated through. Place on a bun and top with your favourite vegan burger toppings.
Notes
Nutrition
Sonya says
I just gotta comment again these are so good. I also tried adding a dash of mesquite seasoning to it and a bit of vegan beef bullion. I Will Never buy store brands again. They freeze up incredibly well. Ty so much. Such a treat.
Sam Turnbull says
Aww you're most welcome, Sonya!
Lea says
Don't know how I missed this recipe when you originally posted it....I recently added ground seitan (from your steak recipe) to my go-to Lentil Wellington recipe on a whim and was quite good. So why not do the same thing with a burger?! Will have to try this out...... But first I have to try the Vegan Salmon recipe that has been marinating in my fridge all night...Can't wait for dinner!......
Marla O says
Best vegan burger recipe I’ve found! Like them even better than store-bought like Beyond Meat! Just the right combo of firmness and mushiness. I did find them a bit “earthy”...to me beets can sometimes taste like dirt. So I use half beet and half carrot, and they are delish!
Laura says
Sam, I've tried a couple of seitan recipes without success (it's a texture thing), but I don't give up easily, which is a good thing, because when I saw your recipe, especially with the beets I decided to give it a try and was I impressed!
Thank you very much, this is the best seitan recipe I've tried yet and I believe good enough for guests.
For me the key was your description of how the texture should appear at the two important steps and it gave me a lot of confidence.
Lisa says
Mmmm all these amazing comments ! I don’t know what happened to mine! First time trying to make seatin . Even before steaming they were like elastic and rubbery, so I had faith they would be better the next day! Hahaha nope they were like giant rubber bouncy balls . Did I steam to long? No idea what happened!
Marna says
From experience my first reaction is that perhaps the vital wheat gluten was processed too long. Sam says to process until just mixed with other ingredients. If over processed they get rubbery...just my guess. Do try again!
Sonya says
I have been cooking with seitan for years and if you mix/knead the dough too much the seitan will turn out rubbery. Sam's way of just mixing the things together does turn out juicy and delicious. Hope this helps
Lisa says
Thank you! I’ve seen two types of VWG, one more gestures and one a powder, what works best for the burgers?
Abbe says
I so want to try the seitan burgers and have all the ingredients on hand (amazing) but have a question first. I do not have a steamer basket, but my microwave has a steamer setting. It works great for veggies so I'm wondering if it would suffice for the seitan — what do you think? If you think it could work, would the timing be different?
Erica Bigelow says
microwave likely will not work here; probably ruin the texture.
Benjamin says
Yup. These were as good as everyone said. I had to substitute carrot for beef, and I forgot the pumpkin seed butter I had planned to put in. Plus I added a teaspoon of chipotle powder. I also thought about adding some cumin, but didn't.
Made them for Valentine's day. Incredible.
Benjamin says
Oops - carrot for beet, lol - no beef in these here patties
Sara says
Hi Sam a couple of questions: 1) is it ok to sub the peanut butter with miyoko’s kitchen European style butter made with cashews? 2) do you flip the burgers half way through while steaming? Thanks! Sara from NYC
Andrea says
I made these last night and couldn’t wait to try, so I had a hamburger for breakfast! Loved the taste and texture. I may have one for lunch as well...
Zach says
So after my failed first attempt at making these burgers I tried again but this time per Sam's suggestion I steamed them for even longer and this time the texture was perfect! Like some other commenters I also used canned beats and tahini instead of peanut butter and the flavor was good but I still felt like it was missing something. I think the next time I am going to cut a bit of the soy sauce and replace it with some Trader Joe's Mushroom Umami seasoning blend but either way I just wanted to thank you again for the great recipe and suggestions to help me correct my wrongs on the first attempt.
