This post contains affiliate links.
With over a dozen 5-star reviews, you can be sure that these juicy seitan burgers have all the meaty flavor but none of the meat. They’re the perfect plant-based, vegan option and taste great with classic add-ons like tomato, lettuce, and cheese! Plus, you can grill them just like a beef patty!
save this recipe!Seitan is a gluten-based meat alternative that can take on whatever flavor is added to it. You can make so much with it — seitan chicken wings, seitan steaks, seitan 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!) So now we’re making juicy seitan burgers that are incredibly easy to put together and packed with flavor!
Reader rating
“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!!” —Dan
Here’s what you’ll need
These plant-based veggie burgers require two sets of ingredients for the dough and the broth.
- The Dough: This is made up of mushrooms, tomato paste, basic seasonings like garlic powder, onion powder, smoked paprika, and wheat gluten.
- The Broth: To make the broth that the burgers will cook in (before they can be grilled), we will need vegetable broth, white vinegar, and liquid smoke to add that “cooked” flavor.
- Toppings: Top these with cheese, ketchup, red onion, lettuce, and anything else you love on your burgers.
Let’s make it
Seitan burger patties are surprisingly simple to make.
Step 1: Create The Dough
First, add the mushrooms to a food processor and blitz a few times until they’re finely broken down.
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 The 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 it to a smaller pot. Partially cover and simmer for 30 minutes.
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 on a bun with your favorite toppings and sauces!
Recipe Tip
For a more beefy flavor, use a vegetarian “beef” broth, such as Better than Bouillon No Beef Base.
Make it a vegan burger
Great news — the seitan itself is vegan! Simply garnish with your favorite veggie ingredients (tomato, lettuce, onion, etc.), and you’re good to go.
Serve These Burgers With
These burgers are great served with my other vegetarian BBQ recipes, like:
- Baked Zucchini Fries for a summery meal
- Summer Veggie Salad for a light and delicious side
- Broccoli Salad for a summertime BBQ classic
Juicy Seitan Burgers (Grillable Vegan Burgers!)
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!
Notes
Nutrition
Nutrition information calculated by Sarah Bond, degreed nutritionist.
did you make this?Leave a comment below and tag @liveeatlearn on social media! I love seeing what you’ve made!
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!!
Will be trying these today. Noticed in your reply to a previous comment, that the dough needs to be kneaded for at least 5 minutes. But I don’t see that instruction in the recipe directions…. Maybe I missed it?
Either way I’ll knead the for 5 mins. 👍🏻
Hi Christine! That actually wasn’t my response, that was another person. I recommend NOT kneading this recipe, which overworks the gluten and makes it way too chewy!
Can I use homemade seitan instead of wheat gluten? It’s very hard to find in my area.
Probably, but what are you using as the seitan base? I usually just order a giant bag of wheat gluten online 😀
I actually wanted to ask the same. In my country there is no gluten flour and it is very expensive to get it. I make my own seitan from scratch, using regular T-400 wheat flour that I make into dough, let it rest and then wash several times. I than cook it in broth and it is ready for use. I usually simply cut it into steaks and fry it on oil, and that’s it. I was thinking about trying your recipe. Perhaps I could fry or cook the other ingredients first, mince my seitan (to become something as minced meat) and combine the two masses, and then try to form burgers. But… I’m not sure if this would work at all.
Have you tried it with just regular flour?
That’s such a great question, and I love that you’re making seitan the traditional way—it’s definitely more labor-intensive, but super rewarding. I haven’t tested this burger recipe using hand-washed seitan, but your idea could work! Mince the cooked seitan, sauté the other ingredients separately (onion, garlic, etc.), then pulse everything together and see if it holds when formed into patties. You may need a binder like chickpea flour or breadcrumbs to help with structure. If you try it, I’d love to hear how it goes!
Great article
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.
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 🙂
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.
Hello,
The best way to make a double batch and to freeze?
Doubling shouldn’t be a problem! To freeze, I would boil them, then freeze. To reheat, grill on the stove or a bbq.
U great barger.
Can cremeni mushrooms be substituted for the button mushrooms?
Yes! 😀
This is the fourth different recipe I’ve tried for a “beef” burger and it was the best. We’ll definitely make them again in the future. Thank you!
I’m so thrilled to hear that this was your favorite, Carolyn! Thanks so much for letting us know how I went. Happy eating!