I've had long history with veggie burgers! When I was vegetarian back in my 20's, I would buy the packaged kinds all the time. And then when I got more into cooking I'd frequently make my own. Then, I stumbled on making this veggie burger with rice and I knew I had created one of the best veggie burgers.

The Types Of Veggie Burgers

If you frequently enjoy veggie burgers, I'm sure you're aware of how many different types there are.

The packaged kind of Veggie Burger:

The ones you can buy, pre-made. These are great for busy weeknights/lunches and things like that. Just like anything, theres good ones and not so good ones. I mean this both in terms of the quality of ingredients and the taste.

Beyond Meat has exploded here in Canada as it became widely available in restaurants and in grocery stores. I've tried them and although I think they're somewhat tasty, they don't do it for me. Maybe it's because I eat meat, but there is NO WAY you are going to fool me in thinking it's a meat burger. And call me crazy, but I like my veggie burger to taste like a veggie burger. This brings me to the homemade type of veggie burger.

The homemade kind of Veggie Burger:

Just like this veggie burger with rice, homemade is where its at for me. I want my veggie burger to taste like a veggie burger. But I do have some specific qualifications that all homemade veggie burgers must meet.

Check out my falafel burgers for another vegan burger recipe that I love making!

My Veggie Burger Qualifications:

They Need to Hold Up:

I have zero time for a mushy veggie burger that falls apart or is soft. I don't want to eat a soft veggie burger. That's why I love these veggie burgers with rice because the nuts and seeds really make it crunchy and firm.

They Need to be Savory:

Yes, I know veggie burgers would be savory and not sweet, but I need them to have that umami, savory flavour. This to me is what is going to satisfy my craving for a burger. And it's exactly why I add things like tamari, nutritional yeast and sun dried tomatoes to this veggie burger with rice.

They Need to Withstand the Cooking Process

Nothing is  worse than a veggie burger that falls apart when you're cooking it! Because then you're left with crumbled veggie burger and that's great for tossing in a salad, but not when you want a full burger with a bun.

Veggie Burger with Rice: Ingredients

The ingredients that you'll need to have on hand to make these veggie burgers are:

• Brown Rice: the rice binds these veggie burgers together, so you can opt for either short or long grain brown rice. Either will work here! You could also use quinoa if you wanted to, I've done that in the past as well.
• Nutritional Yeast: This gives more of a savoury, cheezy flavour that you can't get with another ingredient. I love nutritional yeast, I add it to almost everything, yes even my guacamole!
• Tamari: This adds some of that umami flavour I was talking about earlier. You could opt for soy sauce or coconut aminos as well.
• Sun dried Tomatoes: I use dried sun dried tomatoes which keeps these veggie burgers oil free. If your sun dried tomatoes are quite dry and hard, you can soak them in hot water first to soften them. I haven't used oil packed sun dried tomatoes and I'm not sure if it would work in this recipe.
• Nuts and Seeds: This recipe uses almonds, cashews, sunflower seeds and hemp seeds. Any combination of these will work. If you don't have one of the nuts or seeds, just add more of the one you do have. But they add that nice crunch, plus lots of healthy fats and protein.
• Special Sauce: This is optional, but I love my special sauce that I used for this deconstructed burger bowl. You can keep it vegan by using an egg-free/vegan mayo.

How to Make This Veggie Burger with Rice

Use a Food Processor: I highly suggest using a food processor to make these veggie burgers. Since mine broke, I used my vitamix and although it gets the job done, it requires a lot more work. You have to keep stopping and mixing it around so that everything gets incorporated. A food processor would be a lot easier and it's a good reminder for me to get a new one!

Make Them Ahead of Time: Another suggestion is to prep a few things ahead of time, like cooking the rice. You could also whisk together the special sauce ahead of time and keep it in the fridge.

How to Use and Store these Veggie Burgers:

On a Bun, or in a Wrap: I love eating them as a normal burger on a bun, or you could use a lettuce wrap too. Or even wrap them in a collard wrap. They're also pretty great if you do want them in a salad, as a topper and crumbled up.

Freeze Them: This recipe makes about 8 to 9 burgers, so it's a good idea to freeze leftovers. To do this, simply wrap them in parchment paper and then in a plastic bag in the freezer. They should keep like that for a few months. Take them out the night before and let them defrost. Then you can cook them on the stovetop or in the oven.

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