I’m so excited to be guest posting this recipe on A Cup of Jo’s “best you’ll ever have” series. Although, I have to say, it was a little bit daunting to come up with something that was going to be called “the best.”
Of course we think this veggie burger is the best we’ve ever had… but since tastes are subjective, I’m hoping you at least find this to be “a pretty darn good one.”
While I love both chickpea and black bean patties, I didn’t go that route because I don’t love them between bread… they can get a little dense and starchy for my taste.
However, this walnut-mushroom patty – perfect between bread. Chopped up mushrooms create a sort of meaty quality without becoming dry. The walnut-miso paste creates a really rich flavor, and also helps bind the burger together.
Since this is an asian take on a veggie burger, I stirred some sriracha into my ketchup… and not pictured (but delicious with these) are some sliced avocados and a little bit of Japanese Kewpie mayo.
walnut-mushroom veggie burgers
- ¼ cup walnuts, toasted and chopped
- 1 teaspoon miso paste
- Extra-virgin olive oil, for drizzling
- 2 shallots, chopped
- 6 ounces mushrooms (mix of cremini & shiitake), chopped small
- Splash of tamari sauce
- ½ teaspoon garlic powder
- ½ teaspoon onion powder
- ½ teaspoon Chinese five-spice powder
- Splash of mirin (or rice vinegar)
- ¼ teaspoon honey
- 1 large egg, lightly beaten
- ½ cup panko bread crumbs, divided
- 2 to 3 teaspoons sesame seeds
- 6 soft mini slider buns
- Chopped scallions
- Sprouts
- Sliced avocado
- Mayo
- Sriracha and/or ketchup
- Crush the walnuts and miso together to form a chunky paste. Use a mortar & pestle if you have one.
- In a medium pan, heat a drizzle of olive oil over medium heat. Add the shallots and let them cook down for about one minute. Add the mushrooms, tamari, garlic powder, onion powder and five-spice powder and stir. Cook until the mushrooms are cooked down, 5 to 8 minutes. Add a splash of mirin to deglaze the pan, then add in the walnut/miso paste mixture and drizzle with the honey. Stir everything together then remove from the heat and transfer to a medium bowl. Set it aside to cool for several minutes before adding the egg.
- Stir in the egg and ¼ cup of the panko, and let the mixture chill in the fridge for 15 minutes.
- Meanwhile, combine the remaining ¼ cup of panko and the sesame seeds on a shallow plate.
- Remove the mixture from fridge and form into 6 small 3-inch patties. Lay each patty in the breadcrumbs, then spoon more over the tops to cover. Use your hands to firmly press them into shape. It’s ok if they fall apart a little, but if they're falling apart too much, let the patties firm up in the fridge for another 10 minutes before you cook them.
- Wipe out the pan you were using before and drizzle in a few tablespoons of olive oil over medium heat. Cook the patties for 2 to 3 minutes per side. Serve on buns with desired toppings.
Optional: For a heartier burger mix in ¼ cup of pre-cooked brown rice before forming into patties.
Absolutely delicious! I made them for dinner this evening for meatless Mondays and this one will be on regular rotation for future Mondays.
so glad you liked it!
i have a ton of mini portabella mushrooms in my fridge. do you think it will be okay to use all portabella? Planning on trying these today!
yep, they’ll be just fine!
OMG I can’t rave about these enough! We were literally licking our fingers after we were done with them. I ended up making 3 larger burgers out of this and found they weren’t too difficult to handle, even without adding brown rice. Just scooped some of the bread out of a regular hamburger bun so they had a little place to nestle. Thanks for sharing!
Have you tried baking these instead of pan frying? If so (or even if not), do you have thoughts about temperature and timing? Thanks!
Hi Beth,
I did while I was testing these, but I think we liked the pan cooked ones slightly better. I can’t quite remember the temp and time, but I’d say probably 350-400 degrees for 15 or so minutes, flipping halfway through. If you have a broiler in your oven, I’d broil them for a minute or so at the end to get some browning on the surface.
These are FABULOUS! I can’t wait to try them out myself…thanks for sharing!
-Shannon
We made last night and they are absolutely delicious! Even my sceptic sister loved and asked for seconds. Double the recipe if you are more than 3 ppl and definitely recommend with Sriracha. Thx for a great recipe
What an AMAZING idea!!! Adding nuts to anything savory is a novel idea in my book. I try to also incorporate it wherever I can!
I must try these the second I can. Currently I have only utilized nuts, such as spiced pecans, in things like deviled eggs, salads and some ethnic dishes. Thanks for the inspiration!
they’re so good in these, I hope you like them!
Just made these for a bunch of meat eaters. They LOVED them. They turned out just like the pictures and were delicious. We will definitely make again. I will try doubling or tripling the recipe for a crowd.
yay, I’m so glad everyone liked them!
Stinkin’ awesome.
Looks like you did an excellent job! Totally new recipe to me and seems easy enough to cook. Thank you for sharing
thanks!
They look pretty darn awesome! Plus, I’ve always loved mushrooms as a meaty stand-in.
me too, don’t know how I would live without mushrooms 🙂
Oh wow….these look perfect! I love all of the flavours in these burgers!
Mmmm, this looks like a veggie burger I can get behind! I totally agree about bean-based veggie burgers being too starchy. I shy away from veggie burgers for that very reason. Usually I just go for grilled portobellos, but this looks more exciting and tasty than that. Thanks for sharing!
These look delicious, veggie burgers are the best, and dare I say better then hamburgers.
these look so hearty and the walnut-miso paste sounds divine.
These look really delish!!! The pictures are so inviting!!! Can’t wait to try this sometime soon!
This is simply gorgeous! I love this blog, the pictures are always so clean and inspiring to make the recipe! Thank you!
YUM! These look amazing!! I totally agree about the bean patty with bread. I usually opt out of the bun and just pile on the veggies instead. Can’t wait to try these WITH the bun!
PS. Loved your post on Camille Styles today! Congrats on all the features 🙂
I know, I usually eat them on top of some sort of salad. And actually, these are good that way too 🙂
Mmm… sounds amazing! Hopping over to check out the recipe.
thank you again, jeanine!!!