David says
Definitely can taste the beetroot
Rachel says
Having just fried these after making yesterday. The had a really strong earthy taste to them- you could taste the earthy beetroot. Is there anyway to ensure I don’t taste that so strong. I followed the recipe. Could I possibly leave out the beetroot or use cooked beetroot. Or is it supposed to have that taste? Normal burgers aren’t particularly earthy flavoured (I’ve only recently become vegan)
Isaac says
The beets are integral for the 'heme' (blood) flavor to make the burgers 'juicy.' They use it in commercial plant-based burgers commonly.
A common way to reduce the earthy flavor of beets (not just for these burgers) is either a citrus to neutralize it, or fresh garlic/vinegar to overpower it. Depending on the flavor most agreeable to you.
Marla O says
I use half beet and half carrot!
Sandra says
Loved it, honestly!
At first, I was skeptical to put the beet in the blender without cooking it beforehand, but it turned out perfectly. The only mistake I made was that I forgot to peel the beet, but it still was really good (and it just made it a liiiittle bit more taste like beet). And even then, my father, who was very skeptical as he hates beet, loved the burgers and said I definitely need to do them again. I also used fresh, pressed garlic instead of garlic powder.
As some other people said, next time I would make 8 out of them instead of 6, because I like a thinner patty 🙂
I will definitely make those again and freeze a batch as well!
Thanks Sam, I love your recipes and creativity!! Never would've tried to make seitan-food without you.
Sam Turnbull says
Aww that's wonderful, Sandra! I'm so happy you loved them and that you were inspired to try making seitan!
Ren says
You know those jerks who rate a recipe, but didn’t even follow it properly? Yeah, that’s me today, but only because I know they would have turned out fabbo with the right ingredients too. 😉
I only had canned beets, and tahini instead of nut butter (I can’t trust myself with nut butter in the house) and I added some vegan bacon seasoning because why the heck not, and they still turned out great.
Sam Turnbull says
Haha! Wonderful!!
Michael says
I found putting them in the oven after steaming helped with firmness and texture. Then I fried the burgers. I would also try a flax egg substitute next time to make them more firm.
Also, I find it pairs well with barbeque sauce. I enjoyed the burgers. I also used pickles, tomato, ginger and arugula for topping on a whole wheat bun.
Michael . S. L.
Sarah Oliver says
Holy Heck!!! These were INCREDIBLE!!! I am so impressed with how they turned out! However did you decide to use the beet?? That made it so great! THANK YOU for sharing this!
Sam Turnbull says
Haha! Awesome! Thrilled you loved them, Sarah. 🙂 I was inspired by my beet burger recipe to use beets!
Michael says
What kind of sauce pairs well with these beet burgers? Please let me know, and I will try the recipe. Thank you.
Sam Turnbull says
Whatever you normally like on your burgers. I like vegan mayo, mustard, and ketchup.
Marsha Bowman says
I put off trying these because I DESPISE beets but the promise of a firm texture kept pulling me in. Finally made them and they are WONDERFUL! No beet flavor at all and the texture is perfect. We had them for dinner the day I made them and they were chewy, however, after I let the rest of them sit in the fridge overnight then froze them they lost the chewiness and the texture/bite was great! The next time I will make them smaller, 8-10 from the recipe, because I like a thinner burger. Also did a cost analysis and they are cheaper to make than the store bought frozen brands. Thank you for this recipe!
Sam Turnbull says
SO happy you loved them, Marsha!!! 🙂
Lisa says
We have a local restaurant that makes a very thin vegan burger that we love. I wanted to replicate their burger and this recipe is perfect. I cut the dough into 12 pieces with a pizza cutter and then use a rolling pin to make them super thin. The texture is perfect. Your site is my go-to for all recipes!! Thank you!
Sam Turnbull says
So happy you were able to replicate your favourite burger at home 🙂
Lou Andover says
HI Sam, Followed your recipe to the letter (had disasters before) and they worked out perfect. Even husband likes them and he is a really fussy eater. Very tasty burger, great texture, maybe less soy sauce next time (reduce the salt) but still the best seitan recipe I’ve made so far with the best results. Thanks for posting. We’re going to try your meatballs next. Mmmm.