Seitan Burgers put a fun, flavorful twist on burger night. They’re the perfect plant-based, vegan option and taste great with classic add-ons like tomato, lettuce, and cheese!
This burger night, what are you cooking up? Hopefully it’s these Seitan Burgers! If you’re new to my seitan series, you’re going to want to hop on board ASAP! Seitan is a gluten-based meat alternative that is flavored by adding a bunch of spices and simmering in a flavorful broth mixture.
You can make so much with it — chicken wings, steaks, meatballs, you name it! The texture is very “meaty” and is actually more similar to actual meat than tofu or soy. (Plus, I mean, it tastes delicious!)
We’re whipping up these easy burgers for a meal that’s rich in protein, iron, and calcium and pairs beautifully with your favorite fluffy bun and savory burger toppings. Let’s dig in!
Ingredients in seitan veggie burgers
These plant based burgers require two sets of ingredients: those for the dough, and those for the broth. After making, assemble with your favorite burger add-ons!
Dough
- Mushrooms: First up, 8 oz of button mushrooms will be used to add bulk and savory flavor to the burgers.
- Tomato Paste: Add 2 tablespoons of tomato paste, which not only gives these burgers a savory flavor, but helps to give them the color of burgers too!
- Seasonings: Break out your teaspoon and ad 1 each of salt, garlic powder, onion powder, and smoked powder paprika. Finish it off with ½ tsp of ground black pepper.
- Wheat Gluten: Finally, you will need 2 cups of vital wheat gluten, which is the main ingredient in seitan recipes!
Broth
- Vegetable Broth: 6 cups of veggie broth is needed to simmer the patties. See my note below for achieving a more “beefy” flavor.
- White Vinegar: Include 2 tablespoons of white vinegar for a subtle bite in flavor.
- Liquid Smoke: Finally, ½ teaspoon of liquid smoke adds a great “cooked” flavor. It’s delicious!
How to make this seitan burger recipe
Seitan burger patties are surprising simple to make. We’ll start with the dough, which is a mixture of button mushrooms, tomato paste, spices and wheat gluten. Then we’ll shape the dough and let it simmer in broth before finally searing (or grilling) the patties burger-style!
Step 1: Create the dough
First, add the mushrooms to a food processor and blitz a few times until they’re finely broken down.
Add the tomato paste and spices, and then blitz again to combine.
Add the what gluten and blitz just until it comes together in a cohesive mixture. Do not over mix.
Step 2: Shape the patties
Portion the dough into 8 balls, and then flatten each one as much as possible into a hamburger shaped patty. They will expand when cooking, so flatten them a bit smaller than you’d like them to be when finished.
Step 3: Cook in broth
Add all of the broth ingredients to a large pot and bring to a simmer. Gently lower the vegan burgers into the broth, ensuring that it covers the dough. If the broth does not cover the dough, transfer to a smaller pot. Partially cover and simmer for 30 minutes. When finished, remove the patties from the liquid.
Step 4: Sear the burgers
Sear the patties on a well-greased pan or grill over high heat to slightly char the outside. Serve as you would a regular hamburger!
A few easy recipe tips
Need to make this recipe vegan?
Great news — the seitan itself is vegan! Simply garnish with your favorite veggie ingredients (tomato, lettuce, onion, etc.), and you’re good to go.
Want a more beefy flavor?
Use a vegetarian “beef” broth, such as Better than Bouillon No Beef Base.
Ingredients
Dough
- 8 oz button mushrooms 236 g
- 2 Tbsp tomato paste 25 g
- 1 tsp salt
- 1 tsp garlic powder
- 1 tsp onion powder
- 1 tsp smoked paprika powder
- ½ tsp ground black pepper
- 2 cups vital wheat gluten 240 g
Broth
- 6 cups vegetable broth* 1.4 L
- 2 Tbsp white vinegar 30 mL
- ½ tsp liquid smoke 2 mL
Instructions
- Dough: Add mushrooms to a food processor and blitz a few times, until finely broken down. Add tomato paste and spices, then blitz again to combine. Add wheat gluten, and blitz just until it comes together into a cohesive mixture. Do not over mix.
- Shape: Portion dough into 8 balls, then flatten each as much as possible into a hamburger shaped patty (they will expand when cooking, so flatten them more than you would like them to be when finished).
- Broth: Add all broth ingredients to a large pot and bring to a simmer. Gently lower the seitan burgers into the broth, ensuring the dough is covered by the broth (if not, transfer to a smaller pot). Partially cover and simmer for 30 minutes. When finished, remove patties from liquid.
- Sear: Sear patties on a well greased pan or grill over high heat to slightly char the outside, then serve as you would a regular hamburger!
Dan says
These burgers are really good! First time making and even trying Seitan. Will make these again and will be trying your other Seitan recipes. Thank you!!
cris says
Can I use homemade seitan instead of wheat gluten? It’s very hard to find in my area.
Sarah says
Probably, but what are you using as the seitan base? I usually just order a giant bag of wheat gluten online 😀
Ben Grounds says
Great article
Im says
I followed the recipe exactly but was really disappointed with the outcome – was super chewy but also weirdly soft in the middle. I think it’s because you have to boil it that makes the texture so weird. I grilled it after and it just didn’t work.
lYALL says
0ne thing about cooking seitan/vwg in any recipe is you have to knead it. Five minutes minimum is a must otherwise you are eating rubber 🙂
Carl says
For ease and cost, I give this recipe 5*. The middle of the burger came out pretty rubbery, but I think that was my fault. I followed the recipe with greater precision than I usually do, except for making the patties bigger; I basically doubled the size of the patty.
I won’t lower my rating to 4* unless the author says, ‘no, that should have worked fine’.
I grilled the burgers over charcoal with alder (I was also grilling fish for others) for 6 minutes, and they performed very well, gaining char marks and a great flavor.
I will make these again, but I will stick to the prescribed patty size next time.
MB says
Hello,
The best way to make a double batch and to freeze?
Sarah Bond says
Doubling shouldn’t be a problem! To freeze, I would boil them, then freeze. To reheat, grill on the stove or a bbq.