This plant-based burger steak is hearty, comforting, and packed with protein. Chickpeas and tofu add protein, while mushrooms add tons of umami flavor. The tahini mushroom gravy is so savory and delicious, perfect on these burger steaks but also on roasted veggies, mashed potatoes, or grilled tofu!
Ingredient Substitutions + Tips to Avoid Mushy Burgers
Be sure to use tofu that has been frozen and thawed, then squeeze out excess water so the burgers don’t get mushy.
Shiitake mushrooms are my favorite for this recipe since they have a lot of flavor, but you can also use crimini, white button, king oyster, oyster, or even enoki mushrooms. Just be careful not to over-process them in the food processor, or the burgers will be mushy.
Chickpeas can be swapped with another bean or legume like black beans, kidney beans, or lentils. If cooking the beans from scratch, cook them until al dente so they don’t make the burgers mushy.
Walnuts can be swapped for another nut or seed like almonds, pecans, sunflower seeds, pumpkin seeds, or even almond flour.
For the roasted veggies, feel free to use your favorite veggies and/or Plant-Based Whole30 compatible mashed potatoes. Some other great veggies for roasting are carrots, Brussels sprouts, asparagus, sweet potato, squash, and cauliflower.
Meal Prep
These plant-based burgers will last 4-5 days in the fridge and are great for meal prepping. Make a batch on the weekend and enjoy them for lunch or dinner throughout the week. Be sure to store the gravy and burgers separately so the burgers don’t get soggy.
You can opt to freeze some of the cooked burgers as well. Place the cooked burgers spaced apart on a baking sheet and freeze for 1 hour. Then transfer the burgers to a freezer-safe container. Freeze for up to 2 months. You could freeze the gravy as well, but the texture may change upon thawing. So if possible, make a fresh batch of gravy to serve with the burgers.
You can also prep the burger filling a day in advance, to cut back on prep time the day of.
Ingredients
Burger Steak
- 2 cloves garlic minced
- 7 oz mushrooms (crimini, shiitake, white button)
- 1/3 cup walnuts
- 1 small onion chopped
- 1 tbsp olive oil
- 8 oz firm tofu frozen and thawed
- 1.5 cups cooked chipeas
- 3 tbsp potato starch
- 2 tsp miso
- 2 tbsp nutritional yeast
- 1 tbsp ground flax
- 1 tbsp tomato paste
- 1/2 tsp dried thyme
- 1/8 tsp nutmeg
- 1/4 tsp baking powder
- 1/8 tsp salt and pepper
Roasted Veggies
- 1 lb potatoes (about 3 medium) cubed
- 1 zucchini halved and sliced
- 1 broccoli cut into florets
- 1 tbsp olive oil
- 1/4 tsp garlic powder
- pinch of salt and pepper
Gravy
- 1 tbsp olive oil
- 1/2 onion
- 8 oz mushrooms
- 2 tbsp nutritional yeast
- 1/2 tsp dried thyme
- 1.25 cups vegetable broth
- 1 tbsp tapioca flour
- 3 tbsp tahini
- 1 tsp miso + 1 tbsp water
Instructions
- ADD garlic, mushrooms, and walnuts to a food processor and pulse a few times until finely chopped. Be careful not to chop the veggies too finely so that they start to get mushy – you want small pieces so they add texture. Transfer to a bowl.
- ADD onions to a food processor and pulse a few times to finely chop.
- HEAT olive oil in a skillet over medium heat. Add onions and a pinch of salt and cook, stirring frequently, until lightly browned, 3-5 minutes.
- ADD pulsed mushrooms, walnuts, garlic, and a pinch of salt. Cook, stirring frequently, until mushrooms have softened, about 3 minutes. Remove from heat and transfer the veggies to a large mixing bowl. Let the veggies cool while you prepare the rest of the filling.
- SQUEEZE excess water out of thawed tofu. Tear tofu into chunks and add to a food processor. Process until tofu is broken up into small crumbles.
- ADD remaining burger steak ingredients to a food processor and pulse a few times to combine – again leaving some bigger pieces for texture.
- TRANSFER the mixture in the food processor to the bowl with the veggies. Mix until well combined. If the mixture is still quite wet and not holding together, add another tablespoon of potato starch.
- COVER the bowl and rest in the fridge for 1 hour.
- PREHEAT oven to 400°F while you shape the burgers.
- DIVIDE burger mixture into 9 pieces. Shape each piece into a burger.
- PLACE burgers on a parchment-lined baking sheet and lightly spray or brush the burgers with some olive oil.
- TOSS potatoes, zucchini, and broccoli with olive oil, garlic powder, salt, and pepper. Spread out on a separate baking sheet.
- PLACE both baking sheets into the oven and bake for 25 minutes, until burgers are browned and veggies are tender.
- MAKE gravy while the burgers cook. Heat olive oil in a deep pan over medium heat. Add onions and a pinch of salt and cook until they start to brown.
- ADD mushrooms and cook until softened.
- STIR in nutritional yeast and thyme and cook for 1 minute.
- MIX together vegetable broth, tapioca flour, and tahini. Pour into pan and simmer until thickened, stirring frequently. Turn off heat.
- WHISK together miso and water. Stir into gravy.
